The Perfect Solitaire

“Yes, they come in here to shop for their fiancés. Would you stop with the finger? I just cleaned the glass. Get that cloth and wipe off all those cases, Faye. You’re making double work for me. I’ll be back.”

Zoe paced the small stockroom, stretching her tense neck muscles. She touched every drawer, making sure all were closed that held plastic and velvet bags of earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

If she stopped moving, she might tell Faye she’d all but written her off. Zoe stopped herself from saying the words and tried to center herself. She had a job to do and that didn’t involve Faye.

“All done.” Faye popped in back without the cloth.

“I’m going with Hood. If you want to help me, stay here with Ireland while she opens the store. Be an extra pair of eyes and ears. Make sure nothing happens. When I come back, we’ll have lunch and really talk this out.”

She threw out the conciliatory bone, hoping her sister would decline. Truth be told, Zoe was tired of entertaining and paying for her assistant-vice-president-of-the-bank sister to eat out nearly every night.

Twice she’d asked Faye to pick up the check, but her cards had been declined. Though Zoe’d asked about Faye’s money troubles, her sister had claimed her paycheck must not have been posted yet.

“Why waste the gas going back and forth when I can just go with you? Then after the meeting, we can eat.” Faye looked around anxiously. “I can listen in on your meeting with the Hoods and be a second pair of eyes and ears. I’ve got lots of experience you don’t give me credit for. I’ve sat in on security meetings at the highest levels, Zoe. I’m an officer at the bank in Greenville. I hold an extremely high security clearance. Possibly higher than your little security people.” Faye took another look at Zoe’s face and gave up. “I’ll stay here.”

Zoe left the store, relieved. She needed some peace from Faye’s prying eyes and constant talking. She also needed to forgive her sister, she knew that, but not right now. Right now she needed a few minutes to compose her thoughts.

There was so much she wanted to say to Robinson Hood. She’d met him at a Young Entrepreneurs’ luncheon of Atlanta three months ago, and had been impressed with his speech about the work he and his family did. Too bad. She’d done something she’d rarely done: gone back to a man’s house.

Since then, she’d done her research and had found out that Hood Investigations was revered by cops because they didn’t have to play by cops’ rules. Cops who would hire them if they had a problem. With that endorsement, she’d made the call.

Rob had set up the meeting right away.

Settling in her car, Zoe locked the doors and inhaled and exhaled the warm June air until her nerves no longer felt like the jumbled ball of rubber bands she kept in her office. She needed Hood to move fast and catch these people that were threatening her future. That’s how she’d open. Then she’d outline the facts. She programmed the address into her GPS, and planned everything else she’d say all the way to the front door with the black block letters announcing Hood Investigations, Inc.

Opening the door, she walked inside. “I’m Zoe McKnight to see Rob Hood.”

The male receptionist asked her to wait, and she soon saw Rob Hood.

“Good morning, Ms. McKnight. Rob Hood.” He approached with a confident stride, his features prominent and chiseled like his brother’s, yet slightly different from Ben’s. The magnetism wasn’t there. If she wasn’t attracted to Rob Hood, she wouldn’t be attracted to Ben, who was nearly Rob’s spitting image.

“Pleased to meet you again. Please, call me Zoe.”

“Zoe.” Her head jerked involuntarily at the sound of his voice.

“Ben.”

The strangest look appeared on Rob’s face then his lips closed, he blinked and realization ignited the depths of his eyes. A half smile formed. “You’ve met my twin brother and business partner.”

She’d met him on his bed just three months ago and had let herself be taken to the stratosphere and back, yes. She’d been too high on lust to ever ask what he did for a living.

When he’d asked if she’d wanted a lick in the crease of her elbow, she’d moaned her consent. When he’d said to give it to him, she’d opened her whole body and given him a free pass to every pleasure zone, and each time he’d rung her bell, she’d hit the jackpot. There wasn’t a night that had passed by when she didn’t fantasize about making love to Ben. Sometimes she was the aggressor and other days he totally possessed her. Those nights, a cool shower was needed to cool her feminine energy.

Last week she’d broken down and gone to an adult store and bought a sex toy that she thought was close to his size and length. Zoe looked away from Ben, embarrassed. Yesterday she’d thrown it away. Nothing compared to the real thing, and now that she was looking at him, nothing ever would.

Maintaining her composure, she acknowledged him. “I remember your brother.” She looked back at Ben and several curls came to rest against her MAC lip gloss. She slowly peeled the hair away from her mouth.

Ben sucked his teeth and muttered, “How well I remember.”

She faltered, with Rob approaching from the right and Ben closing in from the left. Rob was a step ahead and her palm met his first. “Rob, I won’t take up much of your time.” She turned to Ben and couldn’t quite meet his gaze. But she saw the pulse beating above the white collar of his shirt. Her tongue had been there.

“Zoe,” Ben said. “Long time no hear.” He made it sound as if each word weighed a hundred pounds.

He captured her left hand and held it, leaving it up to her to take it back. Damn him.

“Good to see you, too,” she managed. “I’m here because I need your help, please. It shouldn’t take too much time.”

“Take as long as you need,” Ben said. The same words had been issued that night, when she’d told him it took a long time for her to come.

Her legs seemed to have a mind of their own, but Zoe made herself stand still. The portfolio she’d been carrying slipped from her hand and papers scattered. Ben and Rob bent to retrieve them.

There was no denying it. The twins could pass for guards on any professional basketball team. They were tall, handsome, dark-skinned men with beautiful smiles, short haircuts and big hands.

The magic for Zoe had been in Ben’s eyes. Almost as soon as she’d looked at him the night of the party, she’d known she would know him, and once she’d heard his voice and experienced his intelligence, she’d known she’d have him. The White Linen Party had been an auction and wine-tasting party designed to raise money for local animal shelters, and Ben had bid against her several times for exotic vacations. He’d gotten so bold, he’d come to stand beside her and bid. She’d found his boldness alluring and for the remainder of the night, he’d held her rapt attention. He’d won one vacation, she’d won one and he’d taken her home.

“Here you go,” Rob said, handing her the fallen papers, effectively bringing her back to the reason she was in his office. Ben stood, too. “This way, please.”

Zoe followed, but remained acutely aware that Ben was behind her every step of the way. She felt his gaze on her back, hips and legs. Every time she moved she remembered what it was like to have his lips all over her. She shrugged off her shoulder bag and entered a small conference room that resembled a comfortable living room.

“Rob, at the Young Entrepreneurs meeting you gave a lot of tips for working your business. I took a lot of your suggestions to heart, and my business tripled. That could be why I’m having the trouble I am today.”

“Not to worry. Hood Investigations doesn’t have a near-perfect record for nothing. Some refreshments,” Rob suggested.

Zoe helped herself to water. “Near perfect?” she queried, sitting down, crossing her legs. “That’s impressive. One got away?” She looked between the two men and a sliver of darkness passed between them that was at once hot and cold and deadly.

“There’s always one that we’d like to have done better. But that’s it. One,” Rob said. Danger and safety commingled then retreated to their respective corners.

“What’s going on, Zoe?” Ben asked. “I read the report and wondered why the last three break-ins hadn’t been reported to the police.”

She put her water on the coaster and pulled out her computer. “I’m planning an expansion worth millions. I’ve been warned by the mall owner that if my loss numbers, which are theft or shrinkage numbers, don’t decrease, I’ll lose all the money I’ve invested. The owner of the mall has stated that his insurance rates increase the more incident reports the police respond to. He will not bear a greater liability because I can’t control theft in my store. If I can’t resolve this theft issue, he’ll drop my bids for future business in his malls, and I’ll lose my investment.”

“That hardly seems fair,” Rob said. “Who is this?”

“Mitch Turner of MT Worldwide Development.”

“I’ve heard of them. I thought they were a reputable outfit, but this sounds questionable. Let’s back up.” Ben said. “How much have you invested already?”

“A million and a half dollars. That’s for two additional stores. I have two now. Zoe’s Diamonds on Peachtree, and Zoe’s Diamonds at the Galleria.”

Ben nodded. “Do you have any idea who might be breaking into your stores?”

“No.”

“You’ve done background checks on everyone? Staff, workmen, and the like?”

Zoe smoothed a wide curl behind her ear. “Staff only. If we’re remodeling, then it’s the company’s responsibility to do a background check on all their employees and provide the paperwork to me. For me to do it would be cost prohibitive.”

“That could be how you’re getting robbed.”

“Excuse me?” Zoe turned to Ben. “If they’re going to be there five days or more, I do a background check.”

“That’s your criteria?” Ben drummed his fingers on the edge of the table.

“I do a standard criminal background check. A more in-depth check is counterproductive for a retail outfit. At fifty dollars a pop, I can’t afford to do a more expensive check on someone who might quit after two days.”

“Has that happened?”

“It happens all the time.”

Zoe realized he was asking typical questions and reined in her defensive responses. Ben was just doing his job.

“What’s the average salary for sales associates?” Ben asked.

“They start at ten an hour and the highest is fifteen plus commission.”

The room was quiet for a while and her defenses slid up again. “These people make a decent hourly wage. With expansion plans, I can’t afford to pay more right now, but we’re competitive.”

“Zoe, you don’t have to defend your salaries.”

“Thank you, Rob. I want to add that the bad guys seem to be one step ahead of me. A few weeks ago I forgot my purse at work and since I was only twenty minutes away I turned around and went back. In that short amount of time they’d been in and out of the store.”

“How’d they get in?”

“I’m not sure, but the front gate was unlocked when I got there. I’m positive I locked it before I left. It’s the last thing I do.”

“Who has keys?” Ben asked.

“The three opening and closing managers. I do. My father. That’s a total of five people.”

Ben’s look was skeptical. “Your father?”

“That’s right. Captain Anthony McKnight of the Fulton County PD. As far as I’m concerned, his gun is as good as any to shoot a bad guy. But he’s currently on disability.”

“Of course,” Rob said. “I know your father. When I was a detective, we worked on a joint task force for a case. I visited him when he was hit by the driver who didn’t stop on I285. Quite a heroic officer to put his life before his rookies. I hope he’s getting better.”

Zoe smiled. “Wow, Rob. I had no idea. Dad has had so many visitors, it’s hard to keep up. He’s on the mend, thanks for asking. I’ve got my dad’s keys on me. I picked them up last week because I knew I was going to have an appointment with you and I thought you might ask for them.” Zoe kept her focus on Rob. “Can you help me?”

“We can. I want to reassure you that you’re in the right place. Whoever is doing this is going to be sorry. Ben will be the lead investigator on your case. He’s good. In fact, my brother is the best.”

“I see.” She slid the wild curl that refused to be tamed behind her ear and ignored it when it popped out again. “Is there anyone else?”

Ben laughed and closed Zoe’s folder. “You heard the lady, Rob. Is there anyone better than me?”

“That wasn’t her question.”

“No, it wasn’t. This isn’t personal, Ben,” she told him, knowing she was lying.

“Why would you want second best?” Ben’s demand was so gentle she nearly apologized for being foolish.

The probing question was both personal and professional and she couldn’t deal with answering him now. Not in front of Rob who didn’t need to be dragged through the murk of her failed one-night stand.

Eventually, the memories of their encounter would fade like all memories did.

“I don’t want second best. But if we’re going to work together, I want a guarantee. Two weeks is what you have to get this mystery solved.”

“That’s not how we work, Zoe. It’s unrealistic to put a time frame on something of this nature,” Rob told her in a kind but frank manner. “This has been going on for over four weeks. We may break this case in a week or a month, but we can’t work with that time frame until we can do an in-depth assessment.”

“Deal.” Ben sounded both strong and confident. “But, if at any time your safety is endangered, or we find evidence of something big, we reserve the right to adjust the time frame.”

“Ben,” his brother warned. “That might be a little unrealistic, but I’ll defer to your judgment.”

“We’ll start with two weeks, and let Zoe decide if she wants to walk away at the end of that time.”

Silence gripped the room.

“That’s fair,” Rob agreed.

“We’re talking petty crimes here,” Zoe objected. “Probably the work of the smash-and-grab ATM thieves who have graduated to jewelry. I don’t want this blown out of proportion, Ben.”

“I wouldn’t count sixty-five thousand dollars a petty crime. Zoe’s Diamonds on Peachtree was hit for a little over ten thousand, and the Galleria store was for fifty-five thousand dollars over the last two months.”

Her heart pounded. “I see you did your research.”

“In preparation of our meeting, we did some checking and found out that not only was a three-carat pair of earrings, platinum cufflinks and a gold and diamond tennis bracelet stolen from your store, plus—”

“Yes, I know, but—”

“Let me finish. They haven’t turned up in any pawn shop, either, so they were stolen for personal use and can be on ice for a long time before someone decides the public has forgotten about them. Other items were stolen from another jewelry store seven miles from the mall.

“A platinum-and-white-diamond tiara worth eighteen thousand dollars. Gold cuff bracelets are worth five, and unset diamonds wholesale for fifteen. You didn’t see this in the news because they aren’t insured. The owner didn’t want people coming around thinking his store was fair game.”

The notion sent shivers down Zoe’s spine. “That’s crazy. Why weren’t they locked in a safe?” She didn’t realize she’d sat forward until she heard Ben speak in a confidential tone.

“They were. The manager had just left and the silent alarm was tripped. She went back and was seriously injured. Her arm was broken.”

“Oh. Well, hell.”

“Yes, let’s continue.”

“I assume they got away.”

“Correct. It was never reported. The tiara wasn’t insured and never recovered, I’m afraid.”

Cold fear struck Zoe in the chest. “All of my jewelry is insured, except I haven’t reported all the break-ins because I don’t want my premiums to skyrocket and I don’t want to lose my investment. I figured I could take the hit once. But this has happened three times. Hiring this firm is my Hail Mary.”

“Then we take no chances. You do what I ask and we work together. Okay?”

“Okay, but you have to understand, I have a business to run and this feels so overwhelming. I want to be able to have fun with my customers, and do shows, and loan out jewelry. That’s how Zoe’s got its name.”

Ben hated bargainers, but he went along with it to appease Zoe and his brother. He’d deal with each incident as it arose. “Fine, but loaning jewelry to celebrities or politicians must be preapproved and only after a background check.”

“Okay,” she finally agreed.

“Well, it sounds like we’ll be working together. Welcome to Hood Investigations. We’re going to solve this problem, Zoe.” Rob stood, and shook her hand.

“Thank you. I appreciate your time.”

“You’re welcome. My next appointment will be here in a few moments. I’ll leave you in Ben’s capable hands.”

She looked into her untouched water, her cheeks remembering the capability of Ben’s hands. “Of course. Take care, Rob.”

The door closed, and Ben set down a fresh cup of water for her and a cup of coffee for himself.

“Oh, no, thank you,” she said in a rush. “I brought a flash drive of our day-to-day schedule of operations. I expect you’ll want to do an in-store visit, maybe as a customer. You’ll be able to see things from your own perspective. Also, posing as a customer, the staff won’t know who you are and you can get a feel for them. I trust them implicitly, but that may be the problem. I have to get going. I’ve got a full day ahead. Here’s the drive. The schedule is on there, as well as the staff with photos. Signed confidentiality agreements are also included. I thought that would be helpful. And—” she opened her bag and pulled out the check she’d endorsed last night. “Your fee. I’ll see you later, I’m sure.”

She got to the door, her hand on the knob. She’d never spoken so fast.

“Zoe, come here.”

His voice reached into her and took her places she’d not been since she’d been with him. The resonance offered assurances it didn’t have the right to give. He wasn’t her man and he wasn’t even commanding her, and her body felt like responding. But the yellow caution sign in her brain flashed bright.

Her hand wouldn’t obey the command to open the door. “Sit down, Zoe. We need to discuss the ground rules when it comes to you and me.”

“What? Why?” She laughed, but heard how grating it sounded and stopped. “There is no you and me.”

“While we’re working together, this relationship has to remain professional at all times. I can’t and won’t sleep with you.”

She sat down then. “That’s a little presumptuous since I didn’t ask you the first time. But that’s fine. Agreed.”

“Good. Since that’s out of the way, I’ll have to know about all your lovers. You could be a target because of one of them. Or one of them could be using you. Names, addresses and phone numbers. If you’d be more comfortable, you can write it down yourself. But I’ll have to check them out. Personally.”

Chapter 3

“I have half a mind to take my check and walk out of here.”

Zoe’s portfolio hit the table and her no-nonsense glare reminded him that she was a successful businesswoman for a reason. He’d more than struck a nerve. He’d plowed into the circuit board. Her eyebrows were raised and she looked as if she was about to ball up her fists and take the first swing.

Ben rolled the pen through his fingers. “I’m not making any judgments.” Though he was. He wanted to know all of her business. Why she hadn’t called? Why hadn’t she returned his calls? If there was someone else keeping her warm at night. Life had an explanation for everything, and he could accept the explanation of being busy, but not another man. Not after their night together.

“Ben, don’t lie. You’re definitely making judgments. I don’t sleep around, and the implication that I can’t control myself around you is ludicrous.”

“I’m sorry I offended you.” The check was still between them on the table. Rob would kill him if Zoe’s check didn’t clear the bank because he’d allowed a personal matter to interfere with business. “It’s just that we have history. A short history, but it’s there, so I thought we should talk about it.”

“There’s nothing between us, Ben. Not that I didn’t want it to be, but I need to get my new stores launched and established. And I don’t have time for a personal life right now.”

Maybe he just had to accept that sex was all it had been to her. Glancing over the fuchsia dress that hugged her curves, he forced his mind back to winning the account he was presently losing. “I just didn’t want there to be a problem between us because I didn’t call you back.”

“Hold on one second. I didn’t call you back.” Her eyes narrowed. “I get the reverse game going on here.” She shifted her hands from side to side. “I remember what you said that night at the party. ‘I allow the woman to set the pace of the relationship because I don’t want her to feel as if she’s being rushed into anything. She can call me after the first date,’ and I didn’t!”

“You’re right, I did say that. I’m saying from this moment on, everything between us has to remain strictly business. At some point, I may be trying to save your life and I don’t want you second guessing me because of some history—like now.”

Ben put the check in the folder and typed on a keyboard installed beneath the table where he sat. “You made the right decision calling us. We’re going to find out who’s robbing you and we’ll put an end to it.”

The lights in the room dimmed.

“There are six members of the Hood team. You need to know who they are by sight. There’s Rob and me. There is Hugh, my first cousin. He’s the camera-and-computer specialist. Zachary is my younger brother and the security expert. Then there is Amelia, known as Mel, and she’s part of Hood Trap Team and Alexandria, known as Xan, the head of Hood Trap Team.”

Zoe looked at the presentation of the photos and it faded and the lights automatically came on in the room. “Will they all be working on my case?”

“Possibly, but only as needed. Right away, I’m going to have Hugh go in and work on installing our cameras in the stores.”

“What does Trap Team do?”

“Whatever is necessary to get the job done. They’re specialists at catching liars and cheaters.”

Zoe nodded. “I can see how that may be beneficial.” After her morning conversation with Faye, Zoe felt the need to be thorough and not leave any ambiguity regarding her position on what happened between them. “I hope you understand, Ben.”

“What?” He walked over to the station and pulled off a sheet of paper, read it and handed it to her.

“My reasons for everything.”

“I said I did and I do. Here’s your receipt. We need to get started. Go back to your store and I’ll see you there in about an hour. Don’t acknowledge me when I come in. I’d like to see how far I can get away with things. Are the rules regarding employee conduct and store policies on the flash drive, as well?”

“Yes, it’s all there.” He was all business and that made her want him to slow things down a bit and talk things through. Zoe recognized she couldn’t have it both ways.

“Good. We’ll see if I can spot anything unusual going on. I may have some of the team with me or I may be alone. Try not to be on the floor if that’s not where you’d normally be.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“You’ll have to give me a complete schedule of every place you’re going to be every second of your day until this is solved. No secrets. No surprises. You and I are going to be tighter than conjoined twins.”

“That close?” she asked with a small laugh.

“Like skin and deodorant.”

Zoe rubbed her neck. “Do you suspect anyone, Zoe? That could save us a lot of time.”

“A former manager, Tori Brunelle. She wanted more money than I was willing to pay, and before she left, things started disappearing. I let her go and changed the locks, but I believe she still has influence over some of the staff. I’ve even replaced some of them, but you never know how people know one another.”