They introduced one another to their favorite places to eat beyond the borders of Bayview (to reduce their likelihood of running into her family). She took him to holes-in-the-wall and he took her to fancy spots she'd never ventured to before because of their price tag.
He joined her for a kickboxing class, where he poured sweat, which made his T-shirt stick to his body in intriguing ways and turned his hair wet and spiky. For a kickboxing beginner, he was ridiculously good at it. That conclusion left her both irritated and swoony.
Once, she attempted to join him for his usual cardio-and-weightlifting routine. Before they'd completed it, she announced her intention not to repeat the experience for the rest of her days.
They hiked through forests. They kayaked on his river. They took her rowboat out on her lake.
And things were altogether perfect for three weeks straight.
Until the day Cedric called Jude.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Jude had upped his grocery game now that he was lucky enough to feed Gemma at his house a few nights a week.
Standing in the pasta aisle at the grocery store, he was scrolling through the results from his phone search forEasy Pasta Recipes. Gemma liked pasta and he liked to make her happy. Problem was, her father's side of the family was Italian and he didn't know if Google'sEasy Pasta Recipeswere going to be up to her standards—
His phone rang. The caller ID on the screen readCedric Bettencourt.
Adrenaline shot through him. It was quickly moderated by his training, which came online to steady his body's response. The same night he'd exchanged numbers with Cedric, he'd programmed his phone to “always record” conversations to and from Cedric's number. This incoming call was unexpected, but the preparation for it had been laid long ago. “Hello?”
“Jude? This is Cedric Bettencourt calling.” Cedric's accented English was easy to recognize after having spent a long meal across the dinner table from him.
“It’s good to hear from you.” Jude covered his free ear with his hand, trying to drown out grocery store distractions.
“Several weeks back, Gemma indicated that you might know someone interested in making a purchase from me. Still interested?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Excellent. I’ll be flying to New York in two days. You live in New York, yes?”
“Yes. Would you like to meet to discuss the deal?”
“Non. En fait. . . We can discuss now and meet then so I can give you the things I told Gemma were for sale.”
Cedric was obviously smart enough not to transmit Rhapsodie's secrets electronically. A computer expert would be able to trace his actions, which would generate evidence against him. Secrets written on paper left no digital footprint.
“When we’re talking about the things you have for sale,” Jude said, “we're talking about a recipe, correct? Ingredients and process?”
The FBI monitored Cedric’s phone communications. Whether verbally or via text, Cedric always kept his language vague. He knew that vague communication did not make for strong evidence against him. Jude had kept his language equally vague just now, but a real representative would ask for clarity, so he'd asked.
“Correct.”
“You will write every detail down for my buyer?” Part of the tradition around Rhapsodie: the fact that its specifics were to be passed down orally and never written down.
“I will.”
“Do you have terms in mind?” Jude slid his cart backward to make room for a woman who reached for a bag of penne.
“My price is thirty-two M.”
Mwas a slang term for million. Quick agreement would strike Cedric as suspicious.He and his sidekick Vincent would be expecting Jude to negotiate. Also, Jude's “buyer” was the FBI. Just as if he was representing a perfume magnate, he couldn't agree to any price without his buyer's approval. He'd need to use real dollars for this transaction, provided by the FBI. “I'll check with my buyer to confirm what they’re willing to pay and get back to you.”
“I’ll be honest.” Cedric's tone communicated cavalier, take-it-or-leave-it ease. “I’ll come off my number a very slight amount. Very slight because my product will not be hard to sell. Please call me back with your best offer in the next five hours. If your buyer provides a number I can accept, I will see you in New York.”
“You'll hear from me within five hours.”
“Very well. And Jude?”
