His mouth edged up and his eyes smoldered.
She took a deep breath. “Let me get my purse.”
Grabbing the silver clutch that matched her shoes, she walked in front of him out to a black stretch limo waiting in front.
The driver, a big muscular African-American with impressively-sized biceps, opened the door. “This is Reggie,” Jonah said. “He’s a friend and a colleague. Reggie, meet April.”
The introduction surprised her since she wasn’t used to chauffeurs being introduced as friends. She liked it.
April smiled. “Nice to meet you, Reggie.”
“You, too, April.” He grinned. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I’m gonna take real good care of you.”
April believed him. She slid across the red leather seat and Jonah followed her in.
Reggie drove sanely to the Westin Dallas Downtown, and the limo pulled up at the entrance. Reggie walked around and opened the car door. Jonah slid out and helped April out, and she walked into the building on his arm.
Jonah paused a moment to speak to hotel security. He showed his ID and the weapon in his shoulder holster, and they continued on, heading down the hall into the ballroom.
The place looked spectacular, sophisticated yet welcoming. Organized and supervised by April and her staff, a small army of volunteers had done the decorations. Wispy lengths of white chiffon draped from the ceilings. Tiny lights glittered overhead and along the walls, and bouquets of white chrysanthemums marched down the center of the linen-draped tables.
Along the hall leading into the ballroom, campaign posters in the red, blue, white and gold colors of the Dallas City flag read,Keep Dallas Moving.Reelect Mayor Mark Rydell.
The event was already in full swing when they got there. Chase, who had arrived ahead of them, spotted them and started striding in their direction.
“You look stunning,” Chase said, leaning in to brush a light kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you.”
In a white dinner jacket, with his thick dark blond hair, the short-cropped beard along the edge of his jaw, and broad-shouldered, solid build, the man was an eyeful. But it was Jonah’s hard masculinity and brooding dark looks that appealed to her.
She caught him watching her, his sexy mouth faintly curved, and desire washed through her. She thought of the heated kiss they had shared and wondered if they would be as good together as she imagined in her fantasies.
“I want you to introduce me around,” Jonah said. “I want to get a read on the people you work with, especially the ones who were with you at the Derby.”
“The cocktail hour is the best time for that to happen. We’ll wander. Then I’ll go back and talk to Peggy, Brad and Collin later. Mark, too, if I get the chance.”
A muscle tightened in Jonah’s cheek. He wasn’t happy with this whole blackmail idea but that was just too bad.
They made the rounds, April introducing him as a friend of a friend, namely to Maddie and Ross Townsend, but said nothing about him being a private investigator. Jonah conversed more easily than she would have guessed. He was especially interested in Peggy, Brad and Collin.
With time slipping away, she needed to execute her plan. “I have to go,” she said, picking up a glass of champagne off a passing waiter’s tray.
“I’ll be close by if you need me,” Jonah said. “So will Chase. You may not see us, but we’ll be able to see you.”
“Good to know.” April wandered off in search of her quarry. She had already worked out what she planned to say, at least the general drift, and gone over it with Jonah.
She spotted Collin near the bar. He had just finished talking to an older woman April recognized as a big contributor to Mark’s campaign. April walked up and stopped right in front of him.
“I know you’re busy,” she said. “Have you got a minute?”
“Of course.” Collin looked good in a tuxedo. He was an attractive man who wore clothes well and he knew it.
“I’ve been doing some thinking,” she said. “Mark wants me to go along with the theory the police have come up with and maybe he’s right. David’s dead. There’s no need for this to drag out any longer.”
Collin’s interest sharpened. “If you’re serious, I think you’re making a very wise decision. I’m sure Mark will be glad to hear it.”
“There’s only one thing.”
