Cobra leaned back in his chair after his call with Straw ended. He’d honestly not thought Desiree Sharpe could dominate his thoughts the way she was doing. Granted, he’d had a meeting scheduled this morning with Richard, but he hadn’t needed to seek her out afterwards. He’d regretted that visit ever since. The nerve of her assuming he’d become friends with Richard just for what he could get out of it. That meant she honestly didn’t know her grandfather well at all. Richard wasn’t a man to be taken inby false flattery or persuasion. He was too intelligent to allow that to happen.
Of course, her words also told Cobra exactly what she thought about his character. Did he care? Not really. She didn’t know him, and he certainly didn’t know her. And after this morning, he didn’t think he wanted to. If she could question his motives, why couldn’t he question hers? Granddaughter or not.
Granted, she said she’d returned to the States because Richard had demanded it. Knowing Richard, Cobra had no doubt of it. However, if she was rebelling against being told what to do, how far would she go? Would she deliberately defy authority? Drive the grandfather who loved her into having a heart attack?
There was no doubt Richard loved his granddaughter. Although he’d been annoyed at some of the things she had done over the years, Cobra could still hear a grandparent’s love in his voice whenever he spoke of her. He recognized it because he’d heard it in his own grandfather’s voice.
Richard and Desiree definitely had issues they needed to resolve, but it was up to them to rectify them—not Cobra.
However, he wasn’t about to sit by and watch her cause Richard undue stress. That meant Cobra needed to find out as much about Desiree, and her game plan, as he could. What had she been doing in Paris for the last three years? Who had she spent time with? Was there a man in her life? He quickly dismissed that thought. He didn’t care.
Picking up his cell phone, he called Landon Chestnut.
Landon picked up on the first ring. “Cobra. What can I do for you?”
“I need you to tell me everything you can find out about Allison Desiree Sharpe.”
“You want her investigated?”
“Yes.”
The phone got quiet, and then Landon said, “I shouldn’t ask, but why?”
“I don’t trust her.”
Landon chuckled. “You seemed pretty trusting of her while the two of you were dancing at Colton and Kelly’s wedding reception. And afterwards, you were holding onto her so tightly, it looked as if you didn’t want to let her go.”
“I wasn’t holding on that tight.”
“Okay, if you say so, but you were noticed. Even Monica mentioned it.”
“Your wife sees too much. Just do what I’m hiring you to do, will you?”
“That’s fine with me. I just hope what you’re doing doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass.” He paused, and Cobra could hear him flipping through some papers. “Okay, I’m working on a case that I should have wrapped up in a few weeks, and then I’ll be free to help you out.”
“That’s great. Thanks.”
And it was. Because he knew Landon would leave no stone unturned. In a few weeks, he’d know everything there was to know about Desiree Sharpe.
***
On her way back to her office, Desiree stopped by the ladies’ room. She loved how elegant the restrooms on the executive floor were designed, especially the way the stalls were divided into private compartments. Each one was completely enclosed with a full-height door.
She had just entered one of the compartments when she heard two women whispering as they entered after her. Obviously thinking that they were alone, their voices raised to a normal pitch. She ignored their conversation until she heard one woman mention Cobra’s name.
“Are you sure, Mary Anne?”
“Positive. It happened sometime last year, early November. My cousin, who lives in Savannah and works at the courthouse, gave me the scoop.”
Scoop?Desiree decided to listen to what the women were saying, especially if Cobra was involved in some scandal.
The woman continued, “Cobra Masters took a woman he met in a bar home with him, and she tried to trap him by putting a drug in his drink and punching holes in the condoms he’d intended to use. He caught her doing it, had her arrested, and now she’s serving time.”
“It’s a good thing he caught her. Can you imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t?” the other woman replied.
“His life would have been ruined. I understand he was so upset by it that he’s vowed to go a full year without sex.”
“Cobra Masters? The king of one-night stands, isn’t sleeping around? You’ve got to be kidding. I have trouble believing that’s actually possible. There are going to be a lot of unhappy women around here, if that’s the case. I’ve heard he’s incredible in the bedroom. Are you sure?”
