Read Bond, Stephanie - Body Movers 05 for Free Online Page B

person I’m networking with is
    Mouse.”
    “So chat him up. See what he knows.”
    Wesley shifted from foot to foot, not at all sure he wanted
    to get to know Mouse better. “Did you know that Carlotta
    moved in with Peter?” he blurted to change the subject.
    Jack scowled. “She’s staying with him until this maniac is
    off the streets.”
    Wesley arched an eyebrow. “Is that what she told you?”
    A muscle worked in the big man’s jaw. “I’l go see if your
    phone is ready.”

    5
    After several blissful moments of daydreaming, Carlotta
    pushed herself off the feathery guest bed and unpacked.
    The few clothes that she’d brought looked pitiful hanging
    in the expansive closet that also featured a steam-iron
    press, but it was a treat having so much space. She walked
    around the suite, exploring every inch.
    The room was meticulously clean, but showed signs of
    having been lived in. Carlotta stepped on something
    imbedded in the carpet and unearthed a small broken
    silver pin shaped like a cat, no doubt left behind by a
    houseguest or perhaps a housekeeper.
    She set the pin on the counter in the lavish bathroom and
    ran her hand along the pale granite flecked with gold.
    Luxury bath products lined the vanity shelves. Spa-quality
    towels and a white robe lay folded on the edge of the jet
    garden tub. She wondered idly if Angela had ever come in
    here for privacy, sinking up to her neck in bubbles when
    she had the chance.
    And then a realization sunk in—this had been Angela’s
    room. She and Peter had apparently spent at least some of
    their marriage sleeping in separate beds. Carlotta felt a
    pang for the dead woman, sorry that Angela’s life—and
    death—hadn’t turned out as she’d planned. Carlotta and
    Angela hadn’t been best friends in high school or
    afterward when their social paths had diverged, but
    Carlotta had never wished the woman il , not even after
    Angela had married Peter. To be here and uncovering all
    her secrets…it felt intrusive, almost an insult to the
    woman’s memory.
    The troubling thoughts pushed her out of the room. As she
    closed the door, she glanced across the hall. While she was
    appreciative that Peter hadn’t tried to persuade her to
    share his room, the proximity alone worried her. On top of
    the nagging sense of betrayal she felt staying in his dead
    wife’s room, she knew that close quarters had a way of
    escalating intimacy.
    But wasn’t part of her decision to be here with Peter to
    give them the chance to explore their chemistry?
    With her heart and head clicking, Carlotta descended the
    stairs, once again awestruck over the sheer size of the
    house. If Michael Lane could live in the town house
    without her and Wesley knowing about it, a family of five
    could live hidden in this place without anyone being the
    wiser.
    Through a set of open sliding glass doors leading out onto
    the pool area, she heard the telltale noises of gril -
    wrangling. When she stepped outside, she spotted Peter
    at the far end of the patio, in the outdoor-kitchen area.
    Mingled scents of chlorine and spices fil ed the humid air.
    He waved her over and, after slipping off her shoes, she
    made her way across the stone lanai surrounding the
    breathtaking pool. Crystalline blue water slapped gently
    against the sides. The memory of Angela lying near the
    pool’s edge dressed in a black trench coat and boots, her
    eyes open and staring, rose in Carlotta’s mind. She gave
    herself a mental shake and walked toward Peter.
    She’d forgotten the lavishness of the outside living area—a
    recent addition, Peter had hinted, that Angela had wanted
    more than he had. Besides the pool, there was an in-
    ground hot tub and a waterfall. The landscaping was
    magnificent, with huge potted trees and urns making it
    feel like a European vil a. And behind the alfresco kitchen
    that featured commercial-grade appliances and a firebrick
    oven sat a small building separate from the