"This is strictly confidential. Off the record. Mum's the
word."
Colleen Montgomery paused in the act of pulling out a navy
business suit from her closet to arch a brow at her sister-
in-law, Holly.
Holly flipped back her long dark-brown hair, which she'd
curled and wore loose rather than in her traditional
ponytail. "I'm serious. You can't tell anyone what I'm
about to tell you."
Grimacing, Colleen stared. "That's like asking me not to
breathe."
Holly rolled her brown eyes. "And you're not wearing that
suit.You're wearing the dress I brought you."
Rehanging the suit, Colleen gestured with her
hands. "Hello. I'm an investigative reporter. My life is
about telling everyone what I see and hear."
"Promise me, okay?" Holly shifted on the bed where she'd
sat as soon as she'd entered Colleen's bedroom. She was
wearing a pretty lilac party dress that flattered her even
with her bulging tummy, and she'd come in on the pretext
of bringing a dress for Colleen to wear to the museum
gala. Now, however, Colleen suspected her sister-in-law
had another agenda, one that brought worry to her pretty
brown eyes and marred the normally smooth skin between her
brunette eyebrows.
"Is this about my brother?" Colleen moved to her vanity to
brush her blond hair. "Cause if it is, I'm not sure I want
to hear it."
Holly twisted her diamond wedding ring. "It is about him
and me."
Colleen held up a hand and met Holly's gaze through the
mirror's reflection. "I can already tell this is going to
be more information than I want to hear about my big
brother. Unless he's dragged you back into the FBI with
him, in which case I'll go clobber him on the head.
Considering you're carrying my niece or nephew, the FBI is
not a good place for you."
Holly grinned and patted her burgeoning belly. "No, of
course not." She lifted the sheath dress off the
bed. "Here, put this on while I explain."
Eyeing the little black shift with trepidation, Colleen
said, "You really think I should wear that?"
"Yes. For once dress like a woman."
Colleen pulled a face. "Cute."
Holly laughed. "You know what I mean. All you wear are
pants and button-down blouses. Time to move out of your
comfort zone."
Colleen took the dress. It wasn't exactly something that
could be worn while chasing down a story, not if you still
hoped to be taken seriously. Of course, tonight she hardly
expected to find anything of interest worth reporting. She
moved into the bathroom to dress. "Fine. Start talking."
"Do you remember when Victor Convy kidnapped me?"
Colleen scoffed as she changed out of the jeans and cotton
T-shirt she'd put on after showering earlier. "Hard to
forget a thing like that."
"Right. Well, something happened that I never told anyone
about."
Anticipation of a story fluttered in Colleen's belly. Her
parents often joked that she'd greeted the world with a
notepad and pen in hand. "Okay."
"Remember how Jake had said he couldn't remember if he'd
shot Convy or not because of his concussion?"
Stepping into the dress, Colleen made a noise of
affirmation. The fear of losing her brother still gnawed
at her like a dog with a bone. But that came with love.
She had no choice but to love her brothers and now their
wives, but thought thankfully that she didn't have time
for a romantic love. She didn't want to carry around that
kind of fear. "He didn't," Holly said.
Colleen's heart picked up speed at the juicy tidbit of
information. She stepped out of the bathroom, holding the
dress to her chest. "You did?"
"No." Holly lowered her voice and a conspiratorial light
entered her eyes. "Alessandro Donato did."
"What?!" The dress dropped to the floor and pooled around
Colleen's ankles. She quickly pulled it back up and
slipped her arms through the holes.
Holly eagerly nodded. "I'm telling you, he came out of the
trees dressed all in black like some super-hero, shot
Convy, and made certain Jake was alive before untying me.
Then he disappeared as stealthily as he came when he heard
the sirens coming."
Colleen blinked, unsure how to process Holly's tale. "So
you're saying that Alessandro Donato rescued you and my
brother from Convy?"
Eyes wide, Holly bobbed her head. "That's what I'm saying."
"Wow! That's huge."
Rumor had it that the mysterious newcomer, although Lidia
Vance's nephew, had somehow been responsible for the
shooting of his uncle, Mayor Maxwell Vance.
How could Donato save one man's life and then be suspected
of trying to take the life of someone in his own family?
She'd seen Donato at church with his aunt and cousins, but
was that just for show? What was the Italian's
relationship with God? And why would he sneak around
playing hero?
Struggling with the zipper, Colleen asked a question only
Holly could answer. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Come here, let me do that," Holly said. Obliging, Colleen
turned her back to Holly.
"Hey, he saved our lives. I figured I owed him my silence
when he asked for it." Holly pulled the zipper to the top.
The silky fabric of the dress clung to Colleen's curves
and swished softly as she sat down on the bed next to
Holly. "Why tell me this now?"
Holly took Colleen's hands. "Because I don't believe that
he had anything to do with my uncle Max's shooting."
"Hmm." Colleen hadn't wanted to believe the good-looking
Italian was capable of such evil when she'd heard he was a
suspect in the mayor's shooting, either, but she hadn't
anything concrete to base her gut instinct on.
And in light of the tale Holly had just told... "I wonder
what his story is?"
Holly squeezed her hand. "I knew I could count on you."
"Meaning?"
Holly wiggled her eyebrows. "I saw the way you and he were
making cow eyes at each other at the Valentine's dinner."
"Oh, please." Colleen stood to hide the heat in her
cheeks. "We were not making cow eyes."
"Come on, you can't tell me you don't find him attractive."
Colleen reached to the back of her closet and grabbed a
pair of black strappy sandals that she hadn't worn since
her oldest brother's wedding. "So he's attractive. Big
whoop. I'm not in the market for a man."
Holly's little chuckle grated on Colleen's nerves. A
romantic relationship would only hinder her career.
Colleen's plans for the future didn't include risking her
heart. She'd tried that once in college and the constant
worry and concern she'd felt took her focus away from
journalism. Now that she was moving up in her chosen
profession, she had no interest in anything romantic.
Holly's intent gaze captured Colleen's attention. "In all
seriousness, would you investigate him for me? I need to
know what's up with him before I tell anyone about what
happened."
Colleen held out her hand to help Holly from the
bed. "I'll see what I can do. But I can't promise I won't
report what I find."
Holly's mouth quirked. "Can you promise to tell me first
so I can prepare Jake?"
"You should tell him anyway."
"I know." Distress entered Holly's eyes. "I will. But I
want all the facts before I say anything. You know your
brother, he'll want all the details."
Colleen smiled. "That is true."
Holly preceded Colleen into the hall. As Colleen pulled
her bedroom door shut behind her she thought about
Alessandro Donato.
Tall, dark and mysterious.
The quintessential widower playboy, or so the rumors went.
Hero in disguise or con man with an agenda?
She'd give the charming Italian the benefit of the doubt,
since he'd protected Holly and Jake when they'd needed it.
But if Alessandro Donato was up to no good, she'd nail his
hide to the wall all over the front page of the Sentinel
regardless of how attractive she found him.
Alessandro Donato had a vow to fulfill. A vow to rid the
world of drug dealers. Such people had cost him his
family.
From his vantage point on the opposite side of trendy
Fourth Street, he surveyed the bustling crowd making their
way toward the door of the Colorado Springs Impressionist
Museum for the opening of the Monet, Manet and Renoir
collection.
He tugged on the stiff bow tie at his neck, wishing he'd
thought to bring his own tux from his home in Italy.
But he'd had no way of knowing he'd still be here on this
crisp May night. He'd thought that with the death of
Baltasar Escalante, known drug lord, his time in Colorado
Springs would have ended long ago and he'd have moved on
to another assignment.
But against all logic, Escalante hadn't died when his
plane went down and now had resurfaced back in this
thriving community.
Only, Alessandro couldn't ID him.
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