Deadly Little Secrets Page 0,18

said, prepping to turn off his mic for now. “I’m going to check her out.”

They might razz him about it later, but for now, everyone was all business as they let him know they’d heard him.

He wanted to assess this potential threat personally, face to face.

Ana continued to sip her wine as D’Onofrio moved them through the crowd. They paused here and there for Jack to introduce Jen to people, absently including Ana in the introductions as Jen’s friend, Shirley. She got some appraising looks, and one definite overt flirtation, as they slipped closer to Carrie McCray.

Surreptitiously, Ana looked over her shoulder. Her back was twitching. That only happened when someone was watching her. Unfortunately, she caught the eye of the man who’d flirted with her, and he gave her a smile—more of a leer—and winked.

Ugh. Married and smarmy. She sure knew how to attract ’em.

Ana had just handed the half-empty wineglass to a waiter when she saw a familiar face out of the corner of her eye.

Had that been…?

No. She was imagining it. Why would Gates be here on a Friday night? Hadn’t he said his boss was out of town? Or had he?

It niggled at her, but she shook it off and focused on Jen, who’d asked her a question.

“I’m sorry.” She indicated the crowd as she said, “It’s so noisy. What did you say?”

“I asked if you like the display?”

“Oh, no—” She stayed in persona. “I’m more partial to uh, representational art, landscapes and stuff, you know? This,” she shielded her pointing finger behind her shawl, making Jen giggle. “It’s ah, kinda, too unusual for my taste.”

“It’s a good investment, though,” Jack began. He was about to continue, his arm outstretched in an encompassing gesture, when Ana saw the accident begin.

It was as if it happened in slow motion, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. A huge man backed into the man right behind Jack. The smaller man, dressed in a natty tuxedo with a pink cummerbund, was caught by Jack’s outstretched arm and went flying. Jack merely stumbled, but Pink Cummerbund was the catalyst for a chain reaction. Like the Keystone Kops, Pink Cummerbund hit a waiter with a tray of canapés, the desserts went flying, and so did the waiter. Between the tray, the canapés, and the waiter, three more guys and two women went down, their drinks flying as well.

Another woman in the chain reaction hit the floor with a shrill scream. Her glass and its contents flew toward Ana, but despite the flying liquid, she got out of the way of the tumbling bodies. From the corner of her eye she saw a tall, dark-haired man moving sideways, preventing the pin-wheeling arms and legs from hitting his older, but equally spry companion.

Problem was, his action put him right into the path of two other young men and a shrieking, high-heeled matron, all of whom went down as they tried to avoid the spills. The welter of flying shoes and tangled clothing made for a continuing trail of hazards.

To Ana’s surprise, the man turned the fall into a controlled roll, which brought him right to her feet.

“Here,” she said, instinctively offering a hand to help him up, as more people went down like dominoes. If he stayed on the floor, he’d be flattened. Bracing herself, she lent him balance as he rose, then yanked him toward her as she moved back, to keep them both out of the continuing fray.

His head was turned away, but she could see the surprise written on his familiar profile. Internally, Ana cursed. Crap, crap, crap. The fragile flower appearance of Shirley Bascom, all fluttery and female, was totally blown by the strength she’d used to help him, and if she wasn’t mistaken…

“Why thank you, ma’am,” the man drawled as he turned, his lush brown eyes going from amused to surprised to a sharp, piercing assessment. Every alarm bell and curse she’d ever learned flowed through her mind in a rush. Damn it all to hell. She’d recognize the voice anywhere, much less that smiling face.

Why, oh why, did this have to happen now?

“Thank you for the timely rescue,” Gates Bromley whispered, pressed against her to allow the gallery’s young helpers to start bringing order to the chaos. The crowd moved toward them, squashing Gates into her. “Hold on to me, we’ll both keep our footing if you do.”

Seeing no other option, she did.

How was it possible to regret such a heady rush of pleasure