Flawlessly Executed (Dark Horse Guardians Book 3) (15 page)

Bettencourt interjected, “None of these acts are unlawful. What I’m saying is, Abby’s contact with Ben hasn’t crossed the line ~ yet.”

Lara spoke softly, “I understand. But, I don’t know what to do. Why doesn’t Ben just tell her to leave him alone?”

Bettencourt was quick to answer, “I don’t know why. In fact, I’m going to ask him that question myself. I think I need to have a little talk with the Chief. Let me handle this.”

Lara whispered, “Thanks, Bett.” and the phone call ended.
But her concerns about Abby Roth were just beginning.

~ Bettencourt ~

Randall Bettencourt made a visit to the university early the next morning. The six foot four former Navy SEAL was in street clothes wearing sunglasses reading a newspaper slumped against the stairwell at the far end of the hallway. He had a clear view of Ben’s office door. Bettencourt observed Abigail Roth arrive and open her office door at the other end of the hallway. He kept his back to her and didn’t move a muscle. But he watched as she hovered near her open doorway. As soon as Ben Keegan came through the entry she stepped out beside him. Bettencourt couldn’t hear the words being exchanged, but Ben unlocked his office door and Abby slipped inside. Ben’s doorway remained open and Bettencourt moved closer to eavesdrop.

Abby was dressed provocatively in a tight pink dress and spoke softly, “Ben, I can’t thank you enough for saving me the other day when my heel broke. That ride on the motorcycle was so exciting. Actually, it didn’t last long enough for me. I’d love to go for a long ride on that bike. How about it?”

Ben wasn’t saying much. But finally he seemed to get up the gumption to ask her to leave, “Look, Abby, I really should have called a cab that day. I’m a married guy,
happily
married. And, being seen with you just isn’t a good idea.”

Abby sounded coy as she uttered, “Gee, Ben, I didn’t mean to cause any problems. I thought since we knew each other in high school, it would be no big deal to be friends here at the university. I had no idea Lara was so jealous. I heard her last week speaking to you in an angry tone. I didn’t know she was upset about me.”

Bettencourt prayed Ben didn’t fall for her devious trap. But for a moment he heard the usually tough Ben Keegan soften a bit. “Yeah, I’m sorry Abby. But, that’s just how it is. I love my wife and anything that upsets her, upsets me.”

Bettencourt could see Abby and Ben’s reflection in the glass of the door. Abby was now stroking Ben’s cheek, “I’m sorry, Ben. I’ll try to remain in the background out of sight. I don’t want any trouble.” Abby made a melodramatic exit with her head down. God, what a drama queen! Bettencourt waited until she had gone to her office and he heard her door close.

Stepping into Ben’s doorway, Bettencourt startled him. “Hey, I need to talk to you now…with this door closed and locked.” Ben looked surprised to see him and seemed a bit tongue-tied. Bettencourt knew this chick was trouble. He moved close to Ben and spoke in a serious tone, “You’ve got to put a stop to whatever is going on here. This Abby has an agenda. Do you know what she’s been up to since you two last smooched in high school?”

Ben became animated, “No, I haven’t had any contact with her for thirteen years. What the hell are you doing here? Spying on me?”

Bettencourt responded, “No, you idiot. I’m trying to save you a lot of heartache.” He then filled Ben in on the details of Abby’s background, “She’s up to something, Ben. Don’t trust her. Lara’s beside herself with worry.”

Ben listened intently to the details of Abby’s troubled history as Bettencourt spoke. At one point Ben wrinkled his brow, “How the hell does Lara know all of this?”

Bettencourt rolled his eyes, “Lara’s my friend, too, you know. She asked me to do some research.”

With a serious countenance, Ben concluded, “Lara’s hardly said a word to me about Abby, until this thumb drive surfaced. She started crying last night and told me to take care of this. She saw the photos, all of them. She has been distant lately; I just thought she had a lot going on running the firm. She seems consumed by it. She leaves early and comes home late, exhausted.”

Bettencourt stared into Ben’s eyes with a somber gaze, “I think you’d better have a look at some of the stuff I have here.” Bettencourt rummaged around in his jacket and slipped out an envelope, “Burn after reading. Let’s just say it’s some intel I collected off the record. There’s a lot here, Ben. Of special interest are the so-called medical records from the good doctor she’s seeing, Doctor Duncan Norris. I hacked into his computer. You should see the photos of her on there. I’d name him
Doctor Feel Good
. But what he’s doing with Abby is against the law, not to mention morally and ethically depraved.”

For a few minutes Ben was silent as he scanned the notes made by the psychologist. Then his eyes opened wide as he viewed the photographs pilfered from the computer of Duncan Norris. There were photos of Abby having sex with the psychologist. And videos of Abby posed in all sorts of positions appearing to be in a state of drunken stupor, with the good doctor having his way with her.

After viewing enough, Ben locked eyes with Bettencourt, “This is not good. Abby’s got some serious problems, but I’d say from reading this stuff and looking at the videos, the doctor has some issues himself.”

Moving toward the doorway, Bettencourt nodded to Ben, “Burn that stuff, but put it into that magical memory of yours. You’ve got trouble, man. Take care of it. You shouldn’t be putting Lara through this shit.”

~ Lara ~

It was nerve wracking to schedule the yacht club dinner with Finn and two unhappy major clients, but Lara knew it had to be done. The only way they could understand every detail of their extensive renovations was to listen to Finn, in person, and look at renderings and timelines. Finn could charm the devil himself.

Lara was at the club early making sure the staff set the room up exactly as she wanted it. The sun was setting earlier now, so she arranged for a cocktail hour at 4:00, at which time Finn would make his presentation to them. Then dinner would be served at 6:00 and nothing would be left to chance. Lara arranged for a limo service to pick up the clients and drop them off afterward. She had also done a little homework and discovered their favorite dishes. Chef L’Abbe at the yacht club would prepare everything perfectly.

Early, as always, Finn arrived bearing gifts for the clients. Freshly showered and shaved, he set up his laptop to project on the wall of the private dining room. Lara was thankful to have his help. These two clients were spending millions on their renovation projects and the firm could not afford to have them dissatisfied. Word traveled quickly in this circle.

“Thank you for taking the time away from your family to do this tonight.” Lara touched Finn’s arm, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“It’s my livelihood, my dear. I’d do anything for you, but I’m a self-serving bastard when you really get down to it.” Finn smiled.

His Irish brogue and funny commentary made Lara laugh. She greeted the clients at the entrance of the yacht club and escorted them to the private dining room. Finn’s magical presentation did wonders. He somehow explained how the same set of contractors would work on both projects. It was genius getting the two couples together so they could discuss their renovation projects. It formed a kinship between them and they made plans to meet again. When the evening ended and the limo pulled out of the yacht club driveway, Lara squeezed Finn’s arm. “Oh, good, Finn…I think you succeeded.”

“You’re welcome, my dear.” He smiled at her as he slipped on his coat. Finn Murphy was off like a rocket to kiss his six children goodnight.

~ Abby ~

Pouting, Abby struggled through the first week of teaching at the university. She was now banned from Ben’s office and he wouldn’t even make eye contact with her in the hallway. She had hoped the photographs would have wreaked havoc on his relationship with Lara, but her psychologist had been wrong. The marriage was a strong one. Abby was contemplating her next move.

Maybe she was going about this all wrong. It was
Ben
who was insanely jealous of men who got too close to Lara. At least that’s what she garnered from the landscaper. Hawk gave subtle hints that Ben was not to be trifled with, especially when it came to his wife.

In fact, Hawk did a lot of talking about Ben and Lara, especially Lara. He mentioned revealing the Victorian garden to her and giving her his deceased wife’s favorite book of sonnets. He told Abby it was a perfect setting, like stepping back in time. When he talked about Lara, he reminisced sweetly. Abby was having dinner at the bungalow with Hawk tonight; she made a mental note to delve into his feelings for Lara more deeply.
There had to be more to the story
. To hand a woman a first edition of Shakespearean sonnets in a hidden Victorian garden sounded pretty serious to Abby.

~ Hawk ~

For the first time since he could remember, Hawk was cooking dinner for a woman. The tiny kitchen in the bungalow was just big enough for two and even then it was crowded. He bought candles that smelled good and happily prepared his only signature meal, Chicken Parmesan. Not exactly romantic, but it was easy to prepare with a frying pan and two small pots. He stopped at the store and picked up fresh flowers and a loaf of Italian bread right out of the oven.

The knock on the door was barely audible, but Hawk moved to the entryway and saw Abby in the sidelight window. Dressed in white, she was stunning. Her long dark hair flowed over her shoulders and the top she was wearing clung to her and drew his eyes to the cut-outs. It was an off-the-shoulder type of thing, sexy as hell, even though she had herself wrapped in a cashmere shawl. He wondered if he’d be able to restrain himself tonight.

“Hello, handsome!” Abby smiled when he opened the door. “I brought wine. I hope that’s okay.”

“Abby, that’s great.” Hawk caught himself staring and snapped to attention. “I’m cooking Italian tonight.” He took the wine and held her hand as he led her into the tiny kitchen.

As she sat in the kitchen chair, Hawk noticed Abby had on a short white mini-skirt. When she gracefully crossed her long legs Hawk couldn’t help but glance at them. He felt stupid when he asked, “Do you like Italian food?” His mind wasn’t on the food, and he suspected she knew that.

He watched her lips part into a gorgeous smile, “I love Italian food. How did you know?” Hawk was mesmerized for a long moment as he watched her kick off her shoes. She wasn’t wearing hosiery and he imagined she wasn’t wearing anything else either. He could plainly see she didn’t have on a bra.
Oh God, the food. He had to stay focused. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Without warning, Abby asked him a question out of the blue, “If Ben Keegan wasn’t in the picture would you be with Lara?”

Hawk froze for a moment. He didn’t know how to respond to that or if he even should. He busied himself pushing the bread into the oven to warm it slightly. Then he responded with a question of his own, “Why do you ask?”

Abby looked down and smoothed her skirt, “Just wondering. Whenever you talk about Lara, your eyes light up as if…you know…as if you’re in love with her.”

Maybe too quickly, Hawk countered, “No. I admire her. She has been great to me…as a friend.”

“She’s a very beautiful friend. You mean you didn’t notice that part?” Abby continued.

Hawk didn’t say anything for a minute. He opened her bottle of wine, slid the bread out of the oven, and plated the food. “Dinner is ready.”

Abby sat at the tiny vintage table and he felt her careful observation of him in the candlelight. He poured wine for her and water for himself. “You didn’t answer me, Hawk…”

“Of course, I noticed.” He whispered. “But she’s married. I’d never do anything to hurt her. Our friendship means too much.”

He watched as Abby sliced the meatballs and took tiny bits between her lips. She wound the spaghetti expertly and ate each bite with precision. She was all questions tonight. “Do you think I’m as pretty as Lara?”

Not wanting to answer that question, Hawk deferred, “You are both beautiful women.” There, whatever she had going on in her head about his feelings toward Lara Keegan were hopefully extinguished. He had promised to take Abby on a tour of two gardens he designed tomorrow and steered the conversation to that.

~ Lara ~

After another frustrating day at the helm of Stone and Associates, Lara was driving to Finn Murphy’s house for a big Irish corned beef dinner. Gosh, she couldn’t remember the last time she had that meal, but knew it was most likely at her aunt’s house too many years ago. It was one of her favorites. Ben was to meet her there; it would be an early dinner because the Murphy family had a tag team to put their six children to bed. And at this time of day, little ones were usually hungry and tired.

As she pulled into the driveway of the Murphy residence in the heart of Portland, Lara saw Ben’s motorcycle. Ah, good, he was already there. The house was an enormous colonial which she had participated in renovating during her internship. Built in 1898, the colonial sat on a lot that was about a half-acre; it had an ocean view if you stood in the front yard and craned your neck.

As she stepped around the brick path to the back entry, the door flew open, “It’s Lara!” Finn’s eldest daughter, Molly, announced. “Come in, Lara, and see the new baby.” Five girls ranging from age three to twelve immediately surrounded Lara as she walked through the mud-room into the kitchen.