"Do you want me to fix you a drink, Natalie? Alex has some wine in the refrigerator, and I'm sure there's a bottle of Scotch somewhere."

"No thanks, dear. I'm fine." She reached for her cell phone. "In all the excitement, I forgot that I hadn't called Kate's father to tell him about tonight."

"Why don't you do that now? For some reason I'm dying of thirst, and I'm craving ice water. Can I get you a gla.s.s? A wise person once told me that was the best thing to drink before you go to sleep after a night of alcoholic beverages. Something about the booze dehydrating you."

"Yes, I've heard that, too. It makes sense." Natalie sighed. "I suppose I should drink something. Those Italian margaritas went down way too easily tonight."

"I'll say." Jordan went out into the kitchen as Natalie spoke to her husband.

When Natalie hung up, she came back into the living room and handed her one of the gla.s.ses.

"He wanted to get on the next plane and come home," she explained after taking a drink of the cold water. "I talked him out of it-said we'd call every day with updates. G.o.d help me, I tried to minimize it all so he wouldn't be worried. This trip is so important to his company, and he's been talking about it for months."

"There's nothing he could do if he were here, anyway," Jordan said, wondering what else to talk about with Alex's mother. Since she'd only met her earlier that day-and what had happened at the party was definitely off limits-the silence was a bit awkward.

"So, let's talk about you and my son," Natalie started. She smiled when Jordan allowed a groan to slip out. "I know I came on strong today at lunch, but I worry so much about him. He's been surrounded by strong, independent women all his life, and that raises the bar when it comes to choosing someone to share his life." She paused to take another big gulp from her gla.s.s of water before turning to Jordan. "I have to admit, though, you seem perfect for him."

Jordan felt the heat crawl up her cheeks. It was uncomfortable discussing her relationship with Alex's mother even if the woman had just complemented her. She wasn't exactly sure where her relationship with Alex was headed yet, and hadn't even discussed it with her own mother. Just when she was trying to figure out a way out from underneath the romantic microscope, Natalie did it for her.

"You think Kate's in deep trouble?"

Jordan was surprised by the question and decided to answer as honestly as she could. "If you're asking me if I thought Kate had something to do with Marco's death, then the answer is no. However, if they find his DNA under her fingernails, that will make them crazy-give them a reason to pursue her as a suspect. I'm worried that it'll be a case of 'she said-she said' since no one else was in the room when it happened."

"I know. I wish I could tell the police that someone else entered Marco's bedroom, but I can't. And I watched like a hawk."

Jordan's head jerked up and she met Natalie's stare. "Why were you watching his bedroom?"

Alex's mother shrugged. "I saw Kate walk up the steps about ten minutes after she went downstairs to wait for a taxi. Since she'd already basically told me to b.u.t.t out until she was ready to talk about her relationship with Marco, I did the only thing a mother could do-I kept my eyes on the door and waited, ready to pounce if I sensed trouble. Had I known the SOB was going to use her face as a punching bag, I would have killed him on the spot myself."

"And you're sure no one else entered the bedroom?" Jordan held her breath waiting for Natalie's answer. If another person had been in Marco's room and could confirm Kate's story, it might take the heat off her.

But Kate hadn't mentioned anyone else, either.

Natalie shook her head. "Unfortunately, I didn't even see Marco go up the stairs, so I figure he must have already been in the bedroom when Kate arrived. Like I said, I kept my eyes glued to that staircase except for the short time I walked over to the bar and shared a drink with Emilio."

"So it was only Kate and Marco?"

"Yes. I knew I should have marched right up and pulled my daughter away. Had I known Marco and she were up there in bed doing G.o.d knows what, I would have."

Jordan hoped she hadn't mentioned that in her interview with the police earlier and decided she didn't want to go anywhere near a conversation about Kate's s.e.x life with Alex's mother. She quickly asked, "And your daughter never came out of the bedroom?"

"I don't think so," Natalie replied. "Everything happened so quickly, I don't remember seeing Kate again until she came out screaming, and everyone rushed up to the second floor. Then I saw Tina in the crowd before she took off and ran down the stairs. I a.s.sumed she'd heard that Marco was dead and was running out the door to go to him."

"Hmm. I'm not sure what it all means if anything, but it is something to think about. Did you tell the police any of this when they questioned you?"

She shook her head. "They didn't ask, and I never mentioned it. Thankfully, no one knows I saw anything. And that's the way I'm going to keep it. The last thing Kate needs is for the cops to use her own mother as a material witness against her."

"It's probably a good thing you didn't mention it then," Jordan said. "I don't have any experience with legal stuff, but in the short time I watched Emilio's lawyer handle that police captain during Kate's questioning, I picked up a few pointers. The most important is not to volunteer information unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I'm glad Emilio had the presence of mind to send that man to represent Kate, even when it looked like she might be involved in the death of his future son-in-law. Although Alex was right there, she might have said something she shouldn't have."

"My first impression of Emilio is that he's a nice man, and I'm not surprised by his actions tonight," Jordan said. "He seems to have taken a liking to you, too." She hoped she wasn't crossing a line, but she remembered how Alex seemed put off by Emilio's attention to his mother.

Natalie stopped to run her tongue over her dry lips. "Emilio and I go back a long way."

Jordan sat up straighter, wondering if Alex knew this wasn't the first time his mother had met Emilio. She decided to probe, feeling a little guilty at first before thinking since Natalie had put her on the spot with a few personal questions at lunch, she shouldn't be too upset for getting one fired back at her.

"Did you meet Emilio at the Italian Festival last year?"

Natalie stared into s.p.a.ce for a few seconds then turned toward Jordan. Sure the older woman was about to nail her with a mind-your-own-business remark, she was surprised when instead, Natalie smiled.

"I met Emilio right after I graduated from high school." She paused, maintaining eye contact with Jordan before she delivered the zinger. "At one point I was two weeks away from becoming his wife."

CHAPTER SEVEN.

After Natalie's stunning revelation, Jordan stared at her, sure her own mouth was hanging open. "You were engaged to Emilio Calabrese?" Remembering Alex's remark about Emilio being connected, she couldn't quite picture the pet.i.te woman sitting next to her on the couch as a Mafia princess.

"I was seventeen," Natalie explained. "I'd recently graduated from high school and was visiting my cousins in New Jersey. My uncle was a longsh.o.r.eman, and while I was there, we went to a company picnic sponsored by his employer, who just happened to be Emilio's father. That's when I met him." She sighed as she recalled those earlier days.

Jordan leaned closer when Natalie's voice dropped to a whisper.

"There I was, a naive, young teenager from Texas, and he was this big, popular, rich kid who drove a Corvette. It took him no time at all to seduce me with expensive gifts and fancy restaurants. Although he was four years older than me and already working his way up the ladder in his dad's company, there was a connection between us immediately. After the sheltered life I'd left back in Beaumont, Emilio and his bad-boy persona swept me off my feet." She stopped talking long enough to take a deep breath. "We spent nearly every day together my entire vacation, and by the time I left New Jersey to return home, we'd made plans for me to return in two weeks. We were going to go to Atlantic City and get married while we gambled the week away."

"Wow! That's quite a story," was all Jordan could think of to say. "What happened?" She hoped Natalie didn't think she was prying, but her curiosity was killing her.

"After I got away from all the glamour and excitement of the East Coast and settled back into reality at home, it dawned on me that I would be making a foolish mistake. The question I asked myself was whether or not I was willing to give up everything I'd worked for to marry a man I'd known less than ten days." She took a sip of water before continuing, "The answer was easy without all the distractions. I had a full academic scholarship waiting for me at SMU. I couldn't just throw that away."

Suddenly, Jordan's cell phone rang, and she jumped off the couch to retrieve it from her purse. "h.e.l.lo."

"It's me," Alex said. "I wanted to call and let you know things are going well. I'm not sure when we'll be able to get out of here, but I wanted to make sure everything's okay back there."

"We're fine," Jordan said, wondering if Alex knew about his mother's teenage love story. Could that be why he was so obviously perturbed when Emilio went out of his way to stand close to her?

"My mom's not talking your ear off, is she? Please tell me she's not spilling any of my secrets."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she deadpanned.

His mother was telling secrets, all right, but they had nothing to do with him. Asking about Alex's childhood hadn't even crossed Jordan's mind, but now that he'd mentioned it, it might be worth a few pointed questions, especially since Natalie was obviously in a talking mood. He loved to tease her about everything, and it would be nice to have some ammunition so she could give back as good as she got.

"Yes, I would. Jeff's back. Gotta go. Don't wait up for us. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Tell Kate to hang in there."

"Will do. Love you." And then he disconnected.

She stared at the phone, confused by his last words. Did he just say he loved her? She shook her head. No, it was just something you say to people automatically. It didn't really mean anything, did it?

"Is everything all right?" Natalie asked, apparently concerned when Jordan didn't immediately repeat the conversation with Alex to her.

"Oh, yes. Alex said they were getting a lot done and that we shouldn't wait up."

Natalie's face reflected her disappointment. "I guess I'll have to wait until morning to see Kate. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how much longer I can stay awake, anyway." She reached for Jordan's hand and patted it. "Lord only knows why I'm telling you about what happened to me so many years ago when my own husband hasn't even heard this story."

Jordan yawned, glancing up at the clock above the entryway to the kitchen. It was two in the morning, and although she was exhausted, there was no way she was going to sleep without finding out how the story ended. "So, what did Emilio say when you told him you weren't coming back to New Jersey to marry him?"

"What do you think he said? Emilio, even then, was used to getting his own way. He called me every name in the book." She paused before adding, "Isn't it funny how men do that?"

"Do what?"

"React to every situation with anger? I know I broke his heart, but he would never admit it. I guess he needed to scream obscenities at me to be able to move on. I told him it didn't mean that we wouldn't see each other again-that we could stay in touch-but his bruised ego wouldn't allow it. He said if he ever saw me again, it would be too soon."

"And that was it?"

"Until tonight when I saw him at the party. It was like old times-without the romance, of course. Our past relationship was never discussed-almost like it didn't happen." She twisted to face Jordan. "Don't get me wrong. I care for Emilio, but only as a friend. There's an Englishman named Moreland sitting in Abu Dhabi right now who captured my heart a long time ago and won't let go."

Natalie leaned her head on the back of the couch and sighed. "Apparently, Emilio has gotten over his anger at me after all these years. And if this Hamilton guy is his lawyer, you can be sure he's one of the best. Emilio doesn't settle for anything less."

"Let's hope you're right," Jordan said, leaning her head back, too. "The sooner we get this ugly mess over and done with, the better."

As they waited in silence for Alex and Kate to return, Jordan found herself thinking back on the party before things went terribly wrong. Something Kate had said kept popping into her head, and she couldn't quit thinking about it. At the time it hadn't meant anything, but after getting a bit of insight into Emilio Calabrese's personality, Kate's words were beginning to make more sense.

When she'd been explaining to her brother what had happened at the party, she'd mentioned that Marco had denied ever loving Tina Calabrese. She'd said he told her the only reason he was marrying Tina was because her father was holding something over him. Jordan's mind raced with the possibilities of what that something could be.

Images of TV Mafia movies where the code of silence prevailed played in her head. Could Marco have done something he didn't want the world to know about? Was Emilio's silence about whatever Marco had done the driving force that had convinced the Italian playboy to marry a woman he didn't love? Or could it have been just money?

She quickly tossed that last idea out since both Marco and Emilio were wealthy. So what was it then?

She still hadn't come up with a logical explanation fifteen minutes later when Natalie said good night and went to bed. Finally, Jordan drifted off to sleep with that thought still on her mind.

Jordan awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and for a moment, she was confused about where she was. Slowly, she rose from the couch and was greeted with a kiss and a cup of coffee, along with a gigantic piece of something chocolate that looked fantastic.

Wide-eyed, she smiled at Alex, whose hair was still wet from the shower. Dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a red golf shirt that showed off his chiseled upper arms, his eyes glinted mischievously when he saw her reaction. Scolding herself for the naughty thought that invaded her mind and sent a warm surge through her body, she reminded herself that his mother was in the next room.

She forced her eyes away from his face and reached for the pastry. "This doesn't look like Myrtle's Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake."

"It isn't. By the time I got to the diner, she'd already sold out. You know how those good old boys like to congregate in there on Sat.u.r.day mornings."

"What time is it anyway?"

"Seven thirty." Alex pinched off a little of the chocolate treat and put it into his mouth, running his tongue over his lips in a way that almost made Jordan forget there was chocolate in the house.

Almost!

"It's a new recipe she calls Chocolate Bread Pudding that she made for lunch today. I sweet-talked her into letting me have four pieces even though she wasn't selling it yet. She said since it's made with liquor, it would be sacrilegious to serve at seven in the morning."

He grinned when he saw Jordan's face fall. "I convinced her that it was five o'clock somewhere. I'm only sorry I won't be around to watch your face when you eat it. Just so you know, though, I will expect some kind of s.e.xy reward for my efforts." He winked before adding, "Later, of course, and back at your place."

He bent down to kiss her just as Kate walked into the living room. Her eyes were bloodshot and a little puffy, and Jordan guessed she had cried herself to sleep.

"Ready, Alex?"

He turned and kissed his sister's temple before ruffling her hair. "Hey, wipe that sad look off your face. This will be over in no time, and I guarantee after Jeff works his magic at the station, they'll be glad to get you out of there." He tried to sound convincing but couldn't quite pull it off.

He followed his sister to the door, but before he walked out, he turned back to Jordan. "My mom's still asleep. Kate said she didn't sleep much last night, either. When she wakes up, her cake is on the counter. I know you have a lot of things to do today, and I think she'll be okay by herself."

"I'm good," Jordan answered. "I don't think she should be alone. If she's anything like me, her imagination will run wild if she's by herself." She peeked at the clock. "Any idea when you'll be back?"

He shook his head, his eyes telling her that he was more than a little concerned. "I have no idea how long this will take, but I'll try to call to give you some idea." He headed out the door before pausing, "I owe you big time for this."

Then he was gone, and she was left alone to think about what Kate would have to go through at the station. She wished they were going to the Ranchero Police Station instead of the Plainville one. Since Alex had worked with the Ranchero sheriff on an undercover a.s.signment the previous year, they'd become pretty good friends. It might be advantageous to deal with a familiar face.

Jordan shook her head, finding it hard to believe so much had happened since she'd first met Alex. Had it only been eighteen months ago that she'd gone on her first a.s.signment as a culinary reporter for the Globe?

She remembered that day like it was yesterday. She'd been sent by the newspaper to critique the food at a local steakhouse outside of town, and she'd ordered foie gras by accident. It had ended up in her purse when no one was looking after she'd found out it was fatty duck liver and knew there was no way she could eat it. When her dessert came, she'd still been starving, and the restaurant's chocolate decadence cake had been almost o.r.g.a.s.mic.

She chuckled to herself as she remembered seeing Alex sitting a few tables away and watching his face as she'd performed for him, licking her lips and making soft moaning sounds. He'd tried so hard not to smile but had eventually given in to her antics. It had been her first shot at flirting since her breakup with Brett, and apparently she hadn't been-and still wasn't-very good at it because he'd glanced away and hadn't looked in her direction again.

She'd found out later that he'd thought she was involved in an international diamond smuggling ring and had only forged a friendship with her to get information. But before he'd wrapped up the investigation and sent the bad guys to prison for a very long time, he'd managed to save her life and steal a piece of her heart.

They'd carried on a long-distance romance the entire nine months he was in El Paso on another undercover a.s.signment, and they hadn't really had the opportunity to give the relationship a chance to work. It wasn't until he'd been promoted and transferred to Dallas as the field commander at the FBI headquarters downtown that they'd finally been able to spend time together. That was, until his mother and sister showed up for the Italian Festival.

Things weren't going so well for his family now, and Jordan was frustrated that there was nothing she could do to help. She smiled to herself as an idea popped into her head. She remembered Alex had once teased that the whole world needed to be on high alert when she got one of her hair-brained ideas.

But she couldn't stand by and do nothing while he and his family were in crisis. She was in a unique position here with a press pa.s.s and an a.s.signment to cover all the events of the festival. Today was the first day the vendors would be allowed to set up their booths in preparation for Friday, when the festival would officially open to the public.

Perhaps she could use the contacts to get the scoop on Marco. She might even find out what Emilio had held over his head to convince the playboy to marry his daughter.

A horrible thought burst Jordan's euphoric bubble. What if after seeing his daughter in tears at the party, Emilio had decided to confront Marco and remind him what he had to lose by being a jerk? And what if that meeting had heated up and ended up with Marco taking a dive over the railing of his balcony? Given that in the past twenty-four hours Jordan had heard stories about the short fuses both men possessed, was that so hard to believe?

She thought not.

She decided she needed a game plan, but not before she overdosed on chocolate and caffeine. Reaching for the bread pudding, she shoveled a huge bite into her mouth. It was even more fabulous than Alex had described, and she wondered if she could talk Myrtle into giving her the recipe for her column. Victor could give it some wonderful Spanish name like Chocolate budin de pan. The Globe readers would love it.

As she inhaled the delicious chocolate desert, she made plans to run out to the Plainville fairgrounds and do a little nosing around after Alex and Kate returned home. What would it hurt to check things out?

In the meantime, as she stared at Natalie's desert on the kitchen counter, she said a quick prayer for some serious willpower.