Free Chicken Caccia-Killer (A Jordan McAllister Mystery) by Liz Lipperman Page B

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