Lying Eyes Read online

  Allison grinned. "Me, too."

  Marsha and Susan exchanged another speaking gaze.

  "You're closer to getting your tongue on Carlo than any woman of our acquaintance has ever been," Marsha admitted.

  "For all the good it does me," Allison said. "The man is on duty 24/7."

  Susan sat back down, nursing the empty bottle. "Relax. He won't always be."

  "I wonder what his mother is like," Allison said.

  "Tolerant."

  "Malleable."

  "Proud."

  "She probably drops to her knees every night praying for grandchildren."

  Replies bombarded Allison like quiz show answers, so fast she couldn't keep track of who said what. "I've spent some time on my knees these past few days, too."

  "This will soon end," Marsha assured her.

  "And not a minute too soon, if you ask me," Susan added.

  *****

  Saturday morning, Allison woke in a bad mood. She hadn't slept well. Thoughts of being used as a decoy kept circling in her head. Sleep had evaded her until she convinced herself her becoming a decoy was the best solution to this stalemate.

  Being ill-prepared for her afternoon presentation worsened her mood.

  She'd about had her fill of alpha heroes, especially Carlo, and was no longer looking forward to lecturing about them.

  She showered and shampooed her hair, blew it dry, and had nearly finished when her resident detective knocked on the connecting door.

  "Allison, room service is here."

  Grrr. He could have asked me what I wanted to eat.

  She clenched her fists. "Coming." She slipped on her shoes, thankful she'd carefully dressed for the day before drying her hair.

  The good smell of fresh-roasted coffee improved her mood considerably, and by her second cup she was able to stop speaking in monosyllables.

  Carlo had attempted to tame his curly hair. On a whim, she yanked out her phone and snapped a head shot of him checking his phone for messages. He didn't notice.

  She knew just where she'd use his image.

  Her mood continued to lighten and she grinned as he refilled her cup. "Thanks, I needed this."

  "Hung over?"

  She shook her head. "I know better. One margarita is my limit."

  "I'm not surprised. Most slim women need to restrict their alcohol intake. What's your schedule like for today?"

  "My last presentation is at ten. After that, I'll be home free and can finally enjoy the conference. How about you?"

  "I'm through presenting. I'd been asked to fill in on a panel this afternoon. The pregnant wife of the forensic expert originally assigned to the panel went into premature labor and he rushed home to welcome his first-born into the world, but she delivered quickly. I just received word he left his wife and newborn baby in good hands at the hospital and will be here in time to participate on the forensics panel after all."

  "A man who has his priorities straight. Do you like children?"

  "Sure."

  "Well enough to want your own someday?"

  Carlo shrugged. "I haven't given it much thought. What about you?"

  "I'd like to have at least two. I was an only child and missed always having someone to play with."

  "A boy and a girl, the perfect family."

  Yes. A baby boy who resembles you would make the dream I kept dreaming last night a reality. Remembering, she smiled. "I suppose you have it all planned out. Marry the station manager, move to the beach in La Jolla, and set up housekeeping in a ten room house."

  "You don't like me, do you?"

  He shrugged again and she realized she was beginning to despise his careless shrugs.

  "What's not to like?" he asked, surprising her. "You have supple curves in all the right places, an attractive face, and great legs. Oh, and great hair. If you'd ever learn when to hold your tongue, you could land the man of your dreams."

  You?

  She hadn't realized her thoughts were leaning in Carlo's direction, but once he opened the floodgate, a sea of thoughts swamped her.

  Him and me.

  Allison and Carlo. I can picture Allison and Carlo written in the sand.

  Not.

  Any way she parted the water there would be conflict. She'd never been able to stomach for long a man who thought he was always right. Her station manager was one.

  I do admire a man strong enough to defend his values, a man who believes in the sanctity of marriage and home, a man who won't back down when his ethics are questioned.

  A man like Carlo?

  An observant man determined to keep me safe, come hell or high water?

  "Allison? Are you all right? Your eyes are glazed."

  "I'm fine. Just wondering what today will bring."

  "A peaceful resolution, I hope, and not soon enough to please me."

  "What's the matter, Detective? Do you have a lady-friend you're neglecting while you cling to my side?"

  He made a strangled noise. "Me? No woman in her right mind would want me around."

  Wrong, Carlo. This woman has compiled a long list of your most appealing qualities.

  She swallowed the last of her coffee. "Too bad. You'd make some woman the perfect wife."

  His coffee strangled him. His eyes watered. "Wife?"

  "Yes. Like most women, you worry too much."

  Carlo shoved his chair back from the table. "It's my job."

  Pulling out her trusty notebook, Allison jotted a note to herself.

  "Hey, what are you writing? Let me see." Reaching across the narrow table, he tried to grab her wrist.

  He missed.

  With a satisfied grin she slipped the notebook beneath her butt and sat on it.

  "Think you're smart, don't you? What did you write? Something about this case? Or was it about me?"

  "An idea for a new book."

  He glowered at her the entire time she refilled her coffee cup. "Want a refill? There's still a little in the carafe," she said.

  If looks could kill, I'd be the main attraction at my own wake, my eyes tightly closed while plotting a book about a duty-bound detective who refused to cross the line.

  The vision made her grin.

  Carlo stood. "Let's go mingle with the crowd. We can get more coffee at the continental breakfast spread."

  His suggestion surprised her and she smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

  "On second thought, the two of us mingling with a crowd when it isn't absolutely necessary would put you at undue risk."

  I should be glad he's determined to keep me safe, but instead I find Carlo's one-track mind irritating.

  "Too late now to back down, so cheer up, Detective. The world won't come to a grinding halt if you allow me to escape from this room earlier than planned."

  He scowled. "True, but your life may."

  After a slight hesitation, she smiled brightly. "No way. Not with LA's finest at my side armed with any number of weapons, some visible, but the most deadly ones not."

  He stopped trying not to grin and laid a big one on her. "One day that smart mouth is going to get the best of you."

  "If you insist. Would you excuse me a moment? I need to powder my nose and get my laptop. I'll be right back."

  She closed the connecting door and uploaded Carlo's image from her phone to her laptop. In a matter of seconds with the help of PowerPoint she had his photograph inserted right where she wanted it.

  My day just gets better and better.

  *****

  After a restroom break Carlo escorted Allison to the Terrace Room where her final presentation would be held and took a seat on the end of the third now. As planned, Susan sat across the aisle and three rows back, while Marsha relaxed against the back wall, conversing with a male writer wearing new-looking jeans.

  The sexy officer drew men to her like flies to spilled jam.

  Everything is under control and I shouldn't feel ill at ease, but I can't sit still today.

  Something abou
t Allison shook him to the core, a feeling he didn't like one bit.

  She'd warned him she'd be speaking about heroes in books, men just like him, whatever that meant. As far as he knew, he'd never been in a book.

  The room hostess strode to the podium. Only three or four empty seats remained as an expectant silence settled on Allison's audience.

  "Welcome to 'The Care and Feeding of Alpha Heroes' workshop presented by Allison Marble, noted writer and investigative reporter on loan to us by a San Diego television station where she reports the morning news. Allison trained for her career in journalism at U. C. Berkley, where she captained the University rowing team and fencing team, so try not to cross our speaker. Allison."

  Like a seasoned performer she strolled to the microphone and smiled with assurance as the first of her PowerPoint slides filled the large screen.

  "Good morning, and welcome to this discussion about writing alpha heroes."

  Glancing pointedly at Carlo, she said, "Those of you who attended Detective Demetri's workshop on concealed weapons already know the detective is the quintessential alpha male."

  She pressed a button and a photograph of Carlo in his LAPD uniform filled the large screen.

  The audience applauded.

  Carlo knew his ears had turned red.

  "We may never know why this admirable man set his standards so high, or who was responsible for instilling in him at an early age a strict table of values. In the short time I've known him I've discovered he is dependable, trustworthy, stubborn—" Allison paused for the ensuing round of laughter. "—and will never back down if he thinks he's right. Of course, he is seldom wrong."

  She smiled at Carlo.

  He ground his teeth.

  "I'm sure his mother, his childhood, and his teachers during his formative years had a lot to do with who the detective has become as well."

  She paused again for a round of laughter.

  "You know what? It's difficult for a female author to write a book about an alpha male and get the character right. She's likely to allow the character to talk too much, feel things, and openly reveal his feelings, three things a strong alpha man would never do.

  "For his heroine, give him a woman as attractive as he is handsome, one with equal smarts. One who can hold her own in their inevitable arguments, and plot ample opportunities for them to disagree."

  An image of Carlo tearing his hair in the elevator the previous evening flashed on the screen.

  Our toe-to-toe argument last night. When had she had time to snap that image?

  "She'll make him so mad he wants to lash out at her, something else a true alpha hero would never do. He would never strike any woman, but your alpha heroine has to be strong. She has to stand firm in her beliefs and not allow him to thwart her every move or exploit her emotions."

  An image of an angry couple exchanging words flashed on the screen, followed by an image of the same couple embracing. As one, the audience sighed.

  "In the end, make him attracted to the heroine, even though each of them fights the attraction tooth and nail."

  The photo of a grim-looking tattooed man appeared on the screen.

  "Alpha villains are not all that different from alpha heroes. The people in his past and the things that made this villain who he is may vary, but deep inside, a villain has his own set of values and is still vulnerable. Give him an ego and let him stalk around with attitude, but don't make him all bad. He should not be rotten to the core. Have him melt around little kids or be a sucker for stray dogs."

  Allison pressed a button and the image of a tall man plowing his fingers through his hair filled the large screen. "When you write about your confident alpha hero, show him furiously disagreeing with the heroine because he is convinced he knows what is best for her. True to character, she strongly objects. She refuses to be ordered around. Authors, if you give the alpha hero an alpha heroine, their interaction will be even more heated."

  Carlo squirmed.

  "Sound familiar? If you get your story right, your heroine will eventually show the hero how wrong he is and he'll relish every painful moment of those lessons, but never ever admit it. He'll fall in love with the heroine because she overlooks his shortcomings and still desires him, warts and all. Your readers will also gain satisfaction from the lessons learned."

  Allison stepped closer to the microphone and gazed into Carlo's eyes. "In closing, there are many kinds of alpha heroes."

  Carlo held his breath.

  "You're already familiar with the buttoned-up one sitting in the front row, Detective Uptight. There's also the Wounded Alpha, the Comfortable-in-his-skin Alpha, the Bad Boy Alpha, and the Playboy Alpha, to name a few. They all share these two traits: a strong sense of right and wrong, and blatant attitude.

  "Have fun writing your alpha hero, but be sure you make him heroic, someone your heroine can admire and fall in love with. And above all else, make him sexy."

  She glanced apologetically at Carlo and quickly away. "Thank you. Any questions?"

  When the Room Hostess called a halt to the questioning, Allison acknowledged another enthusiastic round of applause before taking the seat beside Carlo to wait for the crowd to clear.

  A bevy of authors with unanswered questions soon surrounded them, but Carlo had a few questions of his own and spirited her away.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The noise from the hall outside drowned out the questions Allison tried to answer as Carlo hurried her to the door.

  The crush of her admirers evidently made him uncomfortable. With a scowl he took her elbow and propelled her out, apologizing for their hasty departure by saying, "Sorry, Allison has to go."

  How had he guessed?

  Once her guards stepped out into the hall Carlo blocked Allison's way while he carefully perused the crowd in both directions and signaled Susan and Marsha to move into position behind them.

  "Where to?" he asked.

  "The ladies’ room," she whispered. "Now."

  Her guardians escorted her with their usual haste.

  While washing her hands, Susan locked eyes with Allison in the mirror and said, "I'd never heard the term alpha male."

  Allison grinned. "Movie writers use the term too, to describe unbelievably confident, handsome actors like Tom Selleck and Tom Cruise."

  "I just loved the way you pulled Carlo into your presentation," Marsha said, turning on the water and soaping her hands at another sink. "Did you see his face?"

  "No, I was afraid I'd lose my train of thought and didn't dare glance in his direction. What did he do?"

  "For a minute, I thought he was going to explode. I'm surprised he didn't walk out," Marsha said.

  Susan nodded. "I could picture the wheels turning in his self-righteous head as he weighed the possibility, but like a true alpha hero, he stayed and held his ground."

  Marsha grinned widely. "Good thing, too. He'd have been booed if he'd tried to escape in the middle of Allison's presentation."

  "I intend to apologize. I shouldn't have put him on the spot that way, but he is the epitome of alpha males."

  "Your audience loved having a prime example in their midst. Didn't you see the cameras come out?"

  Allison chuckled. "No, I was on the lookout for steam rising from Carlo's ears. We better go or he'll be beating on the door to make sure nothing has happened to us."

  "Alpha to the core," Marsha said, fluffing her hair. "The sad thing is, with you around Carlo hardly knows I'm alive."

  Allison grinned. "You, too?"

  "Doesn't every woman still in possession of a beating heart want him? It's disgusting the way some women throw themselves at him."

  Me, too, but it hasn't done any good. I'll have to try another tack.

  "Where to now?" Carlo asked as soon as she stepped out of the ladies’ room.

  "I'm ready to kick back," Allison said. "Let's skip the luncheon and have a bite in my room."

  Marsha and Susan erupted with laughter. Allison frowned at them.


  "If you two kindergartners think you can control yourselves, once you escort us upstairs you can come back and attend the luncheon, courtesy of the LAPD."

  Susan and Marsha grinned.

  Carlo nodded. "We'll be leaving the room about half-past one to get ready for the book signing, so meet us in Allison's room about one-fifteen."

  He stood with his back to the door waiting for the elevator to come while he surveyed the crowd.

  "You feel them, too?" Allison whispered.

  "Feel what?" Carlo asked, but from the way his hard gaze was flitting from one area to the next instead of glancing at her as he spoke, she knew he, too, had the uneasy feeling someone's eyes were on them.

  When the elevator doors slid open Carlo led her to the rear of the empty enclosure. He exhaled a tenuous breath as the car quickly filled.

  "Are we still good to go?" Marsha, always the more observant of her guardians asked as they strolled to Allison's room.

  "Yes," Carlo said through clenched jaw. "I'll handle guard duty for a while and I've let the team know about our change of plans in a text."

  The women slipped into Susan's room as Carlo let Allison into his.

  She limped next door and kicked off her shoes.

  "What would you like to eat?" he asked, grabbing the room service menu and following her.

  "A cheeseburger, fries, and a large Coke."

  "I'll make that two."

  He placed their order, and turned to her as she removed the silver clips keeping her tight bun in place.

  She breathed a relieved sigh as the long locks tumbled around her shoulders.

  "Pleased with yourself after lambasting me for the last hour?"

  She didn't try to conceal her amusement as she smiled up at him. "I did, didn't I?"

  His good-natured grin warmed her heart. "I'm sure you were tempered by time restraints and left out some details, so I want to hear everything there is to know about alpha males."

  "I would have thought you'd heard enough this morning to last a lifetime."

  "You barely touched on what makes a man alpha, just his main characteristics."

  She answered thoughtfully. "Being alpha usually starts in childhood, especially if the father is an alpha, too. A strict father will insist his son follows the right path through his teachings and adopts a personal code of ethics similar to his. Is that how it was with you?"