She put her hand down on top of his. “Alec, Sophie is my friend.”

He started to ask another question. She stopped him by squeezing his hand. “She’s my friend.”

Chapter Thirty-two

Alec hated black-tie affairs, and he didn’t particularly like the country club scene either, but he didn’t mind wearing the tuxedo tonight because of Regan. There was something about her that was so compelling, so vibrant, and yet there was a vulnerability too he found utterly charming. Sophie told them a sad story about a young man she knew, and when she was finished, Regan had tears in her eyes.

“It had a happy ending,” Sophie said.

Embarrassed by her tears, Regan dabbed at her eyes with her napkin and laughed. “I’m a crybaby.”

“That used to be her nickname,” Sophie said.

“When I found out what some of the kids were calling me, I cried,” she said. “But that was when I was in school. I got over it.”

“Regan wears her heart on her sleeve.”

Regan didn’t argue. She picked up her glass of Perrier and lime and took a sip.

Alec loved watching her expressions. She was so refreshingly different. What she was feeling was right there for anyone to see. She wasn’t a game player, and she wasn’t the least bit self-serving or self-involved. That, too, was a refreshing change from the other women he’d known.

Regan had a face that could grace the cover of a fashion magazine and an incredible body, but what he liked most about her was her loyalty to her friends. Well, maybe not most of all, he admitted. Her body was pretty damned great.

But she was still just a job. He had to remind himself of that fact every time he looked at that sweet mouth of hers.

Sophie excused herself to go search for her date. Alec sat down again, declined the wine the waiter was offering, and asked Regan, “Is that any good?” with a nod toward her nonalcoholic drink.

She handed the glass to him and watched him gulp it down. Smiling she said, “You were supposed to take a sip.”

“I never sip. If I’m gonna drink something, I don’t fool around,” he said. “And that pretty much defines my philosophy of life.”

“Don’t sip, gulp?” When he nodded, she laughed. “You belonged to a fraternity when you were in college, didn’t you?”

“Sure did,” he said. “I ate a lot of potato chips too.”

He put the empty glass down, ordered two more, one for Regan and one for himself, and then said, “Heads up.”

“Excuse me?”

“Aiden’s here.”

She was still smiling when she turned and watched her brother walk into the ballroom. He didn’t have a date, and he didn’t notice Regan, but then she was all but hidden in the back corner. She watched him walk toward the podium, where Daniel O’Donnell, the administrator of Parkdale Hospital, stood waiting for him.

Sophie also saw Aiden as she was making her way back to their table. She hurried to intercept him, said something that made him smile, then stretched up and kissed him on the cheek.

Spencer walked in a minute later with Cordie at his side. He, too, was smiling. Her brother looked relaxed, she thought. Sleep-deprived, but relaxed. Jet lag would, no doubt, catch up with him tomorrow.

“The man with Cordie…”

“Spencer, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I see the family resemblance,” he said. “But I also recognized him from a newspaper photo Henry showed me. You and your brothers were at a dedication. Henry told me he was going to have the photo framed because it was rare for all of you to be together.”

She nodded. “That’s true. It seems the only time we get together is when there’s a funeral or a crisis.”

“A what?”

“A crisis.”

He leaned his elbows on the table and thought about what she’d just said.

Regan looked back at Spencer and said, “I should go say hello to my brother.”

“Two brothers are here,” he said.

She smiled. “Yes, but I’m only going to be nice to one of them.”

He smiled. “Spoken like a true sister.”

The knot in her wrap came undone, and when she pushed her chair back to stand, it fell to the floor.

He bolted to his feet. The dress showed off her attributes a little too well for his liking. No, that wasn’t exactly true. He liked looking at her. He just didn’t want anyone else to.

He was about to tell her to put the blanket back on when she turned to him. They stood just inches apart, her face upturned to his. If he moved so much as a couple of inches, his mouth would be on top of hers. He stopped himself in time. It wasn’t his place to tell her what she could or couldn’t wear, no matter how much it bothered him. If he tried that on one of his sisters, she’d laugh right in his face. Then she’d give him hell.

Regan wasn’t his sister, though. She’s a job, nothing more. Those words became a chant inside his head, and yet he was having trouble accepting it.

“Alec? You were saying?”

“Stay in the room,” he said gruffly. “I’ll be watching, but stay in the room.”

“Yes, of course.”

Cordie was bringing Spencer to Regan. She met them halfway across the ballroom, hugged her brother, and welcomed him home.

Alec watched the reunion as he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Wincott’s cell number. The detective answered on the second ring.

Alec didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Check out the brothers.”

“The ball that boring, huh?”

“I mean it. Check them out.”

“We already have,” he said. “And you’re not supposed to have any involvement in the investigation.”

It was almost impossible for Alec to back off. He didn’t want to jeopardize Wincott’s future with the department, and he knew that if Lewis found out he was doing anything more than guarding Regan, he would make Wincott’s life miserable.

“So what are you thinking?” Wincott asked.

“Maybe this guy is after the whole family, or maybe he’s using Regan to get all the brothers back in Chicago. I know you’ve checked them out, but go deeper. There might be something there.”

“Okay,” he said. “We’ll dig deeper.”

“Look, I know you’re overworked and understaffed. I’ll call Gil and ask him to check out a couple of things.”

“So you’re not involved, but you are?”

“I really want to follow up on a hunch.”

“That’s fine with me… if Gil doesn’t mind.”

“Did anything come up on Regan?”

“Since you asked this morning? No. The people she turned down for grants were the only ones who had a grudge. Although, there were a couple of nutcases-you know, people who wanted money for weird inventions-but they checked out okay. Weird, but okay,” he said. “I already told you we’re looking at Peter Morris,” he added. “Her friends checked out too. I guess by now you’ve figured out who Sophie Rose’s father is.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

Wincott laughed. “I almost fell off the chair when I found out. It doesn’t appear to make any difference to Regan or her brothers. They don’t blame the daughter for the sins of her father.”

“That’s the way it should be.”

“We’ve ruled Bobby Rose out. I’m getting another call.”

Alec flipped the phone closed and put it back in his pocket. He stood with his back to the wall, his arms folded across his chest, watching the crowd.

Aiden had joined his brother and sister. Cordie seemed to be the only one interested in what he had to say. No, interested wasn’t the right description, Alec thought. She looked enthralled. Regan, on the other hand, looked furious. Aiden was still talking when she shook her head, turned, and walked back to their table. Several men tried to engage her in conversation, but other than smiling at each one, she paid them no attention and continued on.

Alec pulled the chair out for her, but she didn’t sit. She stood next to him and stared at the entrance.

Cordie had followed Regan, and she smiled when Alec pulled her chair out for her. “Who are you looking for?” she asked Regan as she placed the napkin on her lap. She turned around to see who Regan was watching, and then said, “Oh, I see.”