Strictly Confidential Read online

  Alessandro Donato.

  Tall, dark and mysterious.

  The quintessential playboy, or so the rumors went. Hero in disguise or con man with an agenda?

  Colleen would give the charming Italian the benefit of the doubt, since Alessandro had protected Holly and Jake when they’d needed it.

  But if Alessandro Donato was up to no good, she’d nail his hide to the wall all over the front page of the Colorado Springs Sentinel, regardless of how attractive she found him.

  FAITH AT THE CROSSROADS: Can faith and love sustain two families against a diabolical enemy?

  A TIME TO PROTECT–Lois Richer (LIS#13)

  THE DANGER WITHIN–Valerie Hansen (LIS#15)

  THROUGH THE FIRE–Sharon Mignerey (LIS#17)

  IN THE ENEMY’S SIGHTS–Marta Perry (LIS#19)

  STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL–Terri Reed (LIS#21)

  HEARTS ON THE LINE–Margaret Daley (LIS#23)

  Books by Terri Reed

  Love Inspired Suspense

  Strictly Confidential #21

  Love Inspired

  Love Comes Home #258

  A Sheltering Love #302

  TERRI REED

  grew up in a small town nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. To entertain herself, she created stories in her head. And when she put those stories to paper, her teachers in grade school, high school and college encouraged her imagination. Living in Italy as an exchange student whetted her appetite for travel, and modeling in New York, Chicago and San Francisco gave her a love for the big city, as well. She has also coached gymnastics and taught in a preschool. She enjoys walks on the beach, hikes in the mountains and exploring cities. From a young age she attended church, but it wasn’t until her thirties that she really understood the meaning of a faith-filled life. Now living in Portland, Oregon, with her college-sweetheart husband, two wonderful children, a rambunctious Australian shepherd and a fat guinea pig, she feels blessed to be able to share her stories and her faith with the world. She loves to hear from readers at P.O. Box 19555, Portland, OR, 97280.

  Terri Reed

  Strictly Confidential

  Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to

  Terri Reed for her contribution to the

  FAITH AT THE CROSSROADS miniseries.

  Thank you to Diane Dietz and Steeple Hill for this opportunity to work on this series. I had such fun working with and learning from the other authors.

  Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.

  —James 4:8

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Alessandro Donato—Tall, dark and handsome, he showed up wherever there was trouble. Was Alessandro working for the European Union, as he claimed, or for the bad guys reviving the drug trade in Colorado Springs?

  Colleen Montgomery—Her reporter’s nose smelled a story brewing…and Alessandro was her prime target. But would her curiosity get her killed?

  Dahlia Sainsbury—The museum curator wanted Colleen out of the picture—because she wanted Alessandro for herself or was there a more devious motive?

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  DEAR READER

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  ONE

  “This is strictly confidential. Off the record. Mum’s the word.”

  Colleen Montgomery paused in the act of pulling out a navy business suit from her closet to arch a brow at her sister-in-law, Holly.

  Holly flipped back her long dark-brown hair, which she’d curled and wore loose rather than in her traditional ponytail. “I’m serious. You can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”

  Grimacing, Colleen stared. “That’s like asking me not to breathe.”

  Holly rolled her brown eyes. “And you’re not wearing that suit. You’re wearing the dress I brought you.”

  Rehanging the suit, Colleen gestured with her hands. “Hello. I’m an investigative reporter. My life is about telling everyone what I see and hear.”

  “Promise me, okay?” Holly shifted on the bed where she’d sat as soon as she’d entered Colleen’s bedroom. She was wearing a pretty lilac party dress that flattered her even with her bulging tummy, and she’d come in on the pretext of bringing a dress for Colleen to wear to the museum gala. Now, however, Colleen suspected her sister-in-law had another agenda, one that brought worry to her pretty brown eyes and marred the normally smooth skin between her brunette eyebrows.

  “Is this about my brother?” Colleen moved to her vanity to brush her blond hair. “’Cause if it is, I’m not sure I want to hear it.”

  Holly twisted her diamond wedding ring. “It is about him and me.”

  Colleen held up a hand and met Holly’s gaze through the mirror’s reflection. “I can already tell this is going to be more information than I want to hear about my big brother. Unless he’s dragged you back into the FBI with him, in which case I’ll go clobber him on the head. Considering you’re carrying my niece or nephew, the FBI is not a good place for you.”

  Holly grinned and patted her burgeoning belly. “No, of course not.” She lifted the sheath dress off the bed. “Here, put this on while I explain.”

  Eyeing the little black shift with trepidation, Colleen said, “You really think I should wear that?”

  “Yes. For once dress like a woman.”

  Colleen pulled a face. “Cute.”

  Holly laughed. “You know what I mean. All you wear are pants and button-down blouses. Time to move out of your comfort zone.”

  Colleen took the dress. It wasn’t exactly something that could be worn while chasing down a story, not if you still hoped to be taken seriously. Of course, tonight she hardly expected to find anything of interest worth reporting. She moved into the bathroom to dress. “Fine. Start talking.”

  “Do you remember when Victor Convy kidnapped me?”

  Colleen scoffed as she changed out of the jeans and cotton T-shirt she’d put on after showering earlier. “Hard to forget a thing like that.”

  “Right. Well, something happened that I never told anyone about.”

  Anticipation of a story fluttered in Colleen’s belly. Her parents often joked that she’d greeted the world with a notepad and pen in hand. “Okay.”

  “Remember how Jake had said he couldn’t remember if he’d shot Convy or not because of his concussion?”

  Stepping into the dress, Colleen made a noise of affirmation. The fear of losing her brother still gnawed at her like a dog with a bone. But that came with love. She had no choice but to love her brothers and now their wives, but thought thankfully that she didn’t have time for a romantic love. She didn’t want to carry around that kind of fear.

  “He didn’t,” Holly said.

  Colleen’s heart picked up speed at the juicy tidbit of information. She stepped out of the bathroom, holding the dress to her chest. “You did?”

  “No.” Holly lowered her voice and a conspiratorial light entered her eyes. “Alessandro Donato did.”

  “What?!” The dress dropped to the floor and pooled around Colleen’s ankles. She quickly pulled it back up and slipped her arms through the holes.

  Holly eagerly nodded. “I’m telling you, he came out of the trees dressed all in black like some superhero, shot Convy, and made certain Jake was alive before untying me. Then he disappeared as stealthily as he came when he heard t
he sirens coming.”

  Colleen blinked, unsure how to process Holly’s tale. “So you’re saying that Alessandro Donato rescued you and my brother from Convy?”

  Eyes wide, Holly bobbed her head. “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “Wow! That’s huge.”

  Rumor had it that the mysterious newcomer, although Lidia Vance’s nephew, had somehow been responsible for the shooting of his uncle, Mayor Maxwell Vance.

  How could Donato save one man’s life and then be suspected of trying to take the life of someone in his own family?

  She’d seen Donato at church with his aunt and cousins, but was that just for show? What was the Italian’s relationship with God? And why would he sneak around playing hero?

  Struggling with the zipper, Colleen asked a question only Holly could answer. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

  “Come here, let me do that,” Holly said.

  Obliging, Colleen turned her back to Holly.

  “Hey, he saved our lives. I figured I owed him my silence when he asked for it.” Holly pulled the zipper to the top.

  The silky fabric of the dress clung to Colleen’s curves and swished softly as she sat down on the bed next to Holly. “Why tell me this now?”

  Holly took Colleen’s hands. “Because I don’t believe that he had anything to do with my uncle Max’s shooting.”

  “Hmm.” Colleen hadn’t wanted to believe the good-looking Italian was capable of such evil when she’d heard he was a suspect in the mayor’s shooting, either, but she hadn’t anything concrete to base her gut instinct on.

  And in light of the tale Holly had just told…

  “I wonder what his story is?”

  Holly squeezed her hand. “I knew I could count on you.”

  “Meaning?”

  Holly wiggled her eyebrows. “I saw the way you and he were making cow eyes at each other at the Valentine’s dinner.”

  “Oh, please.” Colleen stood to hide the heat in her cheeks. “We were not making cow eyes.”

  “Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t find him attractive.”

  Colleen reached to the back of her closet and grabbed a pair of black strappy sandals that she hadn’t worn since her oldest brother’s wedding. “So he’s attractive. Big whoop. I’m not in the market for a man.”

  Holly’s little chuckle grated on Colleen’s nerves. A romantic relationship would only hinder her career. Colleen’s plans for the future didn’t include risking her heart. She’d tried that once in college and the constant worry and concern she’d felt took her focus away from journalism. Now that she was moving up in her chosen profession, she had no interest in anything romantic.

  Holly’s intent gaze captured Colleen’s attention. “In all seriousness, would you investigate him for me? I need to know what’s up with him before I tell anyone about what happened.”

  Colleen held out her hand to help Holly from the bed. “I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t promise I won’t report what I find.”

  Holly’s mouth quirked. “Can you promise to tell me first so I can prepare Jake?”

  “You should tell him anyway.”

  “I know.” Distress entered Holly’s eyes. “I will. But I want all the facts before I say anything. You know your brother, he’ll want all the details.”

  Colleen smiled. “That is true.”

  Holly preceded Colleen into the hall. As Colleen pulled her bedroom door shut behind her she thought about Alessandro Donato.

  Tall, dark and mysterious.

  The quintessential widower playboy, or so the rumors went. Hero in disguise or con man with an agenda?

  She’d give the charming Italian the benefit of the doubt, since he’d protected Holly and Jake when they’d needed it.

  But if Alessandro Donato was up to no good, she’d nail his hide to the wall all over the front page of the Sentinel regardless of how attractive she found him.

  Alessandro Donato had a vow to fulfill. A vow to rid the world of drug dealers. Such people had cost him his family.

  From his vantage point on the opposite side of trendy Fourth Street, he surveyed the bustling crowd making their way toward the door of the Colorado Springs Impressionist Museum for the opening of the Monet, Manet and Renoir collection.

  He tugged on the stiff bow tie at his neck, wishing he’d thought to bring his own tux from his home in Italy.

  But he’d had no way of knowing he’d still be here on this crisp May night. He’d thought that with the death of Baltasar Escalante, known drug lord, his time in Colorado Springs would have ended long ago and he’d have moved on to another assignment.

  But against all logic, Escalante hadn’t died when his plane went down and now had resurfaced back in this thriving community.

  Only, Alessandro couldn’t ID him.

  His sources were confident that Escalante had had plastic surgery, so the drug lord could be any one of the men in this town. He could even be here tonight.

  At the door to the museum Alessandro showed his invitation and was admitted with a cursory nod from the burly doorman.

  Once inside, Alessandro took stock of the situation, noting the exits, the windows and the corridor leading to the offices where the staff of the museum worked. He’d only lived this long because he never took anything for granted.

  To his right, a young, fresh-faced girl took coats and wraps from the glittering partygoers. He moved forward into the heart of the museum. Gleaming blond hardwood floors shone with a high gloss, picking up the effervescence of the crystal chandeliers.

  Several benches were arranged in strategic positions, giving patrons places to sit while they contemplated the works of art on the walls. Classical pieces that attracted a huge crowd. Alessandro had to give the curator credit for securing such masterpieces.

  A waiter laden with trays of savory appetizers paused and offered his fare to Alessandro.

  “No, grazie,” he murmured as his gaze snagged on the museum’s curator, Dahlia Sainsbury.

  She moved with lethal grace, like a feline on the prowl. Her tall, elegant frame was draped in a signature Chanel dress of soft pink, which emphasized her pale, almost translucent skin.

  As usual her dark-as-night hair was sleekly pulled back into a fancy twist at the base of her neck. Her ruby-red lips spread into a slight smile that didn’t reach her sultry eyes.

  Her beauty left him cold, and it had nothing to do with his vow never again to be romantically involved with a woman. No, he suspected Dahlia’s beauty covered a heart of deceit.

  Alessandro made his way through the crowd toward Dahlia. His instincts had been on full alert for some time now, warning him that she had something to do with Escalante. Alessandro had found a strong tie, one he hoped would lead him to the man responsible for the escalating drug trade in Colorado. The man most likely behind the shooting of Mayor Maxwell Vance.

  Derisive anger shot through Alessandro. Some people thought that he had had something to do with his uncle’s shooting. Ridiculous.

  “Nice show tonight, Miss Sainsbury. Your gala is a fine success,” Alessandro said as he halted and forced himself not to choke on the cloyingly sweet perfume permeating the air around the evening’s hostess.

  “So glad you approve, Mr. Donato,” she responded in a clipped British accent that eerily mirrored that of another of Escalante’s cohorts.

  Alistair Barclay: the British hotel tycoon and Diablo crime syndicate kingpin who’d made a deal with the drug cartel run by Escalante. Together they’d used Barclay’s luxury hotel business as a cover for their dirty dealings.

  But through the dedicated efforts of various law-enforcement individuals and private citizens, the crime organization had been dismantled. Barclay had gone to prison and Escalante disappeared.

  Recently Barclay had turned up dead in his prison cell. Alessandro was sure that Escalante was behind the assassination.

  “I’d be interested in how you acquired such remarkable pieces for the exhibition,” Alessan
dro said, focusing his mind on the task at hand.

  She arched a dark, winged brow. “Ah, so that is why you called me earlier this week. I apologize that I was unavailable. I also understand you were here yesterday while we were setting up. Do accountants for…what is it you do again?”

  One side of his mouth lifted. Not for a second did he believe she’d forgotten. “I’m an accountant with the European Union.”

  “Ah, yes. The European Union. What would an accountant do with such knowledge?”

  “You’d be surprised at the connections I have.”

  A sly look entered her eyes. “Connections that I might find useful?”

  He leaned in closer and lowered his voice, dropping the bait. “Connections you might find profitable.”

  She inclined her head. “I like the sound of that. Punch?” she asked, stopping a waiter as he passed with a tray of crystal glasses filled with a colorful concoction.

  Without waiting for his answer she handed him a glass. “To your health and to a future business relationship.”

  Over the rim of the punch-filled glass he met Dahlia’s dark gaze. He suppressed the shudder that ran through him.

  Somehow he felt that he’d just sold a piece of his soul. Or at least put it in hock.

  Colleen felt bare in the little black tank-style dress that Holly had declared she must wear since she couldn’t wear it herself. Colleen clutched the sheer blue wrap that her mother had given her tighter around her shoulders as she trailed behind her brothers, Jake and Adam, and their wives into the museum.

  “Easy, now,” Jake cooed to his pregnant wife, as they made their way inside.

  “Honestly, you’d think I was about to give birth this instant the way you’re hovering, Jake,” Holly gently chided, even as she leaned on his arm.