Page 1 of Loving a Billionaire

ONE

Police Detective TaliaRussell, from Honolulu, Hawaii’s precinct, raised her fist to knock on the door, but as she rapped on the hardwood, the barrier pushed open. She held her breath and listened for signs of movement inside the penthouse apartment.

Holding her breath, she peeked around the edge of the door, hoping to see someone standing there. Nothing but air greeted her.

She frowned. Why had the door just opened when her informant assured her that the CEO of the Imperial Hawaiian’s Grand Hotel, Austin Reeder, would be in a meeting all day? Apparently, her informant wasn’t very accurate.

She cleared her throat and called into the quiet apartment, “This is Detective Russell with Honolulu’s Task Force. I need to ask you a few questions.”

Still, she heard nothing.

Talia opened her decorative, black, beaded purse that hung over her shoulder, and grabbed her cell phone, quickly dialing her partner.Hamill here. I’m busy, so leave a message.

She growled. Where was he? He was supposed to be here with her. “Kurt, get your butt over here, pronto. I’m at Austin Reeder’s suite, and I think there might be a break-in... or maybe even another murder scene. The door is cracked open, but I don’t hear anything inside. So get over here—”click. The phone disconnected and she grumbled under her breath.

“Mr. Reeder?” she called into the room. “Are you there? Are you hurt?”

Once again, she heard nothing but silence.

Glancing at the elevator, she tried to decide what to do. She couldn’t go inside the suite until Kurt showed up. It was too dangerous to go in alone. But because her partner wasn’t answering his phone...

A heavy thud came from inside the penthouse suite. Her heart knocked against her ribs harder, and she quickly grasped her Glock inside her purse. She still didn’t dare go inside. She was overdressed for this particular assignment, but when Sergeant James Feakes told her to check out one of the suspects – insisting it was to be done now – who was Talia to argue? Besides, when the sergeant wanted something immediately, he didn’t want to hear excuses. Trying to explain that Talia was at her father’s, and soon-to-be stepmother’s, afternoon engagement party wouldn’t have hit the stubborn sergeant’s ears, anyway.

Her red and white floral print, off-the-shoulders short-sleeved Polynesian dress that hugged her figure and showed off too much of her legs, was definitely not the required uniform. Unfortunately, she was here to do her job, no matter what she looked like. However, the other police officers she worked with would get a hearty chuckle over this, which meant they couldneverfind out.

Another heavy thud came from inside. “Mr. Reeder? Can you hear me?”

When she didn’t hear him, instinct told her that she needed to go inside and check it out. Taking careful steps, she entered the room with her G42 weapon held high. Along with the gun, she quickly swept her gaze around the room, but so far, it appeared the occupant wasn’t in residence.

She wasn’t surprised to see Mr. Reeder’s place decorated with expensive chairs, antique furniture, and Persian rugs. The man was extremely rich. She wouldn’t be surprised if he owned his own airplane. He also owned the chain of luxury hotels in Hawaii and all over the United States.

As she took three more steps, her three-inch heels tapped on the tiled floor of the entryway. Silently, she groaned. This was one of the reasons she’d wanted to go home and change, but Sergeant Feakes wouldn’t have it.

“Is anyone here?” she called out again but received no reply.

Although she really should turn and leave, her gut feeling told her to stay. She had heard heavy thuds. If Mr. Reeder wasn’t here, perhaps this was a break-in after all. That would certainly explain why the front door was cracked open.

Talia should search his penthouse suite. He was a suspect of a murder, after all.

The victim of the brutal murder was twenty-six year old, Kalama Kane. The woman had been a religious girl in high school, but once she graduated and went to college, she spent her time at bars and single’s clubs.

Only two days ago, Kalama had been murdered in her family’s home right here in Honolulu. Her parents were at work, and her younger brother was at school. Kalama had just gotten out of the tub and wrapped a robe around her body. Within moments of leaving the bathroom, the woman was smashed over the head with a large object, crushing her skull, and killing her instantly.

Suspiciously, the murder weapon wasn’t found on the premises. No fingerprints were anywhere on the crime scene, except for the family who lived there. The only thing the police had to use for leads was the list of men written on a piece of paper that was folded and placed in Kalama’s robe.

Since that discovery, Talia’s task force team had been trying to locate the men on the list and interview them. Austin Reeder’s name was at the bottom of the list. Talia and her partner, Kurt Hamill, had planned to visit Mr. Reeder tomorrow for questioning.

Why Sergeant Feakes wanted this done immediately, Talia wished she knew. And where was Kurt? As her partner, he should have been here to back her up.

She reached into her beaded purse again, pulled out her cell, and texted her partner.Where are you? I know you received Feakes’ call. Why are you ignoring me?

As she slid the cell back in her purse, she seriously hoped he was on the way. Backup was most important in her line of work.

A bead of moisture trickled down her neck. Good grief! Why did it feel overly warm in here? It was early summer, so why did it feel like it was hotter than ninety-five degrees?

She clutched her G42 and walked into the room further. The wealthy businessman had a glass-case liquor bar, a large dining area, and living room. The three bookcases filled from edge to edge. It would seem he didn’t have a social life, and probably stayed at home reading. She’d had almost this many books when she was in college, and of course, she really didn’t have a social life, either.

Talia took another step, heading toward the hallway, but before reaching it, the floor creaked. She jerked to a stop and listened closer.