Page 47 of Loving a Billionaire

“What do you meanyou’re good? Did you and that Talia woman hook up?”

“Yes.”

“And... you’re not tired of her yet?”

Austin wanted to laugh out loud, but his friend was probably used to calling him every week to set him up with a new woman.

“No, Ariki. Talia Russell is a fascinating woman. I think I’ll keep her around just a little longer.”

Silence hung on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. Then Ariki gasped. “Russell? Did you say her last name was Russell?”

“Yes, why?”

Ariki muttered a cuss. “Reeder, I can’t believe it. Just a few moments ago, a woman by that name came along with a male detective, and dropped by my place to ask questions about you and Kalama Kane.”

“What?” Stunned, Austin stood frozen by his car with the door open. “Why would they talk to you?”

Ariki huffed. “Because I guess you had mentioned my name as someone who sets you up with women. They think I’m a pimp or something.”

Austin wanted to laugh, but he refrained. He was too upset to find humor in Ariki’s new title. It infuriated Austin to think Talia and her idiot partner had the nerve to question Ariki. What possible evidence would Ariki have had?

“I’ll handle this,” Austin snapped and climbed into his car. “Those detectives have stepped way over the line this time.”

“So Reeder? What’s going on? Do they really suspect you in that murder case just because you knew Kalama?”

“Ariki, I’ll talk to you later. Right now, I need to find someone and get the answers myself.” Austin clicked off the phone without waiting for his friend’s reply.

Anger fueled his actions, and he stomped on the gas pedal, going faster than he should. Zipping in and out of traffic, he focused on one thing. Finding Talia.

* * * *

TALIA WALKED INTO HERapartment and closed the door. Leaning against the thick piece of wood, she blew out a sigh of despair. She had thrown herself into her job today, mainly to keep her mind off Austin and Kurt and the confusing feelings she’d experienced with them lately.

Kurt’s words this morning had got her thinking, which at this point in a relationship could be very dangerous. Had she fallen in love with Austin because he was rich? Was it because of his incredible good looks and charm? She had never fallen for a man so quickly, so why had she done it this time?

Rubbing her throbbing head, she walked into her living room and plopped down onto the couch. She’d been too busy to think of her feelings for these two men, but now she was exhausted from everything she’d accomplished. The detectives in the precinct had interviewed more people, and from these interviews, they’d gotten more leads. But they still weren’t any closer to finding Kalama Kane’s killer.

Kurt, Tyrone and Gibbs leaned more toward Austin and Chad Johnson, mainly because they were rich. She happened to think the congressman’s son, Tim Beaton, had a questionable alibi.

Nothing made sense. While she was interviewing leads, Kurt tried to find out everyone in Honolulu that might have a collection of medieval weapons. The medical examiner had the broken piece, so all they needed to do was to find the rest of the weapon in hopes of catching the murderer.

Around four-thirty, they had returned to Isabella’s Escort Service only to find it had been closed for the day. Figures. Both she and Kurt knew that escort business was hiding something. Apparently, they were trying to conceal the owner, Mr. Martin. What other things haven’t they disclosed?

A knock came upon the door. Hesitantly, she trudged across the room to see who had come. Instead of looking through the peephole this time, she just opened the door. Austin stood in front of her, holding a bouquet of red roses. Her heart softened to see him after such a long and grueling day, but her heart leapt with happiness that he was thoughtful and brought her flowers, too.

“Austin! What a surprise. Please, come in.”

He walked in and she closed the door. Shaking her head in confusion, she took the flowers he handed to her.

“How did you know where I lived? Or did I give you my address and just forgot?”

“I was leaving the flower shop when I saw you drive past. I quickly jumped into my car and followed you.” He stepped closer to her and stroked her cheek. “I hope you don’t mind if I start our date a little earlier than planned.”

“Not at all. Thank you so much for the flowers. I’ll put them in a vase.” She moved into the kitchen to look through her cupboards. She had a vase once, but she couldn’t remember where she placed it.

“So, this is where you live?” he asked as he walked toward her living room.

“Yes. It’s nothing fancy.”Oh, there’s a vase.She carefully placed the roses inside.