Kayla Perrin - Blurb - Sweet Honesty

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Sweet Honesty
April, 1999 BET Books ISBN: 1-58314-011-5 (Voted a Top Ten Favorite Book by RWA for 1999 Optioned for a Movie of the Week)
Where men are concerned, Samona Gray has downright rotten luck. And when her most recent boyfriend turns out to be an armed robber, she knows she's really hit rock bottom. After robbing a jewelry store in front of her, he flees the scene. Now the police are hot on his trail, and Samona is implicated in the crime. But piecing her life back together may turn out to be easier than she imagined when an attractive writer moves into the apartment above her. Without a doubt, Derrick Lawson is the most irresistible man Samona has ever met. But she knows all too well that a good looking man can spell trouble. Her instincts turn out to be right after she makes the painful discovery that Derrick is actually a cop on a special undercover job. His assignment: to get close enough to Samona and learn the whereabouts of a fortune in missing jewelry. But even as Samona has unknowingly made the handsome detective fall in love with her, she still won't let her guard down--unless Derrick can prove to her that she can really trust him . . . with her heart.
Prologue It's April Fool's Day, Samona Gray told herself as she glanced nervously around the store. This must be a joke. Her brain could think of no other reason why Roger Benson, her boyfriend of only two months, had led her into Milano Jewelers, a quaint jewelry store in Chicago's Near North. The hand that held hers was damp with sweat, but Samona preferred to blame that on the heat of the beautiful spring day. Anything else-like the fact that he was actually considering engagement-ring shopping-was just too unsettling to think about. "Roger, what are we doing here?" Samona asked, glancing around the store. Gold, diamonds and other expensive jewelry glistened beneath the ceiling's pod lights. The floor was a sparkling polished oak. Everything was beautiful, and maybe if this had been a time in the not-so-distant past, with a very different man, she would have been excited. Now, it felt like her insides had been churned in a blender. On more than one occasion Roger had talked about how beautiful a person she was and how much he cared for her, even though she'd told him she wasn't ready for a serious relationship. She didn't know when she would be ready again. Roger had seemed slightly disappointed, but had agreed to an open, casual relationship-no commitments. However, in the last few days he had started talking about the "future." He'd mentioned some investments and how he hoped they'd pay off soon. If they did, he could "settle down" and buy a house. From all he'd said, Samona had sensed he'd wanted her in that future, but this? "You'll see," Roger said in response to her question. His hand still possessively holding hers, he led her to a display case. This particular one boasted a variety of gold chains. Samona released a cautious breath. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Roger hadn't lost his mind. There was only one clerk in the store, an attractive, slightly plump lady who appeared to be in her mid-fifties. She looked like Audrey Hepburn. Presently, she was talking to the only other customer in the store, a middle-aged man. "Do you like that one?" Roger asked, pointing to a thin gold chain with an emerald heart pendant. "Uh, that's nice," Samona replied, deliberately not sounding enthused. She wouldn't add that it was too expensive a gift unless he actually offered to buy it for her. The door chimes sang, and when Samona looked up, the clerk was beside them. Now she and Roger were the only customers in the store. "Hello," the clerk said. A spark of recognition flashed in her eyes and a smile spread across her face as she looked at Roger. "You've been here before." Roger's hand tightened around Samona's then, almost as though he was nervous and Samona wondered why. Again, her stomach dropped. His smile was charming and confident as he faced the clerk. "Yes," he replied. "Mrs. Milano, right?" She nodded. "That's right. Not only good-looking, but smart too." She looked at Samona as she said the last words. Samona forced a grin. "What brings you by today?" Mrs. Milano asked. "Ring shopping for this beautiful young woman?" Samona stole a glance at Roger, anxiously awaiting his response. Please let him say no, she thought. I can't deal with this. . . . "I'm looking for a little somethin' for my lady," he said, not giving Samona the answer she craved. One hand was comfortably nestled in the pocket of his long, leather coat; the other still clung to hers like a lifeline. "When I was here before, Mr. Milano said he was designing some new pieces. Is he here? I'd like to see his new creations." "Right now, he's out doing some banking," Mrs. Milano said. "Before the banks close. But I think I know what you're talking about. Those new rings are over here." With a nod of her head, she signaled for Roger and Samona to follow her. Oh no, Samona thought. "They are quite magnificent, if I do say so myself," Mrs. Milano said as she strolled toward the display in question, her shoulder-length auburn hair swaying gently. "Any particular carat size?" "Beautiful," Roger almost sang as he peered into the glass display. Releasing Samona's hand, he pointed to a huge pear-shaped diamond. "Can I see that one right there?" Samona swallowed her shock. Mrs. Milano smiled. "Excellent choice." The next part happened fast. As Mrs. Milano began to unlock the display case, Roger grabbed Samona in a headlock. Then instantly, seemingly out of thin air, something cold and hard was rammed against her temple. A gun. Samona knew it without having to see that that's what the icy cold metal was. Fear spread through her blood, rendering her ice-cold. And numb. And stiff. If Roger's arm wasn't around her neck she would surely collapse. This was just so bizarre, so real and unreal at the same time that her mind didn't know how to process what was happening. Roger had a gun to her head! The image was so jarring it was like she only just realized it. Her chest felt heavy, like something was crushing her, forcing the air from her lungs. She tried hard to suck in oxygen, but couldn't. Her head whirled. Good God, what was happening?? "Give me everything you've got!" Roger screamed. The soft-spoken man Samona had known now sounded loud and hateful. Mrs. Milano's eyes bulged as she saw the gun, but she didn't scream. Instead, she stood rooted to the spot, seemingly paralyzed with fear. "Move it!" Roger demanded. "Or I'll kill you both!" Mrs. Milano whimpered then, a soft cry of protest. Yet her hands flew into the display case, grabbing as much as she could. She dropped the precious jewels onto the counter. Roger yelled, "Put them in a bag!" "Y-yes," she stammered. "Th-they're j-just over th-there." Hurrying to the cash register, she cast a quick worried glance at the front door. "Don't worry about it. Nobody's getting in here, and nobody's getting out. The place has been secured." Mrs. Milano paled at Roger's words, and it was obvious she was holding back tears. No doubt, she had hoped that someone would walk in and interrupt this robbery, that someone would save her. Samona had hoped the same thing. But as Roger's arm pressed against her windpipe, as he jerkily moved around taking her with him, she saw her hopes and dreams dying. She saw the faces of her second grade students and wondered how they would react to the news of her death. Of her murder . . . "Hurry up!" Roger screamed. "I don't have all day." "Please. Please don't do this. Th-this is all we have. . . ." "Shut up and keep filling that bag!" The pressure against Samona's throat was so great and the effort to fill her lungs so hard, she began to gag. Awful wheezing sounds were coming from her mouth. Each time she tried to inhale, she forced oxygen from her lungs instead. She needed air in her body, needed it desperately. "Stop that, Samona," Roger whispered in her ear, his voice deadly. "Stop that, or I swear I'll kill you right now." But she couldn't stop herself. As she gagged, her chest heaved, and as a natural reflex, she grabbed the arm that threatened to snuff out her life. She felt the sharp, blinding blow then, but only for an instant. Because the next instant, the floor rushed up to meet her.