A wealthy business owner teams up with a bumbling investigator to uncover the reason his girlfriend died four years earlier. Will he get the answers he seeks? Or will his obsessive pursuit of the truth lead to his own demise?
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A garbled screech woke her. Mina's head pounded, and she reached her arm out to the left to turn off the horrible alarm.
Wait. Her wake-up alarm was a Backstreet Boys song.
Mina's hand came across warm skin. She jerked up and gasped to see a groaning Cole in bed with her. Even more frightening was Cole's mother, Barbara Hollister, standing at the foot of his bed, a manicured finger pointing at them. "What are you doing in bed with my son?"
"Will you please be quiet!" Cole bellowed as he glanced at his naked bed partner. He lifted the blanket to cover her chest.
"You're supposed to be dead," Barbara said, taking a step back.
"Not this again," Cole muttered. He gestured to Mina. "Mother, this is Mina Cruz." His eyes caught Mina's before he gestured to his mother. "Mina, this is the crazy woman who gave birth to me... allegedly."
Mina gave her an awkward wave while clutching the bedsheet to her body. "Good morning."
"No, I'm hallucinating," Barbara whispered to herself. She placed a hand on her temple and closed her eyes before opening them and staring at Mina. She shook her head. "I remember you. This is impossible."
Mina glanced at Cole, who was shaking his head and muttering something about changing his locks and intrusive mothers. "Mother, please leave the room."
Barbara's pale face flushed. She straightened her back. "I will not leave the room. You must explain what is going on, young man."
"Mother, I'm an adult. Unless you want to see me naked, you'll leave the room."
"And leave you to fornicate with this hussy? I think not!"
"If it makes you feel better, this hussy wouldn't feel comfortable jumping your son's bones with you in the same penthouse," Mina said, grinning. "He's a screamer and I imagine that would be awkward for you to hear."
Cole grumbled something about being surrounded by crazy women. "Turn around, mother."
Barbara made a huffing sound before turning on her designer heels. Cole shook his head and got out of bed; aware Mina's eyes were on him. His brows rose as if he expected her to avert her eyes. Instead, she winked at him. He shook his head again before grabbing some clothes and dressing.
He escorted his mother from the room to give Mina privacy to change. When she walked into the kitchen area, she saw Cole leaning against a counter, his eyes closed, as his mother ranted about Vivi.
"I know you wanted a break from Vivi, but did you have to jump into bed with the first woman you met?"
"Mina is not the first woman I met."
"No, you're right," Barbara agreed. "You just told me she was the cousin of that poor girl you dated. That's even worse, Cole."
