Formula for Danger. Camy Tang

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      Her heart beat hard, once. But really, how could her day get any worse? “Lay it on me. I’m ready.”

      “Earlier tonight, someone broke into greenhouse four.”

      “Greenhouse four? My greenhouse?” Technically, it was his greenhouse, but the only things in it were her Malaysian basil plants. “Were you there? Are you okay?”

      He paused, and his searching gaze made her stomach flip. But she lifted her head and tightened her muscles to keep her molten insides in place.

      “I’m fine. I wasn’t there when it happened.”

      “Oh. Good.” She tried to slow her racing heart. “Did you call the police?”

      “Yes. I left my brother, Alex, to meet with them while I came to talk to you. On the way, I called Horatio Carter, who said he was also headed here with your aunt, so that was fortunate. I’m hoping he’ll come back to the greenhouse with me tonight.”

      “How did you find out about the break-in?”

      “I left my cell phone in greenhouse six, so I went to get it. I noticed movement in the yard, and when I went to check the greenhouses, I found yours unlocked.”

      Her headache became a jackhammer against her skull. “Was everything okay?”

      The lines deepened around his mouth. “No. Someone trashed it—all your plants.”

      She gasped.

      “Don’t panic too much. Alex is moving the plants to greenhouse seven right now, and I can salvage most of it.”

      “Most of it?” She needed Edward to cultivate a certain number of plants so she could make the extract for her scar-reduction cream, scheduled to launch in only five months. She couldn’t be late. The spa depended on her new product launch. “Will you be able to grow more? I need…” She faltered at the shadow that crossed his eyes.

      He replied evenly, “Your research will be fine, Rachel.”

      His distant tone confused her. What had she said? She switched tactics. “You left your cell phone in a greenhouse? You never do that. If you hadn’t forgotten it…”

      A half smile twitched at his mouth. “God was watching over your plants, I think.”

      The familiar way he said it made something squirm inside her. Edward had always had such a different relationship with God than she did, and it seemed to widen the gap between them. “Why didn’t the alarm go off? I thought the greenhouses all had security alarms in place.”

      “They do—to monitor temperature and humidity, and also to alert when a window or door is opened. But the system in greenhouse four didn’t go off. I checked it, and it looks like the thief tampered with it.”

      “Aren’t those security alarms top-of-the-line? High-tech?”

      He nodded. “Whoever did this was a professional, not your average thief.”

      The mild California fall breeze was suddenly frosty against her skin. “How about the other greenhouses?”

      “I checked them all. Only yours was broken into.”

      “Only mine?” This was a blow she didn’t know if she could bear, not on top of everything that had happened tonight. She bit her lip.

      It almost looked as if he didn’t know what to do with his hands, finally resting them on his slim hips. “I don’t understand it. Some of the plants in my other greenhouses are extremely rare and valuable, but whoever came by didn’t even touch them.”

      She’d seen those plants—exotic orchids and rare rain-forest species, mostly commissioned by wealthy clients because of Edward’s reputation for cultivating delicate tropical plants. “None of them were taken?”

      If the burglar could have dismantled the security alarm for one greenhouse, surely he could have dismantled the security alarms for the others. Or maybe he hadn’t had time to because Edward had discovered the thief’s activities. But why bother with destroying her plants when he could have more quickly gotten into the other greenhouses and stolen the rarer species?

      Edward’s eyes pinned her with concern and gravity. “The thief entered only greenhouse four, Rach—the thief was only after your plants.”

      Edward hated chaos, and it surrounded him in greenhouse four—broken pots, torn leaves and potting soil dusting everything. He stood in the midst of the destruction and sighed.

      It wasn’t actually that bad. He’d discovered the open door before the temperature had dropped too much, and now Rachel’s plants were all in greenhouse seven. He was also planning on paying for an evening guard to walk the greenhouses—at least until the person responsible for this was caught.

      Detective Carter glanced up from where he surveyed some toppled tables. “It would have been better for me if you’d left the scene as is, Edward.”

      “Sorry, Detective, but Malaysian basil is extremely sensitive to temperature and humidity. The plants could have died within the hour.”

      Detective Carter shrugged and went back to taking notes.

      “Thanks for convincing Rachel not to come out here tonight, Horatio,” Edward said.

      The detective shook his head, his thinning red-gold hair glinting dully in the fluorescent light. “She didn’t need to see this. She’s had a bad night already. How many plants survived?”

      “Almost all of them, actually.”

      Horatio grunted.

      “My brother, Alex, and I counted as we transferred the plants. We’re only missing about twelve of them, and I’m sure there are a couple lost in the piles of dirt. Some will die later, but we’ll try to prevent that.”

      “I’m about done here.” The detective flipped his notebook closed. “You mentioned Alex took pictures of the greenhouse before you two moved the plants?”

      Edward nodded. “He’s in greenhouse seven right now.”

      “Good. I wanted to talk to him anyway.”

      It always amazed Edward how Alex had become such good friends with Detective Carter, who had been the man who had arrested his brother all those years ago for robbing a convenience store.

      “I hope not too many plants die because of tonight.” Horatio paused as he pulled open the door. “Rachel has been working pretty hard on this new product.” He left the greenhouse, heading toward the south side of the property.

      Edward’s jaw tensed. “Yes,” he said softly to himself. He knew exactly how hard she’d been working. At least, how hard she’d started working three months ago. She was probably driving herself into the ground by now.

      And why should he care?

      He was fooling himself if he thought he didn’t care. Seeing her on her knees, her eye swollen and red, had shot him through the heart.

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