No One To Trust: Rockford Security Mystery Series

by Dobbs, L. A.

  “Apparently.”

  She reached over and picked up the tabby, putting it on her lap and stroking its head. “So, I guess we have a plan.”

  “Yep.” Chase tried to lower his arm and received a warning hiss from Cranky Kitty. “Hey, I’ve been thinking a lot about those animals earlier at the shelter. I still think I’d like to adopt one for my boss, if that’s okay.”

  “Like I said, we have procedures to go through, but…” Shelby kissed the tabby’s nose then smiled at Chase. “I guess I could make an exception for you since your boss is well known. I’m sure he’ll be a good parent to his new pet.”

  “Good.”

  “I can stop by the shelter and bring the kitten with me in the morning, if you want.”

  “Oh.” Chase placed his raised hand behind his head. “Um, actually I was thinking of the other one now. The iguana?”

  “Henry, you mean?”

  “Yeah. Henry.”

  “Sure.” Shelby stood and Chase followed suit. “I’ve been trying to place him for months, so this is good. I’ll bring him with me tomorrow. What made you change your mind?”

  Chase tugged on his jacket and headed for the door. “He seems sort of broody and opinionated, kind of like my boss. Not to mention that head jumping trick.” Chase snickered. “Blake’ll love that.”

  10

  Shelby stood outside the Rockford Security offices bright and early the next morning. Okay. Maybe more on the early side than bright, but still. She clutched Henry’s leash tighter in her hand as a group of tourists passed by and snapped photos of the crazy lady with the iguana on her shoulder.

  Henry didn’t seem at all fazed by the attention, his tiny claws clutched tight to the soft cotton of her pink T-shirt, and his tongue flicking out occasionally to tickle her ear. Shelby sighed and glanced sideways at him. “Where is Chase, huh?”

  She checked her watch again and shifted weight from one foot to the other. Technically, she was still a few minutes early. Maybe he’d already gone inside without her. Standing out in the open like this made her feel too vulnerable. Made her feel like Katherine might be watching her with a pair of binoculars, searching for more ways to screw up her life.

  As if on cue, a bus swerved to the curb near the corner, exhaust belching as the doors screeched open and several passengers exited. One man was particularly noteworthy. Tall, muscles for days, dark hair, and stormy gray eyes. She swallowed hard as Chase waved and headed in her direction.

  No wonder Katherine had tried to seduce him.

  Tried, but not succeeded. Shelby was convinced Chase was telling the truth about that. Chase had been with Katherine the night her father died, but he hadn't been in the condo long enough for much to happen. She'd checked with the driver and then compared that to the time on the surveillance tape that showed Chase running out.

  Her stomach lurched at the idea of Chase and Katherine—or any woman for that matter—together and unexpected envy pinched her heart. Shelby inhaled sharply and scowled. What was up with that? It wasn’t like she wanted him for herself.

  “Hey,” Chase said, coming up beside her. “I see you brought our friend.”

  “Yep.” Her tone sounded overly chipper, but she didn’t care. She passed him Henry’s leash and their fingers brushed. He met her gaze and she saw a tiny flicker of emotion there before she looked away fast. The iguana jumped to Chase’s shoulder and she hurried inside suddenly feeling awkward. “We should get upstairs.”

  “Sure.” He followed behind her, his expression amused as he cooed to the lizard now cuddled up to the side of his neck. They caught the elevator and took the short ride to the fifth floor where Chase said the IT offices were located. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  Shelby gave him some side eye before answering. “Are you asking me or Henry?”

  Chase chuckled. “Both.”

  “I’m good, thanks. And Henry’s his usual charming self.”

  “Awesome.” The doors dinged open and he escorted her to the IT front desk. A short guy with a messy flop of brown hair approached them.

  “Hi, can I help you?” the guy asked. His name tag read Brandon.

  “Hey, man.” Chase gave the guy a friendly handshake. “Blake sent us to see some security footage.”

  “Oh, right. What time is it?” Brandon rubbed his eyes.

  “Seven a.m.,” Shelby answered, smiling.

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope.” Chase pointed at the nearby wall clock. “Says so right there.”

  Brandon held out his hand to Shelby. “Brandon Sterling.”

  “Shelby Bryant.”

  He winced slightly, pink coloring his cheek. “Oh, right. Sorry to hear about your father.”

  “Thanks.”

  He escorted them back to his cubicle and took a seat behind his computer, typing in a few commands before stretching his arms above his head. “Should take just a second for the feeds to load.” He looked over at Shelby, his dark gaze narrowed. “Shouldn’t you be with one of the VIPs rather than this guy?” He looked at Chase then back to her again. “Not that Chase here isn’t a good guy, and I can see him not wanting one of the Rockfords to steal you away, but—”

  Chase stepped closer to the guy’s chair, hands clenched. “Just bring up the footage, please. Blake said we could look at everything—the casino floor, the lobby and hallway, Bryant’s office.”

  Confused, Shelby glanced at Chase. Her dad did indeed have special cameras in his office, she doubted he’d store the feeds on the Rockford servers. Then again, Chase might’ve found out something new and hadn’t had a chance to tell her yet.

  Brandon, however, cut that dream short. “Nope. None of our cameras were in the big guy’s office.”

  “Damn. Okay.” Chase caught Shelby’s eye and winked conspiratorially. “Just show us what you do have then.”

  “Grab another chair and pull it over, man.” Brandon stood and gestured for Shelby to take his seat then pointed to an empty cubicle across from his. “This could take a while for you guys and I’m heading home.”

  Shelby sank into his chair, nervous flutters filling her gut. “You’re not staying?”

  Being alone with Chase shouldn’t bother her. It wasn’t like she was afraid of him, she just suddenly felt sort of awkward. Oh well, at least Henry would be there.

  Chase wheeled another chair over and took a seat to the side and slightly behind her, his warmth both comforting and disturbing as hell. “So what do we push?”

  “This key is Play. This one is Fast Forward, this one Reverse.” Brandon pointed to the keyboard in front of Shelby. “And this one here is Pause.” He grabbed his jacket from a hook on the cubicle wall then backed away slowly. “All right kids. Try not to have too much fun without me.”

  Once he’d gone, Shelby glanced over her shoulder at Chase. They stared at each other for a moment while Henry scampered down from Chase’s shoulder and made himself at home on top of the nearby computer tower, apparently basking in the heat it generated.

  “We, uh, should probably get started.” Chase leaned in closer and hit Play.

  “Yeah.” Shelby swallowed hard and did her best to concentrate on the video on the screen. The time stamp in the corner of the feed showed the day of her dad’s murder and soon Chase’s infamous exit from the elevator appeared on screen, followed by several minutes of nothing, until they fast-forwarded through to when the police arrived on the scene.

  “Let’s switch to the condo footage instead.” Chase pointed to one of the other keys. Shelby clicked it, then flinched when Katherine’s face popped up. She resisted the urge to squirm in her chair—now she'd see what had really happened with Chase and Katherine.

  Shelby concentrated on the computer monitor. Katherine walked into the living room of the condo with Chase trailing behind, loaded down with bags and boxes. Katherine pointed to a chaise lounge across the room then disappeared into the bedroom. A moment later, Chase followed. Within minutes, he bolted fr
om the room again, fiddling with the fly of his pants.

  As if sensing her surprise, Chase leaned in close and whispered. “I did not sleep with her.”

  “Of course not,” she said, her tone snarky. She knew she was being bitchy, but was too rattled to care. Chase had denied anything happened, but clearly something must have in order for his pants to be undone. “You were just zipping up your pants for some other reason.”

  “She cornered me. I was trying to fend her off and still keep my job. By the time I got away, she’d taken off my belt and was working on my pants, but thankfully nothing else happened. Besides, you can see by the timestamp I was only in there a few minutes.”

  “And a few minutes isn’t enough time for sex?”

  Chase gave her a sly grin. “Not with me, baby.”

  Damn. She’d walked right into that one. Cheeks heated, she looked away fast.

  After several awkward moments, Chase sighed. “Look, don’t you think it’s kind of weird that your father had a security camera in his living room, though?”

  “Not really.” Shelby crossed her arms. “He used to have meetings at the condo sometimes. Things he wanted to tape. You can turn it off pretty easily.”

  “Did Katherine know that?”

  “Of course.”

  “Hmm.” Chase frowned and rubbed his hand over his jaw. “And yet she didn’t. Even when she was trying to get me into her bedroom.”

  “Yeah,” Shelby said, swiveling toward him and picking up on his train of thought. “It’s almost like she wanted to get caught or something.”

  They ran the tape back and watched it again. After his onscreen-self stormed out of the condo, Chase reached past her to stop the feed. Tense, he pointed toward a corner of the screen near the hallway where a shadow appeared, then vanished in the blink of an eye. “Did you see that?”

  “Yeah, but it was awfully fast. It could have been anything.”

  “Like hell.” He hit Rewind for a few seconds then replayed the end again. The shadow blipped on screen, then gone. Same as before. After that the feed went black, the camera off. “Shit.”

  “Let’s keep looking.” Shelby shooed his hands away and clicked on the next feed. “Maybe Katherine met with the killer some time earlier in the week.”

  “Fine with me. That gives me a rock solid alibi. Early in the week, I was still a resident of Cell Block G.”

  She clicked Play then sat back. This video showed Shelby and her dad. From their wild gestures and angry expressions, she and Dad were obviously fighting again. Most likely over money. She reached out to fast forward through it, sorrow constricting her chest.

  Chase stopped her, taking her hand in his. “Wait. What’s this?”

  “Nothing. It was a stupid fight. We made up the next day.”

  “Well, that nothing was caught on tape, and it won’t do you any good when the police get their hands on it.”

  Dread bubbled thick in her veins. He was right. This would play right into Katherine’s hand. And speaking of Katherine, the feed looped back to her condo again, showing her stepmother trying to hide what appeared to be an envelope full of money in a drawer in one of the living room tables.

  “What the hell?” Shelby glanced from the screen to Chase.

  “Maybe we do need to check out Katherine’s condo again.”

  “Maybe.” She replayed that section of feed again, paying attention to exactly where her step-monster had stashed the evidence. “We’ll need to wait until nightfall. Katherine only goes out during the day to shop or get her nails or hair done. But she always goes down to the casino at night, then sometimes out on the town. We can sneak in there while she’s away.”

  Chase nodded, tilting his head toward the screen. “Anymore tapes? Wouldn’t want to miss anything.”

  They watched about twenty more minutes before a gorgeous woman in a designer power suit interrupted them. Her green gaze darted from Chase to Shelby then back again, her smile sly. “Figured I’d find you here. Guess Blake’s little scheme worked, eh?”

  Crimson dotted Chase’s high cheekbones.

  “What scheme?” Shelby asked, confused. Unsure how to proceed, she introduced herself. “And, um, I’m Shelby. Shelby Bryant.”

  “Olivia Rockford.” They shook hands. “And please call me Liv. Everyone does. I bet my brother is playing matchmaker again. He’s trying to hook you guys up.”

  “Please,” Chase said, his gray eyes wary. “It’s not like that.”

  Shelby shook her head, disturbed at how ridiculously giddy the thought of being 'hooked up' with Chase made her feel. “Really. We’re not ‘hooked up’.”

  Liv tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder and narrowed her gaze. “What are you both doing here then?”

  “Work.” Chase pointed at the computer screen. “We’re working.”

  Liv leaned in and squinted at the security feeds, then Chase. “That’s not work. You’ve been pulled off of the Lucky Ace detail. I signed off on the paperwork myself. You know, as your new boss.”

  “I thought Blake was your boss.”

  “Blake thinks he’s everybody’s boss.” Liv chuckled.

  “Liv is my immediate supervisor.”

  “Yep. And the company decided it would be better if our boy here stayed as far away from Katherine Bryant as possible.”

  Shelby snorted. “I can see why.”

  “God! For the last time, I did not do anything with that woman!” Chase growled.

  “Good thing too. Blake would’ve knocked you upside the head for that one. And is this a new friend of yours, Chase?” She reached over and ran a finger down the lizard’s back. Henry scurried around on top of the computer tower to check out his new admirer. “Who’s a good iguana, huh? Who is?”

  “Thanks for your vote of unconfidence.” Chase said, his tone irritated. “And his name is Henry.”

  “Henry, huh? Nice. And you’re welcome.” Liv patted Chase on the shoulder, completely ignoring his now churlish demeanor. “And any time you need a healthy dose of straight-up honesty, I’m your gal. Besides, I aim to please when it comes to my employees.” She smiled at Shelby. “It’s good you guys are ‘working’ together to solve this mystery. Did Chase offer you a tour of the place? Would you like to see the executive offices upstairs?”

  “Um, okay. Sure.” She stood and moved in beside Liv. “Is that okay with you, Chase?”

  He didn’t say a word, just gave a curt nod.

  “Great.” Shelby grabbed her purse. “And while I’m here, if I could possibly talk to Blake Rockford as well? He’s going to install some security cameras at my animal shelter for me.”

  They started to walk away and Chase called out from behind them. “Don’t worry. I’ll just stay here and finish looking at all these tapes by myself.”

  Liv snaked her arm through Shelby’s and tugged her forward to the exit when she hesitated. It didn’t really seem fair to leave Chase behind to do all the work, but she did need to talk to Blake and Liv seemed really nice and…

  They walked out into the outer hall again and headed toward the elevators. Liv pushed the Up button then grinned at Shelby. “So, have you kissed him yet?”

  Heat prickled her cheeks and she wondered if it was too late to run back into IT with Chase. But the elevator dinged and Liv dragged her onboard. “What? No. And I’m not going to either. We have a strictly business relationship. Besides I don't really know him ...”

  Liv jabbed the seventh floor button then leaned back against the shiny metal wall. “You don't believe that assertion about him and Katherine, do you?"

  Shelby shrugged. "No, but ..."

  "I don’t believe it and neither does Blake. Same thing with his drug trafficking conviction. That whole thing was bullshit. I’ve never met any man more trustworthy than Chase Evans.”

  Shelby eyed Liv from across the elevator, her thoughts churning. So, Blake and Liv thought Chase hadn’t broken the law. Good to know for future reference. Though, then why did he go to
jail for five years? The Rockfords seemed to trust him though and that added another check in her imaginary “Reasons to Like Chase Evans” column.

  * * *

  An hour later, Chase shut down Brandon’s computer and stood to stretch. The next shift of IT guys had arrived and the place now buzzed with activity. Henry scrambled from the top of the computer tower to Chase’s shoulder then they headed back to the elevators to find Shelby. Her tour with Liv should’ve been over by now. There wasn’t that much around here to see.

  He pushed the Up button and stepped back to wait, hands shoved in his pockets and Henry’s leash dangling loose down the middle of his chest. Honestly, he’d had the green guy brought over as payback for all of Blake’s nosiness and scheming, but the more time he spent around Henry, the more he liked him. It was nice to have someone around who didn’t judge, didn’t care about his past at all. Only cared about his body heat and the occasional tickle under his jowly green chin.

  Chase looked to the side and performed said scratch now, chuckling as Henry’s tongue snaked out to flicker over Chase’s cheek.

  “That’s my little man,” he cooed.

  The elevator dinged and the doors opened. He stepped forward without looking and damned near collided with Shelby.

  “Oh!” She put her hands on his chest to stop him from barreling over her. “Sorry.”

  “Jeez, no. I’m sorry.” Chase halted and grabbed Henry’s leash to keep him from toppling off onto the floor. A fresh wave of embarrassment crashed over him. As if Liv’s teasing earlier hadn’t been bad enough, now he looked like an impolite imbecile too. “I didn’t see you there.”

  “No problem.” Shelby removed her hands from him and moved sideways, increasing the space between them. “You were distracted.” She glanced from him to Henry and back again. “He’s pretty adorable, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah. He is.” Chase grinned over at his newfound reptile bud, then shuffled his feet and stared at the toes of his black boots. “How was your tour?”

  “Great, thanks. Blake wasn’t in, but I spoke with Garrett about the cameras and then Liv showed me around. Nice place. Did you find anything else on the security footage?”