by Dobbs, L. A.
“Nah, not really,” he said. “Katherine seemed to be on her cell a lot in the tapes. It looks like she has two phones. Maybe one is a burner phone that she uses for plotting and scheming. If we can find a way to get her phone records or make sure the police have them, that might help.”
“Maybe.”
The elevator dinged again. A group of computer guys got off and headed for the IT offices while Chase held the door for Shelby then stepped in behind her. He’d been headed to Blake’s office to thank him for setting up the viewing of the security footage, but she’d said he wasn’t in yet. So he pushed the button for the lobby instead and rode down with Shelby. “Are we still on for the Lucky Ace tonight?”
“Absolutely. Meet me in the staff parking lot around back at ten.”
He wrinkled his nose. Technically, that was after his court-mandated curfew. Blake had somehow managed to convince the judge not to put him on house arrest and give him one of those oh-so-attractive ankle bracelets during his parole. Breaking curfew would just be this one time and for a good cause, but he hated taking the chance of jeopardizing Blake’s hospitality and good faith in him. Good faith was a rare gem in his world these days.
“Is that a problem?” Shelby frowned when he didn’t answer.
“No. No. It’s fine.” Chase shrugged off his concerns. If he and Shelby continued on their plan to find the real killer, breaking curfew would be the least of his problems. Besides, he had bigger fish to fry at the moment. “Hey, uh, I’m sorry about that whole matchmaker thing with Liv. Blake and I used to work security jobs together back before he joined the police force and I…well, before everything happened. Anyway, all the Rockfords kind of feel more comfortable around me because of that and treat me like one of the family. She’s not normally quite so informal around people she’s just met.”
“It’s fine.” Shelby smiled, the look in her pretty blue eyes oddly amused. “She seems nice.”
“Yeah, she is. Smart as hell too.”
“Sounds like someone’s got a crush?” Shelby’s gaze narrowed.
“What?” Chase scoffed as Henry wrapped his tail around his neck. “Me? No. She’s my boss, for Christ’s sake. Why would you even say that?” He lifted his chin slightly, picking up on her teasing tone. “Why? Are you jealous?”
“Are you insane?” She snorted and shook her head. “You wish.”
Yeah, I do.
“What if I did?” He stepped closer to her. Henry seemed to take the hint and climbed down his arm to perch on the waist-level railing running around the middle of the elevator. Smart lizard. Shelby’s breath hitched and Chase got the impression that if he leaned over and kissed her, it would not be unwelcome, he was just debating whether or not to do it when...
Ding. Ding.
Chase cursed inwardly and leaned back, grabbing Henry’s leash before he bolted out the now open doors in front of them.
“Well, well. Look who we have here.”
Blake.
Chase glanced at Shelby, took in her flushed face and dreamy expression and knew he was busted. He held out his arm for Henry to climb then ran a somewhat shaky hand through his hair while the iguana settled in on his shoulder once more.
Blake held the doors open with one hand and extended the other toward Shelby, his smile wide and knowing. “Blake Rockford. You must be Shelby Bryant. So nice to finally meet you in person. Your father told me so much about you, I feel like I know you already.”
“He did?” Shelby asked as she shook Blake’s hand.
It damned near broke Chase’s heart to hear the surprised hopefulness in her voice and see her tragic expression whenever someone mentioned her late father. It was obvious she idolized the man, but from her reactions, it didn’t seem like those sentiments had been returned. Chase felt unexpected anger surge through him and the unaccountable need to beat the shit out of anyone who didn’t treat Shelby with the respect and admiration and kindness she deserved.
“He did,” Blake confirmed, ignoring the persistent buzz of the elevator alarm. “He was very proud of you.”
“Oh.” Her soft creamy cheeks turned a deeper shade of rose. “Well, thank you.” She tucked a stray blond curl behind her ear and stepped forward to sidle past Blake. “I was just leaving.”
Chase remained where he was while Blake stepped in beside him, praying to God that Shelby wouldn’t utter the words he already knew she would.
She turned back and waved to him. “So, I’ll see you tonight, Chase?”
Damn.
He didn’t miss the side eye Blake gave him, or his boss’s cocky half smile.
“Uh, yeah. See you later,” he managed to say before the doors slid closed once more. Chase slumped into the corner of the elevator and did his best to distract himself from the weight of Blake’s stare. Henry helped, by digging his sharp little claws into Chase’s shoulder. Pain was good. Pain was real. Pain was what he was used to.
“Mind telling me about that?” Blake said, his tone amused.
“What?” He tried to play dumb. “You mean Shelby? I thought you said you didn’t care about my love life.”
“I don’t.” Blake snickered. “I was talking about the lizard.”
“Oh, yeah.” He cocked his head to the side. “This is Henry.”
Chase passed the leash to Blake and Henry jumped from his shoulder to his new owner. A weird sense of loss filled him as he watched the iguana cuddle into Blake’s neck like it was home. That. That’s why it didn’t pay to get close to anyone or anything. Couldn’t trust them. Eventually, they always moved on and left you behind. He squared his shoulders. “Have fun. He’s yours now.”
“What?!” Blake’s expression shifted from playful to concerned. “I don’t think I’m ready for a pet.”
“Yeah? Well, remember when you sent me down to Paws and Play even though I wasn’t ready? Payback’s a bitch, man. Shelby let me fill out the paperwork in your name. Enjoy!”
They arrived at the executive offices on the seventh floor and exited the elevator. Chase headed down the hall ahead of Blake, calling to his boss over his shoulder, “He eats rats and small tarantulas.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Blake called after him. “Iguanas are herbivores.”
Great. Chase took one last glance back at them before pushing through the door into the main office area. Blake was currently scratching the lizard under the chin, just how he liked, and Henry leaned into the touch like a reptile in love. Of course Blake would know all the right things to do for Henry. They were perfect for each other.
He shook his head and walked into the office, his lips quirking up in a smile.
Who’s the matchmaker now?
11
Promptly at ten that night, Shelby stood outside the employee entrance near the back lot of the Lucky Ace Casino. From where she rested against the cool brick wall she could see the bus stop at the corner. She’d guessed from Chase’s arrival that morning at Rockford Security that he didn’t have a car of his own yet and that made sense, given his recent parole. There was something about his determined use of public transportation that increased her respect for him, something about him living his life and pushing ahead against all odds that showed his integrity and made her trust him a tad more. After all, he had as much, if not more, on the line here than she did. If things went south again, he would lose everything and end up right back in prison where he’d started. And prison, she imagined, was a hellish place to be.
Minutes later, a bus belched to a stop at the corner and the doors squeaked open. Chase jogged down the steps and caught sight of her immediately, raising his hand in greeting. Her heart raced despite her vow to remain unaffected. Never mind that she thought he might kiss her in the elevator earlier today or that maybe she was disappointed that he didn’t. This was business and nothing but business.
He strode up to her and grinned as she took in his appearance. He looked like something out of a bad seventies cop drama. Black shirt, black pants, black knit skull cap wh
ich she suspected had a ski mask attached. “What in the world are you wearing?”
“What?” He gave her an affronted look. “I didn’t want to be seen.”
“Good luck with that now, Starsky.” She rolled her eyes at his confused look. “You know, Starsky and Hutch? Seventies cop show?”
When he still seemed perplexed, she snatched the hat off his head and stuffed it into the pocket of his black jacket. “There. At least you don’t stand out quite as much. C’mon, let’s go.”
“Like you’re one to talk, Ms. Gloved Hands.”
“I’ve got my reasons, all right?” She used her security badge to buzz them in the back door, then led him through the service halls toward the casino floor. She knew this maze like the back of her hand. Hell, this used to be her playpen when she was a kid. They ducked out into the casino proper, into the same hall where her dad’s office was located. She pulled out her security badge again and opened the door.
“Hey, wait a minute.” Chase grabbed her arm, his voice low and gruff and sexy as hell. “I thought we were going to Katherine’s condo.”
“I need to stop here first.” She wrenched her arm from his grip and carefully maneuvered through the yellow police tape to get inside. Thankfully, everything looked the same as the last time she’d been in here. Chase entered behind her and moved to turn on the lights, but she stopped him. “No. We don't want anyone to see a light on under the door.”
“How are we supposed to move around, huh? Spontaneous Night Vision?”
“I know where I’m going, okay? Just stay here.”
Drawing on years of memories, Shelby hurried across the room to the desk and the safe hidden beneath it. She dialed in the code and tried the door. Nothing. Took a deep breath and tried again. Still nada. Shit.
Shit, shit, shit. “Someone must’ve changed the combination.”
“What?” Chase headed toward her, mumbling curses as he bumped into the desk on his way to her side. He knelt close behind her and whispered, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Just give me a minute.” Scowling, she tried to determine what the combination might’ve been changed to. Katherine had to have been the one who’d done it. What would she choose? Birthday? She dialed in the numbers, but no luck. Their wedding anniversary? Nope. What else? What day could possibly hold that much meaning for her step-monster?
Black certainty settled over her. Of course. It made perfect sense.
Shelby entered the day of her dad’s death and heard the satisfying click as the tumblers fell into place. The thick steel door cha-chunked open and Shelby fumbled inside her nylon jacket pocket for the copy of the will that had been delivered to her door the night before then stuffed it into the bottom of the safe before closing the thing up once more.
Let the bitch discover I’m on to her.
She smiled in the darkness and scooted back, only to collide with Chase who hovered behind her like a nervous old lady.
“Seriously?” he growled. “What in the hell are you doing?”
“I left the fake will in there for Katherine to find, that’s all. She’s already been in here and changed the combination but if she leads the cops in here, she’ll be in for a real surprise. Might make her do something stupid.” She crawled away from him, away from temptation, and stood. “Let’s go.”
“Huh, good idea.”
She took his hand and led him toward the door.
“Hold on,” Chase said.
“What?”
“It’s weird she’d change the combination on the safe, but not the code to access the office, right? I mean why do one without the other?”
“I don’t know. Probably because she’d have to go through casino security to have the main access code changed. Maybe she didn’t want to go through the trouble. Or maybe she thought they’d say no, or ask too many questions. Who knows why she does any of the things she does?” She pulled on his hand and this time he followed. “C’mon. We need to get up to the condo before she gets back.”
They slipped through the police tape once more and Shelby closed the door behind them then pulled off her gloves. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Wait.” Chase took her arm once more. “We need to make sure those video cameras are off. I think Owen Rockford can help us with that. Where’s his office?”
“At the end of the hall. But he’s probably in the main control room at this time of night. That’s on the other side of the casino. I’ll show you.” She laced her fingers with his, partly to make sure they didn’t get separated and partly because it just felt good, and led him through a maze of slot machines and gaming tables. From the special performance area near the main bar, the sounds of her favorite country song drifted through the air. “Oh! I forgot Jan Winters is playing here tonight. The shortcut goes right behind the stage, maybe we can catch a glimpse.”
Chase pulled back. "Wait a minute ... I don't know if—"
"Come on, it'll be fine. It's just a shortcut, I do it all the time."
She dragged him through the heavy black curtains covering the entrance to the bar then up a side aisle toward the backstage area. She'd used this shortcut hundreds of times, rubbing elbows with the various stars that played at the casino. She never stopped to talk to them though, never used her 'status' of the casino owner's daughter to get a private audience. She wasn't like that. Still, she had to admit, she did get a little thrill running around backstage. But tonight that thrill was overshadowed by the serious job they had in front of them.
She snuck them behind several burly-looking bodyguards and up a narrow wooden set of stairs to the wings of the stage. In the shadows of the curtains, she spotted Jan Winters—resplendent in a white sequined gown and diamonds, standing close to a dark-haired, handsome man.
"Uh-oh," Chase hesitated.
Shelby frowned at him. "What?"
"Chase? Chase Evans!” The man hurried over and pulled an embarrassed Chase into a bro hug. “Blake told me you finally rejoined the world. Welcome back, man!”
“Thanks, Dino” Chase said to the man, then hugged Jan who had come to join them.
“It’s good to see you, man,” Dino said. “You look really good.”
“Good to see you too,” Chase said. Before she knew it, he'd tugged Shelby forward to his side right in front of Jan Winters. She was momentarily starstruck, her face hot and her cheeks aching from the goofy, nervous smile she now had plastered to her face. “And this is Shelby Bryant. My…uh… friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Shelby.” Jan shook her hand warmly. “I’m so sorry about your dad.”
“Thank you.” She surprised herself by getting any words out past her tight vocal cords. “I love your work. You’re my favorite singer.”
“Aw, thank you.” Jan put her arm around Shelby and squeezed. “Listen, I lost my dad too, when I was little. If you need someone to talk to, please feel free to call me. Chase knows how to get ahold of me.”
She couldn’t imagine ever being un-starstruck enough to girl-talk with Jan Winters, but she appreciated the offer anyway. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the offer.”
“I mean it. Any friend of Chase’s is a friend of mine.”
Dino shook her hand next, his grip as tough as his persona, but his grin friendly. “So, I hear Blake is responsible for you two getting together, huh?”
“What?” Chase said. His body tensed beside her. “No. There is no us two.” He gestured quickly between himself and Shelby before dropping his arm from around her waist. “And don’t believe everything you hear around the office either.”
“Right.” Dino kissed Jan’s hand and pulled her close to him again, obviously head-over-heels in love with her. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time old Blake played matchmaker.”
“Yeah, I heard.” Chase took Shelby’s hand and started to pull her away. “Well, we best get going.”
“It was so great to see you again, Chase. Really. And so great meeting you, Shelby,” Jan said. “Hey, are you guys
coming to the family dinner on Sunday?”
“I’ll be there,” Chase said. “Seeing as how I’m staying with Blake right now and all.”
“What about you, Shelby?” Dino asked, his smile turning devious as he glanced back at Chase. “You should bring her along, man. It’ll be fun.”
“We’ll see. Later, guys.” Chase hightailed it out of there, with Shelby in tow, before she could say a word.
Once they were back out on the casino floor again, she pulled free, glancing back over her shoulder. “What was that about? What family dinner?”
“It’s this thing the Rockfords do. The whole clan descends on Blake’s house on a Sunday and shake the rafters with all their collective chaos.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “You live with Blake?”
“Right now, yeah. It was either that or a halfway house while I finished my parole. This is way better, believe me. Blake helped negotiate it with my parole officer.”
“Wow. That’s nice of him.”
“Yeah, he’s really got my back.” He rubbed a hand across the nape of his neck. “Too much, sometimes, in fact.”
A thought occurred to Shelby, one that made her heart sink. “Crap. I forgot about your parole. You won’t get in trouble for being out so late, will you?”
“Nah. Not if I’m careful, and if I don’t make a habit of it. But let’s hurry just in case and get to that control room. We need to find something on Katherine so this whole night isn’t a complete bust.”
* * *
“Are you sure he’s here tonight?” Chase asked as they arrived in a small, empty office. Damn. He was counting on getting help with those cameras and Blake had assured him his cousin Owen would be sympathetic to their cause.
“Yeah, it’s Friday. He’s scheduled to work every weekend night. It’s our busiest time.” Shelby pulled him inside then let go of his hand. He felt chilled without the contact. “Maybe he’s in the camera room.”