by Anthology
“I’m not going to be winning any modeling contracts,” I said. I slumped into one of the two chairs that faced his desk. “Any buzz about Chaew?”
He shook his head. “No one has turned him in, so there’s that.” He shook his red hair out of his eyes, then picked up the rubber band ball that sat on the edge of his desk. “Our luck sucks lately,” he said casually as he tossed the ball into the air.
“You don’t seem very worried.” I knew I sounded disapproving, but I couldn’t help it.
Rob began tossing and catching the ball with one hand. “Sis, I’ve already lined up my next career. Birthday party stripper. Guess my stage name.”
“I’d rather not.”
“The red-headed woodpecker.”
I gave him the dirty look he deserved. “Before you run out to buy razors and baby oil, can you tell me if anything came in overnight?”
Rob shook his head and tossed the ball higher. “But there are plenty of old cases.”
Yeah, just what I wanted—scaring up low-priority bail skips for a couple hundred bucks a pop. “Did your friend at the sheriff’s department give you any other leads?”
“Nope.”
“How did he get the girlfriend’s information?”
“A previous car registration. It had aged out of the current database. I specifically asked him to look for it.”
“What made you do that?” I asked, stifling the urge to smack the ball away.
Rob grinned and tossed it faster. “Chaew’s wife has a blog. I was reading through it and caught a passing reference to her having been separated for seven months before reconciling. I figured seven months is long enough that Chaew might have established some roots elsewhere, though I was surprised by how thoroughly they were established.”
“I’m impressed,” I said, swatting at the ball.
Rob evaded me, his grin widening. “You know what I thought right before I went looking for something like the blog? What would Audrey do?”
“Shut up,” I said, settling back into my seat. “Really?”
He nodded. “Really.”
“Did I mention that it’s brilliant?”
He bounced the ball once on the desk, then set it on the corner, then gave me a savvy look and dropped it into a drawer. “Unfortunately, I can’t find anything else, and my guy down at the station is getting tired of looking crap up.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Tonight I’ll ask Corbin to see what he can dig up.”
Rob’s eyebrows pinched together, and his lips thinned into a line. “You said you don’t want to do that, and you’re right. If we’re not going to bring him on as part of the business, it’s not fair to keep using his contacts.”
I studied my brother. Was this some kind of reverse psychology to trick me into approving Corbin as a new partner? “It’s not like Corbin is complaining,” I said finally. “Anyway, this is the last time.”
“And then what?” Rob asked.
I licked my lips. “And then… Then…” But I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“It’s too early in the morning to beat yourself up,” Rob said.
“The bike already took care of that,” I said, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my future with Corbin.
That we were together, no matter what, had been firmly established. The thing was that Corbin was beyond wealthy. He didn’t need to work for money. There were a million things he could have done, from starting his own business to… Well, I didn’t know what. The point was that he had unlimited options, yet he wanted to join Stroop Finders.
Either that or to hire me away from it. He’d been trying to hire me in one form or another since the weekend we’d first met. I already owed him so much, and I didn’t feel comfortable entering into a business agreement that was so unbalanced.
“Maybe there’s someone on the Most Wanted list nearby?” I asked Rob.
“You’re welcome to check,” he said. He suddenly shifted his weight back and dug his phone out of his pocket. He frowned at the screen. “Guess who’s here?”
None of our employees would have texted from the parking lot. “Jasper,” I guessed as I pushed to my feet and headed out of Rob’s office. “I’ll buzz him in.”
I was leaning over the receptionist’s desk when the door opened, giving me a mini heart attack.
To my surprise, Dad entered. He was carrying a travel mug probably filled with coffee. I hoped Martha wasn’t still putting cream in it; Dad needed to keep an eye on his blood pressure. His curly hair looked a little damp.
“It was really incredible,” Jasper was saying from behind Dad.
I cursed my luck. When I’d agreed to buzz Jasper in, I’d been thinking I would then hide in my office and pretend to be out. Now all that had come to a sad end.
“Hello,” I said.
Dad barely looked at me. “We need to talk about last night. You and Rob, in my office.”
How the hell did he know about last night? Neither Rob nor Martin would have called him about it.
I stopped to collect my brother, and together we slunk into Dad’s office. Jasper shouldn’t have been sitting on Dad’s sofa, but there he was, wearing an Equinox World Tour T-shirt under his blazer.
“We should have had Chaew last night,” Dad said, standing. “I know you two like to work with smaller teams, but if there had been more of you, he wouldn’t have gotten away.”
A flutter of irritation kicked up inside me. “Three was enough,” I said. “More people would have gotten in the way.”
“If it was enough, then Chaew would be in custody right now,” Dad said. His logic was flawed, but the set of his jaw told me not to bother pointing that out. “You know, I would have been happy if there had been three of you.”
I frowned. “Martin was there. He’s the one who called us.”
The moment the words left my lips, I understood. Dad was talking about the baseball game.
“What I mean is that we had Jasper there,” I said clumsily.
Dad leaned heavily on his desk, and I thought he looked a little like a bulldog someone had topped with a curly graying toupee. “What else happened last night?” he demanded.
“Overnight stakeout,” Rob said. “We tried to grab him, but he got away.”
Dad was shaking his head. “Can you honestly tell me that having two more people as backup wouldn’t have made a difference?”
I wanted to protest, but the fact was that Dad had a point. If we’d had two more bodies, it was quite possible that we’d have gotten him.
“The house was out of the way,” Rob said. “We would have had to wait much longer for backup.”
Dad held up his hand. “What’s done is done. There’s only one question that needs answering. How are we going to get him today?”
“Let me point out,” I said, knowing my face was pinched in an angry frown, “that for years you dissuaded us from pursuing these bigger cases. We’re still finding our footing.”
Dad gave me a thunderous look. I scowled even harder back at him.
“We have a plan,” Rob said quickly. “Audrey has…” He looked at Jasper.
My gaze cut to the side. Jasper was scribbling something in a small, spiral-bound notebook, the kind used by reporters in TV shows and movies. He seemed to be jotting his notes on the first or second page.
He couldn’t be allowed to document anything related to Corbin. Even though Corbin wasn’t exactly skulking around and in hiding, there were plenty of people who had good reason to want him dead. They might not know to look for him in a middle-of-nowhere city near the mountains, but if his name popped up in an article, that wouldn’t be good.
“I’ve got a resource,” I said.
Dad nodded. “Fine, but now Chaew is spooked. There’s a good chance he’s left town. If you can’t get him today, then we’re shelving this. We can’t afford to have the two of you chasing something that might not pan out, not when there are dozens of bail skips out there, just waiting to be picked up.”
Rob c
lapped his hands together. “Class dismissed.”
I let him and Jasper file out, then closed the door behind them. “You know what happened during the baseball game yesterday? When I was moving to intercept Chaew, your pocket reporter collided with me. If he’d stayed out of the way, we might have delivered Chaew seventeen hours ago.”
Dad frowned. Not his dismissive, I’m pretending to consider what you’re saying but really I’m thinking about heart-clogging desserts frown. His expression was a mixture of sadness and resignation.
Having Dad actually listen threw me off, and I felt my hackles starting to lower. “I can’t be positive it would have changed the outcome if he’d stayed out of the way,” I admitted.
“But it doesn’t really matter,” Dad said. “He’s a liability.” He lowered himself stiffly into his chair. “It’s a favor for Smile,” he said. “I know you’re probably still mad at Smile, but the kid’s had a tough time.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about someone roughly my age being considered a kid who deserved pampering. Especially not by my father, who had never come even remotely close to sparing my feelings.
“Tough in what way?”
“He was driving some friends home from a party,” Dad said. “This was in the spring. A deer jumped in front of the car, and he swerved. Reflexively, like anyone could have done. The two passengers weren’t wearing their seat belts, and one of them went flying, shattered his pelvis—”
“That’s enough,” I said, because I really didn’t need to know Jasper’s life story. “It’s fine. He’s fine.”
Maybe I imagined it, but the barest smile ghosted across Dad’s face. “You have my permission to fire him if you think it’s best. I trust your judgment in this, Audrey.”
Bastard. “I’m going to go do it right now,” I said, but we both knew I wouldn’t.
Someone knocked on the door.
“I’ll get it,” I said, planning to head back to my own office and tackle the work that was waiting for me.
When I opened the door, Rob said, “Corbin’s downstairs.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I just buzzed him in.”
I went to wait at the door.
Even though we’d only been apart for a few hours, the moment I saw him, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. His dark hair was messy, probably windswept from driving around with the window open. It made him look wild.
My entire body began to hum and tingle with barely contained excitement. The day’s first genuine smile spread across my face, then just as quickly, my elation was replaced with confusion.
Because Corbin didn’t look happy.
“What happened?” I asked, immediately angry. I knew that look; Corbin’s past was rearing its ugly head yet again. “Who died, or got arrested, or has to be eliminated, and you’re the only person on the planet who can do it?”
One of Corbin’s dark eyebrows lifted. “It’s nothing like that,” he said. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” I pivoted on my heel, but Corbin caught my arm.
“Not in your office. Let’s go for a walk.”
“A walk?” I repeated stupidly. “Where?”
“Around the block,” he said.
I treated him to my most suspicious look. “Am I going to yell and scream when I hear this mysterious bit of news?”
“Wouldn’t that be up to you?” he asked.
In other words, it was going to ruin my day.
Chapter Nine
The wind had picked up since I’d arrived at the office, or maybe I just hadn’t noticed because I’d been in such a hurry. Regardless, I began to shiver almost as soon as I stepped outside.
Corbin went to his SUV and pulled out a dark brown sweater. He handed it to me.
“Thanks,” I said. Because it was Corbin’s sweater, it had been folded, and it was still zipped. I’d never zipped up clothing that wasn’t on my body.
I slipped into it as we began walking down the street. Even though the sweater was three times larger than I needed, I was thrilled to wrap the soft cashmere around my shoulders. Even better, it smelled faintly of Corbin’s aftershave.
“The bounty that pulled you out of bed this morning—”
I interrupted him. “It didn’t pan out.”
He cut a glance my way, his perceptive eyes studying, appraising. “I know.”
A flicker of worry lit inside me. “How could you know?”
“Here’s the thing,” Corbin said. His jaw tightened, and I tilted my head. It was rare to see Corbin feeling uncomfortable.
The flicker of worry burned white hot, and it felt like my insides were melting, hardening into a painful lump. Corbin had been known to do some bounty hunting of his own, and he had contacts.
“Someone else got Chaew?” I asked softly, coming to a stop.
“No, not yet.”
“Then…” I briefly closed my eyes and raised a hand to my face. “Oh, no. I don’t want to compete with you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Corbin said. “I’m uninterested in chasing anyone.”
“They shared everything Stroop Finders dug up,” I said. “Anyone could swoop in now.”
Corbin nodded. He knew. Of course he did. “I told them that if I accepted the job, they would have to make it an exclusive contract.”
“Ok,” I said, licking my lips. “So… What—you want to take it?” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.
“Believe it or not, I’ve got better things to do with my time,” he said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.
“Nothing, baby. Look, after they contacted me, I thought it might be useful to Stroop Finders if I agreed to take the job but then didn’t work on it.”
“If you take it, why wouldn’t you work on it?” I was getting angry.
“You just said ten seconds ago that you don’t want to have to compete with me,” he said. “What’s there to get upset about?”
“Did you take the job?”
“I can easily back out.”
“See, this is the kind of thing I’m trying to avoid,” I said.
“You want to avoid being helped?” he asked.
“Yes, actually. I’m a good bounty hunter, and the company is strong, but lately it seems like whenever we have a problem, everyone expects me to run to you to get help with fixing it.”
Danger twisted in Corbin’s eyes. “Where I come from, having people you can trust is generally considered a good thing.”
My mouth went dry. “I swear I’m not trying to pick a fight. It’s just… This is awkward.”
“Why is it awkward? I’m not going to be competing with you, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“You think I’m worried about competing with you?”
“That’s not what I said.”
I blew out a long breath, but at the end of it, I was still pissed. “Worry is the exact word you used. You said you’re not going to be competing so I don’t have to worry. You don’t think I’m capable of getting this asshole without your help.”
Corbin moved closer, the heat of his body warming mine as his stare pinned me in place. “Careful what you say, Audrey.”
His nearness was distracting. This was the true punishment of what he’d done last night. My body was primed, over-primed for him. I felt like an animal in heat.
I cleared my throat. “We came within inches of grabbing Chaew twice in under twenty hours,” I said. “And we did it without any help from you.”
“In the entire time we’ve known each other, have I ever said you’re not good at your job?”
As I raised my chin, I wished I were even three inches taller. “Those exact words? No, probably not.”
Frustration flared in his eyes. He held eye contact with me a moment longer, and I couldn’t help but think of being underneath him in bed while he fucked me hard. Then he stepped away, plunging a masculine hand into his thick hair.
“You’
re killing me,” he groaned.
“I’m a good bounty hunter,” I said for what felt like the hundredth time. Even I had to admit that it might have been coming off like I was protesting a bit too much, and that realization made me even testier. “If you think you can bring in Chaew, then go get him.” I flung my hand out. “No one’s stopping you.”
Corbin looked up at the sky and shook his head. Apparently he thought this was funny, but I didn’t.
“Go ahead and try,” I said. “I bet we bring him in before you do.”
He swung around to face me. “Really?”
Oh, I didn’t like the smile curling the edges of his lips, and I really didn’t like the excitement in his eyes.
“C’mon, baby, are those empty words, or do you want to make a bet?” He was definitely smiling now, teasing me… goading me.
I knew I shouldn’t take the bait, but I found myself saying, “Fine.”
“If I win, you come away with me for a month,” he said.
Now I did cross my arms. “You know very well that I can’t leave the company for that long. We’ve been over this.”
“So you don’t think you’ll win,” he said. “It’s funny, but even though I’m pushing for this, I don’t assume I’ll win. After all, you managed to track down the most elusive criminal this country has ever seen.”
“Are you talking about yourself?” I asked.
He grinned.
Sure, I’d managed to track him down, but that hadn’t gone well in the short term. I knew what he was doing, trying to evoke my competitive spirit. Knowing what he was doing didn’t stop it from working, however. “And when I win,” I said haughtily, “what do I get?”
“Whatever you want.”
I tried to think of something worth the gamble. I couldn’t make it about money, and in any event, once we collected Chaew’s bounty, the company’s financial situation would improve considerably.
“Would you like a suggestion?” Corbin asked.
My pause stretched out too long. “Feel free,” I said, trying in vain to retain my condescending air.
He smiled. “When I take you to meet my mother, we can stay in a hotel.”
The blood drained out of my face. “We aren’t?”