Against the Odds

by Tori Carson

  He took several deep breaths to stave off the pain. It caused another round of coughing he couldn’t avoid, though he scarcely had the time. After he was convinced his lungs weren’t going to push past his teeth, he managed to catch enough breath to speak. “Did you see anyone leaving as you pulled up?”

  “A white 2011 Chevy Express van.”

  “Did you get the plate?” Sid spared a glance at his friend.

  “Of course I got the plate, when have I ever let you down?”

  “Don’t go there, if you hadn’t stopped to play patty-cake with Chantel you’d have gotten here before the weenie roast.”

  “You’re not a weenie. A little candy-assed on occasion, but not a weenie, and for all the drama you were barely singed.”

  Sid flipped him off as they climbed into the car. “Get a black and white over to Sasha’s Designs in Paradise Valley.” He rattled off the address from memory. “Detain Hackman until we can get there.”

  While Teague made the necessary arrangements, Sid called Sasha’s office. “Hi, Cheryl, this is Jacob Erkins.” He paused, giving a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle. “This is a bit embarrassing… I think I left my iPad there. Have you seen it?”

  “No, I’m sorry I haven’t,” Cheryl answered, sounding worried for him.

  “Could you ask Sasha if I left it in her office?”

  When Sid bounced up over the median, Teague reached behind him to grab and buckle his seatbelt.

  “She isn’t here at the moment, but I’ll check once she comes in,” Cheryl responded.

  “Oh, I see. When do you expect her back?”

  Teague lunged forward to grab the wheel as Sid steered with his leg while reaching into the back for his laptop.

  “I’m not sure. She had an offsite meeting. I can ask her to call you.”

  “No, there’s no need. I’ll just get it tomorrow. Thank you, Cheryl.”

  Sid pulled onto the sidewalk and stopped while he booted his laptop.

  Teague reached over, killed the ignition and pocketed the keys. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Hackman has to be here to acquire or kill Sasha. She isn’t at her office. Cheryl, her secretary, said she’s at a business meeting. I’m trying to get a GPS read off her truck.”

  “I take it you’ve found her. Is she a suspect or a victim?”

  “Give me the keys. I’ve got a lock on her.”

  “Sid, look around. We are sitting on the sidewalk in the middle of Old Town Scottsdale. I think you left your bumper on the median back there. I’ll drive.” Teague opened the passenger door and walked around to the driver’s side.

  Normally, Sid would never have allowed anyone to drive his baby, but time was of the essence and no one could argue like Teague. Sid crawled over the console to the passenger seat. “She’s at the Tovrea Castle. Get on the 101.”

  Teague’s cell phone rang as he was pulling into traffic. “Brody,” he answered as he moved into the right lane and stepped on it. “All right,” he sighed then slowed down.

  “What are you doing?” Sid demanded.

  “Hackman was in the alley about a block or so away from Sasha’s Designs. When the black and white approached, he bolted. Use your head, man. If he was waiting behind her office, chances are he doesn’t know where she is.”

  “You can’t be sure of that. We need to get to the Tovrea Castle.”

  Teague reached over and pulled down the passenger vanity mirror. “Do you really intend to barge into her business meeting, Jacob, looking like that?”

  His reflection startled him. His hair was singed on the ends. Soot smudges covered his face. His shirt was MIA. Son of a bitch. “Get one of our guys on her. Maybe Jeff or Dave. Someone good.” He sent Teague the GPS data as well as her car’s and personal description.

  “Papa’s gonna expect a report.” Teague looked at Sid with compassion.

  “Stall him. I need more time to figure this out,” he answered without looking up from his computer.

  “It doesn’t work that way, Sid. The chief isn’t going to buy the bullshit. You need to talk to him. Fill him in on what’s going on.” He pulled the car onto the freeway and headed toward the Tovrea Castle.

  “Her truck is parked on the lower level. She knows this car so we need to find a vantage point away from walkways.”

  “I know the drill, Sid. Drop the closed mouth, close to the vest shit and tell me what you’ve learned,” Teague demanded.

  “Look, there’s her truck.” Sid pointed toward the vehicle. He wasn’t ready to share this case with anyone else. He needed help and knew full well it would come with a price tag. He had to be very careful, though. Frankly, he didn’t care what it cost him, but he didn’t want Sasha to be part of the deal.

  Every logical fiber in his brain told him Sasha was Alexa Desman, a three time murderess living on the run. Further south, either his gut or his dick, he couldn’t be sure which, agreed that Sasha was Alexa Desman, but was fairly certain she couldn’t murder a fly let alone three people. Unfortunately, the chief would rely on the evidence and the evidence all pointed to her guilt.

  Teague found the perfect place to sit and wait. They could see both the most likely door she would exit from and her car. Sid knew his brief reprieve was over.

  He took a deep breath, coughed, then laid out all facts, but he was careful to keep his personal feelings to himself.

  “If that was all there was to it, you’d have her in custody and a hard-ass like Hackman wouldn’t have her in his sights. So, what aren’t you telling me?”

  “Dave is coming around behind us. Pull forward.”

  “Don’t think this is over,” Teague grumbled as he moved the car forward.

  Chapter Five

  The water was heaven on earth as he washed off the soot and smoke. What could he tell Teague and his superiors that made sense? Sasha’s prints had been on the designer’s body, and the bloody prints on the murder weapon were pretty damning evidence. All he had to combat that were her animal rights activities and his own gut feelings.

  Once Sid had dried off and put on a fresh suit, he found Teague sitting at his computer going through his encrypted files. “So much for privacy…”

  “You’re using an antiquated program, therefore you have no valid expectation of privacy,” Teague retorted.

  “Hack to your heart’s content, I’m going to relieve Dave.”

  “Not without me,” Teague reminded him, already shutting down the computer. “And I’m driving.”

  Sid booted his laptop as soon as he buckled up. “She’s on the move. Back to her office, I suspect. Swing by and get your car. I’ll watch the back while you watch the front. Once we’re in place, cut Dave loose.”

  “Aye-aye, boss,” Teague responded sarcastically.

  * * * *

  “What’s she like?” Teague asked from his position in front of Sasha’s business.

  Sid kept his opinions to a minimum. “According to the IRS records she is highly successful. Her business has attracted the rich and famous. She has an air of mystery to her reputation. Yet she lives like a pauper. Her one-room apartment is in a seedy part of town. She has no debt, pays her bills in cash or from her business account, often in six month increments.”

  “Cold, elusive, lives bare-bones. What’s her passion?” Teague cut through the crap.

  Sid was glad they were a block apart with no visual available. He wasn’t sure his face had remained neutral hearing Teague’s summary. Sasha was far from cold. She was sunshine on a dreary day. As sappy as that sounded, it was the truth. He was fucked. Either she was a killer or she had a professional killer stalking her. One thing was sure, life was never boring.

  “Animals, horses primarily. She donates a significant amount of her time and artwork to a local horse rescue.”

  “Have you found any connection to the East Coast? Is she smuggling for them? Money laundering?”

  “Not that I’ve discovered.” Truth is he hadn’t looked, but he should h
ave. He’d lost count of the mistakes he’d made on this case. He was lucky he wasn’t dead. Mistakes were often deadly in his business. He had a lead reminder in his head. He certainly knew better.

  “The crime scene photos were pretty gruesome when you consider a tween was the doer.”

  Sid knew Teague was baiting him and he refused to give any more away.

  “You banging her, Jacob?”

  “Shut the fuck up, Teague.”

  “Cuz that would be really stupid, man.”

  “This from the guy who was ‘banging’ the chief’s only daughter, while eluding Mr. G’s henchmen, a serial killer and a rogue agent. Fuck you, Teague. Don’t talk to me about stupid.”

  “Not so stupid, I came away with a beautiful bride, a six-figure reward and a very powerful father-in-law who thinks the sun rises and sets because of me,” Teague gloated.

  “You got really lucky, man. How you didn’t end up dead or in jail still baffles my mind.” And at times like this pissed him off.

  “No luck required when you got skill. Now, banging a murderess? That’s ballsy. Sid would never consider such a foolhardy maneuver. Jacob must like to live on the edge.”

  “I didn’t say I was banging her. Your mind is always on sex. You think with your dick. How many times did that almost get you killed?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m still alive and kickin’. And Channy is the only one I think about like that now, so don’t go there.”

  “Sasha’s not a killer.” Sid could not believe he spoke those words out loud, or even thought them. The idea of Sasha in Hackman’s hands tied his guts into knots. They had to make sure they found her before Hackman did.

  “I feel the need to point out the only prints on the murder weapon and the dead girl belonged to your love muffin.”

  “Knock it off, Teague. I’m well aware she’s a murder suspect. Keep in mind, she also has a straight-up killer searching for her.”

  “Putting all that aside, let’s say she didn’t do it. When this all washes out, and she finds out you’re a Fed, how will she deal with the deception?”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.” Teague wasn’t helping. Sid knew he was fucked. To keep her safe he had to lock her up, let her run or stick to her like glue. It was crazy to actually believe he had developed sincere emotions for her. Wasn’t it? He didn’t know anything anymore. Nothing added up. “She’s coming out the back. If she follows her normal routine, she’s headed to dinner.”

  “How long you been tailing her?” Teague asked casually.

  Sid wasn’t fooled. “I know where she’s headed. Thanks for the help tonight.”

  “Sid, there’s no way I can just drive off and let this drop.”

  “I don’t expect you to. File your report. Fill in the chief. I knew when I called for help the can I was opening.” Sid would never ask a friend to stick his neck out for him. Some part of him was disappointed though.

  “You jackass. This isn’t about policy violations and everything to do with you risking your life.” His anger and frustration was evident in his voice.

  “Do what you have to do, Teague. I’m going to try and meet her at the restaurant. We can’t keep her safe a block away.” He tore off, breaking every speed limit. For this to work, he needed to get there ahead of her.

  “You’re assuming she’s in danger. What if she’s part of their organization?”

  Sid didn’t want to hear or think about the possibility that Hackman was the boyfriend she’d told the police about. “She could be, but you don’t set fire to someone’s property to stay in their good graces. If there is such a connection, we may be able to use that to our advantage.” He scanned the parking lot but didn’t see her car. He hoped she hadn’t deviated from her routine.

  “She may not know she’s become expendable. Use your head, Sid. You could be walking into a very hostile situation.”

  “I hear ya.” He grabbed his laptop and headed into the restaurant with a lot more confidence than he really felt. What was the difference between assertive and a creeper? If he crossed the line, she would disappear. With Hackman in the area, he was running out of time.

  It was late in the evening and the hostess area was empty, which was perfect for Jacob. He didn’t want to be seated until he had a chance to catch up to Sasha. To be on the safe side, he stood in the shadows, hoping not to draw the attention of an employee. He didn’t wait long before Sasha came through the lobby.

  Sid stayed hidden until she was away from the door. “Sasha, I was hoping I would run into you!” Afraid she would turn and walk out, he placed his body between her and the exit.

  Sasha had half turned to leave, when she stopped and stared at his face. “Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” Her concern apparently overruled her good judgment.

  His hand came up to touch his seared face. With a chagrinned expression, he wove another tale of lies. “My client this afternoon wanted to meet poolside. While I sat baking my brains out, he was swimming laps.”

  Finally Roberto showed up and saved him from further deception. “Ms. Sasha, you brought your young man back to see us. I have just the table. Come with me.”

  Sasha didn’t know what to say so she said nothing as Roberto led them to a secluded table with a gorgeous view of the city lights. She slid into the booth and was pleased when he sat beside her. “Why did you put up with it?”

  With a casual shrug, he explained, “I’m paid by the hour. If he wants to pay me to watch him swim laps, I’m fine with that. Besides, it gave me time to work on your sites.”

  “What are you talking about?” She turned slightly sideways so she could watch his expressions.

  Jacob closed the distance between them and brought up her company’s page on his laptop. “Your website isn’t very secure.”

  As their thighs touched her breath caught in her throat. An image of him looming above her as his knee parted her legs flashed in her mind, almost causing her to moan. She desperately pushed those thoughts aside. She needed to watch what he was showing her.

  “With just a few keystrokes I was able to obtain administrator access. If your personal data isn’t better protected, you could run into some serious problems,” Jacob informed her.

  A more immediate problem was how to handle her attraction to Jacob. She rested her hand on his leg as she turned to point to a drop-down box on the screen. At the feel of his rock-hard muscles, her brain went a little fuzzy. She was getting in over her head and she needed to stop. Stop now. Sasha drew her hand back and scooted as far away from him as the booth would allow.

  When she was sure she could speak with a normal voice instead of a breathy whisper, she explained, “I don’t accept any type of payments over the Internet, so how damaging could it really be?”

  “Sasha, a hacker could wipe you out.” His voice was stern, as if she were a child being taken to task.

  After a deep calming breath, she started thinking about the implications. “I don’t see how. Just gaining access to my business website would be inconvenient, but it wouldn’t give them access to my accounts. My records are all saved onto the hard drive at the office. Someone would have to steal my computer before they would be able to hack into my finances or personal data, right?” On one hand, she had hoped to send a virus or something to her brother’s computer, enabling her to have access to his private files, but now that she considered how vulnerable her own systems might be, the hairs on the back of her neck began to tingle.

  “Not necessarily. It only takes seconds to download a copy of the entire hard drive. If your secretary ran out for coffee, someone could hack your info and be gone without anyone being the wiser. There are even ways to monitor every keystroke made on a computer.”

  A sick feeling started to grow in the pit of her stomach. If someone found and hacked her financial accounts, it would effectively cut her wings and ruin her ability to escape. “They could access all my accounts and learn all my passwords?”

  “Quite easi
ly, I’m afraid,” he acknowledged, but he softened the blow with a brush of his thumb along her cheek.

  Her thoughts jumbled whenever he touched her, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. “So it’s not just my business that’s in danger. Someone could easily steal my identity. That’s what you meant when you said wipe me out. They could empty my accounts, encumber debt…anything.” Unease had blossomed into panic.

  Sid watched the color drain from Sasha’s face. Was there more going on than Sasha simply covering her back trail? Now he kicked himself for not checking out the data from her laptop. While his curiosity was piqued, it would have to wait until he was alone.

  “I could look at it, if you want me to,” he offered casually. “It would only take a few minutes.” His brain started examining the situation from all the angles. If she was as concerned as she appeared, he could use this to his advantage.

  “Now that you’ve showed me how easy it is, I’m getting a little worried. Someone broke into the office a few weeks ago. I never keep any sizable amounts money there, but thieves wouldn’t know that. I’d assumed they’d broken in looking for cash. When they didn’t find any, they tossed the furniture around and left. Now I’m wondering if they might have been after something else.”

  The sweet taste of triumph surged through him. She had told the police her boyfriend had ransacked the office after an argument then refused to give his name. While he had doubted the truth of that story, once Hackman had entered the picture he had been afraid it might be true. The thought of Hackman and Sasha together made Sid’s stomach roll. Hackman was a dangerous, sadistic man.

  “After dinner, we can run by your place. I can easily check to see if the system has been compromised and download a software program that will make it much more complicated to breach the firewall.”

  Once they were back at her office, he could easily keep her there most of the night. He could run system scans that would take hours. Maybe he’d even test out his charm and see where that might lead them. The mere thought had his cock jumping to life.