Lead Me On

by Victoria Dahl

  Please don’t let that be Jessie.

  A loud clank echoed through the small visiting room, and Jane looked up to see Jessie shuffling out in an orange jumpsuit, his eyes bright with anxiety. “Hey, sis,” he mouthed as he took his seat.

  “Dad’s not here?” he asked as soon as Jane picked up the phone.

  “No, it’s just me.”

  “Okay, good.”

  “Jessie, what the hell were you thinking?”

  “I don’t know.” His blond hair flopped over his brow when he shook his head.

  “If they’ve found stolen goods in Dad’s house…He’s a convicted felon, you idiot!”

  “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I got pulled over for speeding, and the cop found some…” His eyes darted to the side and he leaned forward as if they weren’t separated by thick glass. “He found some pot and a few credit cards, okay?”

  “Not your cards, I assume.”

  “No,” he said sullenly.

  “If they think Dad’s involved in some sort of identity-theft ring—”

  “It’s nothing like that, all right? I just lifted a few purses from Ryders.”

  “You’re a selfish idiot!”

  He stiffened. “I’m sorry. I needed some cash, all right?”

  “And some credit cards?”

  He shrugged, the same expression on his face that he’d worn when he’d been suspended from sixth grade for a week. Sullen anxiety.

  “Why didn’t you call us? Bail was set on Friday!”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. “Sixty thousand is too much and Dad won’t pay it anyway.”

  Well, he was likely right about that. And Jane probably wouldn’t front the bond money either, because lately Jessie was just the type to say “Screw it!” and head off for a vacation in Mexico.

  “Is there anything else you need to tell me? Anything else they might have found in your room?”

  “No, nothing. They keep asking me about some girl, but I’ve never heard of her.”

  The hair on the nape of her neck stood up. “What girl?”

  “Some girl named Michelle something. She must’ve had her purse stolen.”

  “Did you take it?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  Jane lost her last thread of patience. “Well, how many purses have you stolen, Jessie?”

  “I don’t know. Like fifteen or something. Girls put them on the floor at Ryders when they want to dance. They just leave them there like fucking idiots.”

  Fifteen? The contents of fifteen purses would easily be worth more than a thousand dollars, making the crime a felony. “Oh, yeah. They’re the idiots. Have they assigned you an attorney?”

  “They gave me some papers to fill out for a court-appointed guy.”

  “Don’t talk to the cops unless he’s present. I’ll do my best to find you a good lawyer by Monday, okay? And I’m going to try to find out more about this Michelle. Don’t say anything else.”

  “All right.” He flinched when the one-minute bell sounded. “Tell Mom and Dad I’m sorry, all right?”

  “I will. But you’d better start thinking about what you’re going to do when they release you. Dad’s not going to let you back in the house.”

  He nodded and the tip of his nose turned red as if he was holding back tears. “I’m sorry, sis. Honestly. I didn’t mean…” One of the cops began to approach from the other side of the room.

  “I love you, Jessie.”

  “Yeah, me too.” The officer took the phone from his hand and hung it up. Jessie’s eyes were damp, but he put on a crooked smile as the guard grabbed his elbow to urge him up.

  She tried to catch the man’s eye, but he didn’t look at her. She was no one. Just some piece of trash involved with a criminal. She remembered that, too. The way the officers would look through her and her mother, or—worse—glare at them or shake their heads in disgust.

  Jane hung up the phone and pushed numbly to her feet. It was Saturday afternoon and she had to find Jessie a better lawyer. Her mom couldn’t do it. She played possum in the face of trouble—she always had. And her stepfather wasn’t the type to work the phones and puzzle out a problem. He was strong and steady and worked with his hands.

  Jane was the one who lived in Aspen. She was the one who’d been dating a man in the D.A.’s office.

  She’d hardly spent any time at home for the past few years, had tried her best to separate herself from them without giving them up entirely. Maybe if she’d spent more time with Jessie he wouldn’t have turned into a thief. Maybe if she hadn’t turned her back on him, he wouldn’t have thought it was okay to steal money from careless women.

  But whatever he’d grown into, he was still her brother even if she’d never consider introducing him to her friends. He was her brother and he still had a good heart…and she’d help him if she could find a way.

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHASE CLUTCHED the steering wheel hard. He breathed deeply. Counted to twenty. But every time he glanced toward the Jennings Architecture office, fury rose in his gut.

  His first reaction when he’d stepped from the bathroom on Friday with a stupid grin of anticipation on his face…his first reaction had been confusion. Then, once he’d realized Jane was gone, he’d jumped straight into abject worry.

  A woman out walking by herself in the middle of the night? He’d paced for a few minutes, then pulled on jeans and rushed out to look for her.

  Nothing. He had no address. She hadn’t left so much as a note, and her phone call showed on his cell as “blocked,” something he hadn’t had the attention span to notice when she’d called and invited him out.

  With no way to contact her, Chase had stayed awake for hours worrying. The next morning, when the newspaper hadn’t reported any injured or dead or missing women, Chase had let his worry turn to anger.

  Unbelievable. He’d been used.

  Okay, he’d known he was being used, but he hadn’t known he was being used used.

  Chase shifted, rolling his shoulders back. He felt…strange. Uneasy. As if someone had slipped something into his drink and, well…taken advantage of him.

  Ridiculous, of course. He’d been fully aware and more than willing the whole time. But he’d thought they were having a genuinely good time together. And then she’d yanked the rug out from under him. While he’d still been naked and basking in the afterglow.

  In Chase’s opinion, that had been uncalled for, and he deserved an apology.

  The digital numbers of the dashboard clock jumped from 8:14 to 8:15 a.m. Jane was late. He’d arrived before eight on Friday and she’d already been working. Suddenly his worry was back, though he tried to beat it down.

  Jane Morgan was fine. She was just a stone-cold bitch.

  His mouth twitched at the lie. No. She wasn’t cold. She’d rocked his fucking world on Friday night, and if he was being honest with himself, that was part of the reason he was so pissed. When he’d stepped out of the shower and toweled himself off, Chase had been downright giddy. Exhausted, but giddy. Like a goddamn little girl.

  “Shit,” Chase muttered, running a hand over his eyes.

  At the very moment he decided to salvage his pride and drive away, a car turned into the lot. A little white BMW zipped past him, Jane Morgan at the wheel. She didn’t glance in his direction. In fact, she seemed totally lost in thought, brow furrowed as she pulled straight into a space and jumped out of the car.

  By the time Chase got his door open, she’d already unlocked the office and slipped inside. Being late probably didn’t sit well with a girl like Jane.

  And the sight of her, all prim and proper again in a dark gray suit, wasn’t sitting well with Chase. She looked the way she always did. Unruffled. Unmoved. Cool and composed as she turned on lights and moved toward her desk. She looked as if Friday night had never happened.

  Until Chase walked through the door.

  Jane’s eyes flew wide as she swung toward him. “Oh!” she ye
lped. “What are you doing here?”

  She sounded so absolutely incredulous that Chase felt a jolt of fury. “Seriously?”

  “Well…” He watched her gather up all her shock and will it away to nothing. It took only a few moments before her expression settled into calmness, and she was prim Jane again. “Yes, I’m very serious. What can I help you with, Mr. Chase?”

  “Look at my face, Jane. I’m not in the mood for this. You took off in the middle of the night. While I was in the shower.”

  “Er…” Her face stayed impassive, but she had the grace to blush, anyway.

  “First of all, I was terrified something had happened to you.”

  She shook her head, drawing his attention to the way she’d rolled her hair under at the nape of her neck. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you were out walking in the middle of the night!”

  “It wasn’t the middle of the night. It was nine-thirty. In Aspen.” When he opened his mouth to cut her off, she raised a hand to stop him. “I only walked the two blocks to Main Street, and I had a can of mace with me. I grabbed a cab as soon as I reached The Lodge.”

  He crossed his arms. “And how was I supposed to know that?”

  A flicker of confusion crossed her face, and Jane dropped her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “Secondly,” he growled, uncrossing his arms and moving forward until his thighs hit her desk, “that was really fucking rude, Jane.”

  “I…I suppose it—”

  “Kind of cruel, as a matter of fact.”

  “Cruel?” she whispered.

  “I was okay with being your little birthday gift to yourself. Use me. Fine. But I don’t appreciate being treated like a worthless piece of garbage afterward.”

  “I’m sorry. I…I thought you’d be glad I was gone.”

  “Now, that’s just a lie, Jane. If you thought I’d be glad, you would’ve stuck your head in my bathroom and said, ‘Thanks for the ride, stud. I’ll call you sometime.’ Instead you waited until I’d turned my back and then snuck away so that you wouldn’t have to speak to me after you fucked me.”

  That brought more color to her cheeks. He felt a moment’s happiness that he’d gotten to her, and then the unthinkable happened. Jane Morgan began to cry.

  Not really crying, Chase scrambled to assure himself. Her eyes just got a little…wet. She sniffed.

  “Oh, shit,” he muttered. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, you’re right.” She sniffed again and swiped at her eyes. “I was beyond rude.”

  “Okay, but I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “You have every right to be mad. I was…I told myself it was okay because you were a man, but it wasn’t okay. It was unkind. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

  “All right, apology accepted. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  She put her shoulders back and took a deep breath, seemingly calming herself, but a tear still escaped and slipped down her cheek before she swiped it impatiently away. “I had a tough weekend. It’s not your fault.”

  “Bad birthday?”

  “Oh, boy,” she said on a laugh, but the laugh turned into a little hiccup.

  “Aw, Jane,” he murmured, edging around the desk to pull her into his arms. He half expected her to resist, but she stepped into him and pressed her forehead to his shoulder.

  “I’m okay. Really.” She actually sounded a little better. He’d expected her to break down, but she took a few breaths and relaxed. “All right,” she whispered, but she didn’t push away.

  “Tell me nothing bad happened to you.”

  “No, nothing. I’m just stressed out and tired. I had trouble sleeping last night.”

  Good. Now he could enjoy the chance to touch her. He recognized the scent of her shampoo already. It had been imprinted permanently on his brain on Friday night. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Thank you. I’m really sorry, Chase.”

  Chase was busy with thoughts of the last time he’d touched her, so it took a moment for the noise behind him to register. He was just lifting his head when Quinn walked past.

  “Hey, Chase,” Quinn muttered. “Morning, Jane.”

  Jane jumped back, jerking violently away before Chase could drop his arms. Inhaling sharply, she slapped a hand over her mouth as if to stifle the sound, her eyes flying to her boss’s back. But Quinn walked on, head down, totally absorbed in the papers in his hand. A few seconds later he disappeared into his office and closed the door.

  “Oh, my God,” Jane whispered. “Chase, you’ve got to get out of here. Oh, God.”

  “All right, all right. I’ll go.” He held up his hands to appease her, but she backed away. “But you owe me another date.”

  “I certainly do not—”

  Quinn’s door opened. He stuck his head out, brow furrowed with harsh suspicion when his eye fell on Chase. He glared at Chase for a moment, then his eyes slid to Jane.

  “Jane? Is everything okay here?” He sent Chase another dark glance, as if she needed a hint.

  “Yes, sir. I’m sorry. Everything’s fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, Mr. Jennings.”

  Quinn took a moment to look between them again, eyes narrowed. “All right. If you’re sure you’re okay…”

  As soon as his door closed again, Jane snapped, “Get out!”

  “Absolutely, as long as you agree to dinner.”

  “I specifically said…Okay, fine! Just go.”

  “I need your number.”

  Jane snatched up a Post-it note and scribbled on it before shoving it into his hands. “Out. Now.”

  He smiled. “I’ll call you.”

  She was growling when he left, but Chase wasn’t the least bit worried. That girl was hot. And he wanted more time with her, despite the way she’d treated him. He’d enjoyed the hell out of being used…up until the part where she’d snuck out as if he was a gigolo she didn’t want to pay.

  Next time he’d tie her up before he took a shower.

  Grinning in anticipation, Chase slammed his truck door and headed out to the morning’s site. If only there’d been an explosion scheduled, he would’ve been in a perfect state of bliss.

  “THE POLICE ARE OBVIOUSLY trying to draw this out. They’re looking for something bigger, but your brother claims to have no idea what it could be.”

  Jane nodded at the grandmotherly woman behind the desk. She didn’t look like a defense attorney, and maybe that was a good thing. She certainly seemed sharp and aggressive.

  “The charges are ridiculous. Felony grand larceny will never hold up. I’ve filed for a probable causes hearing. We’ll hear soon.”

  “You haven’t found out anything more about this Michelle woman?”

  “No. You thought you remembered the name from the search warrant?”

  “I think I remember Michelle, but not the last name, and my mom threw the warrant away so she wouldn’t have to look at it. Shouldn’t you be able to get another copy?”

  “I should have it today. As to who she could be…Jessie says that one of his friends is dealing. He wouldn’t say who or what, but apparently a girl OD’d a few weeks ago. He’s worried it has something to do with that, but swears he’s never sold drugs. Maybe one of his friends is trying to pin something on him.”

  Jane felt her heart speed to a panicked pace. “Oh, God.”

  The attorney held up a steady hand. “That’s just Jessie’s mind turning. There’s absolutely no evidence of anything, one way or another. The cause hearing will happen soon. They’ll have to show the rest of their hand and that will work to our advantage.”

  “Is there something I can do in the meantime? Anything?”

  “Just be patient. And be ready for my call if you want to be at the hearing.”

  Her stomach turned as she wondered who the prosecuting attorney would be. “I don’t think I can. Is it important that I be there?”

  She nearly slumped with relief when the woman waved
a dismissive hand and shook her head.

  Jane hurried out of the attorney’s office, trying not to look guilty. Even respectable citizens had attorneys. And even excellent office managers occasionally snuck out of work at four forty-five if the office was empty.

  Mr. Jennings hadn’t asked about Chase. He’d sent her a few questioning looks throughout the day, but that was the extent of it. And he wouldn’t have asked why she needed to leave early either, but she’d still wanted to avoid the conversation.

  The knot in her stomach eased a tiny fraction as she stepped out into the spring air and felt it cool her cheeks.

  The attorney seemed competent, at any rate. Levelheaded. Patient.

  But Jane wasn’t feeling patient. She was feeling guilty. And that guilt was demanding action. There had to be something she could do. Even something small like comforting her mother.

  As she drove toward her parents’ house in Carbondale for the third day in a row, the gorgeous scenery of jagged mountains and new leaves blurred as she considered the horror that had happened in the office that morning.

  First she’d realized how awful she’d been to Chase. He might be a big tattooed bruiser, but he wasn’t trash. And even if he had been trash…Well, trash had feelings, too. Jane could attest to that.

  And then…Then somehow the past few days had all caught up with her. Standing there in front of Chase, feeling ashamed for how she’d treated him, that moment of weakness had allowed fear and anxiety to bubble through the cracks in her shield. For a moment she’d been just a girl whose little brother was in big trouble. She’d felt helpless. The next thing she’d known, she’d been wrapped in his arms, crying.

  It had felt good. His arms were strong and his skin was so hot. Jane had gone from being horrified by his presence to snuggling him within the space of one minute.

  She shook her head as the highway shot past canyon walls. A semi rocketed past her, shaking the car, but her whole world seemed to be shaking right now, and Jane didn’t even wince.

  It had been idiotic to think she could hook up with a guy she’d met at work and keep it totally separate from her professional life. And now she would have to go on a date with him.