Scent of Persuasion: Sensory Ops, Book 2

by Nikki Duncan

  “Breck.” Kieralyn called out to him after a few steps.

  He turned back, hesitant to know what she might toss his way. “Yeah?”

  “For what it’s worth, we want you back in the office.”

  An odd, gooey warmth congealed inside him. She had learned to read him. Almost too well.

  “Thanks.” It took some effort—it always did—but he choked back the denial sitting on his tongue. “I’m not cut out for corporate games.”

  But he had to go play them, beginning with Edwin and the contract he was pushing.

  Chapter Six

  Dressed in her habitual around-the-manor pleated slacks and silk blouse unbuttoned to show her cleavage, Madame V stepped in front of the treadmill. With a scowl crinkling the skin around her lips into fine lines, she reached out and snatched the earbuds from Kami’s ears.

  “You must return to Blue Chip Technologies.”

  Repulsion and fear rippled across Kami. Force of will allowed her to resist the compulsion to shudder. She and Ava had stepped into the kitchen that morning in time to witness one of the girls question an order. Madame V’s response had been to punish the offender by backhanding her with enough power to bust her lip. Madame V had then gotten ice on the wound instantly to ensure it didn’t mar the merchandise, but all the while she chastised the girl for her insubordination.

  “Yes, Madame.” No way was Kami making the same mistake. She pushed the stop button on the treadmill and grabbed her towel. “Do you have any special instructions?”

  Had Breck called for her? Did he know that she’d taken the brush? Was he excited to see her again? Was he looking for a confrontation? Sheesh, she hadn’t felt this anxious about seeing a boy since high school—maybe longer. Of course, the only thing boyish about Breck Lawson, CEO, was the way a lock of his hair flopped across his forehead.

  “Yes.” Madame V whipped the earbuds back at Kami with a flick of her wrist. “Tell him you forgot something.”

  Kami wiped the towel over her neck to hide her swallow. Appearing respectful was fine. Showing fear was not an option. “May I ask what I forgot?”

  The circle of wrinkles around her lips deepened with her dissatisfaction. Her eyes narrowed and chilled. “You brought the wrong hairbrush.”

  Kami imagined blocks of concrete holding her feet to the floor to prevent herself from stepping back. How could Madame V know the hairbrush wasn’t Breck’s? Whose was it if it had been in his private quarters? “I apologize. There was only the one, but I’ll look again.”

  “Search the drawers. If you cannot find a hairbrush then bring his razor.”

  “Yes, Madame.” What was going on? With everything she knew about DNA it took weeks to accomplish anything. They shouldn’t be able to know in twenty-four hours the DNA wasn’t his.

  “Go shower and change.” Her nose wrinkled distastefully. “Be ready to leave in one hour.”

  “Yes, Madame.” She was beginning to feel like she’d joined the military with all the barked orders and “sir, yes sirs” bouncing around. Like she imagined being true of the military, she was working on a need-to-know basis. Clearly, Madame V didn’t believe she needed to know anything.

  “Madame V.” Ava stepped in with her head slightly bowed in deference. She slid a glance to Kami that spoke volumes—even if Kami didn’t understand the message. “Excuse me. There are some federal agents here to see you.”

  Madame V’s jaw stiffened and the corner of her eye twitched. “Thank you. Assist Kami with her assignment preparations.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Kami headed to the front stairs with Ava at her side. The rubber soles of her running shoes smacked quietly against the terra-cotta tiles. Every step reverberated through her body with another question or observation. Her intuition was singing to her. Whatever had happened to Channing had started in this mansion.

  It couldn’t be coincidence that just that morning she had confessed her thoughts about Channing and now there were Feds asking questions. Had their conversation been overheard, or had Ava betrayed her? Was that what that look from Ava meant? Was it an apology? A warning to keep her mouth shut?

  Madame V was close behind them, so answers would have to wait. It seemed as if everyone was in on a different part of a massive secret. A secret they weren’t sharing, but that could shed light on her situation.

  She and Ava rounded the corner and stepped into the foyer leading to the staircase. Kami’s toe caught the edge of a tile. She tripped and nearly did a face-plant at the feet of an intensely sexy man standing just inside the massive double doors. He reached out and steadied her. Her hands fisted the lapels of his suit jacket. She glanced up at his dark, chiseled face towering over her.

  She cleared her throat and stepped back. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” His Scottish accent sent a shiver down her spine. She’d always loved listening to Scots talk.

  “Are you all right?”

  Kami turned to the woman who’d stepped out from behind her savior.

  Kieralyn.

  She was a fed?

  Shit. This cannot be good. Had Breck turned her in? Would he have her arrested the instant he saw her? There was no way she could explain that to Madame V. And over a hairbrush. This was crazy.

  Years of her mother’s coaching came back to her. Maintain control of the situation by controlling yourself even if it doesn’t appear possible. Kami blinked and nodded. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

  She wouldn’t let anyone know that she’d met Kieralyn. Madame V had been at the fundraiser, so perhaps they had exchanged words last night that brought Kieralyn here. If Breck was on to what she’d taken the brush for… Well, he was ahead of her.

  Madame V’s heels clicked the tiles close behind. Kami glanced one last time at Kieralyn and the man with her. Kieralyn smiled warmly. The man remained stone-faced and scanned everything.

  “Kami.” The command in Madame V’s voice was as effective as a slashing whip. “You have an assignment to prepare for. Thank you, Ava.”

  Dismissed like errant children, Kami and Ava headed upstairs. Neither spoke, as if they hoped to hear something juicy. Kami had questions for Ava, but they would wait until she was assured they had complete privacy.

  “I’m Madame V. What can I do for you?” Madame’s voice, rich with authority, carried up the stairs

  “I’m Agent Kieralyn Beckett. This is my partner Aidan Burgess.”

  “We need to speak with one of your girls. Lori.”

  Kami resisted the urge to look back to see Madame’s reaction. It would be her luck Madame would be checking to see that she wasn’t listening. If Lori had been the L mentioned in Trevor’s calendar… If the FBI was looking for her, maybe there was an investigation after all.

  “I’m sorry,” Madame V said. “She left us several weeks ago.”

  Kami glanced down one last time from the top of the staircase as she and Ava turned the corner. Aidan looked up briefly, but she turned back before she could see if Madame followed his gaze. She pulled Ava to a stop as soon as they were out of sight. “I want to hear this,” she whispered.

  “Do you know where we can find her?” Kieralyn asked.

  “I do not. As far as I knew she had no family or friends beyond those she’d made here. Is she in some sort of trouble?”

  Why would the FBI be looking for a missing woman with no family or friends? Who would have reported her missing? Kami glanced at Ava. “Do you know what’s going on?” She mouthed.

  Ava met her gaze with sincerity and honesty as she shook her head. Okay, so if Ava hadn’t called the Feds with what they’d talked about…

  “We don’t know, ma’am.” The man’s voice was Gerard Butler hot. He could likely charm a woman effortlessly, but he wouldn’t have scored any points calling Madame ma’am. “Did she say anything before leaving? Act differently?”

  “It’s Madame and she said nothing. We got up one morning to find her and her belongings gone.” Madame V hesitated. “C
ome to think of it, she did seem a little upset a few days before that. She said something had gone wrong with one of the men she escorted, but she wouldn’t say what.”

  “What happens when a girl has a complaint about one of your clients?” Kieralyn asked.

  “I investigate her claim. If the client has stepped out of bounds, crossed the lines of propriety without the girl’s permission, then I will end all associations with him.”

  Interesting. It had never seemed like Madame V had anyone’s back but her own.

  “Was that the case with this client?”

  Kami could easily picture Madame staring holes through Aidan, assuming they made it past his seemingly rock-solid outer core. “No. I tried contacting him, but had no luck.”

  “Can you give us the man’s name?” Kieralyn asked.

  “My client files are confidential. I’m sure you can understand why.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Madame V. Not ma’am.” She corrected Aidan a second time. She had to be seething. Sort of like Edwin had been when Breck continued calling him Eddie.

  “I apologize, Madame V.” He almost hid his condescension, but Kami had heard it too often from the men in her family’s world. “Of course we understand the need for privacy. We were hoping you would want to help locate a missing woman.”

  “Of course I do. Lori was one of my best girls, but without a warrant… I cannot let it get out to my clients I’m unable to be trusted with their privacy.”

  “Of course.” Kieralyn softened her voice, much like she had last night in Breck’s office. She might hope the intimate tone she’d used on Breck would appear as trustworthy comfort to Madame. Doubtful, but maybe. “We understand the need for discretion. I assure you we are only interested in talking with the gentleman Lori last had contact with.”

  “Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” Madame V sighed. “Though it saddens me to tell you the man you’re looking for is dead. The news reported that Mr. Masters walked into rush hour traffic.”

  Kami sagged against the wall. It couldn’t be…

  “Trevor Masters?”

  She held her breath and waited for Madame’s answer. If she said… A coincidence was one thing. This was shaping up to be much more.

  “Yes. That was him.”

  Kami dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes against the rush of tears. She’d met Jane Ann and Leon briefly, but to hear of their son’s death spoken of so matter-of-factly, so callously, stabbed deep. The man Breck replaced had been with one of Madame’s girls. Lori. L. She had to be the same woman Channing had been with.

  Walking into traffic would have been considered suicide. Just like hanging. Both men had taken their own lives. Both men had been with the same woman. No way was that a coincidence.

  Madame V ended the questions and saw Kieralyn and Aidan out. Kami’s head snapped up and she hustled to her room for a quick shower. If she was late leaving for Breck, Madame would make her pay.

  Ava followed her and picked out an outfit.

  First Channing.

  Then Trevor.

  Was Breck next?

  Standing before the mirror in the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, Kami ran a brush through her hair. As was habit, she cleaned the brush of the hairs she’d lost.

  Kami stared at the brush in her hand. Madame knew the DNA on the brush she brought back wasn’t Breck’s because it was Trevor’s brush. Trevor’s DNA that had already been used.

  She’d ordered Kami to get Breck’s brush or razor. She seemed to recall Channing’s razor had been missing when she’d packed up his office and moved the boxes to his apartment. It had to be their DNA, but what was being done with it? Could an escort madam use a man’s DNA to control him? Make him kill himself? “Shit. That’s crazy thinking.”

  “What’s up?” Ava called from the bedroom.

  “Oh, nothing.” She stepped into the bedroom to get dressed. “I just figured out how I was going to get Breck to see me again.”

  “He didn’t call for you?” Ava asked quietly through closed teeth as if the walls had ears. Hell, they probably did.

  “No. I guess Madame V wants me to ensure he’s happy and remains a customer.” Kami wanted to tell Ava that she’d recognized Kieralyn and was being sent back to Breck for another sample of his DNA. Trouble was, she didn’t know for a fact Ava hadn’t called the Feds in the first place. And she had no idea what Madame and whoever were doing with the DNA or if she’d made a huge mental leap in the wrong direction.

  She slipped into the sundress Ava had chosen. If Madame V had managed to use Channing’s and Trevor’s DNA against them somehow, maybe Lori had figured it out. If Madame V caught on to her… Well, maybe Lori hadn’t run. Kami wouldn’t put it past Madame V to get rid of one of them and cover it up.

  Until Kami knew more, she was keeping her mouth shut.

  “Kami, are you okay?”

  “I’m good.” She smiled and wagged her brows as she slid her feet into the coordinating flats. “How bad could it be that I’m going back to see Breck?”

  “True.” Ava sat on the bed beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I see absolutely no reason for you to not go pro bono on that disco stick.”

  Kami laughed. Ava had asked several times for details of the night with Breck, but Kami hadn’t budged. Ava’s imagination seemed to be working well for her.

  Kami had enjoyed herself so much that right now she was a woman looking forward to seeing a man she enjoyed again.

  So what if he thought she was a prostitute. It hadn’t bothered him before and it wasn’t like he didn’t make a living screwing people for money. His way was just legal in all states.

  It was a pity, though, that he lived in the world she had turned her back on. When her gig was over, his wouldn’t be. She would never have the chance to see if they could have more together, but she could take Ava’s advice and enjoy the time she had with him.

  Breck stood by the fountain in the courtyard outside Blue Chip Technologies with Kieralyn and Aidan and forced himself to stand still, not to pace or visibly fidget, by flexing and un-flexing the muscles between his shoulder blades. He didn’t mind being seen with Kieralyn and Aidan now that half the building knew them to be Feds. Given the circumstances, it could work to his benefit.

  If Edwin had been involved in whatever had happened to Trevor then having the FBI around could make him nervous enough to screw up. At the very least he would likely reach out to the real brains of the outfit.

  Edwin was smart. He’d proved it several times, but the portentous little prick didn’t have smarts enough to maneuver Trevor or Breck into signing over an unethical and potentially lethal piece of technology. Whoever the puppet master and puppets were, they had overextended themselves when they’d set their sights on Trevor.

  Breck was doing what he could to make them nervous. To make them believe he was on to them, because there was no way they weren’t watching.

  As soon as Edwin had arrived at the office that morning he’d begun a refreshed round of endorsements regarding the contract. Breck in turn had put on the pressure with his counterarguments that he wouldn’t sign a contract until he fully understood and believed in the product he was selling. He’d gone on to point out what he saw as holes in the research and data logs Edwin had delivered to him.

  Edwin held his head high as he left the office, but his slightly sunken shoulders revealed he knew he was failing. Trevor’s assistant had been too involved in every aspect of the business since Trevor’s supposed death. He claimed he was helping Breck learn the ropes. He was ill-equipped to play the game he’d taken on. Or been assigned.

  Breck, on the other hand, was a whiz at playing games. He’d once defeated a chess master in a college tournament. Business and investigations were complex chess boards. Winning relied on the ability to see the broad picture and think several moves ahead. Edwin was only seeing the one just before him. He was a pawn, able to move only one square at a time. The mom
ent he’d walked into the office that morning, he had unwittingly become Breck’s pawn.

  Breck had checked the office for bugs, surreptitiously planting his own. He’d even planted one on Edwin’s desk and in his phone. Not that Edwin challenged him when he was popping in to the office every thirty minutes for one thing or another.

  By mid-morning, he’d wired the entire floor with cameras that fed back to his team. He’d been tempted to take this meeting inside, but in the end had gone for the ability to speak openly without worrying about what Edwin might have heard.

  “What did you find out at Elegant Entertainment?”

  “Aside from scaring five years off Kami, we confirmed she hasn’t been there long enough to have been Trevor’s escort.”

  He stepped toward Kieralyn. The darkest edge of his mood lifted at the thought of Kami even as the urge to protect her cascaded over him along with the memory of the fragrant orange blossoms she’d chosen as her scent. “What did you do to scare her?”

  “My job.” Kieralyn scratched the edge of her smiling mouth. “Does that bother you? Breck, is Kami Evans more than a hired date for you?”

  “If seeing you scared her, she could be involved.” He ground his teeth and refused to take her bait. He’d gone a full thirty minutes without thinking of Kami. It took only the mention of her name to pull him back into the abyss of reminiscences from the night before. To make it seem as if she were close by.

  “According to their website she hasn’t been there long enough. She is a hot number, though.” Aidan gave his best sleazeball impression. “Too bad I couldn’t have been playing you last night. I hear her dress was amazing.”

  Breck gritted his teeth and glared at Aidan. More amazing than the stunning dress clinging to her toned body had been the dress slipping over the seductive curve of her hips before it glided erotically to the floor.

  Damn it. He shouldn’t want to see her again for personal reasons. Hearing her name shouldn’t have the power to clear away the dread that had been dodging his heels all day. “Watch the gossip, Aidan. You may grow girl parts.”