“I thought Blake was your boss.”
“Blake thinks he’s everybody’s boss.” Liv chuckled.
“Liv is my immediate supervisor.”
“Yep. And the company decided it would be better if our boy here stayed as far away from Katherine Bryant as possible.”
Shelby snorted. “I can see why.”
“God! For the last time, I did not do anything with that woman!” Chase growled.
“Good thing too. Blake would’ve knocked you upside the head for that one. And is this a new friend of yours, Chase?” She reached over and ran a finger down the lizard’s back. Henry scurried around on top of the computer tower to check out his new admirer. “Who’s a good iguana, huh? Who is?”
“Thanks for your vote of unconfidence.” Chase said, his tone irritated. “And his name is Henry.”
“Henry, huh? Nice. And you’re welcome.” Liv patted Chase on the shoulder, completely ignoring his now churlish demeanor. “And any time you need a healthy dose of straight-up honesty, I’m your gal. Besides, I aim to please when it comes to my employees.” She smiled at Shelby. “It’s good you guys are ‘working’ together to solve this mystery. Did Chase offer you a tour of the place? Would you like to see the executive offices upstairs?”
“Um, okay. Sure.” She stood and moved in beside Liv. “Is that okay with you, Chase?”
He didn’t say a word, just gave a curt nod.
“Great.” Shelby grabbed her purse. “And while I’m here, if I could possibly talk to Blake Rockford as well? He’s going to install some security cameras at my animal shelter for me.”
They started to walk away and Chase called out from behind them. “Don’t worry. I’ll just stay here and finish looking at all these tapes by myself.”
Liv snaked her arm through Shelby’s and tugged her forward to the exit when she hesitated. It didn’t really seem fair to leave Chase behind to do all the work, but she did need to talk to Blake and Liv seemed really nice and…
They walked out into the outer hall again and headed toward the elevators. Liv pushed the Up button then grinned at Shelby. “So, have you kissed him yet?”
Heat prickled her cheeks and she wondered if it was too late to run back into IT with Chase. But the elevator dinged and Liv dragged her onboard. “What? No. And I’m not going to either. We have a strictly business relationship. Besides I don't really know him ...”
Liv jabbed the seventh floor button then leaned back against the shiny metal wall. “You don't believe that assertion about him and Katherine, do you?"
Shelby shrugged. "No, but ..."
"I don’t believe it and neither does Blake. Same thing with his drug trafficking conviction. That whole thing was bullshit. I’ve never met any man more trustworthy than Chase Evans.”
Shelby eyed Liv from across the elevator, her thoughts churning. So, Blake and Liv thought Chase hadn’t broken the law. Good to know for future reference. Though, then why did he go to jail for five years? The Rockfords seemed to trust him though and that added another check in her imaginary “Reasons to Like Chase Evans” column.
* * *
An hour later, Chase shut down Brandon’s computer and stood to stretch. The next shift of IT guys had arrived and the place now buzzed with activity. Henry scrambled from the top of the computer tower to Chase’s shoulder then they headed back to the elevators to find Shelby. Her tour with Liv should’ve been over by now. There wasn’t that much around here to see.
He pushed the Up button and stepped back to wait, hands shoved in his pockets and Henry’s leash dangling loose down the middle of his chest. Honestly, he’d had the green guy brought over as payback for all of Blake’s nosiness and scheming, but the more time he spent around Henry, the more he liked him. It was nice to have someone around who didn’t judge, didn’t care about his past at all. Only cared about his body heat and the occasional tickle under his jowly green chin.
Chase looked to the side and performed said scratch now, chuckling as Henry’s tongue snaked out to flicker over Chase’s cheek.
“That’s my little man,” he cooed.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. He stepped forward without looking and damned near collided with Shelby.
“Oh!” She put her hands on his chest to stop him from barreling over her. “Sorry.”
“Jeez, no. I’m sorry.” Chase halted and grabbed Henry’s leash to keep him from toppling off onto the floor. A fresh wave of embarrassment crashed over him. As if Liv’s teasing earlier hadn’t been bad enough, now he looked like an impolite imbecile too. “I didn’t see you there.”
“No problem.” Shelby removed her hands from him and moved sideways, increasing the space between them. He missed her heat and the tingle her fingertips had caused over his skin. “You were distracted.” She glanced from him to Henry and back again. “He’s pretty adorable, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He is.” Chase grinned over at his newfound reptile bud, then shuffled his feet and stared at the toes of his black boots. “How was your tour?”
“Great, thanks. Blake wasn’t in, but I spoke with Garrett about the cameras and then Liv showed me around. Nice place. Really nice.” Her gaze traveled over him from head to toe and he got the distinct impression she was talking about more than Rockford Securities’ facilities. She met his gaze again then looked away fast, pink flooding her cheeks once more. What he wouldn’t give to see if she pinkened up like that all over—during stress, during excitement, during orgasm. He swallowed hard as she continued. “Did you find anything else on the security footage?”
“Nah, not really.” Glad for the distraction, he took a deep breath to calm his pounding pulse and concentrated on the reason for their visit. “Katherine seemed to be on her cell a lot in the tapes. 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 instead, 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.<
br />
“What if I did?” He stepped closer to her, crowding her back into the corner of their small space, one hand on the cool metal wall beside her head. 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 leaned into her soft curves, breathing in the fragrance of fresh flowers and warm woman. Her lips parted—wet and pink and ready for the kiss he’d been dying to give her since the last one ended and…
Ding. Ding.
With a disappointed groan, 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.
Well fuckity, fuck, fuck.
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. You 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 and love she deserved.
Love?
Chase cleared his throat and steered cleared of uncomfortable territory. He didn’t love Shelby. Hell, he barely knew her. Theirs was a strictly business partnership. Nothing more. Not now. Not ever. End of story. He did his best to focus on the conversation between his boss and his partner in crime solving, and not the way his entire being seemed to vibrate like a tuning fork every time Shelby was near.
“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, and Chase battled a crazy urge to run his now itching fingertips over her velvet skin. “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. Feeling like a dead man riding, 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 man in love. Of course Blake would know all the right things to do for Henry. They were perfect for each other. They were perfect and Chase was alone. Again. As always.
He shook his head and walked into the office, head down and heart oddly heavy.
Who’s the matchmaker now?
Eleven
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 their almost kiss in the elevator earlier today or the very real kiss they’d shared the day before. 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 which she suspected had a ski mask attached. “What the hell 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 the hell 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 hurr
ied 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?”
With all the adrenaline pumping through her system, she thought about throwing him down on the floor and having her wicked way with him, then reconsidered. They still had a lot of things to cover tonight and she’d need her energy for elsewhere. But the idea was still tempting as hell. So was he for that matter, with his heat penetrating her thin jacket and his minty breath warming her cheeks.
“I left something in there for Katherine to find, that’s all. It has nothing to do with you.” She crawled away from him, away from temptation, and stood. “Let’s go.”
He trailed after her, keeping close in the pitch blackness. “Really? We can’t be partners if we don’t share things with each other. We have to be honest about everything.”
Treacherous Seduction (The Rockford Security Series Book 3) Page 9