Treacherous Seduction (The Rockford Security Series Book 3)

by Jones, Lee Anne

  She took his hand and led him toward the door. “It’s not like that, okay? I was just checking the safe and I discovered Katherine changed the combination, like I suspected. I found something on my doorstep yesterday that had to have come from her as a taunt, so I just returned the favor. That’s it. Nothing more.” A pang of guilt stabbed at her. She should have told him about the fake will, but for some reason she was embarrassed. Maybe it had something to do with the differences her and her father had had over her lifestyle or maybe it had to do with his worries she might divert casino money to her animal rescue. She was sure the will was a fake—a ploy by Katherine—but even so, she was reluctant to talk about it.

  “Hmm.” Chase sounded skeptical, tugging her thoughts back to the present.

  “What?”

  “It’s weird she’d change the combination on the safe, but not the code to access the office, right? I mean why do one without the other.”

  “I don’t know. Probably because she’d have to go through casino security to have the main access code changed. Maybe she didn’t want to go through the trouble. Or maybe she thought they’d say no, or ask too many questions. Or I don’t know. Who knows why she does any of the things she does?”

  He halted, digging in his heels no matter how hard she tugged him forward, forcing her to stop just before they reached the door to leave. “What now?”

  “Why exactly were you checking the safe, Shelby? Did you think Katherine might’ve put something in there after your father died? Or that she took something out after his death?”

  “Both maybe? Like I said, who knows.” She pulled on his hand and this time he followed. “C’mon. We need to get up to the condo before she gets back.”

  They slipped through the police tape once more and Shelby closed the door behind them then pulled off her gloves. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  “Wait.” Chase took her arm once more. “We need to make sure those video cameras are off. I think Owen Rockford can help us with that. Where’s his office?”

  “At the end of the hall. But he’s probably in the main control room at this time of night. That’s on the other side of the casino. I’ll show you.” She laced her fingers with his, partly to make sure they didn’t get separated and partly because it just felt so damned good, and led him through a maze of slot machines and gaming tables. From the special performance area near the main bar, the sounds of her favorite country song drifted through the air. “Oh! I forgot Jan Winters is playing here tonight. The shortcut goes right behind the stage, maybe we can catch a glimpse.”

  Chase pulled back. "Wait a minute ... I don't know if—"

  "Come on, it'll be fine. It's just a shortcut, I do it all the time."

  She dragged him through the heavy black curtains covering the entrance to the bar then up a side aisle toward the backstage area. She'd used this shortcut hundreds of times, rubbing elbows with the various stars that played at the casino. She never stopped to talk to them though, never used her 'status' of the casino owner's daughter to get a private audience. She wasn't like that. Still, she had to admit, she did get a little thrill running around backstage. But tonight that thrill was overshadowed by the serious job they had in front of them.

  She snuck them behind several burly-looking bodyguards and up a narrow wooden set of stairs to the wings of the stage. In the shadows of the curtains, she spotted Jan Winters—resplendent in a white sequined gown and diamonds, standing close to a dark-haired, handsome man.

  "Uh-oh," Chase hesitated.

  Shelby frowned at him. "What?"

  "Chase? Chase Evans!” The man hurried over and pulled an embarrassed Chase into a bro hug. “Blake told me you finally rejoined the world. Welcome back, man!”

  “Thanks,” Chase said, then hugged Jan who had come to join them. Shelby felt an unexpected pang of jealousy. Not because he apparently knew the star, but because someone else was snuggling into Chase’s luscious bod. Bad, Shelby. Bad.

  “It’s good to see you, man,” Dino said. “You look really good.”

  “Good to see you too,” Chase said. Before she knew it, he'd tugged Shelby forward to his side right in front of Jan Winters. She was momentarily starstruck, her face hot and her cheeks aching from the goofy, nervous smile she now had plastered to her face. “And this is Shelby Bryant. My…uh… friend.”

  “Nice to meet you, Shelby.” Jan shook her hand warmly. “I’m so sorry about your dad.”

  “Thank you.” She surprised herself by getting any words out past her tight vocal cords. “I love your work. You’re my favorite singer.”

  “Aw, thank you.” Jan put her arm around Shelby and squeezed. “Listen, I lost my dad too, when I was little. If you need someone to talk to, please feel free to call me. Chase knows how to get ahold of me.”

  She couldn’t imagine ever being un-starstruck enough to girl-talk with Jan Winters, but she appreciated the offer anyway. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the offer.”

  “I mean it. Any friend of Chase’s is a friend of mine.”

  Dino shook her hand next, his grip as tough as his persona, but his grin friendly. “So, I hear Blake is responsible for you two getting together, huh?”

  “What?” Chase said. His body tensed beside her. “No. There is no us two.” He gestured quickly between himself and Shelby before dropping his arm from around her waist. “And don’t believe everything you hear around the office either.”

  “Right.” Dino kissed Jan’s hand and pulled her close to him again, obviously head-over-heels in love with her. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time old Blake played matchmaker.”

  “Yeah, I heard.” Chase took Shelby’s hand and started to pull her away. “Well, we best get going.”

  “It was so great to see you again, Chase. Really. And so great meeting you, Shelby,” Jan said. “Hey, are you guys coming to the family dinner on Sunday?”

  “I’ll be there,” Chase said. “Seeing as how I’m staying with Blake right now and all.”

  “What about you, Shelby?” Dino asked, his smile turning devious as he glanced back at Chase. “You should bring her along, man. It’ll be fun.”

  “We’ll see. Later, guys.” Chase hightailed it out of there, with Shelby in tow, before she could say a word.

  Once they were back out on the casino floor again, she pulled free, glancing back over her shoulder. “What was that about? What family dinner?”

  “It’s this thing the Rockfords do. The whole clan descends on Blake’s house on a Sunday and shake the rafters with all their collective chaos.”

  “Oh.” She frowned. “You live with Blake?”

  “Right now, yeah. It was either that or a halfway house while I finished my parole. This is way better, believe me. Blake helped negotiate it with my parole officer.”

  “Wow. That’s nice of him.”

  “Yeah, he’s really got my back.” He rubbed a hand across the nape of his neck. “Too much, sometimes, in fact.”

  A thought occurred to Shelby, one that made her heart sink. “Crap. I forgot about your parole. You won’t get in trouble for being out so late, will you?”

  “Nah. Not if I’m careful, and if I don’t make a habit of it. But let’s hurry just in case and get to that control room. We need to find something on Katherine so this whole night isn’t a complete bust.”

  * * *

  “Are you sure he’s here tonight?” Chase asked as they arrived in a small, empty office. Damn. He was counting on getting help with those cameras and Blake had assured him his cousin Owen would be sympathetic to their cause.

  “Yeah, it’s Friday. He’s scheduled to work every weekend night. It’s our busiest time.” Shelby pulled him inside then let go of his hand. He felt chilled without the contact. “Maybe he’s in the camera room.”

  Chase followed her across the short space to another door near the corner. Inside sat a guy with dark hair and broad shoulders, scowling at a wall full of monitors and looking completely bored by them all.


  Shelby knocked on the door then flashed her most endearing smile. Chase clenched his fists to keep from pulling her into his arms and carting her off to the nearest available bed, caveman style. “Hi, Owen. Got a minute?”

  The dude swiveled in his chair then stood, showing off the impressive height and good-looks all the Rockfords seemed blessed with. “For you Shelby? Always.” His warm brown gaze shifted to Chase and lit with surprise. “Chase Evans? How you doing, my man? So great to see you!”

  They shared a brief bro hug before stepping away again. “I’m really good. Thanks for asking. And thanks for giving me the job here at the casino, even if it didn’t work out.”

  Shelby gave Chase an irritated look and whispered under her breath, “Do you know everyone who works for Rockford Security?”

  Chase laughed. “Only the ones who are related.”

  “Which means, yeah,” Owen chimed in, helpful as always. “He does.”

  Shelby’s cheeks flushed a delightful shade of rose, and Chase couldn’t help pulling her close once more as Owen continued. “So Chase. Seems you got yourself in quite a pickle right out of the gate. What’s up with that, huh?” He turned to Shelby, his handsome face growing somber. “I’m truly sorry for what happened to your father. He was a good man.”

  “Thanks.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked away.

  She trembled beneath Chase’s arm and seeing her so vulnerable tore him up inside. He gave her a tight squeeze for strength. “Um, you know the police seem to consider me a suspect, right?”

  “Yeah, Blake mentioned it. Saw something on the news too. But who believes anything they’ve got to say.” Owen chuckled.

  “Don’t let Laura hear you say that,” Chase warned. “She’ll kick your ass.”

  “I know, right?” Owen grinned. “So, why am I getting this visit?”

  “Well.” Chase tightened his grip on Shelby, more for his own moral support than hers. “I don't trust the police to do their job, so I'm looking for something to clear my name.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  Shelby looked up then, her expression determined, all traces of sorrow gone. “We need to search Katherine’s condo, without being taped. Can you help us with that?”

  Chase smiled, pride welling within him. There was that backbone he admired so much.

  Owen took a step back, hands raised. “I did not hear you just ask me that, Shelby.” He inched closer to the camera control panel on the wall. “In fact, I didn’t see you two here at all tonight.” His shoulder bumped against one set of buttons, shutting them off. A label above them read Bryant Condo. “I’m, uh, going to take my usual fifteen-minute walk around the casino floor now and make sure Jan and Dino have everything they need. By the way, those cameras are not off now.” He nodded and winked. “They will not be back online in twenty minutes.”

  “Uh, thanks, man,” Chase said as Owen walked toward the exit. “I owe you one.”

  “You owe me dozens.” He grinned and waved to Shelby then disappeared out a nearby service entrance.

  “C’mon. Let’s go.” Shelby pulled him back to the elevators, and they rode up to the condo in record time. “Twenty minutes isn’t as long as it sounds.”

  Once inside, she headed straight for the table and drawer they’d seen that morning in the tapes. Shelby pulled her gloves back on and opened it. “Damn, nothing.”

  “Shit.” Chase reached into his pocket and pulled out another pair of latex gloves he’d stashed there earlier. “What about the phone? Maybe we can find the one she was using. Those SIM cards keep track of all kinds of data.”

  He riffled through drawer after drawer, but only found several iPhone cases. Nothing for the cheap Nokia he’d seen on the tapes.

  “Do you think Katherine has an accomplice?” Shelby straightened from her spot on the floor before a large mahogany credenza. “Bank statements might show something, if she made payments to them or suspicious withdrawals of cash.”

  “Maybe. I don’t know.” Chase sighed. “She’s smart. If she is paying somebody, she’d most likely do it in small, untraceable amounts, over weeks or months, not days.”

  Shelby walked over and slumped onto the sofa. She scowled, then dug beneath the cushions. “Something’s poking me. What the…” She pulled out the burner Nokia phone he’d seen in the footage that morning. “Oh. Is this the device you were looking for?”

  He frowned recognizing the fake bling glued all over its hideous pink cover. “That’s it ... seems odd she would have it stuffed in the cushions.”

  “She's a ditz, it probably fell out of one of her Gucci bags and she couldn't find it.” Shelby clicked it on and scrolled through the screens while Chase took a seat beside her and did his best not to notice how scrumptious she smelled or how hot she looked being all undercover and naughty. “Now where is the call history?”

  “I’ll find it.” He snatched the phone from her hands before she could protest. “With those big old things covering your hands you couldn’t find anything.”

  “Hey, Mr. I’m-Going-To-Dress-Like-A-Bad-Guy-Stereotype. You’ve got no room to talk.”

  “Here it is.” He grinned as she flipped him off, then quickly frowned. “Fuck.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The whole history’s been wiped. No calls, no texts. The only number in here is named ‘My Boo <3’”.

  “Well,” Shelby reached for the phone again. “Let’s call it and find out who it is.”

  “Forget it.” His stomach swooped as he stared at the phone. “It’s my number.”

  How the hell had Katherine managed to get his new cell number? He’d barely had time to memorize the damned thing himself since he’d just gotten it at the store the day after his release.

  “Wait, so there really is something going on between you?” The sad betrayed look in Shelby's eyes pierced his heart.

  “No. I have no idea how she got my number.” Chase grabbed her hand. "You believe me don't you?"

  Her eyes softened and he felt like he'd won the lottery. She did believe him. But then the gravity of the situation hit him. "Shit. No wonder this was so easy to find. She wanted someone to find it. She's—"

  The sound of the elevator gears grinding interrupted him. They both turned in unison.

  “Fuck. Someone’s coming,” Chase said.

  “Follow me.” Shelby grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a small coat closet near the front entrance, then tugged him in beside her. With the door closed, it was a tight squeeze at best. They were pressed against each other like sardines and his pulse pounded loud in his ears, obliterating everything expect the dark and the warmth of Shelby’s body and his overwhelming urge to kiss her.

  Without thinking, he sank his fingers deep into her thick blond curls and captured her lips with his, sweeping his tongue deep into her mouth to taste her. Sweet and spicy and brimming with passion. He groaned soft and low in his throat and slid a hand down her back to pull her hips tighter into him, allowing her to feel just how bad he wanted her.

  At first she seemed shocked by his actions, but then she responded to his kiss with all the fiery desire he remembered from the day before. She drew her leg up the outside of his thigh and wrapped it around his waist, trailing her fingers down the front of his shirt to the waistband of his black pants before dipping them lower to stroke his hard cock. He ground against the sweet torture of her touch, wanting more, wanting her, wanting it all.

  Chase couldn’t resist slipping his hand beneath the hem of her sweater and cupping one full breast through the lace of her bra. Shelby shuddered against him as he flicked her stiff nipple with his thumb, savoring her wanton fervor. He needed her with a fierceness he’d never experienced before. Ever. He reached for the front clasp of her bra, wanting to feel the soft warmth of her spilling into his palms more than he wanted anything else in the universe.

  So close, so close…

  The door flew open and blinding light flashed into their small, pr
ivate heaven. Chase squinted into the glare and did his best to hide Shelby as he squinted.

  “Well, hello there,” Katherine said, her smile as smug as her tone.

  Twelve

  Chase shifted position to ease the pressure off his aching butt. Once more, there he was, stuck in an uncomfortable metal chair in a dingy interrogation room at the Las Vegas PD. Dammit it all to hell and back. He should’ve known Katherine had set up that whole fucking scene—taped herself putting the money in the drawer, stuffing that ugly ass burner phone between the couch cushions—knowing he and Shelby would come investigating when they saw the footage.

  Jesus. He'd been so stupid.

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. Apparently five years in the slammer had done nothing to improve his sleuthing skills whatsoever.

  The door behind him creaked open then closed with a resounding thwack. Detective Marlowe once more took a seat across from him. Her suit was different today—black, with a white shirt beneath—but her no-nonsense expression remained the same as always. She folded her hands atop the same manila file with his name and mug shot across the front and stared at him without blinking, her smile not reaching her ebony eyes.

  Well, this should be fun. Not.

  “Mr. Evans, we have Shelby in the other room. She’ll turn on you, sooner rather than later. Don’t kid yourself.”

  Chase crossed his arms and did his best to hide the tension knotted in his gut. “I doubt it. Why would she? We didn’t kill her father.”

  Besides, sweet little Shelby wouldn’t turn on me. Would she?

  “Murder or not, I have you both on trespassing charges and you, specifically, Mr. Evans for breaking curfew. That’s enough to send you back to jail.” Her smile increased, showing even white teeth bright against her dark skin. “Now, something tells me prison isn’t someplace you’d like to revisit.”

  He played along, flashing his own small grin. “You’re right, Detective. But tell the truth. You want me for the murder charge, not this crap. You want the big kahuna, the career-making, national-news-worthy indictment. Truth is, putting me away for those little things steals your thunder. Sorry, but I’m not biting.” He sat forward and mimicked her body language, a trick he learned in law school to gain another’s trust and support. “I didn’t do it.”