Seized by Seduction--A Compelling Tale of Romance, Love and Intrigue

by Brenda Jackson

  Rick Constantine excitedly jumped up and down when he got a free game. It was only then that he turned to Shane. “You think I give a shit about some psychic? That just shows the Feds have nothing. They must be pretty damn desperate to go out and solicit the help of some loony with a crystal ball.”

  “Hey, man, I heard she’s good and the real thing. That reporter on TV claims she helped save some political figure from the clutches of ISIS.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “I heard it myself. The reporter said that more recently she helped the Charlottesville Police and FBI nab a serial assassin. What if she fingers us, man? Hell, we’ll all be dead if Maceo discovers we’re the ones who killed his mother. I shouldn’t have let you talk me into getting involved with your crap.”

  Rick frowned. “You got involved because the money was good. I bet you’ve spent your share already.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about what I did with my share. Just make sure that psychic doesn’t nail us.” Shane then turned and walked out of the arcade.

  Rick’s frown deepened. Some guy who called himself the Big Man had approached him last month with a plan to start a war between the Warlords and the Revengers. Rick didn’t know Mr. Big’s real name or where he’d come from, but Rick could tell he was used to being in charge. And the guy was loaded. Hell, Rick had gotten fifty grand just to kill Esther Emiliano and make it look like a gang hit—something Mr. Big was sure would push the Warlords to the brink—and would be paid another fifty when the war led to the deaths of both gang’s leaders. The war would also take out most of the members of the two gangs and then a new gang, headed by the Big Man, would take over the streets of LA. Rick had given Shane half of the money for his help and the promise of more once the Warlords retaliated for Esther Emiliano’s murder. Rick knew Shane was regretting his part in knocking off the old woman, but the deed was done, and they needed to keep their mouths shut. He didn’t want to think about how Mateo would react if he discovered his mother’s murderers were members of his own gang. Traitors.

  The one thing Rick hadn’t counted on was the FBI bringing in a damn psychic. He needed to let the Big Man know right away.

  * * *

  RANDI AND AGENT RIVIERA had just entered the hotel’s lobby when his cell phone went off. “Riviera.”

  Although Randi could not hear what the caller was saying, she could tell from Agent Riviera’s expression that it wasn’t good news. She hoped the Warlords hadn’t retaliated already.

  He clicked off the phone and said, “Looks like we’ll have to put off going to the crime scene until the morning after all, Dr. Fuller. I just received word that the mayor is calling an emergency meeting in an hour about the gang activities in the city. That meeting will be followed by a press conference, after which the FBI and LAPD will hold a joint meeting. If it’s okay with you, we can go first thing in the morning. Say around ten?”

  She nodded. “That time works for me.”

  “Great, and thanks for your understanding. When you get hungry, there’s a pretty nice restaurant in this hotel. If you prefer something else, just call me,” he said, passing his business card to her. “If I don’t answer by the second ring, the call will be transferred to my personal assistant. She’s been given strict orders to give you anything you need. If you leave the hotel for any reason, a private car will be at your disposal to take you anywhere you want to go.”

  “Thank you, Agent Riviera. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll check on you later, after my meetings. I hope you find the accommodations here to your satisfaction.”

  Randi glanced around. It was a beautiful hotel. There was a huge spectacular atrium populated with numerous flowers and plants, and the ultramodern decor spoke of class. If this was a sample of what awaited her in her hotel room, she couldn’t wait to get up there. Smiling, she turned back to Agent Riviera. “I’m sure that I will.”

  * * *

  “SO MR. BIG, you got this, right? You’re going to take care of that psychic so she doesn’t mess up our plans?”

  Our plans? Leo Stillwell fought hard to keep the smile plastered on his face. The punk standing in front of his desk had no idea he was nothing more than a pawn being used to carry out his plan. There was no our in it, but he wouldn’t tell the fool that yet. In the end, Rick Constantine would be disposed of like the others.

  He stood. “I said I did, didn’t I? But of course I’m going to need my right-hand man. Let me figure a few things out. I’ll call and let you know when I want to make a hit.”

  “A hit? So you intend to kill her?”

  He heard both surprise and excitement in Constantine’s voice. For someone so young, he had a killer instinct that Leo admired, but Rick Constantine couldn’t be trusted. If he could so easily betray his gang for money, then there was no way Leo could fully trust that Rick wouldn’t do the same to him if given the chance. “Yes, I plan to kill her.”

  There was no need to explain to this nitwit that now he would get his revenge. He had read the papers this morning and had seen the news about Dr. Fuller being brought in to assist the FBI in circumventing a possible gang war. Things couldn’t have worked out more to his advantage if he had planned them himself. He could start the gang war and finally settle the score with Dr. Fuller.

  “Leave so I can set our plans in motion.”

  Constantine gave him a huge, silly-looking grin. “That’s what I like about you, Big Man. You don’t waste time taking care of business.” The cocky young man then turned and walked out the door.

  Leo leaned back in his chair, thinking Constantine would see firsthand just how fast he worked when it was Constantine’s time to get a bullet blown in his damn head.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  RANDI TOOK IN her surroundings. Just as she’d figured, the suite was simply beautiful. The furnishings, especially the king-size bed, looked comfortable and inviting. Instead of carpeting on the floor, the set of rooms had rich-looking hardwood floors, a fireplace and tray ceilings with exquisitely crafted crown moldings. A set of French doors led onto a balcony that provided a scenic view of downtown Los Angeles.

  She’d been to Los Angeles several times. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing more majestic than downtown LA at night. All the skyscrapers and brilliant steel beams cast a beautiful reflective glow of the moonlit sky.

  A part of her wished she had someone to share the experience with, and for the first time in a long while, she felt the pangs of loneliness. She had her work to keep her busy, and that had always sufficed.

  But that was before she’d met Quasar.

  Unpacking her luggage, she paused as she felt a deep flutter in her heart. How could a man she’d spent only one day with have such an impact on her state of being? Could it be that she’d looked forward to this weekend with him more than she’d realized? She shook off the thought. She had work to do and couldn’t let thoughts of Quasar fill her mind. She would get a good night’s sleep and be well rested when she went to the crime scene in the morning.

  She had finished unpacking and was about to open the reference guide of all the dining places in the hotel when her cell phone rang. She reached out, picked it up and tried to slow the pounding of her heart when she saw it was Quasar.

  It was as if he’d known she’d been thinking of him and had called. “Hello, Quasar.”

  “Hello. How are you?”

  She couldn’t help wondering how any man could have such a sexy voice. “I’m fine. I made it to LA, and the hotel the Bureau has put me up in is simply gorgeous.”

  “Is it?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what hotel is it?”

  “The Westwind.”

  “I’ve heard that’s a nice one.”

  “It is. I love my suite, and the balcony view of downtown LA is
stunning. I’ll bet it looks gorgeous at night from here. I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Wish I could see it with you.”

  His words warmed her body, heightened the beat of her heart and filled her with a passionate sexual aura. “I wish you could, too.” Too late, she realized she’d spoken her covert thoughts out loud. She should have regretted saying them, but a part of her couldn’t when she’d stated the truth.

  “I can make that happen, Randi.”

  She chuckled softly. “How can you when you’re in Virginia and I’m in California?”

  “Um, good question. You must be pretty high up to have such a view.”

  “Not too high. I’m on the thirtieth floor.”

  “That’s pretty high up.”

  A corner of Randi’s lips curved into a smile. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.”

  She could hear him chuckle, and the sound made her stomach do a quick somersault. “Naw, I’m okay with heights, but I refuse to sleep in a hotel room with the number nine anywhere on the door. The last two times I did, by the time I checked out, I was sick.”

  “Poor baby. Then I guess I should appreciate I don’t have a nine in mine. In fact, my room number is kind of neat since the last two numbers represent both my parents’ birthdays, April 4. I’m in room 3044.”

  “Your parents share birthdays?”

  “Yes, same day but different years. That makes it pretty easy when we do birthday parties for them.”

  “I’ll bet. Well, I just wanted to check and see how you were doing. May I call you later? Will you be in?”

  “Yes. The plans to go to the crime scene were postponed until tomorrow, so I’ll be here for the rest of the day. I’m ordering room service so I can stay in and relax.”

  “Alright. Enjoy your time.”

  “I will, and thanks for calling.”

  Randi clicked off the phone and drew in another deep breath. Quasar had called to see how she was doing. She shouldn’t have been so moved by the gesture but she was.

  * * *

  QUASAR CLICKED OFF the phone and maneuvered the rental car out of the airport’s parking lot and into LA traffic. He couldn’t wait to see Randi, especially the shock on her face when she opened her hotel room door. He knew she had her work to do and didn’t intend to interfere with that. All he knew was that he wanted to see her. Breathe in her scent. Hold her in his arms. Taste her lips.

  He also knew that at some point while in LA, he would contact his family. And he used the term family loosely because as far as he was concerned, his true family was back in Charlottesville. He tried to recall the first time he’d noticed his father preferring Doyle over him and quickly concluded there had never been a time when he hadn’t. For years Quasar had questioned whether he was Louis Patterson’s biological son, but knew there was no way he wasn’t. Although he and Doyle had inherited Elaina Martinez Patterson’s chestnut-brown Afro-Cuban coloring, their facial features were those of his father. There was no way he wasn’t Louis Patterson’s biological son, and the reason behind Louis’s blatant disregard of him remained a painful mystery. A mystery he was ready to have solved.

  Pushing those thoughts away, he shifted his mind back to Randi. Before leaving Charlottesville, he had felt the need to research the two LA gangs involved in her case just to see what she was getting into. GRETA had provided data, stats and images of the Warlords and Revengers. He’d read the majority of the report on the flight here. It had practically chilled his blood learning about some of the things both groups were accused of doing. And that dream last night hadn’t helped matters. He still had that funny feeling in his gut. It was unsettling and he wasn’t sure what it meant. At least he and Randi would be at the same hotel. Now that he knew her room number, he hoped to get a room on the same floor.

  Sensations unknown to him before meeting Randi curled his stomach. Quasar knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was something drawing him to her in an unprecedented way. He’d thought of her nonstop since last weekend. She’d been in his hot fantasies during practically every waking thought. Their time together on Saturday had been meant to purge her from his mind, but instead it had only solidified her presence there. Why?

  And why had he caught himself smiling like a stupid fool whenever he remembered something she’d said or done on Saturday? How they’d walked side by side holding hands at the museum and the zoo. How they’d fed each other at her uncle’s restaurant. And then there had been the kiss that bathed him in both heat and desire. How perfectly their tongues tangled, and how well she fit in his arms with their bodies pressed together. Solid against soft.

  Half an hour later, thoughts of Randi still filled Quasar’s mind as he walked into the Westwind Hotel. He glanced around, impressed by the decor as he walked over to the check-in desk, where a middle-aged woman was smiling at him. “Welcome to the Westwind.”

  He returned her smile as he looked at her gold-plated name tag. “Hello, Angela. I need to check in for a few days.”

  The woman beamed when he called her by her first name. “Certainly. How many days will you be with us?”

  “I hope to have business wrapped up in a week.”

  “Okay. Would you prefer king or double?”

  Although Quasar figured it was wishful thinking on his part, he couldn’t help but envision Randi in that bed. “King will work. And if possible, I want to be on the thirtieth floor. Room 3044 if you have it. I stayed in it the last time I was here,” he lied. “The view outside my balcony window was awesome.”

  He watched as the woman’s fingers typed something on the keyboard of her computer. Moments later she lifted disappointed eyes to his. “I’m sorry, sir, but that room is presently occupied.”

  He plastered a crestfallen look on his face, as well. “Oh. Do you have a room close to that one with a balcony?”

  “Let me check.” Within moments she looked at him with a huge smile. “I have something, Mr. Patterson. The room next door to 3044 is available. Will that room work for you?”

  A grin touched Quasar’s lips, too. “That hotel room will be perfect.”

  * * *

  RANDI WALKED OUT of the bathroom feeling relaxed after taking a leisurely soak in the tub. Deciding it was too early to put on her pajamas, she had changed into a pair of floral print palazzo pants and a yellow cold-shoulder tunic. For simplicity’s sake, she had twisted her hair into a knot atop her head.

  She checked her phone and saw she hadn’t missed a call from Agent Riviera. She could only assume his meetings were taking longer than expected. She had, however, missed a call from her parents. She returned it, glad to hear their voices. They were now in China and would leave in a week to return home. Her mother put her on speakerphone, and from the sound of her parents’ voices, Randi could tell they were enjoying their anniversary trip.

  After talking with her parents, Randi called Haywood to let her know she had arrived safely. She talked longer than anticipated when Haywood told her about the plans she’d made for Trey’s birthday dinner and began soliciting ideas.

  When she finished talking to Haywood, Randi was about to pick up the phone and order room service when her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Haywood calling her back, without checking her phone ID, she clicked on and said, “What now, Haywood?”

  “This isn’t Haywood.”

  No, it wasn’t. The deep, sexy voice was undeniable, and she recognized it immediately. “Quasar?”

  “Yes?”

  Two phone calls from him in the same day? She wondered what was going on...not that she was complaining. “Hi. Is anything wrong?”

  “It depends.”

  She tried to downplay the effect the sexiness in his voice was having on her. “Depends on what?”

  “Whether you were serious about wanting me to view downtown LA from your bal
cony with you tonight.”

  Her mouth quirked into a smile. “If I say yes, what do you plan to do? Materialize inside my hotel room?”

  Before he could answer, there was by a knock at her hotel room door. “Excuse me, Quasar. There’s someone at the door.”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  Holding her phone in her hand she crossed the room to the door and looked out the peephole. She blinked, wondering if she was seeing things. Standing in front of her door, smiling at the peephole while holding a phone to his ear was...

  Quasar?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  RANDI SLOWLY BACKED AWAY from the door, semishocked, slightly dazed. Drawing in a deep, I-must-be-seeing-things breath, she lifted her phone to ask, “Do you have a twin, Quasar?”

  She heard his sensual chuckle. “No. It’s me at the door.”

  Randi returned to the door quickly to open it. For the longest time she just stood there. All she could do was stare at the handsome man dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a sports jersey. She thought the same thing now that she had the night she’d first seen him. Quasar Patterson was so ridiculously handsome she could barely keep breathing while looking at him. He made true the statement that a man could take a woman’s breath away.

  “Are you going to invite me in, Randi?” He slid his phone into the back pocket of his jeans, and her gaze was drawn to his taut muscular thighs when he did so.

  She blinked after realizing how long she’d been staring. But there was so much to stare at. Quasar was causing her womb to contract, while lust to a degree she experienced only around him rushed through her veins. “Yes, come in,” she said, stepping aside.

  She closed the door behind him and leaned against it when he walked into the middle of her suite. He turned to face her, and she could feel the heat of his brown bedroom eyes roam over her outfit. “You look nice, Randi.”

  “Thanks. You look nice, too.” She shook her head to clear her brain. “How did you...? When did you...?” Randi wondered if he was following her clipped questions.