Wicked Deception
Lee Anne Jones
Traci Douglass
Lindsay K. Below
Lee Anne Jones
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
About the Author
Other Books By Lee Anne Jones
1
“Please, Uncle Dom, don’t go yet. We only got a week this time. Can’t you stay longer?”
Dominic “Dom” Ranucci looked over at his nephew, Milo, and gave him an apologetic smile. He wanted to stay and spend more time with his precious family more than anything in the world, but duty called. And when duty called, Dom answered. “Sorry, kiddo. I have to go to work. I’ll come back though, you know I will. And next time it’ll be for longer.”
“Promise?”
He reached over and ruffled the boy’s dark hair, the same color all the Ranuccis had inherited. “Promise, kiddo.”
After shoving a few more essentials into his suitcase, Dom zipped the thing up and straightened. This was his home away from home whenever he could find the time, which wasn’t often these days. Even if the space was a bit cramped for a six-foot-four-inch guy like him. For years he’d tried to convince Angela to move to a bigger house—maybe one that had a guest bedroom or two and a yard for the ever-growing, eight-year-old Milo to play in. Even offered to help her with the down payment, but she always refused.
Oh well. Wasn’t like it was his decision to make. He lifted his suitcase off the futon beside the washer and dryer and took one last, longing look at his small cardboard box of mementos tucked near one end of the basement then headed upstairs. A quick check of his watch showed Felix, his handler, should be there any minute.
“Are you sure you can’t at least call or Skype?” Angela asked him from the small open kitchen once he walked into the living room. He sat his suitcase near the door then shoved a few of Milo’s toys aside to take a seat on her sofa. Angela was a single mom, doing the best she could for her son, and always tried to keep the place neat and tidy, though the job was thankless and never-ending.
Kind of like what he did.
Well, if you didn’t factor in the danger.
“Milo really misses you when you’re gone,” Angela continued.
“I know. I miss him too.” Dom raked a hand through his thick curls then squinted out the window nearby. The bright sun always stung his eyes, the curse of having such light blue-gray irises, his mom had always said. “Can’t though. The company I work for has strict policies. I’m sorry. I’ll be back soon to visit, I promise.”
At least he managed not to wince at the lie. He hated being untruthful with his family, even if that’s what kept them safe and kept him alive. Not wanting to dwell on uncomfortable, unalterable subjects, he pushed to his feet and joined his sister in the tiny kitchen. Pulled a bottled water out of the fridge then leaned against the edge of the counter. “I wish you’d let me give you some money to help around here.”
“Forget it, bro.” She waved him out of the way and opened the oven. The tantalizing smell of fresh-baked cookies wafted around him, and his stomach grumbled. “I don’t need charity.”
“Charity?” He waited until she’d removed two sheets of cookies and transferred them to plates to cool, then snagged a couple from the top of the stack. She smacked his hand away, but it was too late. His reflexes had always been faster. “You let me camp out here whenever I want and eat your food and use your water. It’s not charity, it’s me chipping in to pay my share.”
He shoved several cookies into his mouth at once and savored the gooey deliciousness of the melted chocolate and warm cookie dough.
She smiled and used her thumb to wipe a smudge off his cheek. “No, Dom. I appreciate everything you do for me and Milo. The way you’ve stepped in as a surrogate dad? That’s all the payment I need.”
“Aw, now don’t go getting all mushy on me, sis.” He pulled her in for a quick hug before she could protest, and while her face was buried in his chest, he slipped several hundred-dollar bills between the canisters for her to discover once he’d gone. She might decline his help, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t give it anyway.
A horn honked outside, and he sighed. Felix. Time to hit the road. After one final squeeze, he let Angela go. “My ride’s here.”
“Yeah.” She tucked a hank of hair behind her ear and stared up at him, at least half a foot shorter but with the same misty gray-blue eyes as him. Only Milo had brown eyes, same as his deadbeat father. Dom’s gut cramped whenever he thought about it. “See you around, big bro.”
“See you around, sis.” He grabbed his suitcase and headed to the exit. “Stay safe.”
“You too,” Angela called. “Someday you’re going to tell me where you really disappear to, right?”
Dom opened the door then looked back at her over his shoulder. “I’m like Superman, off to save the world.”
“Yeah, right.”
“See ya.” Dom blew a kiss to Milo then jogged down the front steps to the nondescript black sedan waiting at the curb. As he approached, the trunk popped open, and he stowed his bag inside, blaming the wetness in his eyes on the sun and not his latest round of painful goodbyes.
The man beside him in the front seat was Felix Balthis—tall and lean with the distinct, hard-edged look of a trained warrior. His handler gave him some serious side-eye. “I’ll look in on them while you’re gone.”
“I know. Doesn’t make it any easier, though.”
“I know.” Felix slid on a pair of aviator shades and stared straight ahead. “Ready?”
Tightness constricted Dom’s chest, and he took one final look out the passenger window at his sister’s tiny abode. Time to leave this life behind again. Time to go take down the bad guys once more. Time to save the world, just like he’d told Angela.
That part had been complete truth.
“I’m never ready.” Dom slipped his Ray-Bans over his eyes and buckled his seat belt. “But let’s do it anyway.”
2
Olivia Rockford looked up from the file at the man seated across from her. Tom Bates. On paper the guy seemed perfect—former security guard, black belt in karate, supervisory experience. Not to mention his striking good looks.
Too perfect.
She leaned a bit to the side and peered past him out into the reception area, where her older brother, Blake, currently stood. He might be trying to look casual, hanging out and talking to the secretaries with his pet iguana perched on his shoulder, but she knew the truth. He was watching her like a hawk through the glass wall of her office.
Sure enough, as if sensing her gaze, Blake straightened and gave her a tentative thumbs-up sign. If she weren’t in the middle of an interview, she would’ve marched right over and given him a finger gesture of her own. Instead, she gave him a look then focused on Mr. Perfect’s file once more.
She still had no idea why she had to sit here and waste her precious time. Blake had already hired the guy anyway. Never mind her title was COO of the comp
any.
No reason for him to consult me before he hands out jobs to people I have to oversee.
Of course not. None at all.
Liv sighed and traced her finger down the page. “Mr. Bates, tell me about your background.”
He looked at her, his light blue-gray eyes showing a spark of interest before going flat. “Everything’s there in my resume, ma’am.”
“Yes.” She closed the folder then clasped her hands atop it. Didn’t like to talk about himself. Unusual for such a handsome man, in her experience anyway. She lifted a brow and narrowed her gaze. Good. Just because Blake had already given this guy the job didn’t mean she had to make this interview comfortable for him too. “Now tell me what’s not in it.”
A muscle ticked near his stubble-shadowed jaw. “My last position was with Boyd International. In addition, I’ve worked at several different gambling establishments here in Las Vegas, mainly on-site security for crowd control and night monitoring.”
She watched him for any signs of deceit and found none.
Damn.
Normally, this guy would have been right up her alley, attraction-wise. Tall, muscular without being too stacked, a deep voice that could melt butter. She shook her head and looked away. Him being an employee here put him firmly in the Do Not Date zone. “Your jobs here will vary from case to case. For example, we just signed a big, new contract with the Lucky Ace Casino to handle all of their day-to-day security needs as well as special events. But Rockford Security also handles other, more high-profile types of jobs too—celebrity bodyguard detail, art exhibits, even transportation of high-risk goods. Whatever our customers’ needs, we do our best to handle them.” She sat back and crossed her arms. “I’m not clear on exactly what type of position my brother promised you, Mr. Bates, but right now I don’t have any supervisory positions open. You’ll be starting out as rank and file. Will that be an issue? How about working for a woman? Some men have problems with that.”
He sat back in his seat as well, crossed his arms. “Nope. No problems here.”
The material of his suit clung intriguingly to his muscled biceps and made her more curious as to what hid beneath his staid business attire.
Wait. What?
Liv sat forward again. He did the same.
Mimicking body language. The Art of Negotiations 101. The guy was good. Too bad she was better. Not to mention the fact he moved with an easy grace and confidence that only seemed to make her want to rattle his cage and crack his stoic façade like he’d cracked hers.
She stared at his resume once more then smiled, a wicked idea forming.
Sometimes I hate my job. And sometimes…
“You’re a black belt in karate?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Per our HR guidelines, you’ll be required to pass a test of those skills in order to get the base pay and to qualify for any bodyguard positions. Did you bring training clothes? If not, we have some extras down in the employee gym.”
“We’re doing this now?” His tone remained bland, but he raised a dark brow.
“You want this job, right?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” Liv pushed to her feet and smothered a smile. If Blake wanted to foist people off on her, then she’d make them earn it. She halted by the door and gestured for him to follow. “Let’s go.”
“Ready?”
Tom stared across the mat at his new boss and did his best not to notice the way that gray T-shirt clung to Olivia Rockford’s curves. He was here on assignment, nothing more. Proving himself on these gigs was nothing new, a normal occurrence in the testosterone-fueled world of security. What he hadn’t expected, though, was for the challenge to come from the boss herself.
Man, his sister would’ve had a field day if she could’ve seen this.
Nope. He forced the memories of his other life aside and concentrated on the task at hand. “Um, I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t understand what you want me to do.”
She bounced lightly from foot to foot, her posture ready to strike, her jiggling breasts distracting him to no end. “I want you to fight me.”
He straightened, doing his best to hide his surprise. “Fight you?”
You have no idea what you’re asking me to do, lady.
“Yeah, fight me.” She narrowed her pretty green gaze on him and gave a snarky half grin. “What’s the matter? Can’t fight a woman? In this job, you won’t get far if you can’t. Or maybe you’re just scared I’ll beat you, eh?”
Several people stopped working out to watch the spectacle. Apparently, Olivia Rockford was used to kicking a little ass to get things done. He would’ve admired her gumption—if it didn’t run smack up against his cover.
He glanced around, spotting a sea of unfamiliar faces and one he recognized. Blake Rockford, the man who owned the company and the person who’d hired him. A couple of other guys stood near him, more siblings if the close resemblance was any indication. His brief on the case had said Rockford Security was family owned and operated. Still, this was nuts. He’d never send his sister up against someone taller and stronger. Then again, given what he’d seen of Olivia’s bullheaded nature so far, Blake had little to no control over his sister’s decisions.
With no other options apparent, Tom sighed. “Okay. Fine. If you want to fight, we’ll fight.”
He took a classic defensive stance, planning to let her be the aggressor. There was less chance of him hurting her that way.
“About damned time.” Liv charged at him then veered in a different direction at the last second, catching him by surprise and easily swiping his feet out from under him. Tom landed flat on his back, the air whooshing from his lungs and leaving him breathless and panting.
The crowd around them cheered and jeered.
Well, damn.
Maybe this wasn’t such a mismatched fight after all.
Fresh admiration blossoming, he rolled over and climbed to his feet once more.
They bowed then engaged again. Once more he remained in defense mode, allowing her to strike several punishing blows to his torso and arms. They’d leave bruises but no permanent damage. Nothing he couldn’t handle. Hell, he’d received far worse in the field.
After several minutes, Tom was forced to admit Olivia was good. Damned near close to his own level, truth be told. Maybe he could fight back, just a little, to test the limits of her abilities.
The next time she charged, he grasped her forearm, intent on busting out a few krav maga moves. Karate might be the only martial art listed on the resume, but it was only one of the many self-defense arts he practiced. After all, a man had to keep his skills upgraded when undercover.
Unfortunately, his new boss seemed to have those skills mastered too, because she disrupted his center of gravity just like a pro, leveraging his greater bulk up and over her shoulder to flip him back onto the floor again.
Dazed, he stared up at her beautiful face, her forearm now pressed ominously against his windpipe. She could crush his airway with one hard push, yet the only thing his oxygen-deprived brain seemed to be able to comprehend was the feel of her thighs clamped tight around his ribcage.
“Do you yield?” she asked, her voice tough as steel.
He nodded, eyes closed to keep from betraying his rapidly growing lust.
This was crazy, insane, not to mention completely against protocol.
He was here to do a mission, to get inside Rockford Security and discover their secrets, to get this damned job done so he could get back to his real life once more.
Not screw his boss and jack up his career.
She stood then extended a hand to help him up. “You okay?”
Tom accepted her help, rolling his sore neck and shoulders. “That was impressive.”
“Thanks.” She grabbed a towel from the nearby stack then handed him one as well. “You need to work on your right side. That’s where your defense is weakest.”
He stared at her while she wiped away a sheen
of sweat from her forehead. The whole thing seemed like a slow-motion porno. He swallowed hard against his nearly overwhelming urge to lick her neck, to taste the salt from her skin, to see if she felt as lush and warm as she looked…
Christ Almighty.
“Get cleaned up and changed.” The loud smack of her towel across his back jolted Tom back to reality. “Then meet me back here for the tour.”
The tour? It took his beleaguered brain a moment to comprehend her words. “Does that mean I’m hired?”
She turned and backed toward the ladies’ locker-room door, her grin wide. “Welcome to Rockford Security.”
Tom stood there for a long moment, blinking at the spot where she’d been, still lost in a fog of “what the fuck?” One of the guys from the rapidly dispersing crowd clapped him on the shoulder. “Yeah, welcome to Rockford Security. May you live to regret it.”
3
Twenty minutes later, Liv was back out in the hallway outside the gym. Their crowd of spectators had gone, leaving her and Tom to board the elevator back up to the executive floor alone.
While they waited, she couldn’t help giving him a side-glance once-over. Seeing him in action had only made her more aware of his hot bod and fast reflexes. And men with those kinds of mad skills usually performed well in other areas too…
The elevator dinged, and she shook her head, moving to a spot on the opposite side of the compartment from him. According to her watch, she was late for her next meeting, dammit. That’s what she got for allowing the receptionist to schedule her meetings. “Sorry, I’m afraid I need to pass your tour off to one of our guards. Would you mind?”
“No, not at all.” They arrived upstairs a few moments later, and Tom held the door for her.
“Great. Let me just see who’s available.” As she passed him on her way to the reception desk, Liv caught a hint of his scent—cedar and sandalwood and clean male. Forget his combat skills. It should be illegal for a man to smell that good, let alone one of her employees.
Wicked Deception (The Rockford Security Series Book 5) Page 1