Wicked Deception (The Rockford Security Series Book 5)

by Lee Anne Jones

  Jace looked up from his stack of folders and frowned. “You look flustered. What’s the matter?”

  “You mean other than the fact one of my employees might be our leak?”

  Jace frowned. “You don’t even know that he handed something off.”

  “Why else would he purposely bump into someone and then leave his coffee on the table? I’m sure I saw him slip his hand in that guy’s pocket.”

  “Maybe he’s a pickpocket.” Jace smiled at his own joke. “Seriously, I think you are blowing this out of proportion. Could be nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing.” She tossed her purse onto the table and sank into one of the chairs across from her younger brother. “What if he’s giving out sensitive security information to an unknown source? What if another team gets robbed? What if this time someone ends up killed and not just injured, huh?”

  “Jesus, sis. Calm down.” Jace sat forward and rested his tattooed forearms on the table. “Take a deep breath and let me handle this, okay?”

  She narrowed her gaze, fingers tapping on the tabletop. “Maybe I should call the police.”

  “And tell them what? Tell them you saw some guy who works here get a coffee and bump into another guy?”

  “To pass him information.”

  “Is that so? What did he pass him? How do you know it was something about our company? What did the pick-up guy look like?”

  “I don’t know what he passed him. Something small. Maybe a thumb drive. The guy who took it was big, not as big as Tom though, and he looked like a gangster.”

  “Fantastic. That’ll have the cops swarming the place in no time.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “Well, I can’t just sit here and do nothing.” Disgruntled, Liv sat back and crossed her arms. “I hate feeling helpless.”

  Jace snorted. “You’re about as helpless as a pissed-off dragon. And you are doing something. You’re allowing me to look into it first. I’ll figure out if there are any new leaks that we can trace back, then we’ll have proof to bust him… if he is leaking information.” He gave her a small grin that did little to make her feel better. “Besides, we’re a security firm. We should be able to handle things like this on our own. I’ve already called Brandon, and he’s checking on it. He should be able to tell from the logs if any files were copied today.”

  “What about Tom? Blake has us working out in the field again tomorrow. Should I call him and cancel? Fire him?”

  “No.” Jace held up a finger while he took an incoming call, then hung up. “It’s important for you to act normal. If he is doing something, we don’t want to spook him or give him any reason to think we know about what he’s doing.”

  “Shit.” She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure he saw me at the coffee shop.”

  “So?” Jace chuckled. “Last time I checked, you and Laura practically live there anyways. It would have been more strange if he hadn’t seen you there.”

  Liv exhaled, her shoulders drooping. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Damn straight I’m right.”

  “I’ll at least talk to Blake and see if we can get Tom reassigned for now, so he won’t be a risk.”

  “Which part of ‘act normal’ didn’t you understand.” Jace gave her a pointed stare. “Listen, you two have been working pretty close since the ambush. You keep an eye on him. If he’s going to let his guard down around anyone right now and give up the other thieves, it would be you. If he thinks we’re onto him, though, he might deliberately misdirect us. No. Keep things the same. That’s our best bet to get valuable information we can use against him. Got it?”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Honestly, sis, I don’t think Tom has anything to do with the leak. I have a gut feeling about him. I think he’s a good guy. I wouldn’t suggest you still work with him if I didn’t, but if anything happens or you feel threatened at all, you call me, all right?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ve kicked Tom’s ass once already. I’ll do it again if I have to.” She put all the false bravado she could muster into the statement, earning her a nod and a proud grin from her brother. “I think I’ll head home now. See you tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  Liv was back in the lobby when she realized she’d left her coffee in the conference room.

  Tom waited outside the employee entrance to Rockford Security, the cool brick against his back helping to ease the knot of tension between his shoulder blades. After he’d spotted Liv in the coffee shop, he’d had to think fast.

  The drop-off would have happened whether she was there or not, and he wanted to avoid any possible collateral damage, so he’d hastened things along by bumping into his contact and slipping the thumb drive into his pocket. He’d not heard back, so he assumed all had gone according to plan.

  Still, he couldn’t seem to erase Liv’s confused expression or the question in her pretty green eyes followed by the spark of sick realization. She thought the worst of him, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He just hoped he hadn’t damaged his ability to access Rockford’s data. Best he could do in the form of damage control was try to explain without giving too much away.

  So he’d tracked her back here and waited. Blake was already gone, but the other one, her younger brother, Jace, was still working. Something about the way that guy looked at him set all Tom’s instincts on high alert. Like he was onto him. He didn’t like that feeling. Not at all.

  The door beside him whooshed open, and Liv stalked out, headed toward her SUV.

  “Hey.” He stepped out from the shadows.

  “Oh!” She turned fast, and he retreated, remembering her mean right cross. “Tom.”

  The look on her beautiful face was an odd mix of anger and wariness. Neither of those emotions would work to his advantage, so his best bet right now was charm. Not that charming her would require any effort. He’d not been able to get her off his mind since he’d started here—the way she looked, the way she smelled, the way her outer strength harbored what he sensed was an inner vulnerability. He wanted to get to know that inner Liv more than he wanted his next breath, but this was about the job.

  Always about the job.

  He stepped closer and allowed their ever-present chemistry to wash over him. “I thought you were going home.”

  She tucked a strand of her long sable hair behind her ear and stared at the toes of her sensible pumps. He’d expect a knockout like Liv to wear come-fuck-me shoes. Then again, Liv always managed to surprise him.

  “I was, but uh, I forgot something upstairs.” Her voice sounded husky and deep, making him think of dark nights and mussed sheets.

  “Where’s your coffee? I saw you at the shop earlier.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Her breath caught. “I needed another shot of caffeine to carry me home. It’s been a long week.”

  “Yeah, it has. So where is it?”

  “I finished it already.”

  Liar.

  The woman wasn’t capable of drinking coffee fast to save her life. If he’d learned nothing else working closely with her this past week, he’d learned that. She had this whole ritual thing about drinking the stuff that mesmerized him. First, she’d remove the lid to let it cool slightly. Then she’d blow on it, puckering those full, lush lips into a perfect bow, her little pink tongue poking out to lick the rim…

  As if sensing his wayward thoughts, she took a step back, frowning slightly. Her eyes dropped to the coffee stain on his shirt. “What about you? Why did you rush out of the coffee shop like that?”

  He glanced down at his shirt. “I was coming over to say hi to you but then realized I had a haircut appointment, and when I spun around, I ran into that guy. Embarrassing.”

  He inched closer into her personal space until she was backed up against the brick wall where he’d been moments before. He wasn’t sure if he was doing it to distract her from the whole coffee-shop scene or if he just wanted to be close to her. Probably both.


  “Doesn’t seem like you had a lot of time for a haircut.” Her voice breathless. “And what are you doing back here?”

  “I just needed the bottom tidied up.” He pointed toward the nape of his neck, exuding as much confidence as he could, hoping it would translate into her believing his lie. “I came back for my car.” He tilted his head toward a black sedan parked at the other end of the lot.

  Her gaze flicked to the car then to the nape of his neck, her top teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. Tom’s body tightened with need. What he wouldn’t give to nibble that lip too. His head dipped closer to hers.

  She splayed her palm against his chest, the heat searing into him. “I need to go.”

  “Me too.”

  Neither moved for a long second. The world around him seemed to shrink to just this moment, just this woman, just this incredible molten desire between them.

  And that wasn’t allowed.

  Certainly not now. Maybe not ever.

  Finally, Tom stepped back. He’d need to watch himself with her, and not just because of the job. Because he’d almost lost control. He’d almost kissed her, and that couldn’t happen. Because he knew that one kiss with Liv would never be enough.

  Late Sunday night, Tom entered Glam, a local karaoke bar that looked like a cross between a Goth emporium and an eighties pop explosion. He walked up to the bartender and flashed a neon-green plastic chip.

  The bartender cocked his head toward the left, indicating a curtained doorway guarded by two hulking thugs. Tom had been here before, more times than he cared to remember. The back room of this place was where they always had their meetings. Unlike the front venue, it was calm, quiet, and most of all—private. As he passed through the doorway to the VIP lounge, a new singer took the stage—if you used the term loosely—and crooned a drunken rendition of the old Linkin Park chestnut “Numb.”

  Lord, the things I endure in the name of security…

  Once he passed through the heavy velvet curtains, it was like being on another planet—one set fifty years in the past. Soft jazz filtered through the smoky air, and the dim lighting and dark alcoves looked like something from a Rat Pack fever dream.

  Tom headed for their usual corner booth and slipped through another set of heavy velvet drapes, these tipped with small golden tassels. Inside waited his contact, looking like a Godfather reject and menacing as hell.

  “Hey. You discover anything?” Tom asked as he slid into his seat.

  “Nah. Nothing so far,” the other man said, a hint of Brooklyn in his accent. “But I passed your information along.”

  “Okay.” Tom settled into the overstuffed banquette and raked a hand through his hair, feeling a flash of relief that they hadn’t found anything in the information he’d passed along. Normally being out in the wee hours of a Sunday morning didn’t bother him, but tonight he felt every one of his thirty-three years. He blamed the lingering effects from that damned ambush, combined with the aftereffects of a certain woman with her wicked body and haunting kisses who’d refused to let him sleep last night. “Something feels off about this one. I need you to get me anything you can.”

  “Have you tried the art fence down at 18B yet?” His companion stubbed out his cigarette in a chunky crystal ashtray that could’ve been swiped straight from the Ocean’s Eleven set circa 1960. “Nikki Randall can probably tell you way more than I ever could.”

  “You really think the thieves would be dumb enough to fence that necklace?”

  “Not whole, but they might sell it off one diamond at a time. Things like that take time though, so they’d need other jobs in the interim. Chances are Nikki would know what work is available in their… specialty.”

  “Shit.” He and Nikki hadn’t exactly parted on amicable terms last time, considering he’d had her arrested and held for contempt, but still. Didn’t look like he had many other viable options. “Fine.”

  His temples pounded, and his eyes felt scratchy. Definitely time to head home and get some rest. He exited the booth then turned back. “Thanks, man.”

  “Of course.” The guy smiled, all white teeth and dark stubble. “I’ll get you more info when I can.”

  11

  That evening, Liv checked her makeup in her foyer mirror before grabbing her purse and the gift she’d bought for Laura and Mike’s engagement party and heading down to the lobby of her apartment building. As she stepped out into the hallway, however, she collided with a very solid, now very familiar male body.

  The scent of vanilla and sandalwood drifted to her, and her pulse quickened.

  Tom.

  She peeked around the side of an elegantly wrapped box at the man who never seemed far from her thoughts these days, no matter the time.

  He’d called her an hour prior and said he needed to see her. She’d thought about begging off, what with her little sister’s party and all, but damn. She needed to see him too, if only to prove to herself what a mistake it would be to get involved with him.

  Especially given the fact that odds were good he was two-timing her company, and her family, by proxy. She’d thought long and hard about the explanation he’d given her in the garage. He probably would have had time for a hair trim, but the way he’d acted in the coffee shop set her investigative senses tingling. Something was odd. Even so, she couldn’t help that gut feeling that told her Tom was a good guy. On her side. But maybe that was just her hormones messing with her common sense.

  Jace had insisted she make him think everything was normal between them. Except now that he was here and looking at her with those beautiful, heated blue-gray eyes, she wasn’t so sure telling Tom to come over had been such a great idea.

  She locked her door then walked down the hall to the elevators where she jammed the Down button with her forefinger. “How’d you get past the doorman? I was going to meet you in the lobby.”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Sorry.” She tapped the toe of her strappy sandal against the hardwood floor to dispel some nervous energy. Dangerous. She sighed and jammed the button again. This guy’s very dangerous indeed. “I’m in a hurry.”

  “I can see that.” He leaned a shoulder against the wall and gave her a slow smile. “Going somewhere?”

  “Wow.” The elevator dinged, and she rushed aboard without waiting for him to follow. “Your powers of observation are dazzling.”

  “Thanks.” He stepped in beside her and faced front. “It’s a gift really.”

  His self-deprecating humor helped defuse some of her tension. “It’s a family thing.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  “Crazy is more like it. You don’t know my family.”

  “I know some of them.” He gave her a side glance. “From the office.”

  “Oh, yeah.” She tucked her hair behind her ear with her free hand and stared at the closed metal doors while they made their slow descent. “I guess you do.”

  “I think I have a lead on the thieves. That’s the reason I called.”

  “Really?” She pivoted to face him as fast as the awkward box in her arms would allow. If Tom was the leak, why would he be giving her a lead on the thieves? Maybe Jace was right and she’d read too much into the coffee-shop meeting. Maybe Tom really was just klutzy and had bumped into the other guy by accident. Maybe her unwanted attraction to him was causing her to be overly suspicious, her subconscious creating fictional nefarious scenarios that would stop her from getting too close to him because she was afraid that if she did, he would easily crumble the carefully built wall she’d erected around her heart.

  Liv’s interest piqued. The necklace detail had been her job, and she’d botched it. She felt responsible to catch the thieves, and if following Tom’s lead—whether it was real or a fake lead designed to throw her off track—helped her figure out who had stolen then necklace, then it was worth following.

  “Why didn’t you say that up front?” she asked.

  “I don’t want to ruin your plans.” He took the gift from her and hoisted
it under his arm. “But I can check it out myself. Don’t worry. You go and have fun.”

  “Like hell.” They arrived in the lobby, and she held the door for Tom then followed him out, her heels click-clacking across the marble floor. “We’re partners. Did you drive?”

  “No, I took a cab.”

  “Okay. How about you ride with me to my brother’s house then. I don’t have to stay long, just need to make an appearance and greet everyone. Say congrats to the happy couple, all that good stuff. Then we can check out your lead together. Sound good?”

  “Um.” He walked down the sidewalk beside her in the gathering twilight. “Let me get this straight. You want me to come to your family thing with you? Like a date, you mean?”

  “No. Not like a date date.” Liv scowled, clicking the button on her key fob to unlock her SUV, parked several spots away near the curb. “No. I mean, yes. I mean…”

  Confused, she popped the back hatch and took the gift from him, shoving it inside the vehicle then slamming the door with more force than necessary. Get it together, girl. Just because the man scrambles your hormones doesn’t mean he has to scramble your brains too.

  She slid into the driver’s seat with a polite smile firmly plastered in place. “What I mean is, since I’m driving, it makes more sense for you to come with me, then we can leave the party to investigate.”

  “Okay.” Tom clicked his seat belt into place and stared out the windshield. “Sure. Guess I’m just surprised is all.”

  “Surprised?” Liv started the engine, signaled, then pulled out into traffic. “About what?”

  “About why you don’t have a real date for tonight.”

  Well, shit.

  She stopped at the red light and did her best not to fidget under his silent stare. Thing was, work had always been her forte, her safe haven. Work she could control. Her love life? Not so much. Especially now, because of him. Not that she’d tell Tom that. “I’m between relationships at the moment.”

  The light turned green, and she accelerated.