Sin

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he told her, reacting to the fearful eyes meeting his shaded ones. “The office door was unlocked and nobody was at the receptionist’s desk. I called out, but there was no answer—” He stopped short, noting the demeanor of the attractive woman staring back at him. She appeared shaken.

  “Is that the package?” Dana asked sharply, glancing briefly at the small parcel in his hand. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. The man looked down at the parcel.

  “Uh, yeah, I guess so.” He sounded vague as he held it out to her.

  “What’s in it?” Dana didn’t take her eyes off of him.

  He shrugged. “How should I know?”

  “Well you brought it in here,” Dana snapped. How dare this man stand there and act as though he didn’t know what was happening.

  “Listen lady, I don’t know what your problem is, but all I want to do is drop off a key. When I was in the hall I saw this package in front of the door, picked it up and came inside.”

  Placing the neatly wrapped bundle on the desk, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a door key. He slammed it down next to the package.

  “Now here’s the key. Give me my deposit check and I’m outta here.” He returned her insolent glare.

  Dana gave the abandoned key a cursory glance before returning her attention to him.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about! What key? What deposit? What are you saying? Are you asking for the ransom right now?”

  “Whoa! Ransom?” The man took a step backward with both hands held up as if to ward off a blow. “What ransom? Let’s start over here. I’m James Starr, Mrs. Mansfield…”

  “How do you know my name?” Dana’s voice bristled with suspicion.

  “I’ve seen pictures of you with your niece,” he answered referring to singing superstar, Darnell Cameron. “I’ve also read that you’re her attorney. Plus, Ray Wilson is a friend of mine.”

  He was aware that Ray was Dana’s brother-in-law, and Darnell’s stepfather. Yet Ray’s name drew no reaction from the woman, so he persisted.

  “I’m the guy who rented your condo. I got your place through Ray.”

  Dana looked at him blankly, trying to reconcile what he was saying with the reality of what she was presently facing. She vaguely remembered that her older sister, Bev Wilson, had made arrangements for the rental of Dana’s L.A. condo. Dana had been away at her family’s home recuperating from an accident.

  “So you’re not one of them?”

  “No, I guess I’m not,” a baffled James answered. “But who are you talking about when you say them?” His suspicions were rising. He hoped that what he was thinking was wrong.

  Dana didn’t answer as she walked away from him. James noticed that the fear in her eyes was still there.

  “Ray’s friend,” she repeated as if trying to comprehend what he had said. “Yes, I remember. Bev told me something about you.” Suddenly, she whirled to face him. “You’re the guy from New York City.”

  “Yes.” James was relieved that she seemed more rational. “I moved to L.A. a while ago and...”

  “Aren’t you a cop?” Dana looked wary.

  “Not anymore. I’m a partner in a security firm now.”

  “A security firm…a security firm,” Dana repeated absently. She was finding it hard to focus. All she could think about was the telephone call that she had received.

  Withdrawing his wallet from his back pocket, he pulled a business card from its interior and handed it to her. Dana glimpsed at the card but didn’t take it.

  “Business has been good in L.A.,” James continued. “We’re expanding to Northern California. I’m headed to San Francisco today to open a second West Coast office. I called earlier and told the woman I spoke to that I would drop off the key to the condo. She said my deposit would be here and—”

  James’ voice drifted off as he noticed that Dana wasn’t listening. Her eyes were fixed on the package that he had placed on her desk.

  Returning the card to his wallet, James gave a frustrated sigh. Oh hell! What had he stepped into?

  He had been a cop for over twenty years and he had seen the look on this woman’s face many times. Dana Mansfield wasn’t scared, she was terrified and his presence in her office wasn’t the reason. He hadn’t missed the word “ransom” in their conversation and there was this package wrapped in brown paper that seemed to be causing her distress. Toss in the fact that she was a high class attorney with a rich and famous client and even a rookie could read between the lines of what was happening here.

  “Mrs. Mansfield,” he said as a pair of sad eyes looked up at him. “Has somebody that you know been kidnapped?”

  SHADOWS OF LOVE

  Synopsis

  Nedra Davis Reasoner and her sinfully sexy husband, Sinclair Reasoner, have it all. Their lives are filled with love for their family, friends and their passion for each other. Nothing can tear their perfect world apart, until a shadowy figure appears in their lives and a long held secret is revealed. The shadow is in the form of a man who has had so many names that he’s not sure who he really is anymore. But, he does know what he is—a killer with a lot to lose.

  PROLOGUE

  Entering the front door, the woman walked into the house with the confidence of someone who knew its interior well. She had worked for the owner since he moved here years ago. She was his cook and his housekeeper. It was a job that she enjoyed.

  Her employer was a nice man. He wasn’t demanding and he paid well. She didn’t work on weekends, so she usually prepared his meals for those days ahead of time. When she came back to work on Monday, she had no idea that it wouldn’t be another normal day, until she found her employer in bed unconscious.

  That was three days ago. Since his hospitalization, his condition had gone from bad to worse. This morning the doctor had informed her that the situation was grave. He might not recover. They asked about his next of kin.

  She could provide them with no information. All she knew about the man for whom she worked was his name and that he was an American.

  He had arrived on the island as a tourist, a man in his mid-fifties with an expensive camera strapped around his neck. He was a nice looking man, well dressed and soft spoken, with an air of sophistication rarely seen in these parts. Most visitors to this remote area flocked here at a specific time of the year. The vast majority were surfers seeking the perfect wave. But, he was different. He came off season, speaking flawless Spanish, demonstrating a keen interest in the

  history of the island and its inhabitants. He admired and respected the culture, which endeared him to many and made them feel good about themselves. A few weeks later, he purchased the house in which she now worked, and became a permanent presence in their midst.

  No one really knew him well. Where he came from or why he had chosen to live among them was a mystery. He was a quiet man who kept to himself. His fellow islanders assumed he was retired from whatever he used to do. He lived comfortably, was friendly to his neighbors, but he didn’t include himself in unnecessary conversation or gossip, and his choice to do so was respected.

  Everyone on the island was familiar with his morning ritual. At the same time each morning he would leave his house and head to the local café. There he would order a cup of coffee and a breakfast roll. Then he would go to a wooden bin in the corner of the tiny establishment where an assortment of old newspapers left by tourist lay in a stack. Withdrawing, one, he would sit at his table, sip, eat and read.

  Because this was his routine, she rarely fixed him breakfast, but three days ago word had quickly reached her that he hadn’t showed up at the café. It had been concern that brought her to his house earlier than usual and that was when she discovered him in bed, unresponsive.

  After getting the grim diagnosis about his condition from the doctor, she returned to his house and went into the bedroom that he had converted into an office. She was fairly certain that he kept his important pape
rs in the wooden desk she polished weekly and she reasoned that since this was an emergency, it wouldn’t be illegal to break into his locked desk drawers. Secretly, she had always wondered what he kept in there.

  Yet, getting into the drawer wasn’t easy. She used every tool she could think of, but nothing worked. Frustrated, she decided to search the rest of the house and return to the drawer later. She didn’t expect to find anything, but much to her surprise, buried deep in the back of her employer’s bedroom closet, behind his well appointed suits and ties, she found a metal safe deposit box burrowed inside a suitcase. There was a key taped underneath the box. It fit the lock and when it was opened she hoped what was inside would offer clues to the mystery of who he was.

  CHAPTER 1

  “I can’t believe this!”

  Nedra Davis-Reasoner banged on the steering wheel of her luxury vehicle in frustration. This could not be happening!

  Refusing to believe the obvious, she turned the key in the ignition and pressed down on the accelerator one more time. Nothing. No sound at all.

  Looking down at the Burberry trench coat she was wearing, she sighed in resignation. This could prove embarrassing.

  Weighing her options, she considered which one would be best. Should she call her husband, Sinclair, at his office or the auto club for a tow to a garage? Sinclair was closer to her.

  She was just about to push speed dial when there was a knock on her driver side window. Startled, Nedra jerked around to see a man peering at her.

  “Hey! You need some help?”

  Nedra nodded. “Yes, I think I do.”

  ****

  Sinclair Reasoner was feeling great. In a few hours he and Nedra would be on the road to Sausalito where he would spend the upcoming week overdosing on golf. His best friend, newspaper mogul, Brandon Plaine, introduced him to the sport years ago. Since then he had been hooked.

  Brandon was vacationing with his family at their home in Hawaii, but Sin would still have plenty of playmates. There was Ray Wilson who was married to Bev Cameron, the mother of Sin’s half sister. The Wilsons lived on a houseboat in Sausalito and Ray knew every course in Marin County. Almost as knowledgeable was their other golfing buddy, James Starr. He and his wife, Dana, lived in Tiburon, not far from Ray and his wife. Dana was Bev’s younger sister. The two women were Nedra’s cousins.

  This week was about spending time with family, which was something he always enjoyed. Orphaned as a child, he had grown up on the streets of New York City alone, longing for such a bond. Now, he cherished everything about being a part of his wife’s close-knit clan.

  There was a knock on his office door and his administrative assistant entered.

  “This just came for you, special delivery.” She handed him a single envelope, and placed the rest of the mail in his inbox. “And your wife is on line one. She tried to reach you on your cell phone, but it went to voice mail.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Reaching for the receiver Sin threw a cursory glance at the envelope he had been handed. It was from outside the United States, but he didn’t recognize the return address.

  “I’m going home now,” his assistant told him as she started toward the exit. “Enjoy your time off.” The door closed behind her. Sin pushed the speaker phone button.

  “Hey, babe, what’s up?” Absently, he slit the top of the envelope with a sliver plated opener and started to remove the contents.

  “Get in your car right now and come get me!” She sounded desperate.

  Sin froze. “Are you in trouble? Where are you?”

  She gave him the name of the garage where her car had been towed. “And hurry!”

  Tossing the envelope on the desk, Sin pocketed his cell phone, grabbed his suit jacket and hurried out of his office. When he arrived at the garage, Nedra was waiting outside. She snatched the car door open and slid inside as soon as he came to a stop.

  “Let’s go!” she ordered.

  Throwing her a puzzled glance, he pulled away from the curb. “What did you do, rob the place?”

  Covering her face with both hands, Nedra shook her head slowly and sank down in the seat.

  “Lord, have mercy!”

  “What happened? Did they stiff you on the car?”

  “Just drive, please.”

  Sin did as ordered, wondering what was wrong with his wife. She sat in the passenger seat holding her coat tightly against her body and looking glum. When he turned to head back to his office, she nearly jumped out her skin.

  “Where are you going? I thought you were going home!”

  “I left my briefcase. My laptop is in it. I want to take it with us. Now what’s wrong with you?”

  She ignored his question. “It’s past work hours, is anybody still there?”

  “No, not when I left.” Pulling into his private parking place in front of the Victorian mansion that housed his successful import business, he cut off the ignition and turned to face her. “Did something happen I should know about?” His voice deepened. “Did somebody hurt you?” He looked poised for action if she confirmed the latter.

  Understanding his concern, Nedra decided to show him rather than tell him.

  “Since nobody is inside, I’ll go with you upstairs. We’ll talk then.”

  When they arrived in his office, Sin closed the door behind them, leaned against it and crossed his arms. “So talk.”

  Tossing her purse on the desk, Nedra turned and let her eyes feast on the male specimen she had married. The man was downright fine. Who could resist that chocolate brown skin, those coal black eyes, that sexy cleft in his chin or the solitary gold earring he sported? Sinclair Reasoner turned the heads of women wherever he went. The slight sprinkle of gray in his hair and his well groomed moustache made him look distinguished. And when he flashed that smile of his, it was hard for a woman not to wet her panties. Sin’s nickname suited him well.

  Gazing at his fit, six foot two inch frame, Nedra considered herself a fortunate woman, but, Sin should consider himself fortunate too, and she was about to show him why.

  Nedra’s light brown eyes held his dark ones as she slowly unbuttoned her coat. She opened it with pain-staking care.

  Sin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. His shapely, five foot ten inch wife was standing in front of him dressed in a lacy black demi-bra, matching bikini panties, black patent leather high heels and nothing else.

  “Damn!” His manhood jerked involuntarily.

  Nedra gave an anguished sigh. “I was on my way here to surprise you, when my car stopped and there I was in the public streets half naked!” Her voice rose in distress.

  As he moved toward her like a man in a trance, Sin was trying to focus on what she was saying, but he was mesmerized by a pair of long nutmeg brown legs that seemed to go on forever. The curve of her bosom as they molded themselves to that bra had him throbbing. He broke into a sweat.

  Nedra slapped a hand to her forehead. “What was I thinking? I’m a minister for goodness sake! The mother of three children! I can’t run around town like this…”

  I wish.

  “…trying to play sex games with my husband!”

  Oh yes she could!

  Nedra grabbed his lapels. “All I wanted was for us to have a little playtime before we got on the road.”

  Yes!

  “You know I’ve never done anything like this before!”

  If only!

  She laid her head against his chest. “Some tow truck driver was behind me when the car stopped and helped me. I was so embarrassed. I was scared the whole time that somebody might find out I was running around like this.”

  Sin snaked his arms around her. Nedra snuggled against him. She was so glad that she had him there for comfort. That was until she heard the rumbling in his chest.

  She pulled back and looked up at him. “Are you laughing?”

  Sin shook his head vehemently. “Noooo!”

  The word came out in an unconvincing slur that ended in a definite snigger. He was
trying to keep a straight face, but was unsuccessful. He broke into laughter. Nedra pushed him away in disgust.

  “I don’t believe it! You’re laughing at me!”

  He was and he couldn’t stop. Sin laughed and laughed while Nedra fumed. Leaning against the desk, her eyes were slits as she watched him double over and flop down on the sofa.

  “Go ahead. Enjoy yourself,” she said coolly, flipping her coat farther off her shoulders so that he could have a better view of her well toned body in the sexy underwear. She had felt the effect her mini striptease had on him when he was holding her. “And stay over there while you’re at it.”

  Sin sobered quickly. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, he rose and sauntered over to his gorgeous wife. She put her hand up to stop his progress.

  “Oh no you don’t. Keep your distance since you seem to get so much humor out of this.”

  “You’ve got to admit that as sexy as you look, baby, what happened is kind of funny.” He made an unsuccessful attempt to stifle one last snicker before taking another step toward her. “The Executive Director of one of the most respected nonprofit organizations in town is running around the Monterey Peninsula naked.”

  “Half naked,” Nedra corrected. “And I was doing it for you, for us.”

  Sin took a step closer. “And it’s appreciated.”

  “We’re getting older and I don’t want our sex life to become boring. I don’t want us to become one of those conventional couples.”

  One more step and he was standing right in front of her. He kissed the tip of her nose. “When have we ever been conventional?”

  “That’s true.” She and Sinclair Reasoner had met under the most unconventional circumstances and their life together had been a roller coaster ride ever since. “And I’ve never regretted one moment that we’ve been together.” A flood of good memories overshadowed her annoyance. She caressed his cheek. He placed a kiss in the palm of her hand.