The Sinner's Secret

by Kira Sinclair

  “Now, be a good girl—walk quietly down the hall with me and I’ll take you to your father.”

  A low, growling, frustrated sound rolled through her. “I really don’t like you.”

  Gray laughed, the sound filling the space between them. “Sweetheart, the feeling is mutual.”

  Propelling her down the hallway in front of him, Gray chose to ignore the pointed expression on Stone’s face as they walked past him. No doubt, he was going to hear about this the next time he and his friend were alone.

  So Gray would simply avoid Stone for a little while.

  Gray and Blakely were both silent as they headed out of the building and into the parking garage. Blakely took the first opportunity to speed up and break the hold he had on her. Which was fine with him. And, no, he didn’t flex his hand because it was tingling where he’d touched her bare skin.

  Several paces ahead of him, it was clear Blakely intended to take her own car. He could have redirected her, but decided to wait and see how long it took her to realize she didn’t have her purse or keys.

  She was halfway there when she came to a sudden halt. Her head dropped back and he didn’t need a clear view in order to know she was squeezing her eyes shut and probably asking a higher power for strength.

  Not that she needed any. For all her faults, Blakely Whittaker was one of the strongest women he’d ever met. Not that he was going to tell her that.

  It only took her a few seconds to gather herself, turn and head back toward the entrance to the building.

  “Don’t bother. I’ll take you.”

  “No, thank you.” Her words were formal, but there was no real appreciation behind them. Not that he particularly cared. He wasn’t letting her drive. Not because he was worried about her state of mind—or not just because. He wanted to make damn sure he was a fly on the wall.

  “Look, you can waste precious time going back inside or you can ride with me to the station. Either way, I’m heading there, and if you don’t come with me, I’m going to get there first. And something tells me you’d prefer me not to speak to your father without you.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Doing what? Being nice?”

  “No, being a pain in my ass.”

  “I didn’t realize helping your father could be viewed as being a pain in your ass.”

  Blakely’s eyes narrowed. A string of expletives flowed from her lips, some of which were quite inventive. He was impressed and, considering he was a convicted felon and had heard a whole hell of a lot, that wasn’t an easy feat.

  Stalking past him, Blakely headed straight for his car, parked a few spaces from the door. It didn’t escape his notice that she knew exactly which one was his. Intelligence gathering or something more?

  Standing beside the passenger door, she glared at him over the hood. The tap of her foot against concrete rang out, a perfect staccato of irritation and impatience.

  If there wasn’t a reason to hurry, Gray would have slowed down on principle alone. And because he knew it would bother her. But he wanted to reach her father as quickly as she did. Maybe more.

  The drive to the station was silent, the air between them thick with tension and the familiar scent of her perfume. Sweet and exotic. Floral, yet somehow spicy. It had been tempting him for days. The office they were using wasn’t exactly small, but when that scent filled the space...

  The front seat of his Bugatti was even worse. Normally, it was his sanctuary. The car was the one frivolous, flashy and over-the-top thing he’d allowed himself once he was out of prison. Today, with Blakely so close beside him, it felt just as much like a prison as the cell he’d been assigned.

  He couldn’t help but wonder if her scent would be stronger if he buried his face between her thighs?

  Gray willed away his response. Nope, he wasn’t going there.

  He might not be naive enough to believe he had to actually like someone in order to be physically attracted to them. But he was smart enough to realize his situation with Blakely was complicated enough without adding mindless sex. And that’s all that could be between them.

  The fifteen-minute drive felt like an eternity. As soon as he pulled into a space in front of the station, Blakely shot from the car. She was halfway across the lot before he’d even turned off the ignition.

  Not that her haste would make much difference. She wasn’t going to get very far with the officers inside.

  Tucking his hands into his pockets, Gray strolled leisurely after her. Once he entered the station he could hear her voice, already raised in frustration.

  “I just need to speak to him for a minute. That’s all.”

  “Ma’am, your father is being processed. You can’t see him right now.”

  Gray bypassed the commotion, choosing to approach another officer at the far end of the counter who was protected by a half wall of bulletproof glass.

  “Excuse me,” he said. “I’m Gray Lockwood, here to see my client, Martin Whittaker. He’s just been brought in.”

  The desk sergeant barely glanced up from a stack of papers. “Are you his attorney?”

  “Yes.”

  He shuffled a few more things. “I’ll let them know you’re here. Take a seat. Someone’ll get you in a few.”

  “Excellent.”

  Gray gave the man a polite smile, even though he wouldn’t notice it, and turned to sit in one of the chairs lining the far wall. They were hard plastic—no doubt, the cheapest thing the city could buy. The metal legs had been scratched to hell and back. Clearly a lot of people had spent time waiting in them over the years.

  With a huff, Blakely collapsed into the chair beside him.

  “They won’t let me see him.”

  “Really? How surprising.”

  Blakely gave him a grimace, her only response to his obvious sarcasm.

  “Why did we come here if we weren’t planning to see him?”

  “I have no idea why you decided to follow your father. And I have every intention of seeing him.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh.”

  Gray knew exactly what wrong conclusion Blakely had just jumped to. And he had no intention of disabusing her of the notion. At least not until it suited his purposes.

  Several minutes ticked by. There was motion and activity all around them, but Gray was content to wait. He’d done a lot of that in his adult life. And he’d learned quickly it was a waste of energy to wish things were different. He’d gotten very good at accepting situations as they were, not as he’d prefer them to be. It saved heartache and disappointment.

  Blakely, however, was a bucket of nerves and energy. She couldn’t settle and constantly shifted in her seat. Crossed and uncrossed her legs. Cracked her knuckles.

  Unable to take any more, Gray reached out and placed a hand on her knee. Blakely immediately stilled. In fact, she stopped moving entirely, not even taking a breath.

  Her heat seeped into his skin, making his entire arm hum with unexpected energy.

  Shit.

  “Mr. Lockwood, please follow me.”

  Thank God for small favors. Gray looked up at the officer standing at the far doorway. He pushed up from the chair and was halfway across the room before he realized Blakely was following him.

  This was gonna be good.

  Gray gave the officer a polite smile as he walked past.

  “Ma’am, I’m sorry, you’re not allowed back here.”

  Pausing in the hallway, he turned in time to catch Blakely’s pointed gesture. “I’m with him.”

  “Are you part of Mr. Whittaker’s legal team?”

  “No, I’m his daughter.”

  The officer shook his head. “I’m sorry. Mr. Whittaker is being questioned. Only legal counsel is allowed into the room.”

  “
Then why is he going back?”

  “Mr. Lockwood? Because he’s acting counsel.”

  Blakely stared at him, her gaze narrowing. Gray shrugged. “I mentioned that I have a law degree.”

  “You don’t practice.”

  “No, I’m fortunate enough that I only take the cases I want to. I’m taking your father’s.” At least for the moment. Gray had every intention of calling in a few favors to get someone else to actually take Martin’s case. While he could do it himself, he had other concerns at the moment and didn’t need the distraction.

  However, he was going to take this prime opportunity to learn everything he could from Martin about Blakely and her connections to the O’Sullivan family. And whether that could have played into how Gray had found himself framed for embezzlement.

  “Tell him I’m with you,” Blakely demanded, pointing at the officer standing between them.

  “Ah, but you’re not.”

  Four

  Blakely wanted to scream. Or find something hard to throw straight at his head. Probably not smart, considering there were at least half a dozen people standing close who could arrest her for assault.

  Gray Lockwood was as frustrating as he was sexy. That knowing smirk twisting his gorgeous lips... How could she want to kiss the hell out of him at the same time she wanted to shake him?

  What was wrong with her?

  Blakely watched him disappear down the hallway, irritation churning in her belly. Dropping back into a hard chair, she stared at the door. And waited.

  Conspiracy to commit murder.

  God, how could this get any worse? Her father was about to go to jail for a very long time. Sure, he’d been in and out her entire life, but for small crimes. Ten months here, two years there. This would be different.

  She wanted to believe him when he said he wasn’t guilty...but she just couldn’t kill that last spark of doubt taunting her from the back of her brain. Her father had a habit of bending the truth.

  And Gray... She didn’t trust him further than she could throw him. Like every other criminal she’d ever met—and plenty had marched through her life—they all insisted they were innocent.

  She’d yet to meet one who actually was. Especially her father.

  But a bigger part of her just couldn’t believe he could be responsible for anything close to murder. Her father might be a con man and a thief, but he’d never been violent. Hell, he didn’t even own a gun.

  Gray, on the other hand, was dangerous as hell. Only he didn’t need a gun to be that way. The hum in her blood proved that point nicely. She didn’t even like him, but he had the ability to make her body react.

  Blakely didn’t need the details to know he’d been through a lot. The scar through his eyebrow and the rock-hard muscles he now sported hadn’t been earned by doing bench presses and back squats. But there was more to him than his physically intimidating presence. He was quiet and observant. Gray saw too much.

  She’d watched him over the last several days, not just as he interacted with her, but with others at the office. He watched and cataloged. Almost as if he was gathering intel on everyone who moved through his existence, even if they only touched his life in the most minor way.

  He hadn’t been that way when she’d known him before.

  Clearly, he brought value to Stone Surveillance. On several occasions Stone and Finn had come to consult Gray’s opinion on a case they were working.

  She didn’t want to see anything good in him. She didn’t want to believe he was helping her father. She wanted to see him only as the criminal he was. Without that concerning history, it would be so much more difficult to keep her distance. To pretend she hadn’t noticed the layer of humanity and honor. She definitely didn’t want to like him. Because right now, she was having a damn hard time keeping her awareness of him in check.

  Lucky for her, watching him walk through that precinct door without her was just the reminder she needed.

  When she saw him again, he was going to get an earful.

  Selfish bastard.

  * * *

  Gray walked into the room and immediately flashbacks assaulted him. A shiver of apprehension raced down his spine, but he refused to let it take hold.

  He wasn’t the one being questioned here.

  Although, being in the small, nondescript, uncomfortable room made it difficult not to let bad memories take over. The barrage of questions he hadn’t understood or known the answers to. Feeling blindsided and out of his element. Cut loose without a safety net.

  Those first few hours of being questioned had been disorienting because he didn’t have a clue what any of the investigators were talking about. And since he’d been innocent, he’d waived his right to counsel. His first mistake.

  The detective sitting across the table from Martin glanced up as he entered the room, but didn’t say anything. Martin’s eyes skipped distractedly over Gray, a puzzled expression filling his face. “Why are you here?”

  Gray’s first impressions of Martin weren’t great. He was the complete opposite of Blakely—scattered, loud and obnoxious. Or at least he had been so far. Although, he also appeared to know exactly who Gray was, which wasn’t surprising considering the role Blakely had played in the well-publicized, high-profile trial that had completely turned Gray’s life upside down.

  “I’m part of your legal team—why wouldn’t I be here?”

  Martin quirked an eyebrow, but he didn’t vocalize the obvious question. Smart man, considering a detective was sitting across from him.

  Gray turned to the officer. “I’d like a few minutes with my client, please.” The statement might have technically been a request...but it really wasn’t.

  A frown crunched the corners of the detective’s weathered and weary eyes. He stood without saying a word and the door squeaked shut behind him as he left.

  Martin opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Gray shook his head. He assumed they were being recorded and watched, and intended to act accordingly.

  Taking the vacated chair, Gray folded his hands on the table between them.

  “The rest of your legal team should be arriving shortly.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  An expected question for sure, but one Gray wasn’t prepared to answer. At least not here. And not entirely honestly.

  “Blakely works for my company and we take care of our own.”

  Martin scoffed. “Blakely might think I’m gullible, and maybe occasionally I am, but I wasn’t born yesterday, son.”

  Maybe not, but something told him Martin Whittaker wasn’t entirely smart when it came to the world, either. Or that was the impression Gray had gotten from Blakely. And he might not trust her, but she was smart as hell and rather aware of what was going on around her.

  “Let’s just say I have a vested interest in keeping your daughter focused on a project she’s working on with me. I won’t have her full attention if she’s concerned about you. Money isn’t important to me, but right now her assistance is. Buying peace of mind by providing your legal team is a smart strategy for me to get what I want.”

  Martin slowly nodded. “You could have easily accomplished that without lying to the officers and coming in here to see me.”

  “Perhaps, but I don’t know you.”

  “True.”

  “And had no idea whether you’d be smart about what you said until the lawyers I’ve retained arrive. Besides, I didn’t lie. I have a legal degree and specialize in criminal defense.”

  “But you’re not taking my case.”

  “No, I don’t have the luxury of splitting my focus right now, either.”

  Martin hummed in the back of his throat. “Still doesn’t explain why you came all the way down here.”

  He might be gullible, but Martin Whittaker clearly had enough street smarts to go with hi
s naivete.

  “I have a couple questions for you.”

  “About the charges against me?”

  “No.”

  Martin tugged at the cuffs wrapped around his wrists, rattling the chain connected to the ring bolted to the table. The movement had been instinctive, a gesture he couldn’t quite complete.

  “Then what?”

  “Tell me about your relationship with O’Sullivan. How long have you known him?”

  Martin’s head tipped sideways as he considered for several seconds before carefully answering. “Ryan and I grew up in the same neighborhood. I’ve known him for the better part of fifty years.”

  Interesting. Gray was surprised he’d never heard Martin’s name before, all things considered. “And how well does Blakely know him?”

  “Not very well.” Martin’s answer was a little too quick and adamant for Gray’s taste.

  Perhaps he’d asked the wrong question. “How well does Ryan know Blakely?”

  Martin gave him a knowing smile that made Gray wonder whether his scattered persona was all an act.

  “Ryan’s been in Blakely’s life since her birth. Although, my daughter would prefer that not to be the case. He’s her godfather and helped put her through college.”

  Right. Gray stared at the other man, wondering just how to use the information he’d been given to find out if Ryan and Martin had used Blakely’s connections at Lockwood Industries in order to steal twenty million dollars and frame Gray. Martin wasn’t likely to admit it, especially in the middle of a police station.

  And asking outright would tip his hand. Better to have Joker do some digging. The problem they’d run into before was having no real direction to start looking.

  Gray began to push up from his chair, but the next words out of Martin’s mouth stalled him halfway up.

  “My daughter, however, is completely unaware and she’d never speak to me again if she found out Ryan paid for her education. My daughter is proud and honorable to a fault.”

  While most fathers would say those words with pride in their voices, Martin’s tone conveyed disappointment. Gray had to shake his head.