Decoding a Criminal

by Barb Han

  Was that the reason he’d been losing interest in dating in general?

  Jenny appeared across the street, holding on to her handbag a little too tightly. She checked both ways before crossing—not unusual, but there was something foreboding about the tension in her body language. Stiff shoulders. White-knuckle grip on her purse strap.

  Something was off.

  Dash broke out of line and then slipped out the back door. The alarm sounded as he disappeared in the alley. He thought about the frantic phone call he’d received from Layla after her arrest. It was a rare time she’d lost her composure. She’d sounded distraught and swore she was innocent. She’d promised she would never do such a thing, not ever. She’d sworn on their parents’ memory and everything they—and he—had raised her to be that she wasn’t guilty, that she’d been framed. But she couldn’t figure out who would have wanted to destroy her life. She’d sworn she had no enemies.

  From the looks of it, Layla had more enemies than she’d bargained for. Was Jenny involved? Her background check hadn’t turned up a whole lot, certainly nothing alarming. Was her seduction routine just that—a routine? Something meant to distract Dash from finding the truth about her or her boss?

  Considering office romances weren’t all that rare, he could see a picture emerging where Alec and Jenny could be in a secret relationship. Dash pulled an earbud from his pocket, tucked it in his ear and blended in like he was a jogger out for an afternoon run. He circled back to where his vehicle was parked and considered other possibilities for Jenny’s involvement. Could Talia have gotten to the admin?

  The possibility might be unlikely, but it still had to be considered. He needed to look at this from all angles. He fired off a text to the team, letting them know his meeting turned out to be a bust because she had been sent there by someone. Everything about her body language was forced. The come-on routine was too obvious. He should have seen this coming. To be fair, he’d had his share of women slipping their numbers into his palm over the years. It wasn’t his ego talking that made him think she was into him.

  Even if she wasn’t in a relationship with Alec, she was his admin. Those relationships could become pretty tight, from what he remembered of his time in the corporate world. It was often an admin’s job to protect his or her boss, even from spouses.

  Another thought occurred. She could be in a relationship with someone else in the office who was trying to set Alec up. There were several possibilities at play here. Staying at the coffee shop wasn’t an option, even though part of him wished he could have stuck around for a minute to see if anyone else showed. He would have been too vulnerable there.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Raina studied the lines of code. Could she tweak it to make it work and figure out who the mystery guy was? She checked it against Sheldon’s and decided he couldn’t be ruled out. He would be cunning enough to tweak his code.

  There might be half a dozen or so people coming at this investigation from all angles, but that didn’t mean she would let up in the least. She might not be able to leave the apartment for safety’s sake, but she could still work on the case.

  Seeing her friend locked up behind bars when she didn’t deserve to be had practically gutted Raina. She wondered how Layla was doing today. This was her thirteenth day behind bars—Thirteen days too many, in Raina’s estimation.

  What was niggling at the back of her mind about this case?

  She kept her eyes glued to the screen, mainly in an attempt to keep her mind busy. Thinking about Dash being out there after what had happened yesterday caused her muscles to tense up. She had to remind herself he was a professional. This was his job, and one he was good at. Actually, good was too modest a term. He excelled at this. Plus, he had a team backing him.

  He wouldn’t make the same mistakes he’d made yesterday. Not Dash. He would learn, tweak and adjust. It was second nature to him.

  Raina thought about the office. She should probably check in with the team’s admin, Haley, before the workday ended.

  She picked up her phone and called.

  Haley answered on the second ring. “Hey, Raina.”

  “Hi. Just checking in to say I’m working from home for a few more days,” she said.

  “Everything okay?” Haley asked.

  “Yes. Fine.” Raina hadn’t thought about how it might look to the office if her best friend was behind bars and she suddenly stopped showing up for work. “Big project and I need the focus time.”

  The current open-office setup wasn’t conducive to blocking everyone out and focusing. They had a free pass to work from home, even though some preferred to come in. She’d noticed the folks who wanted to come into the office the most were her single coworkers. With no one at home, they preferred coming in so they could be around people. Moms with young kids most often wanted to work from home more, whereas dads in the same situation liked to go in to work. Of course, there were exceptions, but those were the general buckets she’d observed in the workplace.

  “Yeah, I get it. Well, it’s a ghost town here today. Seems like everyone’s out for one reason or another,” Haley reported.

  “Really? Everyone? Like other departments too?” she asked.

  “Yes.” Haley lowered her voice. “I know your friend in hedge funds is in trouble, and I’m sorry about that. It seems to have kicked off a wave of people not wanting to come in. I guess with federal investigators watching the office, no one can concentrate on work. Seems like everyone either has a project to work on at home or is out sick.”

  “Sick?”

  “Yeah, your friend’s boss called in sick. I was just talking to Jenny about how odd that is,” Haley stated.

  “Maybe it’s the weather,” she responded, trying to be casual.

  “Too much sunshine, right?” Haley’s voice lightened up. “We have no idea what to do with it all.”

  “Frying our brains,” Raina quipped. She was worried about this news. It wasn’t sitting right. Why would Alec take off work? The easy answer was that he could control who came in and out of his house, save for the federal agents possessing a warrant. She assumed it was too early for that, or Dash would be all over it. He’d said investigations take time. All she could think was that they didn’t have much of it. Every minute Layla sat behind bars was sickening. She couldn’t help but wonder where Dash was since Alec hadn’t shown up at the office.

  “That’s so true,” Haley said. “But, hey, with everyone out of the office, there was no line at the coffee machine, so I shouldn’t exactly complain.”

  “And you can have all the creamer you want,” Raina continued with the banter even though her mind was elsewhere.

  “Leave early if I want to.” Haley was clearly bored out of her mind.

  “Definitely go home early.” Raina paused for a beat and then said, “I better get back to it. No seeing the light of day for me while on this project.”

  “Don’t work too hard.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Raina ended the call and drummed her fingers. What else could she do besides sit there and wait?

  She was surprised that, although she was worried about Dash, she wasn’t pacing or literally sick to her stomach like she feared she would be. Could she get past his dangerous job? Her heart said yes. Logic tried to argue, but there was no basis.

  If she wanted to think about taking the next step with Dash, she had to accept all the parts of him. She had to come to terms with the fact that he had to work in a job he felt passionate about. Being a federal agent was part of his DNA.

  There was another piece of the puzzle that was unknown...Layla. How would she react to learning the news if they decided to move forward? And that was a big if at this point. Neither one could deny their chemistry. But taking the next step meant going public.

  Her cell buzzed, and it scared the hell out of her while she was so deep in thought.
She checked the screen, half expecting the call to come from her boss.

  Dash.

  She picked after the first ring. “Hey.”

  After exchanging greetings, he asked, “What do you know about Jenny?” Hearing his voice on the phone sent warmth rocketing through her. He was safe.

  “I know she’s Alec’s admin. She works in the same department as your sister and that he called in sick today. That’s about all,” she said.

  “Is she married? In a relationship?” he asked.

  “Well, not married. There’s been gossip on the street that she’s seeing someone at work, but everyone tries to keep that stuff under wraps for obvious reasons, so no one knows who it is.” She could probably ask Haley just to see what—if anything—she knew. “Why?”

  “She made a show of hitting on me when I was in the office yesterday. Forced her personal cell number in my hand as I was leaving,” he said.

  “Is that right?” The news sent a jealous streak roaring through Raina. It was probably silly to think of Dash in terms of being hers, and yet that’s exactly where her heart went with it.

  “I tried to meet up with her today...” He paused before adding, “Since Alec called in sick.”

  “Everyone seems quite taken aback by the news.” She needed to redirect her frustration at Dash being hit on. It was to be expected. She only had to take one look at the man to know women would probably line up for the chance to go out with him.

  “I thought I could use the number to meet up and get information out of her, and it backfired.” He explained to her that he’d just slipped out of the coffee shop.

  “The two of them are close, and those rumors about her dating someone at the office—it could easily be him,” she said.

  “Interesting,” he said.

  “A picture is emerging, isn’t it?” she asked. A few pieces were clicking into place for her.

  “Two million dollars would be a nice start toward a new life,” he agreed.

  “They could go to a lot of places once everything blew over. It must be common knowledge that he isn’t happy at the firm considering all the complaints against him from clients. At least in HR circles. No one would be surprised if he quit in a few months. Jenny could follow,” she surmised. “She might have assisted in getting Layla’s password. It wouldn’t be shocking for her to be in Layla’s cubicle. This all could have been done right underneath everyone’s nose.”

  “The money trail is the tricky part. Finding the cash would make this a whole lot easier,” he said.

  “I located the storefront on the web and tried to put a tracer on the back end. I’ll keep at it,” she said, her mind firing with new ways to approach hacking the code.

  “Do you want to come with me to visit Layla?” he asked.

  “Yes. Absolutely,” she said. “Is it safe?”

  “Miguel set it up with Seattle PD to have us followed. He also got approval for me to bring in my phone this time. I’ll call you when I’m downstairs in front of the building.”

  Getting to see Layla would be amazing. She ended the call and ran into the bedroom to find something to wear besides yoga pants and a T-shirt. She rummaged around in the closet while Liam snored from the living room.

  Speaking of which, she needed to wake him up and tell him she would be heading downstairs in a few minutes. Give him a chance to get his bearings. She could do that after she threw on some clothes.

  Layla’s jeans would fit, and she had a short-sleeved sweater Raina had borrowed once before. Her friend probably wouldn’t mind if she borrowed those items. Raina dressed in less than a minute and then walked into the living room. She put a hand on Liam’s shoulder and gently shook him.

  His eyes blinked open, and he sat straight up, reaching behind him for something. A weapon?

  “Hey. Hey. Hey.” She raised her voice. He seemed to snap out of the fog. He gave a quick headshake.

  “Sorry. I dozed off.” He put his hands up, palms out, in the surrender position.

  “No worries. Just don’t shoot me for being the one to wake you.”

  Liam swiped a hand down his face and then rubbed his chin. “Nope. Not going to hurt you.”

  “Dash will text when he pulls up out front, and we’re heading to visit Layla.” She retreated into the master bedroom in part to get away from him and catch her breath—the thought of someone pulling a gun on her half-asleep shot her pulse rate over the top—and in part to put makeup on.

  She must look awful, and she wanted to provide a strong front for Layla. A little voice in the back of her head reminded her that Layla didn’t care what she looked like. She would be happy just to see her. Or less angry might be a better way to put it.

  Raina saw, firsthand, how easily Layla snapped to anger and attempted to push everyone away. Not happening. No way, no how. Raina was in this for the long haul and had no plans to walk away from her friend no matter how deep this situation became.

  The same little voice also picked that moment to say being with Dash for the past day had been a bright spot in an otherwise crazy and surreal situation. This was also the first time she’d felt truly alive in more years than she cared to remember.

  Heart thumping. Blood pumping. Was this what living on the edge felt like?

  Raina would never count herself as an adrenaline junkie. She never once thought jumping off a platform with a bungee cord tied to her ankles would be a good time. She never once thought driving a hundred plus miles on the freeway would be her idea of excitement. And yet she had to admit she could see that she hadn’t really been living either. Being too careful with every decision she made and never taking a risk seemed just as awful to her right now.

  She applied a little makeup from what was available. She found lipstick. Sexy Red. Well, she wasn’t so certain about the sexy part, but it was red, all right, and it brightened up her face once she’d applied it. She smacked her lips together and then strolled into the next room.

  Liam froze midway between the kitchen and the living room, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Wow,” he said, a little louder than he seemed to have intended, judging by his red cheeks.

  Her own cheeks were also probably flaming red, but she waved him off. “You’re being too nice.”

  He mumbled something she couldn’t quite pick up on and figured was probably best if she didn’t.

  The text came through from Dash. She held up her phone. “Ready?”

  “Let’s do this.”

  Raina walked a step behind Liam. He cleared the hallway before heading to the elevator bank. There was yellow tape across the pair of elevators and a handwritten sign that read, out of order.

  Raina groaned. “Are you kidding me?” For a high-tech building, the elevators sure went out a lot. Considering the prices, Layla should have been getting a walk-the-stairs discount, especially considering the fact that she was on the twenty-third floor.

  “Does this happen a lot?” Liam asked.

  “Afraid so,” Raina said.

  “Okay. Stick close behind me and we’ll take the stairs,” he said.

  “Better down than up.” She’d done both. It was one of many reasons she wouldn’t pay these sky-high rent prices—the first of which was that she couldn’t afford them anyway. Even if she could, she preferred to keep her feet closer to the ground. Strangely—and it was probably just the gorgeous water view—she felt right at home at Dash’s apartment. Thinking of home caused her stomach to clench. She still hadn’t checked on the damage.

  “Can’t argue that point,” Liam agreed.

  The stairwell was narrow, and the ceilings were low. No matter how many times she’d made this trip, the walls felt like they were closing in, and her chest tightened every time she was in here.

  Liam was broad, and he was almost shoulder to shoulder against the walls. When he extended his arms, his e
lbows scraped against them. Once they got down to the floors with amenities, the stairwell opened up considerably. The residence floors were tight.

  She kept her eyes on the floor. Focusing on the steps helped her get down without too much anxiety.

  As she passed a door on the fourteenth floor, it opened and she was yanked inside a hallway. A hand came over her eyes as she was slammed into the wall face-first. She heard a noise like metal scraping against metal, and then everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Dash sat in front of his sister’s building with the SUV engine idling, waiting for Raina and Liam to emerge. The fact that it had been four minutes and thirty-two seconds since she’d confirmed his text had him on pins and needles.

  Gut instinct honed by years of experience caused him to cut the engine and make a run inside. He breezed through the modern-style lobby as the phone in his hand buzzed.

  “What’s wrong?” he immediately asked Liam after checking caller ID.

  “They got her”

  “Who got her? What happened?” Dash stopped in front of the elevator doors.

  “Fourteenth floor. I’m locked in the stairwell,” Liam informed him. “Elevator’s broken.”

  Dash pushed the button, and a set of doors opened. “Says who?”

  “Access was blocked from the twenty-th—”

  Liam cursed before shuffling sounds came through the line. He was, no doubt, gunning toward a different floor so he could take the elevator.

  Since there was no movement, he assumed she was still on fourteen. Dash stepped inside and drew his weapon. He pushed the appropriate button. “Did you get the other one?”

  “I’m in. I’ll be going down one floor.” Liam was closer, so his doors would open first.

  “Be careful,” he warned.

  “Of course.” The anguish and frustration in Liam’s voice came through loud and clear. He wouldn’t take this lightly.