View Park, page 5
“I’m not with anyone’s program but my own.” She looked him over. “You’ll find that out sooner or later. Now get out so I can take a shower.”
What hit Sean wasn’t what she said, but that her eyes told him she really meant it. She wasn’t just trying to be tough. This girl was a serious bitch. “I’m not leaving until I’ve finished my work here.”
“I know what you’re doing. You don’t care about my safety. You’re here to get a peek, aren’t you?”
“You overestimate yourself.”
“That’s not possible.”
“Either way, I’m not leaving yet.”
“Fine.” Haley’s mouth curved into a put-your-seat-belt-on smile. “Then I’ll just have to take the shower with you here.”
Sean couldn’t have turned away if he wanted to and as Haley let her robe drop, revealing her naked body in all its perfection, he knew he didn’t want to.
She smiled victoriously because he couldn’t take his eyes off her. No man could resist her, she knew that much. She had long legs and a curvy body that had brought better men than Detective Jackson to their knees. She walked past him into her bathroom wondering how long he would be frozen in awe. She hoped it was long enough to learn his lesson. No one said no to Haley Chase.
When he entered his downtown L.A. penthouse condo, Carter was too preoccupied with thoughts of Avery to notice something was wrong. He wondered if he could count on Craig to keep their conversations secret. He wanted to feel bad for what he was doing to Craig, but Avery’s stinging words reverberated around him. It was his father in him. Michael embraced that willing-to-do-anything quality, but Carter tried to draw lines. He wasn’t a lawyer because he wanted to be rich. He knew he would be rich no matter what he’d chosen to do. He was a lawyer because he believed in right and wrong, no matter how inconvenient that belief might be at times. Times like this, when he knew what he was doing was wrong, but the Chase blood in his veins urged him to look beyond it. Oh, yes, he was also a lawyer because he had a bloody thirst to win.
It was late, past nine. He was a workaholic, but his law firm was still growing and he wouldn’t ask his lawyers to work till nine if he wasn’t willing to. His father hated him for choosing to start his own law firm instead of working at Chase Beauty and that fueled his already ambitious heart to make Chase Law better than successful.
He heard a noise in the distance, stopping him cold. Usually pitch black when he came home, there were some dimmed lights coming from the dining room. Tossing his keys and briefcase on the console, he cautiously headed down the hallway. Michael always stopped by un-invited.
He stopped at the edge of the dining room, noticing the perfectly set table with catered food and candlelight. Definitely not Michael.
She stood at the entrance to the dining room with a seductive smile on her face. Tall and elegant with long black hair and eyes like coal, her dark skin favored perfectly with the silky peach dress that hugged her curves. Carter’s lips slid into a smile. “Lisette McDaniel.”
“In the flesh.” Her English accent was decidedly upper class. She placed a hand on her hip with a slow tilt of her head. She was a master in the art of enchantment. It was what attracted Carter to her in the first place. He had jumped in too fast and learned his lesson the hard way. Lisette was too expensive for him. Three years after breaking up, every time she came back into his life she wanted one thing. Money.
“When did you get back from London?” he asked.
“Yesterday.” She took a step toward him. Then another. “I had to sleep off a little jag. I miss the Concord. Travel is brutal without it.”
“I don’t remember ever giving you a key.” Never give a woman the key to your home. She’ll assume it’s the same as an engagement ring.
“I don’t need keys to get anywhere I want. You should know that by now.”
Carter wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She smelled…expensive.
“It’s been a year,” Lisette said. “I assumed you’ve missed me terribly.”
“What if I had come through that door with my girlfriend?”
“Like that would matter to me.”
Carter was always intrigued by her honesty. The woman wasn’t any good and she was proud of it. “That’s not a good girl.”
“I don’t have to be a good girl.” She rubbed up against him. “Because I know you’re a good boy. If there was a woman in your life, you wouldn’t have laid a hand on me. So shut up rich boy and give me a kiss.”
Carter kissed her, remembering immediately the fire they had together. Brief, but hot. Like so many of his relationships. Something inside him was turned on by the confusion of getting everything he wanted from a woman and still being unsatisfied. Suddenly, an image of Avery came to him. Sitting at her desk, lips pressed together, every inch of her ready for a fight she knew she wouldn’t win. Carter leaned back, wondering what was wrong with him thinking of that witch at a time like this.
“What is it?” Lisette asked.
“Nothing,” he answered. “I…I’ve had a long day.”
“I’m good for long days. You used to think so, at least.”
Lisette was exactly what Carter needed tonight even though he knew he would pay for it tomorrow. He grabbed her tighter and kissed her harder this time.
Haley laid still as night under her bedsheets as she heard her bedroom door open. Jeff, the other goon sitting outside of her room, looked in every half hour, so she planned everything perfectly. When she heard the door close again, her covers went flying. She felt that familiar tingling sensation at the idea of doing something wrong and knowing she was going to get away with it. She almost wished she could see the look on their faces when the idiot went crying that she was missing.
She tiptoed to her vanity, checking herself in the mirror. Tight, red silk, BCBG top, black suede, low rise hip-hugging Missoni pants, her hair thrown aimlessly around and a dab of MAC mink satin lipstick. It was a crime to keep someone who looked this good inside. She grabbed her cell phone off the dresser and quietly made her way to her bathroom, closing the door so her phone call would not be heard.
Carly Longoni had a sore throat and she wasn’t supposed to be going out either, but neither of them found any interest in doing what they’re supposed to. The plan was for Carly to wait at the corner on Kelly Street until Haley, who was sneaking off her trellis, got there.
Exiting the bathroom, Haley tiptoed through her room. She stopped for a second certain she heard something fall or clank like glass or porcelain. Her eyes focused on the doorknob, but it didn’t move. After what seemed like a full minute, she slowly reached for her favorite club purse, a tiny Burberry, dropped her cell phone inside and slid it up her arm. She heard a slight squeaking sound as she slid the balcony door open and wasn’t about to risk it to slide it closed.
As soon as she reached the ground she had her path marked out. She had done this plenty of times. Her feet firmly on the ground, Haley didn’t have a chance to scream before a strong hand grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her back. Another hand muffled her screams as she struggled to get free. She wasn’t going out like this. She hadn’t taken two self-defense classes in college for nothing.
Her leg went up and back, her hard-heeled Pradas connecting with his groin. She heard a loud groan as she was let go. Haley knew she should have just run, but being the curious cat she was, she turned around for one more kick while he was down so she could have a head start in getting away. Seeing Sean struggling to get up both surprised and amused her, but angered her more than anything.
“What in the hell are you doing here?”
“Trying to protect you!” Sean finally stood up, his body still vibrating with pain.
“Protect me? You’re the one on the ground.”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Haley wondered if he was even worth lying to. “I was just trying to get some air without that goon upstairs trying to follow me around.”
“Dressed like that? Please. You’re probably off to meet one of your other married boyfriends.”
The amusement gone, Haley jabbed him in the chest with her elbow. “Get out of my way.” When he grabbed her by the arm, she tried to break free, but his grip was too strong. “What just happened to you the last time you grabbed me?”
“You got lucky that time.” He swung her around, his grip tightening. “You’re getting back in that house.”
Sean ignored her threats as he dragged her across the immense yard and around the house. He wanted to get some sleep at home, but the balcony kept nagging him and he was glad he’d come back if for nothing than just to spoil her plans.
“You need to get a life,” Haley said, already thinking of how she was going to make him pay for this. “I can do whatever I want.”
He stopped suddenly, jolting her as he pulled her to him. He stared into her eyes, using her shock to his advantage. “When your life is in danger, you can’t do whatever you want.”
Haley pushed away from him. “You know I’m not in danger. This is just so you can feel important.”
“Just shut up and come on.”
Haley quickly changed her strategy. Her bellowing was only making him feel superior and when her mother greeted them at the door, she knew playing up his more brutal tendencies would work in her favor and it did. More than her anger at Haley’s attempt to escape, Janet was incensed at Sean’s aggressive grip on her daughter and spent most of the trip back to Haley’s bedroom warning Sean of the repercussions if even the slightest bruise showed up on Haley’s delicate skin. When Haley observed Sean’s mounting frustration, she realized this was much more fun than sneaking out for the night. He was about to explode.
Janet’s incessant nagging ceased to exist when Sean realized what was before them. Still in the chair outside Haley’s bedroom, Jeff was hunched over and he wasn’t moving. As Sean rushed to him, Haley attempted to follow him but Janet held her back.
Sean lifted the heavy man’s upper body. He checked for a pulse and felt it faintly before noticing the cup of coffee half spilled on the floor. “Who gave him this?”
“It had to be Maya,” Janet said.
“This man was drugged.” Sean reached for his gun, pulling it out of his holster.
“Haley, don’t.” Janet reached for her daughter, but Haley escaped her grip. She followed her, adrenaline running through her veins. Whatever was happening, she wanted to get her child out of there.
“There’s no one here.” Sean came out of the bathroom. “We need to search the rest of the house.”
Haley looked around her room, the hair on the back of her neck standing straight up. She felt the same fear as she had on Jack’s boat. Who had been in here? What had they touched? How had they gotten in? What were they planning to do to her? It was too much. Her knees began to give out on her as she called out to her mother.
In the minutes after the intrusion, Sean ushered everyone into the kitchen while they waited for the police and ambulance to arrive. With her mother’s arms around her, Haley watched feeling helpless as chaos ensued around her.
Sean interrogated an anxious Maya even though he didn’t suspect she had anything to do with the drugging. She confessed to making the coffee to help keep Jeff awake, leaving it alone for less than five minutes to chase after Daniel, one of Michael and Kimberly’s twins, who had escaped his bedroom and was traveling the house. Whoever it was had been roaming the house for some time. He had more questions for Jason, who responded with defensive anger toward him and a livid Steven whose yelling was upsetting everyone.
Michael seemed upset that his and Kimberly’s bathroom sex romp was interrupted more than anything, and Janet’s insistence that Kimberly’s negligence was to blame started an argument that brought Haley to the edge. When she screamed for them all to shut up, the sheer volume caused immediate obedience. Everyone looked at her in a way that made her feel damaged, only angering her more.
Sean felt a certain sense of compassion for her, but was glad she finally got it.
Janet looked to her husband. “Steven, I want more police officers here.”
“Make that possible, Detective.” Steven approached Sean.
“Mr. Chase…” Sean wanted to head him off. With baseball playoffs for the Dodgers, and Athletics starting, the Kings’ first home game and the Lakers playing the Spurs, there wasn’t going to be a free cop for days.
Steven leaned in close, his hand firmly but not too aggressively grasping Sean’s elbow. He knew what he was doing. “I know you’ll get it done. What I’m concerned about is now. You saved my daughter’s life.”
Sean tried to ignore the sense of pride a compliment from a man like Steven Chase brought on. “I caught her sneaking out of the house.”
“You’re the only one I trust to protect her.”
Grateful for the ringing of his cell phone, Sean turned away, hoping he hadn’t gotten himself into something he would have to go through hell to get out of.
“Damn!” Only seconds later, Sean faced the curious crowd. He looked at Haley whose eyes were so wide they made her look like a child. “On the way to the hospital, Jeff had an allergic reaction to whatever was given to him. He went into cardiac arrest. He’s dead.”
CHAPTER 3
A very checked her watch, looking out the window into the parking lot of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles on Pico Boulevard. Alex was now ten minutes late. If he didn’t show up in the next five minutes, his Friday wasn’t going to go anything like he planned. A week ago, Avery would’ve considered ten minutes not much to worry about, but this past week things had changed. Ever since her encounter with Carter she had been on edge. She found herself both anticipating and dreading the next time she would see him. When she arrived at the shop Thursday to find a bouquet of lilies from him, she was a mess for the rest of the day. What game was Carter playing?
What game was Craig playing? He hadn’t been in the shop for two days and wouldn’t return any of her phone calls. Avery wasn’t suspicious by nature but she believed in her own intuition and Craig was up to something at the worst possible time. Avery was under siege and she needed the people on her side clearly on her side. The message she left for him last night turned out to be more of a warning than she intended, but she had been nice too long.
“No,” was all Avery could say as, instead of Alex, Carter slid into her booth. “It’s too early in the morning for you.”
“You like the flowers?” Carter asked.
“Why are you following me?”
“I don’t follow people. I have them followed. Actually, I’m surprised to see you here.” There was something about her appearance this morning that was softer and more vulnerable than the other day, but Carter was too far in the game to let that distract him.
“I sincerely doubt you’re surprised by much of anything.” The way he appeared so comfortable and absolutely blameless annoyed her.
“You’re turning down an opportunity that you can’t even see you need desperately.”
“Desperately?” She laughed. “You know something I don’t?”
“I know a lot of things you don’t know, but that’s for another discussion.” He broke into a leisurely smile as her full lips pressed together. “I know that you want to take my offer, but you won’t just to spite me.”
“Reverse psychology.” Avery stared at him. “How original. You know what amazes me?”
Carter leaned back. “Those tedious everyday things in your painfully average life?”
“That sounds like something out of your brother’s book.” She wrinkled her small nose. “A little beneath you.”
Carter knew he had Craig in his pocket and whatever last chance he was going to give her just flew out the window.
“You never even asked me why I won’t sell,” she said.
“You’re attached and that’s understandable. Something like a hair salon would mean a lot to someone like you.”
Avery’s hands formed into fists under the table as she felt her stomach tightening. It wasn’t what he said that got to her, rudeness wasn’t impressive. It was the way he looked when he said it; so harmless as if the words hadn’t come from him.
“Yes, I am attached to my shops, but I’m not stupid. I know a good opportunity when I see one. I walk away with a fat check, on to my next business venture, but what about everyone else?”
“Who else is there?”
“Not everyone has a Chase trust fund. There are a lot of regular people, just like me, who can’t afford a hundred dollars for a wash and set.”
“Is that what they’re going for these days?” he asked, laughing.
“Don’t mock me.”
He straightened up. “Avery, everything with the Chase name on it is going to be high end. Women will pay whatever it costs to get their hair done if it’s done right. Business is business, not charity.”
“Finally, he’s come,” the waiter said as he reached them. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“No,” Avery announced. “This is not the man I’m waiting for.”
“Her fiancé is a smaller man,” Carter said. “He doesn’t look nearly as good, nor dress as well as I do.”
Avery was fuming now. “You know nothing about my—”
“Alex Conner?” Her naiveté made her attractive, but it was also how he was going to demolish her.
Carter reached for a menu, but Avery snatched it from him, turning to the waiter. “We aren’t ordering. He’s leaving.”
“Where is our fair-skinned sales boy?” Carter asked, knowing it was killing her that he knew the details of her personal life. “He likes to make you wait, doesn’t he? It’s how he wields his power over you.”
Avery shifted in her seat, knowing she had already lost the second round. She was going to have to prepare better.
“Or even worse,” Carter added. “He doesn’t care whether you wait or not. If you were my woman…”
Avery was ready to light into Carter for going there, but realized she no longer had his attention. Her eyes followed him as he slid out of the booth and headed for the entrance to the restaurant; for a man who’d just entered. Avery was trying to put the man’s familiar face to a name when Carter’s fist connected hard with his right cheek, with enough force to throw him to the ground. Everyone in the restaurant sat stunned.
