by Mia Dymond
“I was,” he admitted. “Very much so.”
She tipped her cup and took another swallow before she returned it to the table. “We probably have about fifteen minutes to make a clean get-away.”
“Huh?”
“By now you’ve figured out who I am, Ranger. Although it is nearing 3:00 a.m., the society page reporters will be out and about soon. Unless you want your face plastered all over the newspaper, we probably better call it a night.”
“Jack filled me in. Do they hound you?”
“No, not really. Diablo is a relatively small place with few celebrities. As long as I make an occasional appearance, they’ll leave me alone.”
He stood, grabbed his cup with one hand, and then offered her the other. She took the offering and soon stood beside him.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he told her.
“Thank you.” She glanced at their hands, still enjoined. “Do you intend to hold my hand all the way to the parking lot?”
“Yes.”
She studied him for half a second, again impressed by his honesty. “Well, okay then.”
He led her out of the coffeehouse, across the street, and then to the parking lot behind the club.
“Is yours the silver Mercedes?”
She nodded. “I forgot to add astute to your list of qualities.”
“Give me your keys.”
Although she wasn’t one to normally follow orders, something about him made her want to. She pulled the keys from her pocket and handed them to him. He opened the car door and motioned with one hand for her to sit behind the steering wheel. Once she was seated, he handed her the keys.
“Would you like me to follow you home?”
“Are you fishing for an invitation?”
“No.” He grinned as he shook his head, closed the door, and then gestured with one hand for her to roll down the window.
“Believe me, Tess. When I do finally follow you home, I won’t need an invitation.”
CHAPTER THREE
The next morning, Ranger sat at the conference table in the briefing room at the SEALs, Inc. headquarters, still insanely aroused by the sound of Tess’s voice. Hell, if JFK really did have an affair with Marilyn Monroe, he didn’t blame the guy. That voice was the most powerful aphrodisiac he’d ever experienced.
“Long night?”
Lost in lustful thought, he barely heard Shadow’s question as he and Steele took the seats beside him on both sides.
“Not at all. Why?”
Steele raised an eyebrow. “Well, judging by the goofy grin on your face either you’re dog-tired or you’re reliving some fairly satisfying memories.”
“Tess Michaels is an interesting woman.”
“Interesting?”
He nodded.
Steele groaned. “Aw hell, the last man standing has fallen.”
“What the hell? I just met her. I’ll admit she’s a looker and she has the sexiest voice I’ve ever heard, but I’m still standing.”
Shadow shrugged. “Okay man, whatever you say.”
“Claire has you brainwashed.”
Luckily, Sterling interrupted any more analysis by Shadow and Steele when he strolled into the room with a sleeping, pint-sized prisoner strapped to his back in some sort of makeshift backpack.
Ranger opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut when Hawke entered behind him, another sleeping baby on his back in an identical carrier and Harmony toddling beside him.
“It’s only a temporary mission,” Sterling said before anyone could ask. “Cameron and Rachel had a meeting.” The captain handed him an envelope. “Compliments of my wife.”
He took the envelope, untucked the flap, and then glanced inside at four multi-colored pieces of paper. “What are these?”
“Paint samples.” Sterling smirked. “New man, new office.”
Ranger pocketed the samples while Hawke lifted Harmony and placed her in an empty chair, extracted a folded piece of paper and a green Crayon from his pocket, and placed them on the table in front of her. Soon, she scribbled furiously.
“Brooks, you’re on.” Since he couldn’t sit, Sterling folded his arms across his chest and widened his stance.
“Steele and I talked to Warren and Veronica Hicks yesterday.” He briefed the others on the conversation. “We didn’t find any red flags.”
Sterling nodded. “What about your surveillance at the club?”
“Preliminary observation gave me absolutely nothing to go on. The place runs like clockwork.”
“Employees?”
“As expected. Bouncers, bartenders, waitresses, and dancers – no one who appeared suspicious or disgruntled.”
“And then there was one,” Shadow mumbled.
Sterling frowned. “One what?”
“Bookkeeper.” Ranger tossed Shadow a menacing glare. “I did talk to Tess.”
“And she’s interesting,” Shadow goaded.
Hawke grinned. “Really? How?”
“She’s a human calculator. It’s amazing. She rattled off sales totals for the night in under a minute.”
“So she has a great memory?”
“According to Jack, it’s not memory. She does it frequently and correctly every time.”
“Maybe she did the figuring beforehand.”
“Maybe.”
The captain did not appear impressed. “Anything else?”
“I didn’t question her about the robbery during observation. The one thing that concerns me is that Jack says she forgot about the security disc in the recorder.”
“On purpose?”
“My gut feeling is no, it wasn’t intentional but realistically, she could’ve already known it was empty.”
“Hawke scanned the safe. Her code was entered to open it.”
His heart pounded so hard he thought it might actually burst through his chest. Although he knew there was a chance Tess was involved, he didn’t want to believe it.
“And,” Sterling continued, oblivious to his gut-wrenching fear, “her code was entered into the keypad to disarm the alarm.”
“This doesn’t make a whole helluva lot of sense.”
Shadow nodded. “Cold, hard evidence doesn’t lie, but I agree.”
“Here’s what we know.” Sterling ran a hand across the smooth surface on top of his head. “Campbell closes the bar at two o’clock a.m. He and Tess are the last ones to leave around 2:30 a.m., 3:00 a.m. at the latest. Campbell sets the alarm and walks Tess to her car.”
“So what’s our timeline for the night of the robbery?”
“Security reports indicate Campbell set the alarm at 2:45 a.m. The system was breached at 4:02 a.m. then again at 1:15 p.m. when Tess arrived for work. She called Campbell at 1:22 p.m.”
“That leaves approximately nine hours,” Steele pointed out. “Plenty of time to pull off the heist.”
Hawke raised an eyebrow. “I’m not so sure about that. I’m willing to bet her house is locked down like Ft. Knox. Do you suppose she’d provide security reports to cement her alibi?”
Encouragement began to flow through Ranger’s veins. “When we tell her she’s a suspect, I’m sure she’ll be agreeable.”
“It’s a start, but not a definite solution.” Shadow scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Just because she has an alarm system doesn’t mean she uses it consistently.”
Steele leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “True, but in her case I’m fairly certain she utilizes the security. Single woman, well-known for wealth – she sets her alarm.”
“Tess is an heiress,” Hawke agreed, “and most criminals steal money out of desperation. Her background indicates she has billions of dollars at her disposal – hardly a need for theft.”
As badly as he hated to say it, the question had to be asked. “But can she access those billions?”
“That’s her bank balance, Ranger. Mommy and Daddy’s money is gravy.”
“Then why is she working for Jack?”
�
�That’s a good question.” Hawke reached to redirect Harmony’s crayon back onto her paper. “Her banking records are relatively normal. She has automatic drafts scheduled for most of her payables and a membership to Fitness in the Buff. The only thing that strikes me as strange is that there are no deposits from The Cathouse.”
He raised both eyebrows. “Does Jack pay her?”
“She’s on the payroll.”
“Dig deeper, Hawke.” Sterling cocked his head to one side. “Do you suppose Campbell set her up?”
“Always a possibility, but not a strong one.” Hawke shook his head in denial. “His background is clean and I’m willing to bet Tess knows more about his financial situation than he does.”
Sterling’s cell phone sang from the holder on his hip, causing a momentary break in conversation. The baby on his back lifted her head and cooed.
“Damn,” he muttered just before he answered.
Ranger bit his tongue. Sterling could grouse all he wanted – even a blind man could see he loved those babies more than life itself.
“When?” Sterling reached to one side to remove his daughter’s finger from his ear. “Okay, give us about an hour.”
As soon as Sterling disconnected, he braced himself for the news. On a selfish note, he hoped Cameron had been the caller; maybe her meeting had been delayed and Sterling and Hawke’s mission would be extended. The kick-ass-and-take-names look on Sterling’s face, however, told him differently.
“That was Campbell. The safe has been breached again.”
Ranger raised an eyebrow. “What about the disc?”
“Missing.” The captain lifted his phone and punched numbers. “You three go on to The Cathouse. Hawke and I will wait for back-up and then meet you there.”
Ranger rode in the third seat of Steele’s truck, tapping his fingers against his thigh as if the motion might eliminate the tension in his nerves. Approximately twelve hours ago, he’d sat across the bar from Tess and listened to her soft, arousing voice as she rattled off sales figures to the penny. The woman had all the information necessary to pull off the perfect crime, but would she be sloppy enough to leave incriminating evidence behind? There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was familiar with security systems. She wouldn’t have used her own code to breach the safe if she intended to steal the money.
“You have some sort of nervous twitch, Ranger?”
He met Shadow’s eyes in the rearview mirror and smirked. “Just running things through my head.”
Steele drummed both thumbs against the steering wheel. “For the record, something stinks to high Heaven. She’s not behind this crime.”
He ran a hand down the side of his face. Although they all agreed Tess wasn’t their perpetrator, finding out who was would be a true test of skill. Especially since the evidence appeared conclusive.
“Someone just wants us to believe she is.”
Steele drove into the parking lot outside The Cathouse and killed the engine. “Maybe we’ll find something new this time.”
He released a deep, hard breath as he followed his teammates inside. He didn’t consider himself superstitious, but he had all ten fingers crossed so hard they cramped.
Fifteen minutes later, all five men of SEALs, Inc. and Jack knelt around the safe and watched digital numbers dance until they finally stalled and assembled into an all-too-familiar code.
“Sonuvabitch!” He slapped the floor beside him.
Sterling sighed. “One more time, Hawke.”
He half-heartedly watched the other man repeat the process, already convinced of the result. Hawke and computers had a unique relationship and like Tess and her numbers, Hawke was rarely mistaken.
He didn’t even flinch when he read the same numbers as before.
Jack was the one to speak this time. “I know what I see, but Tess did not steal the money.”
“Call the alarm company,” Sterling barked. “Let’s see who disarmed the alarm this time.”
Before Jack dialed numbers and spoke into the phone, Ranger knew it would most likely be the same code. Why? He didn’t really know but the way things were snowballing downhill, it wouldn’t be long before they could build a helluva snowman.
Jack didn’t even bother to voice the result when he disconnected. “I know Tess did not do this,” he said instead.
“How much are you missing this time?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and braced himself for the total.
“$20,436.00.” Jack released a hard breath. “Obviously she’s been set up.”
“That’s a large amount of money, Campbell.” Sterling stood and braced a hip against the counter. “Do you normally pull that much cash in one night?”
Jack smirked. “Alcohol and half-naked, beautiful women make a profitable combination.”
“You’re serious, right?”
“Dead serious. The club grosses at least that much two or three nights a week.” Jack stood and crossed his own arms while he glanced at Hawke. “I have some exclusive clientele.”
Sterling grinned. “Something you want to confess, Hawke?”
“Not him,” Jack answered for the other man, “but others like him – celebrities, politicians, businessmen who want a good time without the hassle and aren’t afraid to pay for it.”
Sterling seemed to be convinced. “What time is Tess scheduled to come in today?”
Jack glanced at his watch. “Any time now.”
“Ranger, if you don’t want to blow your cover you need to disappear.”
“Yeah,” Jack added. “Especially since you spent most of last night checking her out.”
“Damn, Ranger,” Shadow muttered.
Ranger shot his friend a perfect kiss my ass glare. “I didn’t check her out.”
“Yes, you did,” Jack said without hesitation.
“Okay, I did but only as a suspect.”
“Uh no, not really.” Jack just wouldn’t give him a break. “As I recall, you said something about her voice.”
“Well yes, I did, but—“
“It doesn’t matter.” Sterling directed the conversation back on track. “We need her alibi.”
Ranger glanced at Steele and then back at the captain. “Steele and I will work on it.”
“We will?” Steele frowned.
“Yes.” He gave his friend a smug grin. “We will.”
“In the meantime,” Sterling continued, “we’ll change the codes on the safe and the alarm and let her choose hers.” He glanced at Jack. “Don’t share them with each other. Only Hawke will know both codes. We’ll install a separate, hidden camera and recorder. No one outside of SEALs, Inc. will know the location. If our perp makes another move, we’ll see it.”
Jack nodded. “What about hanging a camera over the front door?”
“Too risky.” Sterling shook his head. “Better to set a trap.”
“I’d really like to catch this criminal.”
“We will,” Sterling assured him. “We’ve tightened our hold; it won’t be long.”
While the other men scattered to carry out orders, Ranger gestured at the front door with his head. “C’mon Steele, we’ve got recon to do.”
Shadow chuckled as he rounded the bar. “If you’re going where I think you’re going, good luck.”
“No such thing,” Steele mumbled.
“We’ll brief you as soon as we have something,” Ranger said as he led the way out of the club. “An hour or two, tops.”
Once he and Steele were seated back in Steele’s truck, his friend narrowed his gaze. “Mind telling me what the hell’s going on?”
“Hawke said she pays Fitness in the Buff once a month.”
“So?”
“I have a feeling she was there this morning.”
“Hell.” Steele released a hard breath. “Are you sure you want to start there?”
“Absolutely.” He gestured at the steering wheel with his hand. “Let’s go.”
Steele poked the keys into the ignition and the
n paused. “You obviously don’t know my wife. Not only will Holly refuse to give us information, she’ll know exactly what we’re asking for before we open our mouths. And if Cameron’s there, we’re really screwed. Even worse, if Claire’s there, we don’t have a chance.”
“I thought you said you have ways around her.”
“I do, but they don’t always work.”
“You are so whooped.” Steele’s concern made him laugh out loud. “Once we explain the situation to Holly, I’m sure she’ll cooperate.”
“Have it your way.” The other man started the engine. “At least I can attempt to block her. You’re on your own. Just remember, I gave you fair warning.”
He tossed his friend’s warning around in his head, not sure if Steele was entirely serious. He didn’t have experience with Holly’s talent, but if she was even half as intuitive as Claire, his teammate was serious. But once Holly knew the circumstances, would she withhold information if it would clear Tess?
“Do you think Holly knows Tess?”
“I have no idea.” Steele turned a corner. “She probably knows her by name, but more than that, who knows?”
“Maybe you should talk to her. I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation.”
Steele laughed out loud. “Hell, no! This is your mission, I’m just along for the ride.”
“Does she ever talk about her friends?”
“She, Rachel, Cameron, and Claire are a pretty close unit. Conversation normally involves them. Her talent keeps her from interacting with other people outside of the gym.”
“Is she as good as Claire?”
Steele nodded in the affirmative. “Just in a different way. She reads aura in color. Apparently, colors indicate emotion. And then there’s her psychology degree.”
He swallowed hard. “Seriously?” So much for detective work.
“Yep.” Steele pulled into the gym’s parking lot and killed the engine. “Like I said, you’re on your own.”
Ranger decided to let Steele lead the way into the gym; better to let his wife read him first.
“Hey, babe.” Steele greeted Holly with a kiss as she met them in front of the reception desk. “You have a minute?”
