A Wanted Man (Cold Case Detectives Book 1)

by Jennifer Morey

  “He made calls to Quinten’s cell phone, as well. In fact, that was his last call. They spoke for three minutes.”

  Long enough to make sure Jax’s son wouldn’t be around to witness him setting the barn on fire.

  “Are you going to bring him in for more questioning?” Penny asked.

  “Not yet. I don’t want him to know we’re onto him any more than we are until we have solid evidence.”

  Kadin nodded a couple of times, nonchalant and giving nothing away as to how this effected him.

  “About the main reason I’m here...” the detective said. “We found some trace evidence from Sara’s crime scene. A fiber. Forensics is running tests to determine what type it is.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” Penny asked, turning from Detective Cohen’s flatlined face to Kadin’s hard but intelligent indifference.

  “It might be,” Detective Cohen said. “We have DNA, but no match against anything in our database.”

  That meant whoever had killed Sara hadn’t been arrested for any other crimes.

  “What about Jax’s DNA sample?” Penny knew his DNA could match and not be present in the database. He had no criminal record, but he could still have killed Sara Wolfe.

  “Still being processed,” Detective Cohen said.

  “All we can do is wait,” Kadin added with a note of frustration.

  Detective Cohen studied his reaction. “I know how difficult this must be for you.”

  Penny watched the tension rise in Kadin, his ever-ready wall of numbness. “But you should know that your expertise is invaluable to us. Sara’s parents included, and any other parent of a child you might help in the future.”

  Kadin’s jaw worked beneath his Batman outer casing. Next to nothing could get past that protective layer.

  “Focus on that while you assist with this investigation.” It sounded like fatherly advice, but it was advice from one seasoned detective to another.

  “Call me as soon as the tests are processed,” Kadin said.

  Summarily dismissed, Cohen tipped his head at Penny and then met Kadin’s hard gaze once more before putting back on his hat and leaving.

  Deciding not to corner him about his trouble with child murder cases—who wouldn’t have trouble? His was just much more severe—she went to close her office door.

  “I caught Mark looking through my computer this morning,” she said.

  Kadin frowned. “What was he looking for?”

  “He said a proposal, but I don’t think it was that. I think he may have accidentally sent me a file with information in it he doesn’t want me to see.”

  “What kind of information?”

  “You mean you didn’t hear?” He’d bugged her office, after all.

  “You ran out of the apartment early this morning. I didn’t have time to listen in. I had to make sure you were all right.”

  “Well, in answer to your question, I don’t know what kind of information. I have a lot of files on my computer.” She ran down a list of types.

  “Show me the financial files.”

  “I don’t want to take you away from the Sara Wolfe investigation. Dane and Mark seemed awfully chummy when I met them in Mark’s office. That’s the main reason I’d like to look into it.” That and her boss could be doing something illegal.

  “Okay. His association with the Ballards might lead to something,” Kadin said.

  And his embezzling could lead to information? Penny didn’t see how, but she went to her computer and sat. Kadin came to stand behind her. When he leaned one hand on the desk, his sinewy arm caught her off guard. Warm awareness seeped through her. She glanced up at him, seeing him look down at with the same reaction. This was the way it had been between them ever since they slept together. Smoky looks. Sizzling heat. She had a hard time concentrating.

  Shaking herself back to reality, she began to search for files.

  “I don’t see the detailed financials,” she informed him. “Only summaries that Mark reports to the board.”

  “Maybe there’s something in one of those that he didn’t clean up before sending it to you.”

  Penny opened the folder where she stored the monthly status reports that one of her program managers created for her. She accessed the most recent Excel file and she and Kadin looked through the data. Finding nothing that stood out there, she opened the next file. The first thing she noticed was the extra tab.

  Kadin saw it, too. He pointed as she went to click there. Columns of numbers appeared. Penny saw the total for the month and then went to the main tab where he’d generated a summary.

  “The totals don’t match,” she said.

  “Could mean something.” Kadin reached for the mouse and ended up covering his hand over hers. An instant flash of arousal circled down low. She slipped her hand away from the mouse and let him navigate to the extra tab. “This looks like a working spreadsheet. He must have generated the summary from these.”

  “But the totals should match.”

  “Can you do some research on these?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He tilted his head. “How hard would it be to get other files from Mark?”

  Still leaning down, his face close to hers, his pleasant, manly deodorant wafted into her senses.

  She almost forgot to answer. “Hard. I’d have to get on his computer.”

  Could Mark have been the one to go after them in the parking garage? He didn’t seem the type. To her, he was a nerdy executive. But he faced prison time if he was caught stealing money from Avenue One.

  “Why is he so worried about Avenue One if he’s siphoning money?” she asked, biting her lip. “He’s been on me to get the Ballard ads done.”

  Penny turned and found herself face-to-face with him. He didn’t respond right away, but his eyes flamed awareness of their nearness and stirred her own smoldering attraction.

  “Maybe he’s only worried about getting caught. And as long as Avenue One is making money, he can keep taking.”

  “Yeah, but why single me out? He doesn’t give anyone else a hard time.”

  “Maybe he’s offended that you rejected him. Some men are weak that way.”

  “You’re not.” She smiled up at him to let him know she was teasing.

  “No, and you’ve done a fine job of rejecting me.”

  She drew back a bit. “I have?”

  “Yes.”

  Did he want her to go after him? No. He hadn’t encouraged her. Not in the least. He’d only noticed her withdrawal. She’d kept her distance and he saw that as rejection. Somehow she suspected he’d voiced something he wished he hadn’t. He wanted her, but something held him back. Past hurt. A giant past hurt.

  His gaze roamed her face, spending long seconds reaching deep into her eyes, and then he stared longingly at her mouth. He might as well physically touch her. More and more, it seemed, they were losing the battle of wills.

  For two weeks she’d kept her desire for him under wraps. Now that resolve crumbled. Undeniable chemistry they generated intensified. She looked at his mouth, drawn there by temptation. He brought his mouth closer. Almost there. She tingled with anticipation.

  “I can’t stop thinking about that night.” His warm breath bathed her skin.

  “I can’t, either.”

  What are we going to do about that? she wanted to ask.

  In that instant, her office door opened and Jordan appeared. Penny jerked back and Kadin straightened abruptly, both of them caught in an intimate pose.

  “Oh,” Jordan said awkwardly. “Sorry. Jax is on the line. This is his third call.”

  Penny hoped her face wasn’t as flushed as it felt.

  Kadin cleared his throat and had difficulty looking at her. “I’ll pick you up at five
.”

  She watched him walk to the door. Jordan moved out of the way, watching with Penny as his long strides took him to the elevators—and an escape.

  Jordan turned back to her. “Is he okay?”

  “Just a little girl-shy.” Penny smiled to lighten the moment.

  “He doesn’t look girl-shy. He’s cute.” Jordan had never said anything personal to her before. That she was relaxed enough to do so now struck Penny as peculiar. And she’d hardly call Kadin cute. Hot. Sexy. Manly. But not cute.

  “Sorry,” Jordan said. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you that way with a man before.”

  She’d noticed her with men? “Oh...really?” What way? Penny didn’t ask but the answer was obvious. Hot. On fire. Deeply, thoroughly attracted. Had any other man made her feel that way? Maybe a little...but definitely not so intensely.

  “Most men know they don’t have a chance with you,” Jordan went on to say. “You’re a hard catch.”

  A hard catch? She’d always told herself that when the right man came along, she’d know and that all the others before him wouldn’t matter, regardless of how the relationships ended. Why was Kadin so different? She was suddenly afraid to analyze that.

  “You’re an inspiration.” Jordan put her hand on the knob of the door, daring to go on. “More women should be as sure as you and not give in to what men want. You seem to know what you want and you don’t accept anything less. It’s made me take a closer look at my relationship with my boyfriend. He wants to move in together, but I don’t think I’m going to. Because if I did, I’d be doing it for him, not me.”

  Penny smiled, this time genuinely. “Thank you.” She meant that. Not many people shared their thoughts with her like this, not at work or anywhere else in a professional setting.

  “Anytime. I had to say something. I hope you don’t mind. That private investigator has it bad for you. And I don’t see you turning him away.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe he’s the one.”

  Penny couldn’t control the electric jolt of alarm that sent prickles of apprehension across her skull and down her arms. “I’m not sure that’s such a good thing. Not with him.”

  “Why not?”

  She debated over how much longer she’d allow this chatter to continue. And then decided, what was the harm?

  “His daughter was murdered three years ago and his wife overdosed as a result of her grief.”

  Jordan’s face fell with sympathy. “Oh. How terrible.”

  “Yes. So Kadin is obviously not ready for a new relationship.” Usually men fell at her feet and she called the shots. Not with Kadin. With him, there were potentially insurmountable uncertainties.

  Penny shifted to a more professional tone. “Thanks, Jordan. Send Jax’s call through, would you?”

  Jordan smiled as she headed back out to her desk. “Right away.”

  A moment later, Penny’s phone lit up and she answered, “Hello, Jax.”

  “What are you doing for dinner later?”

  “Wh—” She stopped herself. “You want to have dinner...with me?”

  “Your courier sent over your team’s latest mockup, but I had questions and no one was there to answer them. Then I started thinking about the other— Meet me for dinner, Penny. We can talk about everything then.”

  He sounded put off but not as angry as he had been two weeks ago. “Are you sure you want to meet me in person? Should I send someone else?” Even with Kadin nearby, she didn’t feel safe being alone with him.

  “No. I want to talk to you about us, too.”

  Them? Did he still have feelings for her? “Oh.” What could she say? If she could get him to slip up, maybe he’d give her a clue. “All right.”

  “I’ll make reservations for six at Teddy Merlot’s.”

  Kadin was picking her up at five. He’d probably already heard this conversation anyway, with the listening device he’d placed in her office.

  “Okay. I’ll meet you there.”

  * * *

  At five, Penny left the building. She had made it three steps off the elevator when Kadin stepped out from between two cars. She let out a shriek.

  “God, you scared me half to death!”

  “Sorry.” He stood before her. “Dinner?”

  She took in the hard planes of his face and realized jealousy had put him on edge. “With Jax, yes. It’s a business dinner. We used to do that all the time, and he isn’t the first man I’ve met for dinner for a business purpose. It’s not unusual.”

  “He wants to talk about you and him.”

  Penny sighed. “He’s a child molester. Hardly attractive to me.”

  That put him in check. His edginess receded to a mask of calm. “Suspected child molester.”

  “This might lead to something. If I can get him to talk...”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know.” The edginess came out in his tone now.

  “What are you so worried about? You won’t be far away.” She patted her purse. “And I’ve got your handy little gadget right here.” He’d put a tiny transmitter in her purse.

  He lifted his hand, palm up, to reveal another device. “Clip this to your bra.”

  She took the thing. “Jeez. You’re a real Longmire. Younger, though.”

  His brow lifted. “Who?”

  “Never mind.” The association was still lost on him, she saw from his face.

  “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” he asked.

  Should she dare to let her spitfire personality shine? He wasn’t familiar with the sexy Longmire. “Sharp homicide detective like you are? Yes, I’d say it’s a compliment.”

  She looked up as she clipped the device to her bra and saw him watching her with riveted interest.

  “If you need me to interrupt your dinner, the code is ‘it’s salty.’”

  “So...” His deliberate lack of acknowledgment of her detective comment made her tease him. “Are you hoping I use the code?”

  A flicker of a smile came and went on his lips before he reached for her. His hand glided along her face until his fingers combed through her hair. Then he tipped her head back and brought his face hovering over hers. She was so startled she didn’t move. Not before he kissed her. Chaste at first, and then the mysterious fire that had brought them together before roared. Penny sought more of him and he gave her more.

  And then he abruptly drew back.

  When she regained some coherency, he said, “That should take your mind off Jax tonight.”

  Chapter 6

  Kissing Penny dispensed a potion that Kadin hadn’t anticipated. Instead of taking her mind off Jax, he’d sabotaged his. She’d only turned up the heat when she emerged from her bedroom in a black, body-con mini dress with cutouts above her cleavage and on her shoulders. All the way to the restaurant, he’d glanced over at her, the creamy skin of her cleavage and slender, smooth thighs stirring his desire.

  “Did you have to wear that?” he’d asked her.

  She’d looked over at him, well aware of the effect she had on him dressed like that. “Wishing you were the one having dinner with me tonight, Detective?”

  Damn, she was such a flirt. He’d almost pulled over and shown her how much more than dinner he wanted. Instead, iron will drove his Charger to a secluded parking spot, and then he’d had to watch her butt in that formfitting dress as she made her way under outdoor lighting to the front door. Kadin spotted Jax standing there. In an expensive suit, he completed them as a couple. Sharp dresser, connoisseur of fine things, he fit well in his top-executive role. He’d also chosen a nice steak and seafood restaurant. He held the door open for her, and Kadin could no longer see her.

  A hostess led them to a table. Hearing Penny breathing through his equipment, he imagined sliding that short hem up to find her with
out underwear. Yes, he’d damn well like to be the one across from her tonight. Her breathing quieted as they looked over the menu.

  After ordering wine, Penny laughed at a not-very-funny joke Jax had made about the search warrant. He made light of the incident, which only raised Kadin’s suspicion more. Then Ballard started in on the business purpose of their meeting. He didn’t seem angry anymore. Did he have a reason for his change of heart? Yeah. Penny. Plus, no evidence pinned him with any crime. Yet. So why not try to reclaim her? What man wouldn’t want her?

  The waiter came with their wine and took their orders. Did Penny have to wear such a statement of a dress? Imagining Jax enjoying the delectable view as he sat across a table from her, Kadin clenched his jaw. He did not like her with another man. As soon as he realized that, he wondered why. What about Penny drove him to such a heated state? Her energy. Her beauty. Her fun, flirty demeanor.

  You’re safe with me...

  Was he? Did he need to be? As long as they didn’t become a family, he didn’t see a problem. He had devoted his life to catching killers. The threat of something getting in the way of that mission balled up his insides, made his palms sweat.

  “I caught Mark in my office this morning,” Penny said, snapping Kadin to attention. Why had she brought this up with Jax? To see if he knew of any reason why his brother had supported Mark so unconditionally?

  “Caught him?” Jax asked after a beat. Maybe he wondered why she’d told him, too.

  “Yes, looking for something on my computer. He said he needed a proposal from another project, but I don’t think that’s true.”

  “What do you think he was after?”

  “I don’t know, but did you notice anything unusual about him and your brother when we met in his office?”

  “About Mark?”

  “Yes.”

  Jax didn’t respond right away. Penny referred to the meeting about the search warrant. Jax had been angry then.

  “Unusual...how?” he finally said.

  “I can’t put my finger on it. Anxious. Intimidated, even.”

  “Like Mark would do anything to keep Dane happy?”