Abducted Heart (Z-Series)

by Jerri Drennen

  “I'd like nothing more.”

  “Let's go.” Lynch took hold of Casey’s arm. His touch sent a jolt of electricity down her spine.

  She yanked free and left the kitchen. She'd go with Lynch to the bank, but she didn't need or want him to touch or talk to her. Not after the hurtful words he'd said earlier.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Lynch and Casey waited in the lobby of the bank. They needed to talk to the manager of the branch—had to find out where that money came from and where it went.

  “Mrs. Jackson?” a middle-aged woman in a tailored pantsuit asked, walking toward them.

  “Yes.”

  “Let's go to my office.”

  They rose and followed the lady to the room.

  “Please take a seat and tell me what we can do for you today.”

  Lynch handed Casey the bank statement.

  She gave it to the woman. “I need to know what these transactions were.”

  The manager took the paper, punched in some numbers on her computer and frowned.

  “What?” Lynch asked.

  “The money was wired to Harrah's. As far as where it came from, it looks like the money was transferred by the same account number that his paychecks are direct deposited from.”

  Lynch glanced over to see Casey's face lose all color.

  What did this mean? Clearly, Brent had a gambling problem if the money was wired to Harrah's. But why did it come from his company? Lynch was pretty sure that CPAs didn't bring in that kind of cash. Did that mean his ex-step brother was pilfering funds from a business account?

  Maybe that's why he'd concocted this whole scheme. Why else would he risk trying to murder his wife for insurance money? Premeditation. Brent was looking at prison time for stealing from the company, and he needed a way to get cash fast to hide what he'd been doing. Casey was just collateral damage.

  Piece of shit.

  Of course Lynch had known that years ago—a few short weeks into his mother's marriage to Brent's father. He'd always treated Lynch like he was dirt on the bottom of his shoes and never bothered to try and hide that. The guy had actually said as much to him when they'd been introduced for the first time.

  Lynch had just cause not to like Brent, though why the man felt that way about him was still a mystery.

  “Thank you for your time.” Casey's reply drew Lynch back to the present.

  Outside the bank, Lynch studied her profile. She was upset, but she refused to look at him—no doubt still angry he'd said what he had earlier that day.

  “I want to apologize for what I said to Zack this morning, Casey.”

  She put a hand up in protest. “I can't deal with that now. I just found out my husband is not only a liar, but a thief. Why was I so stupid?”

  If she knew the whole truth behind her husband's actions, she'd be devastated.

  “I need to talk to Alex. If Brent needed money, why didn't he go to him?”

  Lynch shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe he did? I think before we talk to Alex, we should go down to Harrah's and see what kind of gambling problem Brent had. He could still owe the casino.”

  She sighed. “All right.”

  Lynch opened the car door for Casey, allowed her to get settled then closed it. He came around the car and slid behind the wheel, a rush of raw emotion taking hold when he saw tears in Casey's eyes. He hated that she was hurting so badly. Finding out her husband wasn't who she thought had to be hard to stomach.

  “I'm sorry you have to go through this, Casey.”

  She turned to him. “This really doesn't surprise me all that much.”

  Her confession took him aback. “Why do you say that?”

  “I never should have married Brent. It's not like I loved him. It just seemed the thing to do at the time. I thought he'd be acceptable to my father. He wasn't. Another shocker, right?” She shook her head. “Daddy has never liked anyone I dated.”

  “Especially me. The first time I met the man he told me straight out I wasn't good enough for you.”

  Casey's jaw slacked. “Why didn't you tell me?”

  “I didn't want to hurt you. He's your father.”

  “A man who has tried to control my life from the moment I took my first breath. You of all people should've known that, since we met because I was trying to defy him—went to that part of town knowing he'd be furious.”

  Lynch didn't want to get into this with Casey. It was all water under the bridge. She broke up with him. Who cared what her father did or said?

  He pulled out of the bank's parking lot, headed for Harrah's. Lynch had never been to the casino that had been a part of New Orleans for close to fifteen years now. He wouldn't be going now if they weren't looking for information. Risking life and limb was acceptable to Lynch, but gambling with cash you couldn't afford to lose was stupid. Why Brent had done it, he intended to find out.

  A twenty-minute drive and they were back in the French Quarter. Lynch took a right into Harrah's parking garage. From everything he'd heard about the establishment, it'd probably take them an hour to find a place to park.

  “Have you been inside?” he asked Casey once they'd parked and started for the casino.

  “I met Daddy for lunch here once. It's too crowded for my taste.”

  “When would Brent have had a chance to come here? Did you two spend a lot of time apart?”

  She shrugged. “I had friends who I spent weekends with, not to mention family events. Brent refused to go with me to any. I didn't ask where he spent his time when we weren't together.”

  “Because you didn't care?” Lynch asked more sharply than he'd intended. He sensed a pattern with Casey—one that insinuated she wasn't a very warm or loyal person. After all, she'd said goodbye to him in a damned letter—as blunt and to the point as anyone could be. Now, he knew she hadn't loved Brent either. Maybe she was more like her father than he'd realized.

  She turned away, not bothering to answer. Why bother since it was clear she didn't care? About anything—or anybody.

  Inside, Lynch couldn't believe how immense the casino was. Nothing like he'd ever seen before. Such glitz and glamour. No wonder Brent got himself into trouble here. The slot machines were hypnotizing with all their bells and whistles going off. Table after table of well-dressed men and women playing for their chance at riches. The place was totally awe-inspiring.

  Lynch shook the thought. No wonder so many people got sucked into a gambling habit. Especially if alcohol was also involved. People got cocky when they drank.

  “Let's find someone who can tell us if Brent holds a debt here or not,” he said in Casey's ear, the noise inside the casino almost deafening.

  She nodded. A group of Japanese tourists crowded toward them, and Lynch clasped Casey's hand, afraid they'd get separated. The simple touch caused his body to come alive—like when their eyes had met that morning. Her violet gaze had been like a beacon—his, a ship in a hurricane. He couldn't fight the pull and when he'd held her in his arms, it'd been like ten years had vanished. That all that pain of her saying goodbye hadn't happened. She'd responded to his kiss as she had that first time—two innocent teenagers coming together to become one. God. He'd loved her so much. He thought she'd felt the same, but it had all been a ruse.

  Casey pulled at his sleeve, drawing his attention to a man with a Harrah’s management tag.

  “Excuse me,” Lynch said to the forty-something guy dressed to the nines.

  “Yes,” he said to him, then proceeded to ogle Casey.

  For some reason, the gesture irked the hell out of Lynch, but he refused to show it. He needed this man's cooperation to find out how much money Brent lost in the casino.

  “I'm Casey Jackson. My father is Daniel Wheaton. I'd like to talk to you about my husband Brent's gambling habits in here,” Casey said, surprising him. She'd dropped her father's name. Not a dumb thing to do since anyone who was anyone would have heard of the local shipping magnate. Even Lynch had heard of the man growing up, and th
ey sure as hell didn't run in the same circles.

  The man smiled. “His name again?”

  “Brent Jackson.

  The man frowned. “Right. Yeah, I know the guy. He's still in arrears to us for close to fifty-thousand dollars. We finally had to ban him from the casino.”

  Casey's eyes widened. Lynch could hardly blame her since they'd both seen the number of transactions paid to Harrah's. Brent had to have owed the casino over two-hundred thousand at one time—way too much money for one man to be in debt for.

  *

  Casey imagined this is what a person in shock felt like. How could her husband have hidden something like this from her?

  She followed Lynch out of the casino, feeling as if her world had imploded. She was married to this man. Any debt he'd incurred was hers, as well. How was she going to pay the casino and his company any money he'd stolen from them?

  “You okay?” Lynch asked, touching her arm.

  Casey pulled away. All the men in her life had done nothing but hurt her in one way or another. She'd never let it happen again. Ever.

  Squealing tires had her looking around. A white van barreled toward her, and she found herself paralyzed--unable to move.

  Casey closed her eyes, waiting for impact. Strong hands wrapped around her shoulders and yanked her backward. She slammed against a wall, her breath gone. Lynch blanketed her body with his. The sound of his heartbeat echoed around them both.

  For what seemed like hours, they remained still as Casey's mind started to work again. Someone had just tried to run her down. She'd be lying dead if Lynch hadn't pulled her to safety. She owed him her life.

  At that moment, he looked down at her, and Casey's heart took off again. Why did she have to feel things for this man? As soon as he found Brent, he'd be heading back to Virginia—away from New Orleans—away from her. She had to remember how that had affected her the last time he'd left. It had changed her life completely and she couldn't go through that again.

  “You okay?” he asked, a hitch in his voice.

  “What just happened? Is someone trying to kill me?”

  His shifting eyes gave her his answer. Yes. Someone was trying to kill her. But why?

  “Come on. Let's get you home. We can talk then.”

  Casey allowed Lynch to lead her to the car, her mind going over the past couple of days. Brent was kidnapped. She gets ransom money from Daddy. Then someone breaks into the house. Yet nothing was taken. The intruder comes into her bedroom and...

  Casey swallowed hard. That person hadn't come to take the money. They'd come to kill her.

  Her attention flew to Lynch. She pulled at his arm to stop them both. “What the psychic said the other night about you knowing I was in danger. She was right, wasn't she? What are you not telling me, Lynch?”

  “Can we talk about this later?”

  Casey clutched his arm tightly. “No. I'm not moving until you tell me what you know.”

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them again, he cleared his throat. Whatever he was about to tell her was going to hurt deeply. She could see it. But she needed to know the truth.

  “Just tell me.”

  “All right. I found some insurance policies in your name in Brent's desk at work.”

  “So? I knew about mine. We both had one.”

  “Do you have the policy on Brent?”

  “No. He has them both, but I know we had them because I was there when we set them up.”

  “Well, I couldn't find one on Brent and you have two. With a double indemnity clause that would make your husband rich if something bad happened to you.”

  “How rich?” she asked, a numbness washing over her body.

  “A million dollars rich.”

  Casey's hands flew to cover her mouth. This wasn't happening. It was a dream, and she'd wake up soon. Because if it wasn't, Brent was evil, and she'd make sure he paid for what they'd planned to do to her for money.

  Tears clouded her eyes and she felt weak in the knees. Before she went down, Lynch scooped her up into his arms and started toward the car. Casey wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight. She needed to feel safe, and he was the only person who could do that. He'd always been the one.

  Who'd she called when all this mess started? Lynch. He was her rock. But he wouldn't be here forever, and she had to remember that.

  In the car, Casey twisted her hands in her lap and shook her head. “I don't understand, Lynch. Why would he do this to me?”

  “Simple. He was desperate for money. It's tax season, Casey. Brent's company was going to find out about this missing money, and he needed to find a way to get it.”

  “But resorting to murder? What kind of man would do that?”

  “You are asking the wrong man about your husband, Casey. I never liked him. You need to ask someone who knew him. His father, perhaps.”

  “If he did this, then his father doesn't know him either. You know Alex. Do you think this is something he'd condone?”

  “We need to ask Alex if he lent money to Brent. Because if he didn't, then he was keeping this gambling problem to himself. Nobody knew what was going on with him.”

  “I don't think I ever saw the real Brent Jackson, just what he wanted me to see, and that wasn’t all that appealing.”

  “I got a taste of the real man. What was Brent's mother like? Do you know?”

  She shrugged. “I only met her once. That was at our wedding. She was standoffish toward me, and Brent seemed very odd around her.”

  He frowned. “Odd how?”

  “I don't know. Nervous she might say the wrong thing, maybe.”

  “Is this a subject we could bring up to Alex? Has he ever spoken to you about his ex-wife?”

  “No, but at the wedding he seemed uncomfortable around the woman as well.”

  “I'm going to call him now. We need to talk to him. I think it’s best we do it at your house.”

  Casey agreed. She needed to find out what could make a man who had promised to love and honor her want to kill her instead.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Lynch paced the living room floor, anxious to talk to Alex. He'd called with the pretense of them all getting together for a family meal, his mother included. He dreaded telling his step-father what he thought. Alex would be devastated to learn what his only son had planned.

  What father wouldn't be? To find out your own flesh and blood had orchestrated his own kidnapping so that he could murder his wife and make it look like a home invasion? What kind of man would do such a thing?

  “Are you planning to wear a path in the carpet?” Zack said from the office doorway.

  Lynch stopped in his tracks. His friend was right. He wasn't accomplishing anything with his incisive back-and-forth motion. But he was anxious—almost dreading what was to come.

  “This whole thing with Brent and Casey. I don't know.”

  “I do understand, Lynch. But this is really all about Casey, isn't it?”

  He shook his head. “What the hell you talking about, Zack?”

  “You're in love with her.”

  “No. I did love her a long time ago. But that was when I was young and stupid. I'm not that kid anymore.”

  Zack laughed. “All these years I thought you were immune to falling in love, and now I know why. You can't love if your heart is already taken. Casey's had it all this time, and you've never tried to get it back.”

  Lynch snorted. “You're crazy.”

  His friend stared hard at him then shrugged. “I can't make you see the obvious, Lynch, if you don't want to see it.”

  “There's nothing to see. Can we drop this now?”

  Zack grinned. “Sure. So, you want to hear about the date I have tonight while you have your family powwow?”

  “What? You aren't staying?”

  “Nope. I'm having dinner with Casey's hot friend, Chelsea. Don't wait up, either. I may be out late.” Zack winked at him. “I'm seriously hoping to get lucky tonight
.”

  “Do you think it's wise to start something with a woman who lives hundreds of miles away?”

  “Why the hell should you care? How many second dates have you had over the past ten years?”

  Lynch threw up his hands. “Do what you want, Zack. I was just thinking about Casey. Chelsea is her best friend. They've been close for as long as I've known her.”

  “So you do care about Casey's feelings.”

  Lynch was getting nowhere in this conversation. Best to put an end to it. Zack was going to do what Zack was going to do. Lynch wasn't going to change that.

  “Have a good time. Just don't forget to use protection.”

  “Safety first.”

  The doorbell rang, and Lynch frowned.

  “I'm leaving through the back door,” Zack said over his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen. “Have a nice dinner. I know I will.”

  Lynch took a breath. Time to put on a friendly face until after the meal. Then he'd get down to business and find out what Brent's father knew or didn't know about what his son had been up to.

  He started for the door, but was sidetracked by Casey who was coming down the stairs. The woman made his step falter. Hell, he almost tripped. She looked stunning—no—she looked sexy as hell in a form fitting dress that matched the color of her intoxicating blue eyes. His groin twitched as he took her all in. This was going to be a difficult night. Harder than he ever dreamed.

  The repeated ringing of the doorbell brought him out of the spell.

  Lynch sucked in another breath and stalked to the door, angry with himself for letting her get to him. This was the woman who broke his heart in two. She wasn't getting anywhere near it—or any other part of his anatomy. He planned to keep his heart and dick under wraps.

  He opened the door and found Alex and his mother waiting. Both gave him a warm smile. “Come on in.”

  “Why haven't I seen you except for five minutes since you've been home? What has been keeping you so busy?” his mother asked once they were inside and the door was closed.