Seductive Reasoning (TASK FORCE HAWAII Book 1) (16 page)

Jaime said nothing as she helped zip up the back of the dress. “Now turn.”

She did and blinked. The vision in the full-sized mirror was someone else; it had to be. Jaime had been right. The dress was perfect. The color matched her eyes and brought out the golden undertone to her skin. The cowl bodice made her look as if she actually had a chest. Her waist looked unbearably small, and accentuated the slight curve of her hips. The soft satin draped her body perfectly, and ended in a pool around her feet.

“Oh, wow.”

Jaime smiled. “That man isn’t going to know what hit him.”

She rolled her eyes. “I keep telling everyone that the killer isn’t interested in me.”

“I’m not talking about
that
wanker. I’m talking about Del.”

Emma shrugged. “I think he prefers me with no clothes.”

Jaime laughed. “Oh, you do make me happy, Emma. No one else would say that.”

“Please, if you think about it, Randy and Sean are the same way about you.”

She nodded. “Yes, but every now and then, it is nice to give them a pretty package to unwrap.”

“That sounds wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

She watched as Jaime pulled out newly bought packages. “I don’t know. You know, all the people like to say he should like me the way I am.”

“Oh, love, he does like you very much the way you are. But, dressing up every now and then is good too.”

Emma looked at all the containers she had on the counter. She had never owned that much makeup in her life.

“Out of the dress and put on a robe. Then we need to get down to putting on the makeup.”

“I don’t do makeup.”

“Tonight you do.”

Emma frowned.

“Don’t look like that. This is all part of the job. You will always stand out because of who you are, but part of watching this bastard is getting close enough to observe. From what you told me, unless Marcus can come up with something on him to get that search warrant, or gets the owner of the property to agree, you are left with getting the guy to slip up. Or, you need to buy time. Looking pretty and gaining his attention does just that. He knows you are involved with the investigation, so he will be watching. Distract him while you work on obtaining what you need to catch the bastard.”

“It sounds like a long shot when you say it like that,” Emma said as she stepped out of the dress then grabbed her green robe and put it on.

Jaime shrugged as she opened up some very dark eye makeup. “It is, but it doesn’t mean that you all can’t make it work for you. Now, wash your face with that stuff and let’s get to work.”

Emma reached for the container, then paused. She looked at Jaime’s reflection in the mirror as she was setting out the makeup.

“Thanks.”

Jaime looked up, and smiled. “You are very welcome. It’s fun to have a sister to do things with.”

A
sister
. Tears burned the backs of her eyes. A year ago, she had been alone. Now, not only did she have her brother, she had Randy and she had a sister. They were a family. Warmth filled her chest as she sniffed and blinked away the tears.

“Emma, are you okay?”

She nodded and smiled. “Yeah. And you’re right. It’s really nice to have a sister.”

D
el was having
a difficult time trying to concentrate on the mission. He should be focused on the monster they were there to capture. He had been trained to work under all kinds of circumstances. The problem was, as he walked into the hotel, he could only think about one person. Emma.

She was a beautiful woman, in mind and spirit, but tonight was the first night he’d ever seen her in makeup. He didn’t care one way or the other, but it had left his nerves frazzled. Worse, the woman had no idea the effect she was having on him.

Worse, he was having to control his reaction. With the entire team listening, he had to be careful. It was bad enough that they were treating Emma and Del as their own personal soap opera to watch. Having it on a recording would be worse.

“Do you know anyone here?” she asked.

“Um, probably not. Although the mayor might be here. Seems like something he would support.”

She nodded. The little sparkle of something shimmered in her hair. He had never seen her with her hair curled and up in such an intricate design. It looked like one little tug and the multitude of curls would come tumbling down around her shoulders.

“What?” she asked.

“Sorry, still trying to get used to you looking like that.”

She shook her head. “Well, don’t. It’s not going to happen again anytime soon.”

“Hmm.”

She gave him a sharp glance. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“I can’t believe you’re getting all bothered by a little makeup and a dress. I would have never said Jaime would be right, but there you have it.”

“Right about what?”

“She said you would get distracted by me in a dress. I told her you would rather see me naked.”

He snorted. “True. But then, wondering what kind of lingerie you have on under the dress, that would be interesting.”

“I’m not wearing any lingerie.”

He froze for a second, unsure if he’d heard what he thought he’d heard. Slowly, he turned to face her.

“What?”

She leaned closer, a little smile curving her lips. “My panty lines kept showing, so I decided not to wear any. The bodice makes it easy to go braless too.”

Heat seared through his blood as it headed from his brain to his cock. Dammit, how was he supposed to think like this? There was no doubt about it, he had done something horrible in his life. It was the only explanation he had for it. He tried to swallow and found his mouth too dry to accommodate. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out onto the patio. He found a secluded spot.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing…just had to do this.”

He cupped her face and bent his head to brush his mouth over hers.

“You are acting very weird.”

He smiled at her. “You think? I think I’m being terrifying.”

She frowned and opened her mouth. He pressed his fingers against her mouth.

“Don’t. We don’t have the time, but just know this—you have made me fall head over heels for you.”

For a second, she looked stunned. He drank in the confused look, then his heart sang when her lips curved. That look on her face made him feel like he owned the world. Who would have thought making Emma smile was all he needed to get through the day? But right now, the entire ballroom full of people had faded away, and it was just the two of them. He wanted to tell her, wanted to let her know exactly how he felt. That his little comment did not do his feelings justice.

“Indeed?”

He nodded. “You and I are going to have a serious talk.”

“Now?”

He shook his head. “No. When we get done with this. All of this.”

The expression in her gaze told him that she knew what he was talking about.

He led her back into the room. “I need to get us some drinks. I’ll be right back.”

“Wait,” she said.

“What?”

“Just that?”

He stepped closer and leaned down so only she could hear his voice. “Well, the thought of pulling up that dress and taking you on the balcony had entered my mind, but since we’re on a job tonight, I thought I would refrain.”

She shivered as he pulled back from her. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and he walked away. They needed to get this case closed because they definitely had a lot to discuss.

“Uh, Boss, I’ve been told by Adam to remind you that we are all listening,” Marcus said chuckling.

Fuck
. He had just reminded himself about that, then completely forgot the moment he got close to her. He seemed to have been losing his head over her from the moment he’d met her.

“I would suggest that you all forget about it. And, if there are any bets about us per that conversation, just know whoever initiates them will end up working weekends for the foreseeable future.”

E
mma tapped
her foot to the music as she watched Del make his way through the crowd. There was something so alpha about the way he cleared a path. He said nothing. People just moved out of his way. She chuckled to herself. It was quite impressive, seeing that the room was filled with leaders from all the Hawaiian Islands. Even those people in charge were intimidated by Del.

She heard a sound beside her and realized she had lost track of her surroundings. It was a common thing when she was around Del—not to mention stupid.

Turning, she found a well-dressed man with a strong jaw, a wealth of blond hair, and an expensive smile within a few feet of her.

Richard Stanton was standing beside her.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you all night, Ms. Taylor.”

T
he air
around Emma seemed to still, as if all of it had been sucked out of the room, as she looked at Stanton’s smiling face. Her blood chilled to ice, as she tried to come up with something to say. Her brain took a few seconds. Fight or flight? Which way would she normally respond? If she didn’t know what she knew about him, would she be afraid?

Hell yes. Just looking at the expectant exuberance in his expression had her wanting to take a step back. She often got that response from people at the conventions and conferences she had been going to over the last few months. It made her want to go find a hole to hide in.

“Excuse me, do we know each other?”

He shook his head. “No, but I was reading one of your articles in Southeast Asian Business Monthly, and was intrigued by your thoughts on green energy and how it should be implemented in Southeast Asia.”

She blinked, feeling a little flustered. He had read her article? “I think I explained it well in the article.”

He took a step closer, and Emma had to fight the urge to step back. A man like him would be aroused by any fear she showed. Instead, she straightened her backbone and kept eye contact.

“Yes, but as a businessman who builds in the area, I was intrigued by your thoughts on how it would be more profitable.”

“Indeed?”

“Yes,” he said, his eyes lighting up.

Most people would not be put off directly by the man. He was attractive, and he definitely knew how to wear a tux. It had to have been tailored especially for him—and from the finest fabrics. However, when one looked into his gaze, there was something else present. Many others would dismiss it, but those people who paid attention would notice the way his pulse hammered in his chest. And his eyes were another tipoff. The quote
they were the window to the soul
was not far off. His unhealthy gleam should make anyone uncomfortable. Once again, with his money and looks, people would dismiss it and only look at the surface. The expensive clothing, the styled hair, and the perfect teeth would dazzle them. They would never see the sociopath beneath the surface.

“For you to be successful in that part of the world, you need to make sure that you protect the environment. It is very important to the locals, and it adds to the overall design in the end. What kinds of things do you build?”

He hesitated. Did he expect her to know who he was? Was it his own self-importance, or the fact that he thought she should have zeroed in on him as the killer already? Either way, she felt a little jolt of triumph. Wanker needed to learn that he wasn’t God’s gift to women. Of course, having to kidnap them pretty much proved that—but still.

“I build condos and resorts.”

“Oh, then, it is vitally important to you to make sure you take care of the environment. As someone who grew up in Southeast Asia, I can tell you, they believe in protecting nature. Also, you want to appeal to westerners. The movement to support green business is growing. You add that into your marketing, and you will definitely end up winning in the end.”

He opened his mouth to argue when she felt a warm hand slide around her waist.

“Darling, who do we have here?” Del said.

She looked at him.
Darling?
It wasn’t a word she would ever peg Del using.

“I am not sure. He never introduced himself.”

They both turned to Stanton.

“I’m so sorry. My name is Richard Stanton. I was just talking to Ms. Taylor about one of her articles.”

“Oh, how nice.” Del’s tone told her that he thought it was anything but nice. In fact, it sounded like he wanted to beat the bloody hell out of the man.

“When I saw her across the room, I knew she looked familiar.”

That caught her off guard. “Really? I don’t think my picture was in the article.”

“Oh, but I remembered you from the conference here. There was a picture of you and Dr. Harris at a conference here at UH.”

Damn
, she had forgotten about that. “Oh, yes. Odd, but I didn’t think that was a very good picture.”

“I think it was amazing, and I do have to say you also look beautiful tonight.”

Del’s fingers twitched on her waist. She knew that he wanted nothing more than to wrap them around Stanton’s neck.

“Thank you.”

“I would be very interested in a consult with you about green building.”

“I am not that much of an expert on it. There are many more experts who might serve you better.”

He nodded as he completely focused on her. She could see that a woman looking for attention, one who wanted to escape her loneliness, might find it appealing. For her, it made her skin crawl. When she lived on the street, she had learned to be wary of that kind of intense study.

“True, but you are right here and I am here working at the moment.”

“I wouldn’t mind discussing it with you, but I wouldn’t feel right if you considered it a consult.”

He didn’t look happy with that. She didn’t understand it, but maybe it was all about getting his way.

“I would like to talk to you privately.”

Again, Del’s fingers twitched.

“Oh, that would be fine. I just meant I could not have you pay me for it.”

His features eased and his smile became more genuine. Or, at least as genuine as a sociopath’s could be.

There was an announcement that she couldn’t quite hear, and Stanton said, “The auction is starting. I would love to catch up with you later if you have the time.”

She smiled and nodded, not saying yes or no. The sooner he was gone, the better.

“Good evening,” he said, then walked away.

She let go of a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Her nerves were still jangled, even with Del by her side.

“Bloody hell, that is one cheeky bastard. Walking up to me like that?”

Del grunted. “The fucker didn’t even ask my name.”

She glanced at him. “Because he didn’t care. It was about making contact with me. Do you think he knows I am working on the case?”

“Hell, everyone in Hawaii knows you are working on the case. Remember, you were caught on camera, barely dressed.”

“Oh, yeah.” She looked back to where Stanton was. He sat at his table. “I don’t get it.”

“He went on an Internet search for you and found that article.”

“I’ve had a lot more articles written about my strategy planning in games. They are easier to find because gamers obsess. Of course, he had to find one that worked for his business. I definitely would know he wasn’t a gamer.”

“What do you mean a lot more articles?”

She glanced at him and shrugged. “About six or seven in the last few months. What do you think he did that for?” Referring to Stanton again.

“Maybe trying to throw us off guard?”

“He didn’t even bat an eye when you showed up.”

“He looked like he wanted to fight me for the honor of touching you.”

She rolled her eyes. “He did not.”

“He did. He wanted you all to himself.”

She sniffed at that. “One thing is evident, he knows who I am.”

She continued to watch the man. A younger man, a little shorter and not as attractive slid into the seat next to him.

“I wonder who that is…”

Del narrowed his gaze. “I think that might be his assistant. Some of the information Marcus found out about him indicated he traveled with one.”

“Oh, yes, I remember him in some of the pictures.”

She watched the interaction, and it was...weird. They looked like they were having an argument, but keeping it in low tones, so that no one would overhear them. Suddenly, the assistant snapped his gaze in her direction. She did not look away. It would do no good.

“I think we need to check out the assistant too,” she said, as she waited for the man to turn back to Stanton.

“I definitely agree.”

A
couple hours later
, Del led Emma out of the massive ballroom. He wanted to get out of there and far away from Stanton. The rational side of him knew that she was safe, but getting her further away from the bastard would help his irrational side. Cheeky bastard, indeed. To walk up to her was a bold move.

Stanton was a man who wasn’t worrying about attracting attention, and that worried him. Men like that did stupid things, because they thought they were invincible. Stupid things like kidnap a woman dating the man in charge of the investigation—especially if she was involved with the investigation.

“Delano,” the mayor said.

Dammit. They had almost made it out the door before he had to talk to him. He had avoided the mayor most of the night. The need to scream almost strangled him. The photographers were there, definitely, and an election was coming up. Del knew the mayor wanted to bend his ear, and make it look like he was hard on crime.

“Mayor.”

“Oh, and Ms. Taylor, so nice to see you again.”

Emma said nothing, but he knew she did not like the mayor.

“I didn’t know the department had tickets to this.”

“We don’t, sir. The corporation Emma and her brother own do.”

Something changed in his demeanor. “Oh, I see. Well, it is nice to see you both supporting such a worthy cause. Hope you had a pleasant time.”

“The food was horrible,” Emma said. “It was for a good cause, though.”

The mayor apparently didn’t know what to say to that. Mentioning her corporation must have made him dumb. Knowing that he offended Emma, and she apparently could afford a thousand dollar a plate function was probably freaking him out.

“Of course. These things always seem to have the worst kind of food, and, like you said, a worthy cause.”

She nodded, then looked around. That was a tell for Emma. When she got bored, there was a good chance she would offend people. She hated things like this, and he knew the number of people in the room was starting to get on her nerves.

“It was nice to see you this evening, Mayor Smith.”

They were turning to leave when Stanton and his assistant ran them down.

“Ms. Taylor, please tell me you didn’t forgot about setting up a meeting.”

She blinked. Damn, the man had some balls. Walking right up to her in front of him and asking to see her. Granted, he had draped it in a business meeting, but Del knew better. He knew that Stanton was after something else entirely.

“A meeting?” Emma asked. She had added enough boredom in her voice to tell the man that he wasn’t that important. The woman really did know how to work a suspect.

Del coughed to cover his laugh.

“Strictly business, I assure you. As I said, I was looking over your thoughts on the development business in Southeast Asia, and how it is important to work within the environment. I have been implementing green energy ideas with all my newest designs, and would like to bounce some ideas off you.”

“Oh, well, then, that I can understand.”

“Tomorrow?”

She hesitated, apparently taken aback by his forward manner. “Ten? I don’t have a personal office, but I will be working tomorrow at a consulting job, and they give me office space.”

She was doing what? She hadn’t told him she was going into work somewhere else tomorrow. When Emma rattled off the address, he realized that she had just invited Stanton to TFH headquarters.

“Until tomorrow, my dear.”

As they watched the two men walk away, Emma shook her head. “That is one odd duck, that’s for sure. And that assistant is weird too. Did you see the way he stood back?”

Del nodded. “So, you will talk to him at headquarters?”

She smiled and patted him on the chest. “I have learned a thing or two in the last few months. We need to get an office ready.”

He nodded as they stepped out of the hotel and walked to his truck. The hotel had allowed him to park in VIP up front because of his position. He helped her in the truck, then jogged around to his side. Knowing the team was still listening, he talked to them over his earwig.

“Guys, we are headed in so we can discuss this. We need to be ready tomorrow morning.”

T
hey walked
in to whistles from the male team members. Emma frowned, confused.

“What?”

“Love, you are dressed up.”

She looked at him, then at the guys. She shook her head. “Men are so simple.”

“You do look lovely, Emma,” Elle said.

“You didn’t need to be here, Elle,” Del said.

“I wanted to be on call just in case. I didn’t know what would happen, or if we would need a rescue.”

“I wish we could have taken him to a back room and beat it out of him, but I didn’t think there was a chance we would catch him tonight.”

“Either way, I wanted to be here.”

“So, I need an office tomorrow,” Emma stated, trying to move things along.

Adam nodded, but didn’t look her in the eye. “We could use one of the interview rooms.”

“No. I don’t think that is a good idea. If we do that, he’ll immediately be on guard,” she said.

“Let’s just use that extra office Emma uses,” Charity said walking into the room. She held out her hands for their earwigs. “It will be easy enough to set up the monitoring in there. Should take me less than half an hour.”

Emma nodded. “And, more than likely, he will be there with that creepy assistant.”

“Did you find anything else on him, Adam?” Del asked.

Emma realized that Adam still wasn’t looking at her. He punched a few keys on the computer, and the giant screen in the middle lit up.

“A little. Morgan graduated from Vanderbilt, so he’s American. Not English. Came from a pretty affluent background. He was hired by Stanton six years ago.”

She nodded as she studied the pictures. He hadn’t changed much in the last six years. “They looked like they went everywhere together. And he was none too happy about me being there, I will tell you that. He did not want his boss setting up that meeting either.”

“Yes. It was almost...not jealousy, but something else,” Del said. “Weird does not even begin to describe those two.”

“Well, they have been joined at the hip for years.” Adam punched a few keys. “There have been rumors about their relationship, but I don’t think they are sexually involved.”