Against the Law (3 page)

“Paradise Printing,” Dev said. “That's right here in Phoenix.”

“Even if the agency moved out of state,” Lark said, “Paradise might still be doing their printing.”

“Could be,” Chaz said.

“The address isn't far,” Dev said. “We'll take a ride over there while you're working.”

Chaz nodded, his fingers still flying, his eyes still glued to the screen. “Yeah, I could use a little time on this. I'll check other states for a license.”

Dev nodded. “Let us know what you come up with.”

Making their way to the door, they stepped out into the late-morning sunshine. The day was crystal clear, a soft breeze moving the branches of the trees. The leaves, still green, hadn't yet begun to change color. Traffic was heavy on the road but the trees and shrubs around Chaz's building helped to muffle the noise.

“Think he'll find anything else?” Lark asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Dev's smile held a trace of amusement. “He'll track the Olcotts down. There's no place safe for them to hide.”

She caught the look of certainty on Dev's face and smiled. She wondered if Chaz Denton's talents included bypassing firewalls and hacking into private systems. Since she needed whatever information the man could come up with, she wasn't about to ask.

They climbed back into the Porsche and Dev headed for the printing company that had done the design work for the Loving Home agency. As the car sped along, Lark's sideways glance took in his profile, the solid jaw and slight cleft in his chin. His tanned hands expertly
gripped the wheel, good strong hands with short, nicely trimmed nails.

For an instant, his amazing blue eyes sliced in her direction, studying her from beneath a row of thick black lashes. It was a hot, sultry glance and her stomach lifted. But when he looked at her again, she couldn't find the least interest and she wondered if she had imagined it.

So far Devlin Raines had been all business. It was something she usually appreciated. But her attraction to him wasn't usual, and it galled her that he seemed to feel none of the burning attraction she felt for him.

They pulled up in front of Paradise Printing and both of them climbed out of the car. Inside the building, the office wasn't fancy, just a long counter where work orders were taken and a room full of printing equipment and computer screens behind a partial wall.

From the opposite side of the counter, a small, black-haired man wearing wire-rimmed glasses approached them. “May I help you?”

Dev slid the top sheet of the adoption papers across the counter and pointed at the logo. “You design this?”

The little man studied the page through his wire-rimmed glasses and stiffened. “We most certainly did. Loving Home Adoptions, as you can see by the name underneath.”

“Are they still one of your customers?”

“I should say not. They never paid the balance owed on their bill—which amounted to more than seven hundred dollars.”

“Do you have any idea where we might find them?” Lark asked.

“If I knew, I would take them to small-claims court.”

“How long has it been since you've heard from them?” Dev asked, sensing the guy was miffed enough to tell him whatever he knew.

“More than a year, I'd say. I should never have extended Evan Olcott credit. I should have trusted my instincts and got the money up front, but he was struggling to make ends meet and I felt sorry for him.”

“Anything else you can tell us about him or his wife?”

“As I said, now that I look back on it, I should have trusted my instincts. I had a feeling about him, something just didn't feel right.

“Mind if I ask you what this is about?”

“We're trying to find some information on an adoption. Appreciate your help.”

“Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Paradise,” Dev said.

He just nodded and turned away, resigned to the loss of his money.

“Well, now we know the Olcotts don't pay their bills,” Lark said glumly.

“Yeah, well, maybe they just got in over their heads. Maybe that's the reason they closed the agency.”

“I suppose.” But the thought that the couple seemed to have a lot less integrity than her grandmother had believed made a knot begin to form in Lark's stomach.

T
he sun cast early-afternoon shadows by the time they left the printing office and crossed the sidewalk back to the car. Dev waited for Lark to slide into the passenger seat then closed the door. He was rounding the hood to the opposite side when his iPhone started to chime. He pulled it out of the pocket of his jeans, looked down at the caller ID and pressed the phone against his ear.

“Hey, Chaz, what have you got?”

“Got an old address for the Olcotts in Mesa. Condo units. The Olcotts moved away more than a year ago, but I thought you might get something from the manager. A couple named Reynolds. They live in number thirty-two.”

“Great. Give me the address?” Chaz gave him the info and Dev repeated it back. “That's forty-one, forty-one Dunbar. Got it. Thanks, buddy.”

“I'm just getting started.”

Dev smiled into the phone. “That's why you're on the
payroll.” He ended the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

“Chaz came up with an old address for the Olcotts.” He slid behind the leather-wrapped steering wheel. “Condo rentals. They moved out over a year ago, but the manager might know where they went.”

“How did Chaz find them?”

Dev shook his head. “Better not to ask.”

Lark smiled. “I kind of figured that.”

She was plenty smart, he knew. Which could wind up posing a problem, since his methods didn't always stay precisely within the letter of the law. But he also knew how much she wanted to find her sister's little girl.

He reached down and cranked the ignition switch, heard the satisfying roar of the powerful engine. Pulling away from the curb, he set off for the address Chaz had given him then heard his stomach growl and glanced at his watch.

“It's way past time for lunch. You hungry?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I'm used to working long hours on nothing but air, but I could probably eat.”

If she were a different woman, not one his clients, he would take her to one of the upscale Scottsdale spots he favored. But she wasn't, so he pulled into a local 4B's and turned off the engine.

““This okay?”

“Sure, it's fine.”

She didn't seem offended by the casual coffee-shop atmosphere, which most of the women he dated would have been. Then again, they weren't on a date. Their re
lationship was strictly business. A non-margarita lunch would keep it that way.

They went inside and slid into a red vinyl booth, and both ordered cheeseburgers. Lark ordered a Diet Coke while he indulged himself in a chocolate milk shake. The drinks were delivered by a chunky blonde, friendly but harried as she tried to keep her orders straight.

“Thanks,” Dev said, moving his shake a little closer in front of him.

“Clive says your family lives in Wyoming.” Lark looked up at him from beneath her lashes as she took a long drink from her straw.

His body tightened. He felt the pull of those sexy lips from his belly button to his groin.

He cleared his throat. “My brothers and I were born in Wyoming but we all moved away as soon as we got out of high school. Jackson, he's the oldest, bought a ranch there a few years back and moved home. Gabe's a contractor in Dallas.”

“Do you see each other often?”

“As often as we can. We kind of gather at the ranch a couple of times a year. Jackson and Gabe both recently got married. We keep in touch by phone or email.”

Lark glanced down, toyed with the straw in her Coke. “You're lucky to have them. I was only a teenager when my parents died. My grandparents were good people, but they were a lot older than I was. And Heather was five years younger. We didn't really get to know each other until she was dying.”

“That's rough.”

“Yeah. I miss her.”

He caught the quick sheen of tears before she glanced away. Her parents were dead, her grandparents, now her sister. For years Lark had been mostly on her own. He admired the drive that had made her so successful.

“I can't imagine not having my brothers around—even if they are a pain in the ass sometimes.”

She grinned. “The people I work with are my family. Scotty and Delilah, Carrie Beth and Dexter. They've been with me from the start. We're really close-knit.”

“So they're running the business while you're away?”

“We close down the first two weeks of October every year. We use the time to rejuvenate. When we come back, we're ready to start designing for the next season. We decided when we started that we were going to run the company and not let the company run us.”

“Sounds like a sensible plan. Must be good people.”

“The best. Like I said, they're my family.”

The waitress arrived with their food, smiled at Dev, then hurried over to the next table. Lark wrapped her hands around the burger, which oozed ketchup onto her plate.

“So you have some very good friends.” He tossed a French fry into his mouth. “No husband, though.”

She swallowed the bite she had taken. “How did you…? The internet, right?”

He picked up his burger. “No wedding ring. Nothing on the internet, either. How about a boyfriend?” He knew he shouldn't be asking but the question just wouldn't stay locked in his mouth.

“Not at the moment.”

“Why not?”

She cast him a glance. “I guess I haven't met anyone interesting.”

Their eyes held for a moment. He hadn't met anyone interesting, either. Not since Amy. That had been nearly three years ago. A lapse in judgment that had ended in disaster.

The reminder had him straightening in his seat, digging into the cheeseburger with more gusto than he actually felt. They ate in silence, though several times he felt Lark's bright green gaze assessing him.

When they finished, she pushed her plate away and sat up in the booth. “Time to earn your money, Mr. Detective.”

“Past time.” He left cash for the check and the tip on the table as the waitress walked up, a slightly less harried smile on her face. Dev winked. “Thanks, Myra.” The name on her badge.

“You're welcome, honey. Come back anytime.”

Lark was grinning, he noticed as they walked out the door. “One of your girlfriends?”

He laughed. “Not interesting enough.” Though after Amy, that hadn't really mattered. He hadn't cared about anything but getting laid and having fun.

It had never occurred to him that kind of fun might actually get boring.

 

“Think the manager will be home?” Lark asked as Dev drove toward the address Chaz had given him in Mesa.

“They take care of the units. Good chance they'll be there.”

A knock on the manager's door proved they were. An older, retired couple, the woman wide-hipped, the man string-bean thin. They came to the door together and spoke through the screen they kept closed.

“May we help you?”

“We're looking for a couple who rented from you a while back. They moved out a little over a year ago. We're hoping you might be able to help us find them.”

“Martha and Evan Olcott,” Lark added. “They ran an adoption agency in the area.”

The old man grunted. “We remember them. Lived in unit fourteen. Left here in the middle of the night. Owed us two months rent when they took off.”

Lark exchanged a glance with Dev.

“Any idea where they went?” he asked.

The thin man eyed them with suspicion. “Why? They owe you money, too?”

“No, but there are people who'd like us to find them.”

Dev pulled out his Raines Security Company card and held it up in front of the door. Mrs. Reynolds slipped out a chubby hand and hauled it back into the house, letting the screen door fall into place. She studied the business card and seemed to relax a little.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Raines, but we have no idea where the Olcotts went.”

“Seemed like such nice people,” Mr. Reynolds grumbled. “Sure had us fooled.”

“You wouldn't by any chance have the rental application they submitted when they moved in?” Dev asked.

Mrs. Reynolds brightened. “We surely do.”

Her husband opened the screen door, inviting them into the living room. “Me and Sarah, we keep first-rate records. Didn't do us much good with those two.”

“Did you try to collect the money?” Lark asked.

“Turned them in to the credit bureau. Nothin' come of it.”

Mrs. Reynolds sailed in from a room at the back with the Olcotts' rental application. She handed it to Dev. “I made you a copy. You can keep it.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope you find them,” Mr. Reynolds said. “Keep some other poor bastard from losing his money.”

“Harold!” Mrs. Reynolds poked her husband in the ribs, eliciting a grunt.

“Well, it's the truth, ain't it?”

Lark bit back a smile. “We appreciate the trouble you've gone to. You've both been very helpful.”

“No trouble at all,” Mrs. Reynolds said.

Lark walked back outside. She stepped off the porch into the sunshine, Dev close behind her. They returned to his car and climbed in. Dev phoned Chaz and gave him the social-security numbers the Olcotts had written on the application.

“Let me know what you find out,” he said and ended the call.

“Don't tell me he can get into the federal system.”

“Okay, I won't.”

Lark's eyebrows went up but she said no more as they drove back to the house. She wasn't about to interfere in
the investigator's business, not when she wanted him to help her.

“It's getting late,” Dev said, weaving the car expertly in and out of traffic. “That's all we can do for today. We ought to hear something from Chaz by tomorrow. I'll call you as soon as I know anything.”

“I'll be over at eight.”

“Isn't necessary. Like I said, I'll call you.”

“I'll be there. I'm sure I can think of something useful to do.”

Dev clenched his jaw but didn't argue.

Which was a darned good thing. She was paying the man for his time and she meant to make sure he earned every penny.

It was almost dark by the time the Porsche pulled into the driveway and Dev turned off the engine. Instead of inviting her inside, he walked around and helped her out, led her toward her little silver Prius parked in front.

“I guess I'll see you tomorrow,” he said.

She just nodded. As he opened her car door, she paused, her gaze going past him over the surrounding land. A dusky purple haze had settled over the landscape. Tall Saguaro Cactus rose up from the dry earth like armed sentinels. Long, feathery ocatilla waved gently in the breeze, keeping watch over the fuzzy gray rabbits that hopped from one place to another, then disappeared into the scrub.

“I'd forgotten how beautiful the desert can be.”

Dev's gaze followed hers. “I've learned to love it here. Though I leave for a while every summer. That hundred and twenty gets to me after a while.”

She smiled. “I imagine it would, for a guy from Wyoming.”

“I've got a branch office in San Diego. I keep a sailboat in Mission Bay. I head down there when the heat gets too much.”

He was standing so close she felt the warmth of his lean, hard body. She moistened her lips. “I guess I'd better go.”

She couldn't see his eyes in the darkness, couldn't tell what he was thinking.

“Yeah…” he said a little gruffly, “you'd better leave.”

Her heart was pounding. It was ridiculous. The man hadn't made the slightest overture of interest. In truth, he'd done his best to ignore her.

From now on, she vowed, she'd do a better job of ignoring
him.

 

Dev watched Lark drive away.

Jesus.

His mouth felt dry. He was hard as granite, his balls tight and aching. Dammit, he couldn't remember wanting a woman this way.

He thought of Amy, the woman he'd planned to marry. He'd wanted her, of course, but their relationship was more about love than sex. He had fallen hard for the blonde, blue-eyed country-club lady he had met though her father, a wealthy Phoenix investment banker who had hired Raines Security to provide protection for one of his billionaire clients when he was in town.

Amy embodied everything that Dev had dreamed of.
She was beautiful and desirable, a woman of breeding and class from a family who could give him entrée into the top levels of society. A woman he had fallen deeply in love with and believed would make him a loving wife.

Instead, three days before the extravagant wedding they had planned, Amy had broken their engagement. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel each of her words like a knife stabbing into his heart.

“I'm so sorry, Dev. I never meant to hurt you. Surely you know that. But Jonathan and I… We've…we've fallen in love.”

He caught her shoulders. “Amy, what are you talking about? We're getting married in three days.”

“I know Daddy wanted us to marry.” She eased away a little. “He wants grandchildren and he believed…well, you being a military man and all, he saw you as a real man, I guess. Good for the family bloodlines. But Jonathan and I…well, we're much better suited. If you're honest with yourself, surely you can see that.”

Which meant Jonathan Stanton had a lot more money than Devlin Raines.

“I just hope someday you'll find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Now, standing in the darkness outside his house, Dev shook off the memory. With a drunk for a mother, he'd always had trust issues with women. After Amy, he figured he was better off staying single.

Still, lust and love were two very different things and as he watched the peppy little Prius disappear in the distance, Dev had no doubt which of those things he felt for Lark Delaney.

But wanting her didn't change the fact she was his client. She was there because she needed his help, not the hard-on he sported every time she came around.