Deception (Carrington Hill Investigations Book 1)
Read Deception (Carrington Hill Investigations Book 1) Online
Authors: Kate Allenton
Deception
Copyright © 2013 Kate Allenton
All rights reserved.
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Dedication
This is dedicated to all of my Readers and Facebook friends. It’s your emails and support that keeps me moving forward on my journey.
And to
Julie…Keep fighting the good fight and never give up.
Acknowledgment
A Special Thanks goes to Ilse for being my last line of defense in catching my errors.
And also
Joshua Samolewicz
for amazing work on my book covers, even when I’m being difficult and picky.
Table of Contents
Preview of Book 2 in the Carrington Hill Series
Preview of Book 3 in the Phantom Protector Series
Undercover
FBI agent Lexi Carrington shoved the bastard up against the wall, pinning him to the concrete, making his head connect with a thud. “Listen here, jackass.” She leaned in closer, using the leverage of her body weight to hold him in place as she pressed her forearm deeper into his throat. It may not have been the right thing to do, but it gave her a bit of personal satisfaction after months of taking crap from the sleazebag; she was now the one in control. “I’ve got you on a whole slew of charges that guarantee you’ll never see your freedom again in this lifetime. Do you want me to add resisting to the list?”
The
middle-aged drug king speared her with a menacing glare, and if looks could kill, she’d already be buried six feet under pushing up daisies. Lexi held back her smirk even as adrenaline from the arrest still rolled through her veins. These were the moments she lived for, when she could take scumbags like him off the streets and out of mainstream society. The world would be a better place because she was damn good at her job.
“You’ve got nothing
,” he spat out, the spewing saliva from his lips hitting her in the face. “When I’m done with you, you’re the one who’s going to be paying me restitution for battery, baby.”
She
leaned in harder against his windpipe. His eyes grew wide. She hesitated for just a second, worried she might leave evidence by way of a bruise against his throat, but she didn’t care. They’d be forgiven when judged against the agents that he’d fired on and wounded during the raid. With her luck the Director would step out of his office and catch her and she’d be on desk duty for months, but nope, she didn’t care…not today.
“
Oh, honey…I’m not your baby, but I’m sure your big, tattooed jail mate will just love it if you call him that.”
His lips pulled in
to a fine line as his gaze ran over her face, landing on her lips as he gyrated his erection into her stomach. “Little girls like you shouldn’t play with fire unless you can take the heat.”
Irritation seeped into her gut
, settling like a rock as she thought about all the other people he’d put out hits on. “Good thing I’m not a little girl.” She raised her brow in contempt. “You’re not big enough to strike the match, much less stroke the fire.”
Two agents
flanked her on each side. They grabbed the notorious mob boss, Felix Constanza, from her grasp and started escorting him down the hall.
“We’
ll take him from here,” one of the agents said.
S
he balled her fists to contain her rage, wanting one more shot at the smug bastard. Firm, muscular arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her back against a hard chest. Her last chance to inflict additional pain on Constanza was stripped away from her in an instant, leaving her at a loss for releasing her pent-up anger.
“Calm down
, half pint. You nailed the bastard; why don’t we let him live long enough to let the other inmates play with him in prison? I’m sure in no time at all he’ll end up being someone’s bitch.” Garrett Donavan’s voice must have travelled down the hall because it earned them both another threatening look from Constanza. A smile formed on her lips as the tension drained from her neck. “I’m going to let you go now.” He leaned down, and his words were a whisper against her skin, caressing and calming. “Now be a good girl and don’t hit me.”
She turned as his grip loosened
. His smile was playful. His steel-gray eyes glistened with a friendly warmth she’d come to appreciate. “I wouldn’t hit you. I’m not sure your ugly mug could stand another black eye.”
He chuckled, a laugh she’d come to miss over the last two months undercover. She’d gr
own accustomed to his flirtatious ways over the last few years. He never overstepped the imaginary line she’d drawn between them.
“Now that’s my girl.”
Throwing his arm around her shoulder, he led her down the hall. “Have you changed your mind about letting me go on vacation with you? I promise to be good and just sit in the corner and limit my drooling over that hot little body you keep hidden beneath your baggy clothes.”
“In your dreams, hotshot.”
Lexi shrugged his arm off her shoulders and turned down another corridor to her office, bumping and bouncing off what felt like a brick wall.
“Pardon me
.” Billionaire Trip Hathaway grinned as his arms snaked out to catch her around the waist before she unceremoniously ended up on her backside. His crystal blue eyes twinkled, and his brow dipped as he pushed her fake black strands out of her face then sifted them through his fingers. She stilled under his assessing gaze, fighting the urge to lean her body into his touch. Pushing against his chest, she regained her balance, and his hand dropped down to his side.
She stepped back;
her gaze traveled from his shiny large black dress shoes to the fine lines of his pressed suit pants and up to a face she’d seen often enough on the cover of financial magazines and some not-so-friendly tabloids.
His pictures didn’t do him justice, not that she’d tell him that
and risk inflating his ego into something bigger than it probably was. Her mind clouded with an appropriate response, too stunned that the playboy was at the FBI headquarters. She’d seen his type, knew his style, and understood his manners because she’d grown up in a similar lifestyle, one she’d chosen to leave behind. The big difference between them was he oozed charm and grace, and with his abundance of sex appeal, he had oodles of women swooning to dig their nails in for a piece of him if the tabloids were to be believed. And those were just a few of the assets she severely lacked. No charm, no grace, and she definitely had no need to have someone as sexy as him getting in the way of her work.
She shook her head and waved
her hand. “Don’t sweat it.”
She
sidestepped him and turned into the doorway of her office. Bending down to pick up her gym bag, she glanced over her shoulder and caught Garrett’s gaze plastered to her backside. Standing, she threw the bag over her shoulder and turned, pointing to her face. “Eyes up here, ace.”
Garrett
’s lips curved at the corners. He didn’t waste her time with any excuses, just a simple shrug as if she should have expected it. “Do you know who that was in the hallway?”
“Yep,
he looked lost. Although I must say, I almost didn’t recognize him without the gold diggers on his arm.” She tilted her head as she pondered which supermodel she’d seen on his arm blasted in the last tabloid. She shook her head, pushing the useless information from her thoughts. “He must be having an off day.”
Garret
t’s sheepish grin grew wider. “You’re getting cynical in your old age.”
She flicked
off the light switch in her office and pulled the door closed. “Working here will do that to you.” Turning, she placed a palm on Garrett’s chest to stop him from following her to the parking lot like he always did. “This is as far as you go, hotshot. I’m officially on vacation, and you’re not invited.” She patted his chest. “Besides, someone has to stay behind to make sure they don’t let Constanza out of jail.”
“I’m
sure the judge won’t take too kindly to Constanza once he hears that the bastard propositioned and threatened a federal agent.”
Walking down the hall
, she felt his gaze on her back. Without looking back, she lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Have a good weekend. I know I will.”
****
Lexi lived in Kodiak Falls
, North Carolina, about fifty miles from the shoreline on the east coast. It was a thriving metropolis that had doubled in size over the last five years. With the tremendous growth of a town already busting at the seams, it was a no-brainer that crime would increase for the local police department. Granted, her work with the FBI was different but it seemed, as of late, the assignments were starting to invade her sanctuary giving her an opportunity to work closer to home.
Lexi
kicked the door closed behind her after she walked into her crappy one-bedroom apartment and dropped her gym bag on the foyer floor. She clicked the deadbolts in place and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. She was officially on vacation.
Sipping the icy beer, she
walked down the hall to her bedroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she ran her fingers through the fake black strands on her head. She studied her face in the mirror. The puffy bags under her eyes told a story all their own. The lack of sleep and her dedication to her assignment had begun showing on her face. She reached under the wig and started pulling out the bobby pins holding it in place. This last assignment had taken its toll on her mentally and physically. The constant ache in her muscles served as another constant reminder of her upcoming thirtieth birthday next month. Granted, the months undercover and all had been worth it. She’d caught the bad guy and deserved the much-needed time off. A little time at the beach, in the sun with her friends, would give her the renewed energy to face whatever assignment came next.
She placed the wig on the mannequin
’s head, next to the one wearing the identical blonde wig then walked to the bathroom while running her fingers through her red tresses. She undressed, stepping out of her street clothes, and slid into the shower, letting the cascade of hot water erase the stress of the last few months and easing her muscles under the spray. She’d sleep a little easier tonight knowing that Felix was off the streets, at least until his cronies got word of his arrest. They’d come for her; she was sure of it. They’d have to track her down to the beach to find her, but she’d be waiting just the same.
****
Lexi pulled up at the beach house and stepped out of her little car. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a deep breath of the fresh, salty air and lifted her face up to enjoy the warmth of the sun’s rejuvenating rays, letting them soak into her skin, refreshing her spirit. She’d been planning this vacation for months. She opened her eyes and hefted her suitcase from the trunk. Sara’s SUV was parked in the spot next to her.
“Well
, at least I beat Catherine,” she mumbled as she twisted the knob and walked into the house. The smell of coffee drifting through the hallway called to her. Sara stood at the kitchen counter, coveting the percolating coffee machine. “Well, we’ve survived another year.”
Sara
glanced over her shoulder and winked. “I heard you bagged Constanza.”
Lexi dropped her suitcase by the counter and pulled a mug from the hanging rack. “Did you ever doubt I would?”
Sara gave her a knowing grin. “Not for a second.” She poured coffee into her mug then Lexi’s. “You know, I’m glad we do this every year.”
She
and her two best friends had made a pact when they’d finished their training at the academy. Every year they’d meet at Sara’s beach house and celebrate another year of putting scumbags behind bars. It was their sanctuary away from all of the bad in the world, and this was their fifth year of celebrating the tradition. The open floor plan of the house was inviting, calming, even though there wasn’t much privacy. She and her best friends were like sisters and wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Me too.”
Lexi hopped up on the counter and let her feet dangle over the side; it wasn’t very ladylike, but hell, she was on vacation, so who cared? “Where’s Catherine? I thought she’d be here by now.”
Sara
took a seat at the table and sipped her coffee. “Not sure. I spoke with her last week and she sounded like she could use the R&R. She assured me she was close to wrapping up her investigation and would be done before this weekend.”
Lexi nodded
, understanding that sometimes things took longer than expected. That’s what was so great about her best friends. They all understood each other and the stressors of the job. Hell, they were the job. “She still undercover over in Sampson?”
Sara
cupped her mug. “Yep, drinking all that champagne, going to parties, and driving in fancy cars up and down the coast; must be hard work.”
“You have no idea
,” Lexi mumbled under her breath, remembering what it was like growing up with her mom and dad. She hopped down from the counter and grabbed her coffee. “I’m going to unpack and take a run on the beach before the sun goes down. Do you want to go?”
Sara lifted her feet into the chair in front of hers and crossed her ankles. “Why would I want to do that? I’m on vacation.”
“Suit yourself.”
Lexi left Sara in the kitchen and dragged her bag down the hall to her usual room. She changed into her running clothes
, grabbed her iPod holder and attached it to her arm, then shoved the buds into her ears, returning minutes later to the double doors at the back of the house. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut, making her pause. She turned with her hand on the knob.
“Sara, make sure you lock the doors behind me.
Constanza threatened retaliation.”
“Don’t they all
?” She waved her hand in the air, dropped her feet to the floor, and rose from the chair. She meandered to the front door and flicked the lock. “He’d be stupid to mess with three armed women.”