Night After Night (10 page)

“Honestly, my
intuition
tells me that if you gambled your life on her being uninvolved, it would be a safe bet,” Valerie said, confirming what Sean already knew in his gut. “You go and do what you have to do with Zoe, and I’ll take care of Davenport.”

They went their separate ways, and Sean met up with Zoe right where he’d left her.

“Care to explain what all that was about?” she asked without preamble. While her voice was calm, her question was direct and to the point. “And
please,
do not lie to me.”

That last plea felt like a kick to Sean’s midsection. In any other circumstance, he might have done what he did best and smooth-talked his way out of this mess, but he knew it was time to come clean and put the truth out on the table. No more lies or deceiving her, even if it meant shattering the trust he’d worked so hard to build between them.

“We need to talk,” he said, an understatement if there ever was one. “And I’d rather not have the conversation out here in the open. There’s a private room close by. Will you come with me?” After what she’d just witnessed, he wasn’t about to assume she’d go anywhere with him.

She considered his request for a few seconds before replying. “Okay,” she finally said, leading him to believe that her desire for answers must have outweighed any reservation she had about being alone with him.

He started toward the far end of the casino, and she fell into step beside him. Her stiff and guarded body language screamed,
Don’t touch me!,
and as much as he wanted to slip his hand into hers, or even rest his palm at the base of her spine as they walked side by side, he didn’t dare.

Reaching the bank of elevators, he escorted her into the next empty lift, then withdrew his employee key card from his wallet and swiped it through a reader. He punched the button labeled G1, which took them down to a restricted floor for casino employees. Without a word, she followed him down another short hallway and into the first empty conference room he came to. He turned on the lights and shut the door behind them.

She immediately put distance between them, crossing the room to the other side of the large conference table dominating the area. She might have been quiet this entire time, but her actions now spoke volumes. Outwardly she appeared cool and reserved, and instead of jumping to conclusions and venting her outrage over what she might have overhead between him and Davenport, she was obviously going to try to give Sean the benefit of the doubt in hopes that there was a logical explanation for the other man’s tirade.

God, Sean absolutely
hated
that he was going to disappoint her and crush any hope she harbored that Davenport’s accusations had all been a huge misunderstanding.

She lifted her chin, seemingly shoring up her strength for what was about to come. “What did that man mean when he said he’d paid some group that you’re obviously a part of to find my father?”

It didn’t escape Sean’s notice that she’d avoided Davenport’s other claim, the one where he’d accused Sean of fooling around with Grant Russo’s daughter while on the job. Which was fine with Sean, since what had transpired between himself and Zoe had nothing to do with the case and everything to do with him falling for the sweet, open, sensual woman she was. And allowing himself to cross those lines between business and pleasure had been a
huge
mistake on his part.

He exhaled a deep breath, unsure where to start. He decided to open the discussion with Davenport and go from there.

“Conrad Davenport, the man who caused the scene in the casino, is a highly respected businessman from Texas who invested millions of dollars into the development of The Meridian Resort here in Las Vegas.”

A small frown creased her brows as she made the connection. “That’s my father’s current project.”

“Yes, it is.” Sean slowly strolled closer to her and was gratified when she didn’t step away, even though her emotional barriers remained firmly in place. “Did you know that construction on the Meridian project has been at a standstill for almost a month now?”

A casual shrug lifted her shoulders, as if that bit of information wasn’t anything new. “My father mentioned he was having some permit problems with the building and safety departments, and that could easily hold up construction until whatever issues exist are resolved.”

It was a plausible explanation, but Sean knew better. “That’s obviously what your father wants everyone, especially his investors and the press, to believe.”

“Are you saying it’s a lie?” Her voice rose incredulously, and her eyes flashed with anger. “That’s ridiculous! Why else would construction be halted on such a major project?”

He loathed being the one to shatter her illusions, but he had no choice. “Because there isn’t enough money to pay contractors and complete the job because your father has been skimming the coffers for his own personal gain.”

She jerked back as if Sean had slapped her. “You’re
wrong
! My father would
never
do such a thing.”

“Zoe,” he asked gently, “do you know where your father is right now?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s on a business trip. He takes them all the time,” she added defensively, trying to justify his reasons for being gone.

“A business trip to where?” Sean persisted.

“Chicago, as far as I know.” Agitated with his line of questioning, she threw her hands up in the air. “Why does it matter where he is, anyway?”

“Because we’ve attempted to track him to Chicago, without any luck at all, and there are a lot of unhappy people who have big money involved in the Meridian project who are trying to locate him.”

Her eyes widened ever so slightly as a flash of realization passed across her features, an
oh my God
moment that Sean instantly latched onto.

“Do you know something, Zoe?” he asked, keeping his tone even and calm, in the hope that she’d open up and tell him what was going on in that mind of hers.

She shook her head and wouldn’t look him in the eye. “No. Just what I’ve told you.”

Which wasn’t much. Watching her reaction, he’d wager a guess she was hiding something from him. Something important she didn’t want him to know. And now that she no longer had any reason to trust him, she wasn’t about to share anything that would incriminate her father.

“So, tell me something, Sean,” she said, her composure back in place as she finally lifted her gaze to his. “What is your part in all this?”

He scrubbed a hand along his jaw, taking a few moments to choose his words carefully before replying. This was the part of their conversation he wished they could skip altogether, because he knew his answers were going to hurt Zoe. Badly.

But lying wasn’t an option. Not with her.

“Conrad Davenport hired The Reliance Group, the company I work for, to find your father,” Sean said, keeping his explanation as straightforward as possible. “After trying to track Russo and having every lead come to a dead end, I was put on the case to help find your father in a more direct way.”

“Through
me,
” she said, her voice flat and emotionless.

Her tone might have been apathetic, but her gaze was filled with the pain of complete and utter betrayal. Sean’s stomach cramped at the thought that he was the cause of her misery. “Yes, through you.”

A bitter laugh escaped her and she swept him with a look of contempt. “Are you even who you say you are?”

He buried his fists into the front pockets of his pants. “My name
is
Sean O’Brien, and I work for the Onyx and The Reliance Group.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “You’re not even a leasing agent, are you?”

“No, it was a cover, but the leasing agreement you signed for the boutique is legal and binding. The store is yours.” He wanted to make sure she knew the contract was the real deal.

“Under false pretenses,” she said heatedly.

He couldn’t argue her point, and if she decided to break the lease under that claim no one would be able to refute her allegation. Sean hoped it wouldn’t become an issue.

“So you lied,” she said, the words more a statement of fact than any kind of question he needed to answer or confirm. “About
everything.
”

God, the disdainful way she looked at him was killing Sean and made him feel lower than a snake—which was nothing less than he deserved. She believed he’d used her, and he had as a source to find her father, but in no way had Sean faked his attraction to her, as she seemingly thought.

“Not everything was a lie, Zoe.” And he was tempted to prove it with a hot, deep kiss that would leave no hesitation in her mind as to how much he wanted her. Not as a lead to her father but as a woman Sean strongly desired.

“Everything that mattered
was
a lie, and I was nothing more than a means to an end for you.” She shook her head in disgust and turned away from him. “God, when will I ever learn?” she muttered beneath her breath.

He had no idea what she was talking about. Sean only knew that right now, with her emotions at an all-time high and the sting of deception fresh in her mind, there was no convincing her of his sincerity—that while the parameters of the case dictated he get close to her to find out what she knew about her father’s disappearance, what transpired between her and Sean had been, and was, very real.

She glanced back at him again and dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling the strands away from her now-pale face. “How long were you going to string me along before you told me any of this?”

There was no sugarcoating his answer. “Long enough to find your father.”

She cut him with a look, and more of that scorn flashed in her eyes. “Well, I have to give you credit. You’re good at what you do, Sean. Very convincing, too.”

God, could he feel any more like shit than he already did? Apparently so.

“I just have one last thing to say to you,” she said, her voice strong and unwavering. “I know my father a helluva lot better than you or anyone else does, and whatever is going on, I know there’s a reasonable explanation. He’s a good man, and not the criminal you’re making him out to be.”

Of course Zoe would defend her father. What daughter wanted to believe her parent was corrupt? Sean could have easily marched her up to Caleb’s office and let her read the case file they had on Grant Russo, along with her father’s shady past as a con man. What she discovered would indisputably shake the very foundation of who she believed her father was and leave her devastated.

And that was ultimately the reason why Sean didn’t force the issue. He’d already given her so much to think about and process, and he couldn’t bring himself to compound her anguish with the unvarnished truth of her father’s fraudulent past—which tied to all the evidence pointing to Russo’s current scam.

“Let me take you home,” Sean said, knowing there was nothing left to say.

“No, I think you’ve done enough,” she said, the double meaning in her words slicing him to the core. “I’ll find my own way home.”

Clearly, she wasn’t going anywhere alone with him, so he escorted her back up to the casino, where she insisted on heading back to the nightclub on her own. He watched her go, and as soon as she walked into Taboo, Sean reluctantly headed up to Caleb’s office, where he was no doubt waiting to talk to his employee after what had happened with Davenport.

“Men are dogs.”

Zoe gave a weary laugh as she sat down next to Jessica on her living room couch. Lifting her cup of steaming coffee, she clicked it to her friend’s mug, wholeheartedly agreeing with her sentiment. “I’ll drink to that, girlfriend.”

They each took a sip of their morning cup of coffee, both of them needing the jolt of caffeine after a night spent tossing and turning more than sleeping—all because of
men.

“Life is so much simpler without them,” Jessica grumbled.

“Isn’t that the truth,” Zoe concurred, and sighed.

Last night, after Zoe and Sean had parted ways, she’d found Jessica back in the private skybox at Taboo, looking just as upset as Zoe felt after her troubling conversation with Sean. Neither one of the women had been in the mood to stay at the nightclub any longer, and instead of waiting for a private car to arrive to pick them up, they’d taken a cab back to their apartment building.

With each of them needing an understanding friend to vent her evening’s frustrations to, Zoe suggested that Jessica hang at her place for the night, which she had. After changing into pajamas and scrubbing the makeup from their faces, they’d gorged on Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream while ranting about the men who’d done them wrong.

Zoe curled her legs beneath her and made herself more comfortable at the opposite end of the sofa. “I swear, my luck with men sucks,” she said, and took another long drink of her coffee. “I really thought I had a good feel for Sean, that he was sincere and genuine in his interest in
me.
” Her stomach swirled with self-disgust at just how mistaken she’d been. “God, I feel like such a fool for falling for him and for believing everything he said to me.”

“You couldn’t have known he was playing you,” Jessica offered softly.

“I
should have
known,” Zoe argued. “Did I learn nothing with Ian and his charming ways and all the excuses and explanations he had for everything? I must have the word
gullible
stamped on my forehead.”

“No, you don’t. I promise,” Jessica assured her with a smile. “You just have a big heart and you like to see the best in people.”

With a groan, Zoe dropped her head back against the couch and thought about the
other
man she’d trusted who’d ended up completely shattering her romantic illusions.

Zoe had met Ian Croft at a cocktail party when she’d been living in Los Angeles and had been instantly attracted to him and his charismatic personality. Gossip had it that he was a player, but he’d swept her off her feet, romanced her, and single-mindedly pursued her until she couldn’t resist him any longer. For two years they’d dated, and she’d honestly believed that he was
the one
when he’d asked her to marry him and put an engagement ring on her finger.

Stupid her.

As a hotshot corporate attorney he’d traveled often to New York, and she’d never questioned his trips, believing they were all business-related…until one day she’d come across a very intimate text on his cell phone from another woman. A woman, Zoe later learned, he’d been seeing on a regular basis during his trips to Manhattan. The only consolation to that discovery, if any, was learning that his New York mistress had no clue about Zoe, either.

Looking back, Zoe knew there had been other signs of his infidelity—some she’d overlooked or passed off as inconsequential, and others she’d questioned. But Ian had been a master at manipulating the truth and giving her answers that were believable and made sense…and also made her feel bad for thinking he would ever have an affair behind her back.

Sean might not have cheated on her with another woman, but he’d deceived her about his intentions and used her for his own purpose. And for her, the betrayal was just as painful.

As was the fact that she’d let him kiss her, touch her, and do intimate things she never would have allowed if she’d known.

Stupid, stupid her.

“What are you going to do about the boutique?” Jessica asked.

Zoe turned her head so she was looking back at her friend. It was a good question, and one Zoe had thought about while staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. “I’m keeping it. I’ll need to check with my lawyer to make sure everything is still legitimate, but I want the store.” She already had a conference call set up with her merchandiser on Monday, displays were on order, and everything was falling into place for her to open the boutique within the next month.

Jessica finished her coffee and stood with a sigh. “As fun as man-bashing has been, I need to get back to my place. I’m supposed to have lunch with my manager today to discuss the radio interview I have scheduled for Monday at K-one-oh-three.”

Joining Jessica in the kitchen, Zoe rinsed out their coffee cups and put them into the dishwasher. “What are you going to do about Noah?” she asked as she dried her hands on a terry towel.

Jessica shrugged. “Absolutely nothing. By this time next month I’ll be back on tour and he’ll forget all about me.”

Zoe didn’t believe that for a second, but instead of disagreeing, she merely nodded and walked Jessica to the door, where they gave each other a big, warm hug that encompassed friendship and deep affection. Once Jessica was gone, Zoe headed into her bedroom, stripped off her pajamas, piled her hair on top of her head, and stepped under the spray of a steamy, hot shower.

Between hearing about Jessica’s crazy confrontation with Noah and thinking her own upsetting thoughts over Sean and the accusations that had been made toward her father, Zoe was wiped out and exhausted. Mentally and physically drained. Closing her eyes, she dropped her head forward and let the water massage her tense shoulders and the steam gathering in the shower clear her head so she could sort out what to do next.

She needed to try to call her father again, and if she got his voice mail this time she had to stress to him that it was an emergency and he needed to call her back immediately. Her father had never not returned her calls, even while he was away on a business trip, and not being able to get in touch with him concerned her more with each day that passed without talking to him. She needed to hear his voice. Needed to be reassured that whatever was going on with the man who’d confronted Sean about her in the casino last night was a huge misunderstanding.

She lathered up with her peaches-and-cream body wash, rinsed off, and got out of the shower praying that this call to her father would yield some kind of answer and prove Sean wrong. It was a Saturday; therefore her father wouldn’t be stuck in a meeting and, she hoped, would take her call.

With a fresh application of makeup on and her hair pulled back into a chic ponytail, Zoe dressed for the day in jeans, a tangerine-colored blouse, and white strappy sandals, then headed into the living room to retrieve her BlackBerry. With a deep breath, she hit her father’s number and pressed the phone to her ear. The call connected once again to voice mail, but instead of Grant Russo’s deep tone instructing her to leave a message, an automated voice informed Zoe that her father’s voicemail box was full—which put a whole different, and worrisome, spin on the situation.

Biting her lower lip, she severed the call, her mind whirling with doubts and a wealth of concern. It was one thing for her father not to return her calls because he was busy with work and another for him not to pick up his voicemail messages at all.

And that meant one of three things. Either he’d accidentally left his cell phone behind and the voicemail messages had piled up; something bad had happened to him; or he was deliberately avoiding contact with anyone.

Zoe didn’t care for the niggling bit of apprehension settling over her. Something wasn’t right, and the overwhelming unease she was starting to feel was something she couldn’t ignore.

As she paced her living room, she thought about the things that man in the casino had said about her father, and also the insinuations Sean made about her father’s business dealings. There were certain things she could no longer completely discount—foremost in her mind was her inability to reach her father and how he’d seemingly cut himself off from everyone. And how could she forget the man who’d accosted her in Michael Kors while she’d been shopping with Jessica and the comment he’d made about him and someone named Bunny having a lot of money wrapped up in the Meridian project and how that money had gone missing, along with her father?

Oh, God.
Zoe pressed a hand to her churning stomach. She honestly didn’t know what to think anymore. Zoe only knew that she desperately needed answers. And somehow, someway, she had to find her father to get them and, she hoped, prove his innocence.

Obviously, she couldn’t do it on her own. Despite the way things had ended between her and Sean, Zoe needed him. Sean and the company he worked for were most likely going to continue their search for her father, and she’d be better off being a part of the case rather than an uninformed bystander.

Besides, Sean had just spent the past week using
her
for information, so she had no qualms about turning the tables and doing the same with him.

Decision made, there was only one thing left for her to do. She lifted her phone and dialed Sean’s number.

Sean stood by the large black onyx lion statue that separated the lobby of the Onyx Hotel from the casino, where he’d told Zoe he’d meet her that afternoon.

Her phone call that morning had been an unexpected surprise, as was her request to see him again. And while he’d like to believe she’d forgiven him for his deception, her curt
“we need to talk”
told him this appointment was all about business.

He’d spent all last night telling himself it was for the best that things were over between them—better now than when they were even more emotionally involved. Anything beyond a brief fling wouldn’t have worked out, and she didn’t do no-strings-attached affairs like he did. Besides those obvious reasons, there was his own past as a con man that would undoubtedly be a deal-breaker for her, not to mention how her father’s past was directly linked to Sean’s father’s stint in prison.

All that ugliness would have eventually been brought to light, and the end result between her and Sean would have been the same. Keeping everything business-related going forward from here would save her a ton of heartache in the future.

The lecture was a solid, logical one—until he saw Zoe walking toward him and his chest tightened with desire and something else no other woman had ever made him feel. Instant awareness, pure pleasure, and a surge of excitement just at the thought of being near her.

He watched her approach him, a proud tilt to her chin and a determined gleam in her eyes. She was dressed casually with her hair in a sleek ponytail and minimal makeup, but there was still an air of sophistication in every step she took.

Despite the lines of fatigue around her eyes—most likely courtesy of a restless, sleepless night spent thinking about everything that had happened with Davenport—she still managed to look so damned beautiful and sexy.

She stopped a few feet away from him. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me,” she said, her tone and demeanor so cool and detached she could have been talking to a stranger.

“No problem,” he replied, keeping his own voice neutral as well. “Before we discuss anything, I’d like you to meet my boss, Caleb, since he’s directly involved in this case.” Along with a few other Reliance Group members who’d been recruited to help track her father.

“Okay,” she agreed with a nod.

“Then come with me.” Gently Sean grabbed her elbow to lead her away, and was relieved when she allowed him that simple touch and followed without an issue. He guided her through the casino, up to the security offices, and into a conference room where everyone was already seated and waiting for the two of them to arrive.

Upon seeing there were a few extra people in the room, she stiffened and glanced at Sean warily. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable in any way, he immediately sought to put her at ease and launched into introductions. He started with Caleb, then went on to Valerie, whom Zoe had briefly met last night during the altercation with Davenport.

Then there was Lucas Barnes, The Reliance Group’s security analysis technician, which was a fancy name for computer geek. He was TRG’s go-to guy for anything involving hacking, file manipulation, and computer fraud—both perpetrating and preventing it, depending on the situation. He was the one responsible for hacking into Zoe’s cell phone to trace her calls. Not that any of them were about to share that bit of information with her. For as long as they were searching for her father, the tap on her phone would remain intact.

Zoe sat down across from the trio, who’d all been very warm and polite with their hellos, and Sean took the seat next to hers. She looked them all in the eye, and if she felt intimidated by being outnumbered, she didn’t show it.

“I’ll get right to the point,” she said, and folded her hands together on the table in front of her. “I’m well aware of the unwarranted claims being made against my father, about him being involved in some kind of scam. And now I also know that your company has been hired by some uncouth businessman to find my father because he’s being accused of stealing funds that were invested toward developing the Meridian project.”

Caleb jotted notes on the pad of paper he’d brought with him to the meeting. “Yes, all that’s true,” he confirmed with a nod.

She exhaled a deep breath. “I want to help find my father.”

Beside Caleb, Valerie looked a bit surprised by Zoe’s announcement. “What made you come to that decision?” Val asked the one question the rest of the group was thinking.

“For starters, I know you’re going to continue looking for my father with or without my help, and I’d like to be involved as much as possible.” She cut a quick glance at Sean before looking back at Caleb. “After all, you did assign Sean to find out what I know about my father’s whereabouts, right?”