Key To Her Heart Ch. 03
Keywords: Key, Ch., 03, To, Heart, Her,
1 2 Next
Brett snuck away from the double doors of his cousin's office, a huge smile on his face. From the sounds he'd heard, he knew Dillon would be busy the rest of the afternoon, at least. Whistling, he stuck his hands in the front pocket of his jeans, heading back toward his office.
"Dillon," he said out loud, "you have all the luck."
His office door beckoned, the client waiting for him, the thought wiping the smile off of his face.
It sounded like a dull case, something that should have been given to one of the new associates, definitely not something for someone like him to work. But Dillon had been in such a foul mood, Brett hadn't dared argue when the case file had showed up on his desk.
A child missing would be something that he'd have jumped at normally, but this case was fifteen years old. Why it was being resurrected now, he didn't know, only that the child was now twenty-one years old and the client was anxious to track her down.
He turned into his office, seeing her sitting in the chair across from his desk, her wrist lifting as if she were checking her watch. His eyes widened. If the front was anything like what he could see from the back, he might be doing a lot of apologizing for being late.
His mind flew through the mental file he had, searching for a name. "Miss Castillo," he said, coming into the room, his hand out and a welcoming smile on his face. "I'm so sorry to be late. We had an unexpected meeting that lasted longer than I thought it would."
Anna Maria Castillo rose , turning to greet the private detective who would be assigned to the case. Her eyes widened, her gaze focusing on the man and his casual dress.
Brett's smile faltered as he was greeted with clear blue eyes that seemed to look right through him, made even more startling by the tawny complexion and dark hair of the indomitable lady. She seemed to be checking him out and the look in her eyes told him she wasn't impressed.
It wasn't often that Brett was left feeling like this, especially not by someone as young and pretty as this Miss Castillo.
Anna grasped his hand. "I was expecting to meet Mr. Hunter, not his underling," she said, her voice cold.
"I am Mr. Hunter, at least one of them." Her tone hit him the wrong way and he decided that despite her pretty package, Anna Maria Castillo was a cold fish. His hazel eyes, usually so warm and full of laughter, turned as cold and icy as hers.
"Is this how you always come to work? So...casually dressed?" she asked, as if what he wore were ragged and torn.
"I didn't know my clothing affected my ability to do my job, ma'am," he smirked. "It's much easier to blend into the background dressed like this than it would be in a three piece suit. Now," he gestured for her to return to her seat, "shall we get down to business?"
"Fine," she said, reclaiming the seat she'd taken before. She waited until he was behind the desk, her file open in front of him before she reached out and handed him a paper clipped bunch of news clippings. "These are everything I've been able to dig up on Lynne's disappearance. My sister was only six when she was taken from the front yard where we were playing. She'd be twenty-one now. My parents searched for her for years, but it was as if she'd just dropped off the planet. They couldn't find a single clue to her whereabouts."
"What about the police?" Brett asked, flipping through the clippings quickly. He would make copies of them for the file, letting her retain the originals.
"They weren't much help. Lynne was thought to have run away. They wouldn't even listen to me," she tried to keep her voice cold, but the memories of the frustration she'd felt, trying to tell someone, anyone what she knew eked into her tone.
"I'm listening," Brett said quietly, seeing those blue eyes cloud. A pink flush touched her cheeks and she reached up with one hand to brush a stray lock of satiny hair from her forehead. She really was pretty, he thought, waiting for her to compose her thoughts.
Anna reached into the small file folder she held in her lap, pulling out a sketch of a face. She slid it across the desk towards the private detective, the third that she'd hired. "This is the man who took my sister," she said.
Brett reached out to take the picture, his hand accidentally brushing her fingers. It was almost like a static shock flew between them, a spark that shook her as much as it shook him. His eyes flashed to her face and he noted the flush had deepened, bringing a sparkle to her eyes. "Uh," he stammered. "Do...you mind if I make copies of these?" he finally got out, his own face feeling hot.
She shook her head, dropping her eyes in confusion. Yes, he was handsome, but she wasn't here for handsome or to flirt. She was here to find her sister.
"May I ask a question, Miss Castillo?"
"Certainly, Mr. Hunter," she answered, her eyes lifting once more to his face.
"Why have you come to us now?"
"You are the third detective agency I have hired in the same amount of years, Mr. Hunter. My parents passed away. They left a considerable estate behind. Besides wanting to finally see my sister again, I wish for her to get what is hers." She folded her hands in her lap, desperately trying to find her composure.
"That is admirable, Miss Castillo." Brett looked down at the small pile of information she'd brought him. It wasn't much to go on, but it would be a start, as well as the police report of the original crime scene. Cold cases were difficult, so much time had passed, so many details changed with the aging of memories. "Is there anything more that you can tell me? Names of anyone you can think of who might have just picked up and left for no reason after your sister disappeared? Anybody you might have noticed that behaved strangely for a while after that?"
She shook her head. "I wasn't much older than Lynne when she was taken. But I remember that day like it was yesterday. I don't want to just receive reports, Mr. Hunter. I want to be in on any and all aspects of the investigation. I have taken a sabbatical from work to find my sister."
Brett's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting to have to baby-sit during this case. "Ma'am, that isn't the way I work. I will be giving your case my full attention, and not to blow my own horn, I'm good at what I do. You should go about your business. I promise you, I'll call as soon as I know anything."
Anna stood, ignoring his words and reached for the small pile of papers on his desk. Picking them up, she slipped them inside the file folder again, then held out her hand. "I am sorry to waste your time, Mr. Hunter."
"Whoa," he said, holding up his hands. "So you're saying that if you aren't involved in the case, you'll take your business elsewhere?"
She nodded, letting her hand drop to her side. "This is important to me, more so than you can guess." She turned, blanking her expression and the feeling of disappointment that had her almost moaning in frustration. She'd been told such good things about this agency. She'd really hoped they'd help her.
"Miss Castillo," Brett heard himself say before he could stop himself. "I will work with you on this, but only if you promise to do as I say." He wanted to curse and call back the words. No matter how pretty she was, she was a cold fish and he hadn't wanted this case in the first place. Why should he care if she took her business else where? He had plenty of other cases he could invest his time in.
Anna smiled, the expression gone from her face as quickly as it had arrived. "Thank you," she said softly, once more holding out her hand to him. "When did you want to get started?"
Brett sighed. "This afternoon work for you?"
* * *
Rylie gazed up at Dillon, feeling him pressed against her, his cock still buried inside of her body. His amber eyes were lit up, his hands gentle on her as he waited for her answer.
"I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by," she said, almost cringing as she heard how lame that sounded.
"You were in the neighborhood of Michigan?" Dillon laughed, kissing her again as if he couldn't stop himself.
"Yeah, I have some time off of work," she said, lifting her arm a bit and gesturing to the sling. "So I thought I'd do a bit of traveling. Lansing was on the way."
"I am so glad you did," he murmured, his mouth caressing her jaw with tiny kisses.
Rylie gasped as the heat he could always ignite inside of her started to burn once more, her hips moving against his, dragging a moan from his lips.
"We can't do this again here," he whispered even as his hips moved, stroking his rapidly hardening cock in and out of her sweet sex.
"Hmm," she moaned, her thighs rising to hug his waist still clad in his dress shirt. "We can't? Then maybe you should stop."
"I will," he groaned, his lips nibbling at her throat. "In a minute." The promise sounded insincere even to himself, but he couldn't stop. She felt so damn delicious in his arms. It was almost like coming home.
"Dillon?" she sighed, arching her back to rub against him. He was quickly driving her to distraction, moving against her that way, his lips playing with her throat, her ear.
"Yeah?"
"Don't stop."
His chuckle turned into a gasp as she dug her heels into his lower back, demanding more. "You're asking for it," he growled, lifting her in his strong arms, his hands under the firm curves of her ass.
"You think you're the man to give it to me, biker boy?" she teased, her hand on his shoulder as he lifted her, only to drop her back down on his now throbbing cock.
Her moan had him smiling, his teeth flashing white against his tanned skin and the dark hair of his mustache. It was a hard smile and one that should have had her prepared. Still she gasped when he pulled out of her, roughly turning her so that she faced his desk. "Assume the position, baby," he ordered, the words a rough purr that sent shivers coursing down her spine, emphasizing them with a gentle slap on her exposed ass.
He tore his tie from his neck, pulling open the dress shirt he'd donned this morning and dropping it on the floor.
1 2 Next
Keywords: Key, Ch., 03, To, Heart, Her,