Fair Game Inc (2010) (26 page)

Someone had called her sweetheart recently. Someone she had no time for. Someone who also called her babe with the same sickening results. Someone sheAEd taken something from.

oThanks for the other day, babe.o The words seared through her memory. Panic got the better of her. Her heart pounded furiously. Breath choked in her throat.

Suddenly, Amber had the most awful suspicion who her captor was.

Chapter
FIFTEEN

Grayson slammed the trunk shut and leaned against AmberAEs car.

oWhat now?o Roger asked.

oNow I find the bastard that did this to her, and--o

oAnd what?o Roger gripped him by the shoulders. oWeAEve found her car abandoned, and her keys lying on the pavement. But we donAEt know for sure that someoneAEs done anything to her. We should go to the police and get them working on the case. Now, before itAEs too late.o

oIt might already be too late, Roger.o Grayson shook off his hands and paced away from him. oBy the time the cops get working on it, Amber could be dead.o

oWe donAEt know for certain sheAEs in danger.o

oI do. The facts are staring you right in the face. It doesnAEt look to me like Amber decided to have dinner with a friend so suddenly that she left her car door open and threw her keys under the car for safe keeping.o

oNo,o Roger conceded. oBut who would want to hurt Amber?o

oGood question.o Grayson stopped pacing. oOne name springs readily to mind.o

oWho?o Roger asked cautiously.

oJohn Barlow.o

oBarlow!o Roger held up a hand. oNow Gray, this is sounding just a little too wild for my liking.o

oThink about it, Little Brother. Old Jumpy JohnAEs got this great scam going here. HeAEs been scamming money from Barlow & Charles since we were kids. And he nearly got away with selling a nearly bankrupt firm and making a tidy profit. He would have gotten away with it if it werenAEt for Amber Shaw.o

oOkay, IAEm with you there. But number one,o Roger counted the points off on his fingers. oIt hasnAEt been proven yet that Old Barlow was embezzling. Depending on what your investigators find, he could be suing you for defamation of character, slander--o

oThat charge would never stick,o Grayson muttered. oBarlowAEs been stealing money. IAEd bet on it. I just canAEt believe I was so blind I didnAEt see it.o

oAssuming heAEs guilty and really mad at Amber for seeing through his ploy and bringing the law down on him, that still doesnAEt mean heAEs crazy enough to ... to what, Gray? Kidnap her? What would that get him?o

oI donAEt know,o Grayson snarled. oBut I intend to find out.o

Roger snatched at his sleeve as he rushed past him and yanked him back. oBefore you go charging up to BarlowAEs house and making a scene, why donAEt we spend two seconds considering if there might be any other likely suspects.o

oLike who?o

oOne of her former clientAEs ex-beaus maybe.o

oI told her this revenge thing was dangerous!o Grayson said. And told her he had. When his warnings had gone unheeded, heAEd given her work at Barlow and Charles, figuring if he could keep Fair Game in the black, Amber would turn away from the business of revenge.

oShe sure made you mad enough at her,o RogerAEs voice cut into his thoughts. oMad enough to sue her.o

Like he needed a reminder about that just now. Grayson opened his mouth for a quick retort, but his conscience wouldnAEt let him forget that he had been furious with Ms. Amber Shaw, proprietor of Fair Game, Inc. Angry enough to take her to court. Amber wielded the power to yank his emotions in every direction--love, anger, tenderness, sometimes all three combined.

oDo you know who any of her clients were?o

oBeside Sandy, no. SheAEs keeps that information confidential.o

oSo weAEre back to Barlow.o

Grayson shot him a sideways glance. oUnless you can pick a lock?o

Roger motioned to the ring of keys he still clutched in his hand, as if by holding them tight, he could somehow protect Amber. oBet we wonAEt have to. Bet the key to her office is right on that key ring.o

oNo, weAEve lost too much time already. You go to Fair Game and see if you can get a few of those names and addresses. IAEm going to go wake up Old Barlow.o

oMaybe I should come with you.o

oWe donAEt have time,o Grayson strode back toward RogerAEs car, intending to drive off with the Porsche himself if Roger didnAEt hurry up.

Instead he found Roger right behind him. oOkay, Gray, IAEll see what I can do. But if this doesnAEt work, weAEve got to go to the police.o

It would work, Grayson thought. If Barlow knew where Amber was, if this was another of his partnerAEs devious ploys, heAEd have the answer out of him one way or another.

oDonAEt do anything at BarlowAEs that could get you thrown in jail, okay?o Roger warned. oThatAEs not going to help Amber. Promise youAEll keep your head about this.o

oSure, I promise,o Grayson said. Roger took one look at his face and turned away with a shake of his head that said he believed anything but. With a sigh, his twin turned the Porsche in the direction of BarlowAEs house.

****

Barlow lived in a more elegant house than the one Grayson had grown up in. But then John Barlow always had nicer things than Gordon Charles, Grayson thought as Roger turned down the winding lane. It had never occurred to him to wonder why.

oLet me out here,o he said when Roger would have driven right up to the front door.

oYou sure about this?o his twin asked, plainly worried.

oIAEm just going to talk to him, Roger. Not punch him out. Although,o he admitted, othe thought had occurred to me.o

oIAEd better wait.o

oYouAEd better get those names,o he said in a tone that offered no argument.

oJust remember what it would do to Mom if you ended up in jail,o Roger warned. And drove off.

As he walked up the path, Grayson saw the edge of the curtain drop back into place. It was past midnight. He wondered if Barlow would open the door to him. He hadnAEt considered what heAEd do if his partner refused to see him.

But the door swung open as he mounted the last of the steps.

oWhat do you want?o Barlow snapped.

In the dim light he barely recognized his partner. In the past few weeks, the older man had dropped a considerable amount of weight, leaving his cheeks hollowed, his face gaunt. His self-assured, arrogant manner was gone, but the hunger that burned still in his piercing eyes was the same. A desperate man, Grayson thought with an inward shudder. HeAEd called John Barlow uptight, jumpy, never realizing what that look really meant.

oI want to know where she is.o

oWhere who is?o Barlow asked, knowing well enough Grayson could only mean Amber.

oYou know damned well who.o Grayson heard his own voice rising and made an effort to calm himself. Barlow would find a way to use his own desperation against him.

oRegrettably, I donAEt have a clue what youAEre talking about,o Barlow said, making no move to invite Grayson in. With his body, he blocked the doorway, leaving Grayson to stand awkwardly on the step.

Fine, if that was how he wanted to play it. oIAEm talking about Amber Shaw.o Grayson enunciated her name carefully, playing BarlowAEs game, making sure there could be no misunderstanding.

John Barlow looked truly surprised. oIn what delusion would you think IAEd have any idea where the incorrigible Ms. Shaw is?o

oDonAEt play games with me, John. I know you hired that PI to try and split us up.o

oEven if I did,o Barlow held up a hand, oand IAEm not saying I did, why would you think IAEd have any idea as to her whereabouts?o

Accusation hung in the air between them. If you canAEt control your mistress, Barlow had warned him.

oBecause sheAEs missing,o Grayson spat out. In spite his promise to Roger, he found the urge to deck John Barlow intensifying. All manner of awful things could have happened to Amber and John Barlow insisted on playing games, toying with Grayson to prolong his discomfort. He longed to do something physical, just to relieve his own frustration and the terrible fear that Amber was in danger.

oYou mean she left you?o Amusement colored BarlowAEs tone. Grayson ignored it. If he so much as glanced at his estranged partnerAEs smug face, he would hit him. Then Roger would be bailing him out of jail, and God knew what would happen to Amber.

oI mean sheAEs been abducted. We found her car abandoned.o

oI dare say the police would serve you better than I,o Barlow said in that same dry tone.

oI thought--o The words were out of his mouth before he could call them back.

oYou thought what?o Barlow raised an eyebrow. oThat I kidnapped your disagreeable girlfriend? For what purpose, Grayson?o He uttered his partnerAEs name like a curse. oTo buy back the damage sheAEs done to my reputation? You better be building a damned good case against me, Mr. Charles, because I intend to see you in court!o

ThatAEs exactly how Barlow intended to hold onto the house he bought with money embezzled from the firm, Grayson thought bitterly, with the proceeds from his slander suit against Grayson Charles.

GraysonAEs arm shot out, preventing Barlow from slamming the door in his face. oIf itAEs really true that you know nothing about AmberAEs disappearance, how about letting me in to have a look around?o

oIf you want a look inside, get a search warrant!o Barlow threw his weight against the door.

Grayson yanked his fingers out of the way, as the door slammed shut with a resounding boom.

oAt least I didnAEt get arrested,o he remarked grimly to himself. Though a night in jail would be worth the peace of mind of knowing Amber wasnAEt tied up in BarlowAEs basement.

****

He should have thought about how long a walk it was back to the street before he let Roger drive off. And how much time would be wasted finding a phone. Grayson cursed the short sightedness of his plan. HeAEd been so certain heAEd find Amber at BarlowAEs that he hadnAEt thought beyond liberating her from BarlowAEs clutches. Standing in the phone booth that was at least a foot too narrow for his shoulders, he dialed RogerAEs cell phone.

Roger answered on the first ring.

oThatAEs brilliant, Gray. Ring my phone, let the guard know IAEm here.o

He ignored RogerAEs sarcasm. oWhere exactly are you?o

oLooking for the keys to her filing cabinet.o

oTry her desk drawer.o

oIAEm trying to figure out which key opens the desk.o He could hear the frustration in RogerAEs voice, even over the background noise of the street. oItAEs not like I can turn on a light, is it?o

oBest to keep it dark and quiet.o Belatedly, Grayson realized how stupid that sounded.

oI was trying to,o Roger snapped, obefore you called.o

Distracting Roger before frayed nerves caused an argument, Grayson asked, oHow did you get past the guard?o

oHe was asleep,o Roger said. oCan you believe it? Some security system they got there. Amber should ask for a rebate on her rent.o Realizing what he was saying, he fell silent. oHowAEd it go with Barlow?o

oHe insists he knows nothing and threatened me with a new lawsuit.o

oTell me you didnAEt hit him.o

oI didnAEt hit him, Roger. But I nearly lost my hand in the door.o

**** He stood very close to her now. Amber could feel the heat of his body in the damp cold of the basement.

oAlways thinking about yourself werenAEt you, Amber?o He said her name with the same insincerity as telephone sales people. If youAEd just like to give us your credit card number, Ms Shaw, weAEll sign you up for a lifetime supply of--or if youAEd just be so kind to sit there Amber, while I murder you....

Amber stayed silent, testing her hypothesis. She knew of one particular person whom sheAEd made very angry. But that was a matter of business and not to be taken personally.

oYou couldnAEt be satisfied with what was yours, could you Amber? You had to go after what was mine.o His voice rose, bordering on hysteria.

Amber turned her head in the direction of his voice. Somehow she had to calm him, keep him talking until she could tell for certain. Until she could think of a way to convince him to let her go. oLook, I really do want to make this all up to you.o It was hard to sound sincere with her teeth chattering in the cold and a burlap bag over her head.

oSure you do, Amber Babe. Are you going to give me my work back? Are you going to give me my self respect back? How are you going to do that, hmm, Amber Babe?o

oWhy donAEt you tell me exactly what it was I did.o She hoped the answer would confirm her suspicions.

His quick intake of breath made her hope fervently he wasnAEt winding up to hit her.

Instead, he brought his head down beside hers. She felt the hot puff of his breath through the burlap, smelled the garlic from his dinner. Scent, sound added pieces to the puzzle. Memory supplied a dark, greasy-haired man leaning over her desk. Garlic wafted down at her on his hot breath as he leered down her top. So, howAEs it going, Amber Babe? She had to keep him talking. In another couple of seconds sheAEd be certain of his identity.