The Undercover Playboy (Captured by Love Book 3) (16 page)

Cassie blushed, glancing shyly at the other guys.

“Men,” Natasha murmured, shaking her head.

“So is this why you have to date Susan?” Cassie asked.

He nodded and explained to her the suspect profile and
the MO of the syndicate.

“Wow. And are you close to catching her red-handed?”

“Well, we just found out last night it’s not Susan. It’s Bronwyn.”

Cassie’s jaw dropped to the floor.

“Hell, dude,” Gavin murmured. “So you were right all along with your initial suspicion?”

“Looks like it,” he said, relaying what had transpired last night when he’d gone out with Susan.

“But there’s still no concrete
evidence against Bronwyn?” Gavin asked.

“No,” he said in frustration. “That’s why we have to keep up with the act. We need something that will stick.”

“Much as I hate to say this,” Gavin said, “why hasn’t she tried to kill you yet?”

“I don’t know. If we’re right in thinking she knows I’m an undercover cop, then she must also know I’m not the only one watching her. So maybe she’s biding her
time, or holding off until she’s figured out how she can get away with it.”

“Carter,” Cassie whispered, getting up from her seat and sitting on his lap. She buried her head in the crook of his neck.

“I’ll be okay,” he soothed, running his hand on her back.

“How do you know for sure?” she demanded.

Natasha sniffed.

“Hey, hey, girls. Come on. Everything’s going to be okay. Dave and the other
cops have got my back.”

“I didn’t get this concern when I got shot,” Gavin quipped.

Natasha threw him a deadly glare. “You didn’t deign to tell me you were okay.”

Gavin relented. “Police orders, Tash. Sorry.”

“Whatever Bronwyn’s motivations are, we need to make sure all of you remain safe,” Carter said.

“What do you mean all of
us
?” Cassie said. “What about you?”

“Sure, babe. I’m being careful.”

Cassie held him tighter.

“Is Susan happy to play on our side?” Gavin asked.

“She’s very scared, and she has every reason to be. But she’s willing to pretend that she’s going along with Bronwyn’s plans for the time being. It makes me nervous because I don’t think she’s that good an actress, but there’s no other choice unless she disappears where Bronwyn can’t find her. Her boyfriend John is planning
something along those lines.”

“Wow,” Cassie murmured.

“Babe...” Damn, he hated what he had to say next.

“I’m not disappearing, Carter,” Cassie said, reading his mind. “If I did, Bronwyn would know for sure that you’re on to her.”

“You can resign and say—”

“No,” she reiterated, getting off his lap and returning to her seat.

“Cassie, when she finds out we’re on to her, you’ll be in danger.
Remember that she knew about us going out when we thought no one at your work knew. How did she know that? There’s so many unknowns that I’m not willing for you to turn up at her gallery every day.”

“What will she do? Shoot me in front of everybody? I doubt she’ll do that, Carter. But she’s more likely to shoot
you
if I suddenly resign out of the blue.”

“She’s right, dude,” Gavin said. “Bronwyn’s
not gonna do anything stupid in public.”

“But Cassie can’t always be in public. And don’t forget you got shot in a public street.”

“A quiet alleyway,” Gavin corrected.

“Where you were stupid enough to go to,” he retorted.

“I promise I won’t be stupid,” Cassie interjected.

He rubbed his face in frustration. As a detective, he knew that it would be more beneficial to the case if Cassie kept
on turning up to work to avoid making Bronwyn suspicious. But as a man in love, he wanted Cassie as far away from danger as possible.

“Carter,” David said. “Bronwyn’s unlikely to hurt Cassie while at work. And outside of those times, Vera’s still shadowing Bronwyn. Frankly, Bronwyn is less likely to do something drastic if Cassie continues to work at the gallery. But she might panic if Cassie
resigns. She might end up hurting more people.”

Carter took a deep breath. What David had said made sense. He didn’t like it, but Cassie continuing to work for a cold-blooded, extremely smart criminal seemed to be the best option.

“Fine,” he said with a heavy heart. “But to be safe, I think you and Tash have to stay somewhere else until this case is solved.”

“Why me as well?” Natasha asked.

“Bronwyn knows that Cassie’s flatmate is you, Tash—my sister. And she has Cassie’s address. I don’t think Bronwyn will specifically go after you—it’s Cassie she seems to be working on—but I don’t want you in your apartment if she decides to pay Cassie an unexpected visit. You’ll be safer staying in one of Mum and Dad’s properties.”

“Shall we pretend that we’re not together?” Cassie asked him.
“She’s bound to ask me if I’m trying to get back with you.”

“Yes. And we need to be convincing. I wouldn’t underestimate her observation skills.”

“I can’t believe this,” Cassie murmured, burying her face in her hands.

He sighed. His personal life had never gotten tangled with his work before, and now it had, in a very big way. He was scared for Cassie’s safety. And apart from that, he was also
scared of losing her because of the challenges his job brought to their relationship.

He had a lot of work to do to gain more of her trust. But first things first. Bronwyn had to be put behind bars.

C
assie reviewed the Tellman Galleries’ accounts with new eyes. It had always bothered her that certain entries either didn’t make sense or didn’t have enough information for her to fully comprehend what had gone on. Now she understood why Bronwyn kept putting off their meetings regarding her company’s numbers. It did appear that Bronwyn was using the gallery to launder money.

There was no written evidence that could be found on any of the documents, but they might still prove helpful to the police later on. So how could she take a copy without Bronwyn knowing? To get to the photocopier, she had to walk past Bronwyn’s office, and she didn’t dare risk getting seen by her boss copying private and confidential papers. And she most definitely couldn’t email it to herself.
It would leave an electronic trail.

Should she take a picture of them with her phone?

She bit her lip, opened her desk drawer and pulled out her phone from her handbag. It would only take a few seconds to take snapshots—

“Cassie.”

She jumped. “Oh, hi, Bronwyn.”

“Did I scare you?” Bronwyn asked, walking into her office.

“I was just thinking of something else when you said my name,” she said
with a laugh.

“What are you working on?”

“I was just reviewing the gallery’s financials,” she answered nonchalantly. “Which reminds me, when do you think we could have that meeting about my questions on some of the entries?”

Bronwyn pursed her lips in thought. “As you know, I’m pretty busy over the coming days. But I see how you’re keen to get your answers. So, if you’re not doing anything
tonight, how about we discuss them over an early dinner? It’s almost five thirty, and I’ll pay.”

“Sorry, Bronwyn. I can’t tonight,” she said, putting on a disappointed face that she hoped looked sincere. “I’m meeting my friend Erin for dinner.”

“Okay. How about a quick coffee? We can still discuss lots in half an hour or so.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to go soon. Now, actually.”

“Okay, no worries.
I just don’t know when I can spare the time. I know this is important, but it’s not urgent, is it?”

“No,” she said reluctantly. Damn. It would have been nice to hear what Bronwyn had to say about the discrepancies. But she wasn’t that stupid to go anywhere alone with her boss now that she knew how dangerous she was.

“Where are you having dinner with your friend?”

“Um, somewhere in Chatswood.
We’re still trying to decide on a couple of new places we haven’t been to before.”

Bronwyn chuckled. “What a coincidence! I’ve been meaning to go Chatswood! There’s a new boutique that opened there that a friend of mine has been raving about. I need a new outfit for an upcoming event, so I might as well get it tonight since it’s one of those rare times that I don’t have any dinner functions on.
Let’s go. I’ll give you a lift.”

Cassie’s heart raced. “Oh, you don’t have to give me a lift, Bronwyn. It’s just as easy for me to catch the train.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m going there anyway. Come on. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Cassie tried to push away her fear. Had Bronwyn found out that the police were on to her? And now Bronwyn seemed to be on to Cassie...

“Okay,” she answered Bronwyn
with a smile. “I need to go to the ladies’ first and reapply my makeup.”

“Great! Let me know when you’re ready.”

Cassie grabbed her handbag and hurried to the bathroom. She tried to call Carter, but it went to voicemail, so she rang Vera’s number that Carter had given her.

“Cassie?”

“Vera?” she whispered to the detective she’d never met.

“Yes. Is everything okay?”

She told Vera her conundrum.
“You’ll be tailing her tonight, right?”

“I’m supposed to, but
do not
get in the car with her, Cassie. What if I lose her in the traffic? Who knows where she’ll take you?”

“So what do I do? I don’t think I should drop the act that I don’t know anything.”

“No. That will be riskier. Tell you what. In two minutes, go and have a bit of a chat with her. I’ll call your phone and pretend I’m a friend
of yours who happens to be in the area so I’m picking you up for dinner.”

“Okay, that’s a great idea,” she said with relief.

“Good. Wait for my call in two minutes,” Vera said, then hung up.

Cassie hastily touched up her makeup and put on some mascara. With a deep breath, she left the ladies’ and walked casually to Bronwyn’s office.

“Ready, Bronwyn,” she said.

“Good. Let’s go,” her boss said,
standing up from her seat.

Cassie’s heart galloped in her chest as she waited for her phone to ring. Come on, now. It had been two minutes.

A melodic tone came from her purse.

Hiding her relief, she picked up her phone. “Hi, Vera.”

“Cassie,” Vera said on the other end of the line. “Pretend you’re surprised that I’m coming to pick you up.”

“Oh, really?” she said with a surprised laugh. “My
boss is just about to give me a lift. It’s a good thing you caught me.”

Bronwyn glanced at her questioningly.

“I’ll be there in one minute, Cassie,” Vera said. “Wait for me by the front entrance, don’t go in the parking area with her.”

“Okay, no problem. I’ll wait for you at the front.”

“Good. See you,” Vera said before hanging up.

“You won’t believe this,” Cassie said to Bronwyn. “But one
of my other friends is joining me and Erin for dinner. She happens to be in the area and is coming to pick me up. Thanks for offering to give me a lift, Bronwyn, but she’s almost by the front entrance.”

Bronwyn sighed. “Shame. I was looking forward to your company.”

“Some other time, maybe?”

“Sure. Well, you have fun at dinner.”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow.”

Bronwyn waved goodbye and walked
off towards the back exit.

Cassie breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Thank God for that! She was going to survive tonight, and tomorrow would be a new day. She’d need to come up with plenty of contingency plans to avoid being alone with Bronwyn.

She stepped out the building just as a black car was approaching.

“Cassie,” the attractive woman behind the wheel said.

Cassie smiled. Yes, that was
Vera. She looked exactly like the photo Carter had shown her.

“Thank you so much for rescuing me, Vera,” she said as she got in the vehicle.

“No problem,” Vera said as she started driving.

“Maybe you can drop me off near the train station,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll be far away from Bronwyn’s prying eyes by then.”

Vera shook her head. “I spoke to Carter on my way here. He wants me to take
you to my place. He’ll meet us there.”

“Oh, I’ve tried to call him, but it went to voicemail.”

“I called his work phone. He wouldn’t have answered his personal one while following an important lead, even if it’s you who’s calling.”

“Of course,” Cassie said, blushing.

Vera didn’t seem to be in the mood for a chit-chat so Cassie stayed quiet. She felt a little uncomfortable, though. She’d expected
Vera to be friendly, like Carter’s partner David. But she supposed Vera was doing some problem-solving in her head while she drove. She was driving way too slowly for some reason. Well, she’d just sit here and give her companion some peace.

“So do you think you and Carter are in serious territory?”

Cassie was surprised by the question. “Yes, I think so,” she answered with a smile.

“Why?”

Cassie frowned. Was that hostility she heard in Vera’s voice? “Um...”

“Has he said the
L
word to you?”

“Yes.”

Vera smirked. “Did you say it first or did he?”

“Um, I did. Anyway, where’s your place?” she asked, changing the topic. Talking to Vera about personal matters was proving awkward. What was with the woman’s attitude?

“We’re not far,” Vera answered, and they lapsed into silence again.

Something beeped in the car, sounding like a phone. But Vera didn’t pay attention to it. She did drive faster, though.

Soon, Vera turned into a quiet street and stopped in front of an old-style semi-detached house.

“Did you say Carter’s meeting us here?” she asked.

“Yes,” Vera said, sounding cheerful now. “Let’s go.”

Cassie gulped and got out of the car. Why was she nervous? She had no reason
to be. She was with Vera, a detective who was working with Carter. She followed Vera towards the entrance.

“Come on in, Cassie,” Vera said, opening the door wide for her.

She went inside and was surprised that the place was already comfortably warm. Did Vera usually leave her heating on even if there was no one at home? Or perhaps someone else was home.