Seductive Secrets (Lost and Found Book 4) Read online

  Seductive Secrets

  By Elizabeth Lennox

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  Copyright 2022

  ISBN13: 9781950451630

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited, unless you have the direct consent of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from “One Little Temptation”

  Chapter 1

  “This came in the mail for you today, sir.”

  James glanced up impatiently. “Thank you, Leslie. Can you put it with the other mail?”

  He felt his assistant’s hesitation and pulled his focus away from his computer screen. He lifted his eyebrows questioningly, silently prompting the woman.

  Leslie grinned and took a breath. “Now that I have your full attention,” she said with a bit of sarcasm to her voice, “this came in the mail today.” She held up a key, letting it dangle from her fingers.

  James leaned back. “Someone mailed me a key?”

  She lifted her eyebrows in silent mockery. “Apparently, sir.”

  James chuckled, then reached for the key. “What does it unlock?”

  “No idea, but it came with this note.” She handed him the letter. “I don’t have a Mark in your contacts list, so I’m not sure who he is.”

  James read the message. “Can you hang onto this for me?” It was signed Mark DuBreck.

  Immediately, memories came flooding back. “He’s an old college friend,” James replied. “We were in a fraternity together, but we sort of lost touch over the years.” James leaned back in his leather chair, toying with the key, the late afternoon sunshine glinting off of the metal. “I had lunch with him a few weeks ago, but I hadn’t heard from him since then.”

  “How do you want me to answer this message?” she asked, referring to the letter. “I’m not sure how to respond.”

  James shrugged. “I don’t know. I have no clue…” he stopped, thinking back to the conversation he’d had with Mark during their meal. Hazelton Manufacturing. That’s where Mark worked and that is also where the dark haired, dark eyed woman works. Different divisions. But maybe this was exactly the excuse he had been looking for!

  The key suddenly disappeared into James’ fist and he nodded curtly to Leslie. “I’ll take care of it,” he assured her, leaning forward and typing, pulling up the information he needed.

  Vaguely, he heard Leslie muttering something as she left his office, but James was focused intensely on the task in front of him, blocking out any extraneous distractions. He didn’t bother to interpret his assistant’s mutterings. He’d been waiting for a reason to contact the dark haired beauty for weeks!

  As soon as he had her number in front of him, he reached for the phone and dialed, anticipation thrumming inside of him.

  At the soft, feminine greeting, his body tightened. Smiling, he swiveled in his leather chair so that he was looking out the window of his office. “Angela! This is James Rutherford. We met–”

  “I remember where we met, Mr. Rutherford,” Angela interrupted, closing her eyes in an effort to stop her betraying heart from hammering against her ribs. How could just the man’s deep, husky voice create this crazy, intense reaction within her? He was just a man. An ordinary man!

  Angela slumped back in her office chair, spinning around so she was facing the window. But she didn’t see the spectacular view of the lake or Chicago’s skyline. She didn’t see the sunshine or the boats sailing through the sparkling water. All her mind could see was the tall, dark haired man who had invaded her dreams over the past several months.

  She’d forcefully, firmly relegated this particular man to her past! She’d worked hard to stop thinking about him, refusing to let the memories of their last interaction distract her. How dare he call her up and completely ruin her efforts?

  Could she feel the arrogant smile in his voice when he continued? Gritting her teeth, she forced her heart to slow as she listened to the dratted man, ignoring the shiver of…it wasn’t anticipation. Definitely not anticipation!

  “Excellent. I’m relieved that I left a lasting impression on you.”

  Angela opened her eyes. “Of course you did, Mr. Rutherford,” she replied, trying to sound cheerful. James Rutherford was a powerful man. Disgustingly wealthy and impossibly handsome. James had those all-American good looks; a chiseled jaw, deliciously broad shoulders, and carved muscles all over his six foot, three inch body. Angela remembered staring stupidly up at him the first time she’d met him, wondering about those yummy muscles as well as the intensity of his gaze when her friend, Kasim, had needed help. James had offered his help, his house and his resources at a time when Kasim needed it. Angela knew that she owed this man a debt because Kasim wasn’t just a friend. He was like a brother. Kasim had helped her at a time in her life when she’d existed on nothing more than stupid hope and gritty, desperate determination.

  Angela mentally braced herself against his potent charm. “How can I help you, Mr. Rutherford?”

  The soft, deep laughter sent shivers of delight racing through her body. “I thought we could dispense with the formality, Angela,” he said, using her first name to emphasize his point.

  Yeah, he was right. Darn it! “Yes, well,” she closed her eyes for a moment, picking up a pen simply to have something in her hand. “It’s been a while.”

  “It has and I’m sorry for that.”

  “It’s fine,” she told him. It was perfectly fine!

  “No, it isn’t. Unfortunately, this isn’t merely a social call. I need some help, if you have a moment?”

  Angela sighed with relief. Help was something she’d always provide. This man, well, anyone really, just needed to ask. She thrived on helping others. It gave her life meaning and purpose.

  “Anything, just ask.” And she meant it. If more people offered help, this world would be a safer place.

  “A friend of mine works for Hazelton Manufacturing, in a different division than you. You’re in the legal department, correct?”

  Angela wished she could focus more appropriately on the man’s words. His voice…it was so sexy! Deep and husky and so incredibly masculine…from the first moment she’d met James Rutherford, his voice had fascinated her. And his body. She couldn’t disregard her fascination with his body.

  However, this was obviously a work issue. What was it about James Rutherford that caused her body to react in such an oddly visceral way? She never, ever, reacted to men like this! Men were…well, they were nice enough to look at, from a distance. But her past had taught her that men were more safely enjoyed from a distance.

  Well, not Kasim, Callum, Marco, and Dash. They were men, but they were different. They were in a special category. They were more like superheroes than mere men. Her four “brothers” hid their superhero capes, but they were there. Her guys, they were spec
ial. More than that, they were extraordinary!

  She suspected James Rutherford might also fit into that “extraordinary” category, but he was also dangerous. Of all the men that had flitted through her life, Angela knew at a very deep level that James was a threat to her safe, happy, contented life. Which is why she hadn’t called him, even though she seemed to continuously search for reasons to do so.

  “Are you still there?”

  Angela jumped slightly, her fingers tightening around the receiver. “Yes! Sorry, I was pulling up the company directory,” she fibbed. Then hurriedly typed on her keyboard to do just that. “Yes, I’m in the legal department. Who is your friend?”

  “His name is Mark DuBreck. I think he’s with shipping or imports. I should have gotten his office phone number when I had lunch with him recently, but he had to hurry off after our meal and I didn’t get a chance.”

  “Not a problem,” she said, tucking the receiver between her ear and her shoulder so she could use both hands to type. “Here’s his phone number. Apparently, he’s in the Chicago office.” That seemed odd, she thought. Why would a guy working for the shipping division be located in Chicago? She’d thought those guys worked out of the Phoenix, Arizona, or Burbank, California offices.

  The information on Mark DuBreck popped up onto her screen. “As far as my company is concerned, your friend is still an employee. His status is active, his email is active, he has a phone, and…” Angela paused, her eyes narrowing on the screen. “That’s odd.”

  James’ voice perked up and she pictured his blue eyes sharpening. She’d experienced the man’s intelligence during the investigation into who had tried to kill Kasim and there was no reason to think that he’d slacked off in that arena.

  “What’s odd?” James demanded.

  Angela paused, not sure if she should say anything. Deciding that her company loyalty was more important than a man who disturbed her, she shook her head. “Nothing. Just…yes, in answer to your question, he’s still an employee. Do you want me to contact him and ask him to check in with you?”

  There was a long pause. Finally, James said, “Yes. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk with him. He was a good friend and I’d like to know he’s okay.”

  Angela nodded even though James couldn’t see her. Leaning back in her chair, she shifted the phone to her hand. “Will do. We take our employees’ safety here at Hazelton seriously. I’ll inform our security office that Mr. DuBreck isn’t answering his phone and ask them to check in on him. I’ll also head down to his office. He’s on the 11th floor, so it’s not even out of my way.”

  “Thank you. Will you let me know what you find out? Even if he’s okay, I’d like to hear from you again.”

  It was Angela’s turn to pause, her heart skipping a beat. Finally, she rallied her professionalism and nodded, saying, “Of course. I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

  James thanked her and she hung up. She sat very still in her chair for a long moment, just waiting for her heart to slow.

  “He’s just a man,” she reminded herself. “Only a man. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like my guys.”

  Years ago, she’d discovered her current four best friends while hiding in an old, abandoned, rusted-out warehouse in a damaged area of Pittsburgh. Those four men had been her saviors and she now considered them brothers, even though there was no blood or legal relationship between them. She’d discovered the hard way that genuine familial relationships were dangerous since her only surviving family member, her uncle, had literally sold her into a life that…well, she stopped thinking about that. It wasn’t relevant now.

  Melvin Abrigo walked into his boss’ office, his features stern. “You asked me to set up an alert on one of the employees, sir?”

  Tim Cullins leaned back in his chair, irritated by the interruption. “Yeah, which one? I’ve asked for alerts on several employees.”

  Melvin blinked, unaware there were other alerts his boss had personally set up in the corporate system. “This is in regards to a guy named Mark DuBreck who works in the import division sir,” he explained. “You asked to be informed if anyone did a search on this employee.”

  Tim leaned forward, his casual attitude vanishing. “Yeah? What’s going on?”

  Melvin nodded as he extended the printout to his boss. “Ms. Angela Bertuccio, one of the members of the legal department, just did a search in the corporate system for Mr. DuBreck, sir.”

  Tim’s eyes narrowed on the report, but there wasn’t a lot of information. New guy, he mentally reminded himself. Melvin had been on the job for only about two weeks. “ Okay? So what did she search about?”

  Melvin was startled by that question. He’d assumed that these system alerts were only for employees suspected of thefts or some sort of corporate espionage. “She merely did a search, sir. She looked him up in the corporate directory.”

  Tim waved that information away, tossing the printout onto his desk. “I don’t care about that kind of search.”

  Melvin hesitated, not sure if the other part of this information was relevant. “Sir, she was on the phone at the time. I don’t know if that’s important or if…”

  “On the phone?” Tim interrupted, his eyes sharpening once again. “With who?”

  Melvin’s mouth opened and closed, not sure how to answer that question. “I’m…uh…not sure sir. It wasn’t with another employee, so I don’t have that information.”

  Tim waved his arm impatiently. “Well find out, damn it! I want to know who was calling about one of our employees!”

  Melvin frowned in concern. “Don’t I need a warrant to search someone’s phone records, sir?”

  Tim rolled his eyes. “No! You don’t need a legal document to find out who was calling an employee of our company! Now go! Get me that information. I need it fast. We need to stop him if he’s attempting to damage the corporate reputation!”

  Melvin jerked to attention. He hadn’t expected a simple alert would cause this big of an issue with his boss. At his last job, these alerts were set up all the time and ninety-nine percent of the time, they turned up nothing. So, why was someone doing a company search on this DuBreck guy?

  And why someone in the legal department? He didn’t know much about the company yet, but he’d heard of Angela Bertuccio. Hell, everyone had seen her name as well as her image. The guys in the surveillance room always watched for certain women and Ms. Bertuccio was a favorite target. She was gorgeous with thick, dark, wildly curly hair and eyes that seemed to whisper sensual secrets. She almost always wore suits and high heels that made her legs look beyond stunning. The woman was model-worthy, in his opinion! Well, except she wasn’t very tall. That was a thing for models, but not for Ms. Bertuccio. She was a petite woman, but her legs…!

  What’s more, he suspected that Ms. Bertuccio was nice. She was always smiling, greeting other employees as she walked through the lobby, waving to the people she knew. There were other women who were beautiful, but they were standoffish and rude. They thought they were better than everyone else, rarely acknowledging others unless the person was higher up on the corporate food chain.

  Melvin sat down at his computer and started the search. He bypassed the check box that asked if a search warrant was needed, clicking no because his boss had declared that it wasn’t necessary.

  Tim waited until the idiot new-hire had departed before digging a phone out of his desk drawer. He didn’t want to use the company phone for this conversation. And he wasn’t stupid enough to use his personal cell either. Instead, he pulled out one of the phones from the bottom drawer of his desk and dialed a number.

  As soon as the call was answered, he said, “Someone looked into your guy. A lady in the legal department. Named Bertuccio.” His tone was clipped, not adding in extraneous words.

  “Find out what she knows.”

  The line went dead and Tim ended the call, then carefully wiped his prints off the phone before putting it back into the bottom drawer.
As long as there were no prints on the phone, he could claim that the phone wasn’t his and he didn’t know anything about it.

  Chapter 2

  Angela stepped out of the taxi and looked around. It was a beautiful, tree-lined neighborhood in one of the more expensive areas of Baltimore. Right now, the spring flowers were adding bursts of color and there was a tinge of warmth to the sunshine.

  Angela flinched as a cold shiver slid down her spine. Ever since she’d looked up Mark DuBreck’s contact information, she’d felt odd, as if something was very wrong. That feeling, that niggling sensation that something was off was the reason for her presence here in Baltimore on a Friday morning.

  After doing a bit more digging into James’ friend, Angela had discovered some inconsistencies. It was already odd that the man had an office in the Chicago headquarters, but worked in the shipping department. But even more peculiar, when she’d visited the address on file for him, Angela had found the address didn’t actually exist. It wasn’t even a post office box. More digging revealed that the man lived in Baltimore, of all places.

  That heavy, foreboding sensation was building, she thought, scanning the building. She looked at the blind corners as well as trees lining the sidewalk, examining the area for threats. She also searched for places to hide. Angela was all for attacking life head on, but she also knew the value of an excellent hiding place when the danger became life threatening.

  Her past had taught her to listen to those feelings. Should she go find a police officer? Probably. Was she going to do that?

  Not a chance. The police would most likely take her request for a “wellness check” on a company employee seriously, but it might take them a few days to get around to it. The police were great, but higher priority issues regularly overwhelmed them.

  Besides, she was just going to knock on the man’s door and see if he answered. No harm there, right?

  Again, she looked up and down the street, trying to figure out where that odd sense of danger was coming from.

  “Are you going in or are you just going to stand on the sidewalk?” a deep, male voice asked.