Page 60 of Wicked and Ruthless

Haisley looked down as a flush swept up her face. No, she didn’t forget. She could never forget.

“Did you make progress on the case?” She pretended to schlep papers across her desk.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry it’s been a hot minute since I checked in and updated you. We’re definitely getting somewhere.” He leaned even closer. “But I missed your…skills in action.”

Her heart rate surged. Did he mean that as suggestively as it sounded? “Oh?”

“Yep. More than you know,” he murmured in her ear before he pulled a nearby chair close to hers and sank into it, suddenly business as usual.

Haisley tried to deal with the sudden whiplash. Of course they needed to focus on solving this case, but she’d be lying if she said a reckless part of her didn’t love the idea of unleashing her “skills” for Nash at every intoxicating step. “What did I miss in the investigation?”

“Let’s take this somewhere…private.”

At his insinuation, her pulse leapt. An ache settled between her legs, insistent and throbbing. It had been so long since he’d touched her—since anyone had. Her trusty battery-operated boyfriend wasn’t doing it. Her picky pussy only wanted Nash.

But she didn’t dare invite him closer. As weak as she felt, she’d drop her clothes for him in thirty seconds or less. “The conference room? I don’t think anyone is using it.”

He grabbed his things. “Lead the way.”

She plucked up a few file folders, along with her laptop, and guided him to the executive wing, then inside the small room at the opposite end of the hallway from Mr. Benedict’s office. Together, they sat at the wood laminate table.

As she spread her stuff out, Nash texted someone, then tucked away his phone. “Where were we? Oh, the mall’s general manager. He suddenly resigned yesterday. Benjamin…” He dug through his papers.

“Yuslav,” she provided. “He just quit?”

“Ten minutes before we were set to meet. He apparently tendered his resignation to Mr. Benedict, giving no notice, and hauled ass off the premises. At least according to what the folks in the mall offices told Ethan.”

She winced. “Well, that explains why Mr. Benedict was in such a shitty mood yesterday and why he was shouting at Mila to ‘do something’ ASAP. The poor woman was nearly in tears and started calling everyone she knew…”

“Yep. The timing is awfully shady. Especially since, rumor is, he didn’t leave a forwarding address for his final check.”

“Seriously? I’ll see what I can find out. At the very least, his personnel records should have some contact information.”

“That would be great. Unless he left home like he did his job, I’d like to chat with him. And that’s one interview I don’t want you coming along for. I’ve never met the guy, but based on what I’ve heard, I have a bad feeling.”

“What about the janitor? How was his interview?”

“He was mysteriously sick. Just couldn’t make it in today. He didn’t know when he’d be well enough to talk. I offered to ask my questions over the phone, even though I prefer in-person sit-downs so I can read body language. But he told his boss that he’d lost his voice, so it would be a while before he was available.”

“Well, that’s awfully convenient.”

“Absolutely. The third target who escaped, Caitlyn Gale, was really helpful. She described her incident. It was close to closing, and she decided to hit the restroom after meeting a girlfriend for an evening of shopping and some dinner at the food court. The friend had just left, and she made a pit stop before heading to her car.”

“I’ll bet she wishes she hadn’t.”

Nash nodded. “She says she still has nightmares, and she’s in therapy. But she also added some very interesting details no one else provided. She’s convinced there are multiple people involved because someone grabbed her from behind, the way the others described, but she claims another man held the door open for him as he dragged her out.”

Shock seared Haisley. “We’ve suspected it was an organized ring, but I didn’t think we’d get confirmation that quickly. Did she tell the police?”

“When Detective Haskins found out she had only been dragged as far as the curb before she managed to escape and that she couldn’t describe her assailant, he declined to interview her. Said she didn’t have any information he’d need.” Nash shot her a cynical stare.

“Is this guy lazy or crooked?”

“That’s my question. Could be either. Or both. But we’ll put a pin in that and come back later.”

“How did Caitlyn get away?”

“Clear thinking under pressure and luck. Before the guy could take her purse, she yanked a can of pepper spray from inside and shot both him and the guy holding the door. While they were howling, she darted back inside and found one of the security guards, who waited with her while the police showed up. Of course, by the time they arrived, the assailants were long gone. So was any evidence of the scuffle.”

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