Chapter Nine

 

Payton knew what a phone call at five in the morning most likely meant. She wasn’t called in very often, but sometimes her particular expertise was needed immediately, and as head of her three-person department she was on-call for emergencies. She grabbed the cell on the night table and blinked at the display. She didn’t recognize the number. But that didn’t really mean anything. She hit the accept button, hoping the call meant they’d found her friend Al, who’d been missing for almost a week. Carrie had been found a few days before. But Al…Al was still out there, somewhere. And in serious trouble. “Hello?”

“Did you like the car?” A warm low male voice asked. “I picked it out myself.”

“What? Who is this?” She sat up and flicked on the light. “Mr. Lucas?”

“Luc. To you, I am Luc. Only those closest to me can call me that. So did you like it? It has all the top of the line features.”

“And a few that weren’t included in the standard model.” She fought to keep the bite out of her words. When she’d finally relented and told him he could replace her car, she was expecting one of comparable value to the one she’d lost.

She hadn’t expected the luxury two-door he’d delivered. It had had thirteen miles on the odometer. And every upgrade imaginable. Some she still hadn’t figured out yet.

She’d half felt that she’d need an engineering degree just to figure out how to start it. It had arrived the day after she’d been at his home and she still didn’t know how she felt about the car.

“I had a few safety features added.”

“Expensive ones.”

“Don’t worry about the cost, Payton. And most of those upgrades were designed by my company. Negligible cost. The car itself is one out of my personal collection. I’ve never driven it, just purchased it to use with the prototypes. Drive it for a while and tell me how you like it. I’ll write it off as market research.”

“So why are you calling so early? Just to check on the car? It’s so early…and I need to get up and go to work soon. And I worked late last night.” Everyone at PAVAD was pulling together to find Al. Payton had worked a double shift.

“I saw the news about Agent Brockman. Still not found her?”

“No. Not yet.”

“I have my men keeping their eyes open. I have businesses stretching from here to the Mexican border.”

“It’s appreciated. So why are you calling?” The last two days had been filled with work and Payton had been too busy to think about what had happened with Davis Lucas. Almost.

He crept into her thoughts whenever she was least expecting it. She forced herself to shove him aside as ruthlessly as possible.

“I’m calling because I need an escort this evening. And you’re going to be it.”

“Excuse me?” Had he just said what she thought he had? “I’m not escorting you anywhere.”

“Of course you are. I could ask Cody, but since Lucy has had the flu I don’t think she’d want to leave her. And you wouldn’t want her to, now would you?”

Was he really going to blackmail her into going out with him? Was he insane? She was starting to think he was. “That doesn’t mean that I have to go with you, Mr. Lucas.”

“No. I don’t suppose you do. Of course, I could pressure Cody. And we both know she’d feel obligated, since I was the one who found Lucy. You know how Cody likes to pay her debts.”

“You’re a bastard, aren’t you?”

“No doubt about that, sweetheart. I don’t think my mother even knew my father’s last name. So…I’ll have a dress sent to your office around four. That should give you plenty of time to get ready.”

“I’m not going with you.”

“Then I’ll call the media now, and let it leak about the forensic scientist—handwriting expert, to be exact—I’m having a mad, passionate affair with, who is currently carrying my love child. Twins, possibly. I’m sure the tabloids will carry that story all the way up to Indiana. And I think I can find a great photograph of you to accompany it. What do you think those seven brothers of yours will think? Or your boss when those idiot paparazzi camp out on the PAVAD front entrance?” She heard the laughter in his voice. Was he serious? Would he really…

“You can’t…”

“I’ll have the limo at your place by seven.”

“Wait! You can’t just force a woman to go out with you; that’s crazy.”

“Then just tell me no. That’s all you have to do; but be ready for the consequences.”

 

***

 

She couldn’t honestly be that naïve, could she? He would never do anything to hurt her, or embarrass her. And he never would have forced her hand. But he needed her. Ironic, considering the circumstances of how they’d last met and parted, but he needed her now.

He already had a dress ordered for her, and he’d had his personal assistant guess her size from a photo he’d had in the dossier.

He had that file spread over the foot of his bed where he’d had it for an hour. He tended to keep his own hours, sleeping when he wanted and waking when he wanted. He’d been up since three-thirty, thoughts racing over the next part of his plan.

He’d found thirty-six girls to date. There were still so many out there.

And whether she liked it or not, Payton Asher could help him find more.

So he would use her, employing any means necessary. He picked up the photo that had accompanied the security report. She looked so beautiful, so sweet. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans again. That was all he’d ever seen her in, wasn’t it?

What would she look like in a dress that bared her figure more than shapeless sweatshirts and jeans?

No, he wouldn’t lie to himself. He found her so intriguing, so alluring. Why wouldn’t he?

She was everything he’d ever wanted, really, but knew he’d never have. A woman like her was too innocent and pure for a man like him.

He’d use her for what he needed and then he’d walk out of her life completely. It was far better for her that way.