Leo was fine with them leaving. Chance assured Leo that he was serious about his new role at the company and looked forward to working with Leo and getting to know him better. They shook hands, and Chance said goodbye.
Chance insisted on driving his SUV as a security car covertly tailed Rosalie and him through the streets of San Francisco. She smelled so good and looked so pretty. Last night’s dinner and sex were pretty intense. He felt as though he’d known her forever and couldn’t picture moving forward in life without her.
“So what do you think about Bernard Kent being Leo Sterling?” Rosalie asked.
Chance blinked rapidly. He had to detach from the memory of making love to her. But he had already given Leo a lot of thought, so he didn’t need to take a moment to answer her question. “I’ve always liked Bernard Kent,” he said.
“How long have you known him?”
“A few years. Grandmother brought him in after I resigned. He would call me every now and then to ask a legal question.” When he glanced at Rosalie, she was studying him with a very curious look. “What? You don’t believe me?”
“Is that the extent of your reaction?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You were manipulated into thinking this man was someone he wasn’t.”
Chance shrugged. “I know, but he’s a decent guy, and Baylor’s his father.”
She grunted curiously. He quickly took his eyes off the road to see what sort of expression was behind the sound.
Rosalie crossed her arms while frowning, and she appeared thoughtful. “Your family is like one of those wealthy and evil clans from a 1980s nighttime soap opera, except your family is worse because the Sterlings are the real thing.”
“Addictions, murders, manipulation, and backstabbing, that’s us.” He winked at her.
Rosalie chuckled. “What do you know about those kinds of shows, anyway?”
Chance smiled. “Me? How about you? We’re about the same age.”
“When I was a kid, my mom used to record them on VHS tapes and watch them over and over again. I think she’s the only person in the world who still owns a videocassette player just so she can watch those shows. She hasn’t given up the fantasy of one day becoming Alexis Carrington.”
Chance gave a thunderous laugh. He hadn’t laughed like that in a long time. When he glanced at Rosalie, she was watching him and smiling. He could’ve pulled over right there and then and asked her to get in the back of his SUV to make love.
“I like the way you laugh,” she said.
His skin felt warm all over. “Well, thanks.” He cleared his throat as he took a moment to get his lust under control. “So getting back to Leo. What I like most about him is that he’s clearly a good guy regardless of the lies. Maybe he and I could start the new generation of upstanding, honorable, and good-natured Sterling men. You know?” He glanced at her.
Her smile had broadened. “I know.”
Rosalie’s lips landed on his cheek and kissed him. He swerved the vehicle some as he was taken off guard by her reaction. “Thanks,” he said.
“No, thank you.”
“Thank me? For what?”
“For being a good person.”
He glanced at her with a smile. If only he could kiss her the way he wanted.
Soon… Very soon.
Chance finally reached the neighborhood on the edge of Presidio Heights. His navigation system told him that their destination was only eight feet up the street, but there were so many police cars and so much yellow tape near the white stone mansion that he had to park several blocks away.
Chance and Rosalie wasted no time. They got out of the SUV, and he secured the evidence that Kathy Lunsford had left for them between the mattresses in room 117 of the Oak Motel. He could hardly believe he’d been so careless with such critical information. It had been in the back of his truck for the last two days. He didn’t want to consider what could’ve happened if someone had stolen the reports from him. After all, his uncles and father had turned the offices of Sterling Family Enterprises upside down looking for it.
“Got it?” Rosalie asked while standing on the sidewalk, waiting for him.
He secured the folder. “Got it.” When they were face-to-face again, he wanted to kiss her but decided he’d better wait until they had a bigger conversation about their relationship. He was pretty sure he knew what he wanted and hoped Rosalie wanted the same.
She flexed her eyebrows twice. “Let’s go,” she said with an eager smile.
“After you,” he said.
They walked beside each other on their way to the front of the house. Two uniformed officers, who were standing in the middle of the long redbrick walkway, turned to watch them. The officers mostly had their eyes on Rosalie. One of the officers walked past them, and the other pointed at Rosalie.
“And you are Stetson’s sister?” he said.
“Um, yes.” Rosalie sounded surprised.
He shook her hand. “I’m Officer Greg.”
Chance read the name tag on his shirt, and it said Officer Pugh. The guy was using first names now? He thought it was unprofessional and really wanted to call Officer Pugh on it.
Finally Greg looked at Chance, but the officer’s eyes didn’t stay on him long.
“Stetson’s been waiting for you. He let us all know to not give you a hard time when you arrive. Stand here for a sec. I’ll let him know you’re here.” Officer Pugh took his radio off his chest pocket and made a call to Rosalie’s brother. “She’s here,” he said.
“You fucking better not be flirting with my sister. He’s married, Rose.”
“I know, Norm,” she said.
“The hell you did. How did you know?” Officer Pugh asked.
“Single men are more cautious about jeopardizing their freedom.”
Officer Pugh tossed his head back and laughed.
“Come on in, Rose. I’ll meet you at the door,” Norman said through the radio.
Officer Pugh shook Rosalie’s hand again. “It was nice meeting you. I hope I’ll see you around.”
She rolled her eyes. “Have a good day, Officer.”
Pugh chuckled and held his hand out to shake Chance’s hand.
“Good day, Officer,” Chance said, choosing to accept the handshake and not be petty.
“You have a beautiful one there on your hands,” Officer Pugh said and walked off.
Chance and Rosalie stared at each other for a moment. He wondered what she was thinking. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t used to men flirting with the woman by his side. Guys used to hit on Pita all the time.
He winked at Rosalie. “Men are goddamn pigs,” he said, choosing to make light of the situation.
“Like dogs in heat.”
“That’s even better. We’re dogs in heat.”
She chuckled.
Damn, he wanted to kiss her.
“Rose, come on!” her brother called while standing in the doorway.
They jogged the rest of the way up the steps. When Rosalie reached her brother, they hugged. She laid her hand on Chance’s shoulder. “This is Chance Sterling. Edna’s grandson.”
Chance watched Norman’s eyes and forehead shrink into a frown.
“Ease up, Norm. He’s nothing like Pete and the others, I promise,” Rosalie said.
“Well, if that’s the case.” Norman was smiling again as he held out his hand toward Chance. “Good to meet you, Chance.”
Chance shook Norman’s hand.
“Listen, I heard about what happened to you on Saturday morning, Rose. Have you told Mom?”
Rosalie folded her arms as her grave expression fell on Chance then Norman. “No, and don’t say anything to her.” Rosalie checked over her shoulder and behind Norman before stepping to stand right next to him. “Also,” she said, lowering her voice, “this investigation and the evidence we’re about to give you… don’t share any of it with the Blushing Green Police Department. We have reason to believe they’re in the Sterling brothers’ pockets.”
Norman seemed to be looking at Chance for corroboration.
Chance nodded and held up the folder. “Plus, I don’t have copies, but I need them.”
Norman pointed at the folder. “Is that the evidence that the victim we have is related to the Sterlings?”
“Yes,” Chance said.
“I’ll make sure you get copies.”
Chance handed over the folder. Norman took the pen that was clipped to his chest pocket and wrote down Chance’s email address.
Norman turned a chastising expression on Rosalie. “And listen, Rose, someone has to tell Mom and Dad about what happened to you at Sterling Manor. It’s going to be either you or me.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed hard. “I’ll tell them, Norm, but we’re not children anymore, and I don’t need to hear it. I don’t need her screwing up our investigation.”
Norman cocked his head. “Your investigation? You’re not police. Leave the investigating to those who carry a gun.”
Rosalie exhaled sharply through her nose. “I didn’t come here for a lecture.”
Norman glared at Chance, who knew exactly what the look was conveying. He was counting on Chance to keep his sister contained and out of harm’s way.
“Listen, we hired the best security money could buy. Rosalie is safe.”
Norman threw a hand up. “Well, where’s your security now?”
“They’re watching us.”
“Where?”
Chance turned to the street. The guys were good at hiding, but he was able to identify the same burgundy car that had followed him this morning and pointed at it. “There,” Chance said.
Norman narrowed his eyes at the car and shook his head. “Damn, Rose, you’re always finding trouble.” Norman pointed his head toward the entrance. “Come on in. Let’s get this show on the road, but stay behind the yellow tape. The entire house is a crime scene.”
Chance and Rosalie raised their eyebrows at each other before following Norman inside. Chance found himself taking in every minor detail. The victim was an uncle he would never get to sit down and have a drink with, never be able to determine whether he had inherited the evil Sterling gene.
Liam Roberts definitely wasn’t poor. He also had good taste, almost the same as Chance. The ceilings were high, and the furniture was sharp and modern, all designed with a minimalist touch. The dwelling certainly had the sort of male touch Chance could appreciate, down to the spiral red vase that sat in a glass case. On one shelf sat a glass figurine of a man and woman entangled in a sexual pose.
“The incident almost looks like a suicide, but a lot of details are off,” Norman said.
Rosalie grunted, intrigued.
They reached the living room. Liam Roberts’s dead body was on the sofa, slumped over with the side of his face pressed against the red leather cushion. He was also wearing a silk kimono robe that almost resembled Rosalie’s, only Liam’s was orange and black. Chance thought he looked familiar, but perhaps it was because his face had some Sterling features, like its straight forehead and slightly hooked nose.
Technicians and other crime scene specialists were bustling about, too engrossed in their work to pay any attention to Rosalie or Chance.
“Meet Liam Roberts,” Norman said.
Rosalie turned to Chance. “Your uncle.”
Norman studied the dead guy with a focused glare. “We were able to tie the guy to the Sterlings because of this.” He picked up a binder off the metal table that was marked “SFPD” on top and handed it to Rosalie. “I found it upstairs in his closet.”
Chance noticed that as soon as Rosalie took the binder, Norman glanced at Chance as if he’d made a mistake and probably shouldn’t have given her the evidence. Chance was pretty sure Norman’s hesitancy came from a natural inclination to first include his sister then protect her. Chance had felt the same way at first, but Rosalie had continuously proven to him that she could take care of herself, a trait he had found sexy as hell.
Chance looked over Rosalie’s shoulder as she flipped through clips of news stories. There was one on Baylor’s arrest for insider trading and another article on how suspicion and blame was shifted to Grandmother. Rosalie kept flipping through the pages, sparking Chance’s memory. William’s charge of vehicular manslaughter was documented. He was drunk and high on cocaine at the scene of the accident, but Grandmother had pulled some strings, and somehow his drug tests came up clean. Since the other car’s female driver, who was dead on arrival, had a few drinks in her system, blame had been shifted to her.
Liam also had a news clip of the female victim’s mother speaking up for her daughter, saying that Laura Richardson was a careful driver and had only one drink that night. Laura’s daughter was not the cause of the accident, and a murderer had gotten off scot-free.
Chance was reminded of how his grandmother had covered up William’s vehicular manslaughter incident. That wasn’t the only crime or indecent action committed by one of her sons that she had concealed. Chance remembered that when he was general counsel for Sterling Enterprises, he had on occasion questioned his grandmother’s integrity. Whenever she wanted to get her secret deals and projects sorted out, she would hire someone like Frederick Holland to take care of those matters. Halo had said that Frederick was able to see only the parts of Grandmother that validated the demigod he had made her out to be. Perhaps Halo was right.
Rosalie handed the binder back to Norman, who was reading through the evidence just given to him. “This guy certainly had an ax to grind for the Sterlings. How long has he been dead?” she asked.
“Less than twenty-four hours.” Norman gave the room a quick scan. “This is a pretty fresh scene.” He continued reading the reports Chance had just given him.
“Also, you’ll see that Christine Valdez is Conrad Sterling’s daughter,” Rosalie said.
“I see it,” Norman said.
“Well, she’s dead. They found her body last week. I’m not sure when, though. We can’t seem to get a definite date and time of death.”
He quickly looked up at her. “Is that right?”
“Yep,” Rosalie said. “That’s right.”