THEY WERE ON their way to Marcus Handley’s house. Mindy brought up the subject of Curt Wyman again. “I know you think Curt is the guy who tried to kidnap me, but I would have recognized him even in a mask, and besides, he’s still in jail.”
As the pickup rolled along, Jax flicked her a sideways glance. “Actually, he’s out. He cut a deal with the DA’s office to testify against the jewelry fence he was working with, a guy the cops had been after for a while.”
She mulled that over. “I’m not really surprised. Curt was a stockbroker when he lost all his money. He’s a decent guy or at least he was.”
“I take it you haven’t heard from him since his release.”
“No, and I don’t expect to. He accepted the breakup when it happened.”
“How did you feel about it?”
She glanced over to where he sat behind the wheel. It seemed an odd question. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
She didn’t like to talk about Curt. She should have left him sooner, when things first went downhill, but she’d felt sorry for him. She hoped he didn’t screw up his second chance. “The truth is I was glad when we finally broke up. I was ready to end things way before it actually happened.”
Jax nodded. She would have sworn he seemed relieved.
“Even if Curt’s out of jail, he definitely wasn’t one of the men in the parking lot.”
“Maybe not, but I looked into his case. The guy was no dummy. If he hadn’t gotten careless, he might still be lining his pockets with money from stolen goods. No doubt he’s smart enough to come up with a kidnapping scheme if he thought the payoff would be big enough.”
“I don’t think Curt would do anything to hurt me. He just liked living the high life—expensive cars, Armani suits. We had fun at first. But I didn’t really care about the money, and Curt did. When he ran out, he went a little crazy.”
“Crazy enough to kidnap you for ransom?”
She sighed and leaned back in the passenger seat. “I don’t think so, but I don’t know for sure. I didn’t think he would burglarize people’s homes, but he did.” She said nothing more as Jax pulled up in front of the address she had given him for Marcus Handley’s house, an impressive two-story red brick Georgian with white shuttered windows and doors.
Marcus personally greeted them, a thin, silver-haired man dressed in khaki chinos and a yellow button-down shirt. He leaned over and hugged her in a rare show of emotion.
“I’m glad you’re all right,” he said.
“Thank you.” She made the introductions, and Marcus led them into a private study lined with bookshelves loaded with heavy leather-bound volumes. Marcus sat down behind a wide mahogany desk, and she and Jax sat in dark brown leather chairs across from him.
“Would you like some refreshment? Coffee or a soda, perhaps?”
“We’re fine,” Jax said.
“All right, then.” Marcus focused on Jax. “Tell me what I can do to help you find the men who tried to abduct Mindy last night.”
“First I need to know what you would have done if you had received a ransom demand from the kidnappers. Would you have paid the money for Mindy’s release out of her mother’s trust fund?”
Marcus didn’t hesitate. “No.” He looked at Mindy. “I’m sorry, my dear, my power only extends as far as the distribution of funds for your mother’s care and personal welfare. I could have gone to court and tried to obtain permission to release the funds to the kidnappers, but it would have taken time, and I’m not sure the judge would have granted my petition.”
Mindy shifted in her chair. “Can you think of anyone who might have thought you’d pay the ransom?”
“Very few people know about the trust fund. The settlement wasn’t highly publicized at the time, and it was almost twelve years ago. Whoever tried to kidnap you must be someone you’ve met or dealt with recently. At least that would be my guess.”
“How about you?” Jax asked. “Any new hires, people who recently gained access to the fund?”
“We have a few new employees at the firm but none who have any connection to the trust fund or would have any knowledge of it. Mindy handles the day-to-day business of her mother’s care. She submits a monthly request for the money, and I grant it.”
Interest moved across Jax’s hard features. His stare remained on Marcus. “What if Mindy submitted a request for a few million dollars? Would you be obliged to grant that request?”
Awareness dawned in Marcus’s pale blue eyes. His narrow shoulders straightened beneath his yellow shirt. “As Mindy was a minor at the time of the accident, the terms of the settlement aren’t something we’ve discussed. It simply never came up.” His gaze swung to Mindy. “The fact is, once you reached the age of twenty-one, my dear, you’ve had overriding control of your mother’s funds.”
Surprise rolled through her. “I didn’t know that, but it doesn’t change anything. It’s still Mom’s money.”
“That’s right,” Marcus said.
But Jax’s worried gaze fixed on her face. “You understand what this means?”
“I would never take my mother’s money.”
His features softened. “Under normal circumstances, I know you wouldn’t. But to put it bluntly, those men could have used any means necessary to force you to sign over the money in the trust.”
A FAINT STORM blew across the city, stirring up leaves and trash on the street. All the way back to the office, Mindy rode in silence. Jax was worried about her.
“Nothing is going to happen to you,” he said as he pulled into the parking lot behind the building. “I won’t let it. You know that, right?”
She turned toward him in the passenger seat. “I know,” she said softly.
He wasn’t sure she believed him. He didn’t like the thought that she might not trust him to take care of her.
He sighed as they walked back into the office. The afternoon was slipping away. Since a fast-food breakfast wasn’t much of a meal, he suggested they head down to Clancy’s, the Irish pub down the block, The Max crew’s favorite hangout.
The wind had died down to a mild, pleasant breeze by the time they arrived. The restaurant wasn’t busy this hour of the day. The lunch crowd was already gone, the after-work, supper and drinking crowds not in until later. The smell of hops and lemon oil greeted them as they walked into an interior that was all dark wood paneling and lots of Irish green. A long bar lined with stools and an old-fashioned carved back bar dominated the room.
Jax led her to one of the wooden booths, and they sat down across from each other. Mindy ordered a bowl of beef barley soup and Jax ordered a corned beef sandwich, but passed on his usual Guinness. Until he knew what was going on, he needed to be at the top of his game. Mindy was his to protect. He’d do everything in his power to keep her safe.
“How’s your lunch?” he asked when he’d finished his sandwich, though Mindy was still eating—or pretending to. The small bowl of soup she’d ordered sat mostly untouched.
“It’s great. I’m just not very hungry.”
He reached across the table and set his hand over hers, felt the smooth warmth of her skin. His attraction to Mindy had always been strong, but knowing what could have happened to her, his protective feelings made the attraction even stronger. Everything about her turned him on—her pretty, girl-next-door face and gorgeous mahogany hair, her sweet smile and always optimistic personality, her petite but womanly figure.
His gaze went to the full swells beneath her silky blouse and his body stirred. He reminded himself she was out of his reach and let go of her hand.
“We’re going to figure this out,” he said. “Until we do, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Mindy looked up at him with those big blue eyes, and he felt it like a kick in the stomach. “You and the other guys in the office...you’ve all been great to accept me the way you have. It’s just...it isn’t really your job to take care of me. I mean, I work for The Max, but that doesn’t make me your responsibility. It’s too much to ask.”
He wanted to tell her that she meant more to him than just an office employee and friend, but it was the wrong thing to say. He wasn’t the right guy for Mindy. She was too sweet to handle a hard guy like him. He wanted her, but he didn’t want to take advantage, and if he wasn’t careful he would. She deserved better than a few nights in his bed, the length of his usual relationships with women. If she was even interested.
The thought she might not feel the same fierce attraction to him that he felt for her did not sit well.
“We’re friends,” he said. “Friends help each other. I’ve got the skills you need right now to keep you safe. Okay?”
She studied him for several long seconds, but he couldn’t read her thoughts.
“Okay...” she said reluctantly.
Jax paid the bill and they headed back to the office.
“I need to call Gunderson, see if the cops have turned up anything on the van. Then I’m going to pay a visit to Curt Wyman.”
“What?”
“I want to talk to him, see what he has to say. You don’t think he’s involved, but we need to be sure. I’ll call Maddox, have him come over and stay at your place while I’m gone.”
“If you’re going to talk to Curt, I’m coming with you.”
“If Wyman’s behind the attempt, he might not be alone. Anything could happen. I want you somewhere safe.”
She turned on the sidewalk and propped a hand on her hip. “I’m going, Jax. I realize you know a lot more about this kind of thing than I do, but I know Curt and he isn’t going to open up to you. Not the way he will with me.”
He didn’t miss the determined set of her features. The look in her eyes said she was not backing down. He was impressed. He was a former navy SEAL. Most women did what he said without question. This was the second time Mindy had stood up to him. He was learning something new about her. Mindy Stewart was a lot tougher than she looked.
Plus he had a hunch she was right.
“Well?”
“All right, fine, you can go. Let me make that call to Gunderson, then we’ll go.”
He opened the door to the office, and she walked past him into the waiting area. “You know where Curt lives?” she asked.
“I’m a detective, remember? I know where he lives.”
Mindy flicked him an impertinent glance that had him biting back a grin. She walked over to her desk, drawing his attention to the stretch jeans curving over her sweet little ass, and inwardly he groaned.
Forcing his thoughts back to the job, he sat down at his desk and phoned Walt Gunderson. “It’s Ryker,” he said. “Anything new on the Stewart case?”
“Not much. We picked up the van on some street cam video. Lost it in the warehouse district, but it gives us a place to look. Too bad they disabled the cameras in your parking lot.” Both cameras had been taken out with a single shot each. These guys had been prepared.
“By now Chase probably has them back online,” he said. “But that doesn’t help us.”
“No, it doesn’t. I’ll let you know if we come up with something new.”
“Thanks.” Jax didn’t mention the possible ransom motive. If the lead proved false, information about Mindy’s connection to three million dollars’ worth of trust fund money wasn’t something he wanted floating around.
He hung up the phone and headed for the front desk. “You ready?”
Jax wasn’t looking forward to a visit with Mindy’s old boyfriend. But he had to admit he was curious.