Fate’s Unseen Shadow (Cager #1)

Chapter 3

3

“ A uthorities believe Elizabeth Cassin is still in the United States. Anyone with any information on her whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1. The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for tips that lead to her capture. She’s wanted as a suspicious person in the death of millionaire Theodore Williams, who was murdered at his home exactly one month ago today. It is unclear if she’s armed, but should be considered dangerous.”

Damon sat back, waiting for his two colleagues to react. He’d brought them to an empty apartment in one of his complexes, hoping to make it somewhere other than Cager to meet with Elizabeth.

Ella.

He needed to get that straight. Because the woman who’d shown up at Cager hungry, wanting work, wasn’t the same woman sitting on the television screen. He’d sent her away with a twenty and directions to get food and meet him at this location at five today.

Slater Walsh remained without emotion, staring at the TV. “Why are we here? You know I hate mysteries.” He glanced at his watch. “I have a job in an hour. It’ll take thirty minutes to get there.”

Ryker Cruz opened his laptop. “I’ve followed that news story. So far, the police haven’t named any other suspects.”

“I called you here because the first time Elizabeth Cassin contacted me was a couple of months ago. She asked for help finding a stalker. The police didn’t believe her.”

Slater frowned and cut his eyes at Damon. “They didn’t believe her?”

“Nope.”

“Not sure a woman as rich as her would make something like that up.”

“Me neither. And I declined the case. We were getting hit hard with requests, and I have held firm?—”

“We only help kiddos. Yeah. I agree.” Slater stared at Ella’s picture on the screen. “You said the first time?”

He knew he’d catch that. “The second time was four weeks ago.” He looked between Slater and Ryker. “She called me again, determined her stalker killed Theodore. But I had to decline that one, too. We’d just gotten a call for a job, and I was walking out the door to do that.”

“And now?” Slater sat back, rubbing his hands on his black slacks. “Did she call again? Made you turn her down a third time?”

He wouldn’t turn her down again. Meeting Ella had lifted the guilt that pressed on his shoulders each time he watched a news story. She was alive.

Damon crossed his ankle over his knee. “Today. She showed up at Cager, looking for a job.”

After a beat of silence, Ryker began to type, the pace growing. He only stopped to adjust his black-rimmed glasses. His dark brown hair stood in small spikes. As if he’d put styling gel in his hand and rubbed it in every direction.

Slater laughed without humor. “You’re telling me that woman, the one in the video showing her getting into her private jet, waltzed into Cager on a random Wednesday, wanting to be a bartender? No way. If it’s really Elizabeth Cassin, I can guarantee she ran out of money if she’s been on the run for a month,” Slater said, assuming correctly. “And it’s probably not a coincidence she showed up on your doorstep after reaching out. She wants help.”

“That’s exactly what happened. But she found out I had a bar and thought she could use that to ask for help. I gave her a job, but I need everyone to hear her out if we take this on.”

Slater leaned on the dining room table, looking first at Ryker and then at Damon. “Take what on exactly?” He kept his hair buzzed short. With his lightly tanned skin and green eyes, his hair was the only thing giving him a hard edge.

“Helping her.”

“No shit, you need us all on board. This is harboring a fugitive.” Slater shook his head. “I don’t know—” The knock at the door interrupted him. He pushed off the table and jerked open the door.

Damon stood, ready to intervene if Slater took his attitude out on Ella.

Surprisingly, Slater leaned on the door frame and crossed his arms. “Hi, there, beautiful. We were just talking about you.”

Damon rolled his eyes at his flirty tone.

“Is Damon here?” Ella asked without an ounce of hesitancy in her voice.

It was the same way she’d spoken at Cagers earlier. A fake confidence she could no doubt pull off from years of working in her business. But if he were to guess, she was close to a breaking point.

Yes.” Damon shouldered Slater out of the way. “I’m here.” She looked the same as before, with bright red lips and big blue eyes. Freaking gorgeous. “Did you get something to eat?” Taking care of her basic needs was priority number one.

“Yes. I did. Thank you. Is this meeting part of the job interview for Cager?” She looked at Slater and then between them at Ryker sitting at the table. Worry lines etched deep in her forehead. “Seems a bit strange to meet you at an apartment complex. A little Dateline news story waiting to happen.”

“This isn’t about Cager. We’re deciding how to help you. Come inside.” He stepped out of the doorway to give her room to enter without feeling intimidated or crowded. But when she didn’t move, he moved back to her. He understood the nervousness, but from where he stood, she was out of choices. “You came to me, Ella. This is part of that trust I mentioned.”

“I trust you,” she said under her breath, her blue eyes locked on Slater. “It’s the others that worry me.”

Damon shifted, blocking out Slater.

“I’m wanted, if you didn’t know.” Her eyes searched his, full of worry and a touch of panic. “I’d rather not go to jail today.”

He understood. “They work with me. You are by far safer in here with us than out there.” And after the guilt of her possible murder had plagued him for the last month, she’d be lucky if he even let her work at Cager and take on the risk.

Ella inhaled and lifted her nose. With a subtle nod, she said, “Okay.”

Satisfied, Damon moved inside the apartment.

Slater held out his hand the moment she stepped through the door. “I’m Slater Walsh. Did you do it?”

“Slater,” Damon warned.

But Ella’s lips twitched like it amused her. “No. I didn’t.”

“That’s Ryker,” Slater said. “Our resident computer nerd.”

“Hi,” Ryker said, holding up a hand.

Damon motioned to a chair at the kitchen table. “Take a seat, Ella.”

She sat down in the chair, perched on the edge, ready to run. “Do you normally hang out in random apartments?”

“No. But we normally don’t meet with people like this. You’re the exception.” Damon pulled up the video again, pointing at the brunette on the screen. “It’s hard to believe that’s you.”

Now with chin-length blond hair, Ella nodded. “That’s me. I saw that report earlier. Don’t worry, I’m not armed.”

“But you’re dangerous?”

Her eyes and jawline matched those of the woman on the screen. She’d been pretty before, but the change in hair gave her a completely different look—something edgy and sexy—from the demure millionaire in the picture.

“Only in business.”

He smiled. “I bet.” No way she’d grow such a profitable company by not being a bit of a predator when making deals.

“What exactly is your idea, Damon?” Slater asked. “Finding the runaway or turning her in for the reward?”

Ella stood abruptly, her face turning white. “Don’t turn me in.”

“Sit down,” Damon demanded of her in the softest voice he could muster since he wanted to slam Slater’s head into the damn table for saying that. “And you can listen to what she has to say before I do this myself.”

“So, you already decided?” Slater lifted his eyebrows in a silent dare.

Damon rose to match Slater’s height. “Yes.” He hadn’t until he’d seen her again. Turning her away a third time wouldn’t happen. He glimpsed over his shoulder at Ella. “Please, Ella. Sit down. No one is turning you in. Slater’s issue is with me.” He’d failed to research who Elizabeth Cassin was when she first contacted him, and his decision to help her now had nothing to do with her wealth.

It had to do with the frightened, exhausted, hungry woman who’d sought him for help.

Ella sat down, staring hard at Damon, probably keeping herself from bolting out the door.

“I promise you’re safe,” he repeated.

She nodded, seeming to accept his statement.

“Ah. I see. So, it’s not just Xavier who’s susceptible to pretty women.” Slater let his comment hang and walked back to the kitchen wall, leaning against it. “Before I put my reputation on the line, let’s have it, babe. I want the truth.”

Contempt replaced fear as she swung her gaze to Slater. “I didn’t ask for your help. Don’t call me babe.”

Amused at the attitude, Damon waited till she turned back from shooting daggers with her eyes at Slater. “Ella, you need all of us to do this.” He relaxed back in his chair when Slater didn’t reply. But Slater was right. They needed more information. “Why are you named a suspect in your stepbrother’s murder?”

Ella crossed her arms. “It doesn’t make much sense to me other than I was the lucky person to discover Teddy first.” She sucked in a breath. “I called the police. They arrived. Searched me and?—”

“Searched you?” Slater repeated. “That’s strange. Any idea why?”

“No.” She picked at her jeans. “I wore these and a sweater set.” When Slater didn’t follow up with another question, she continued, “They kept asking me questions, and I kept trying to get them to listen about the stalker. Then, their questions changed. They started asking about my alibi. My motivation. Whether or not I owned a gun. Started dusting for fingerprints, asking if I thought they would find mine. Wanted to know when I was last in his apartment.” Her face paled as she closed her eyes.

Slater took a step but stopped, his expression drawn in concern.

Damon squatted in front of her, both hands on her knees. “Breathe before you pass out. Deep breaths.”

She did as he instructed. Finally, she reopened them, blues bright and entirely focused on him.

He stood. He’d asked her to trust him, but the amount of trust in her eyes unnerved him. She could trust him to keep her safe and help, but he didn’t want her to get her hopes up that he could find the guy who killed her stepbrother.

Damon rubbed the back of his neck. “What happened once they started questioning you?”

“I overheard one officer radio into whoever that they would detain me and take me to the station for more questioning because I had a motive. I didn’t have a damn motive, and I didn’t kill him.”

Ryker looked up from his computer. “We all know that, Ella.”

His quiet confidence in her innocence seemed to soothe her frustration.

Not many women killed for fun. When they did, it was usually due to strong, unbalanced emotions of right and wrong. Feeling cheated. Betrayed. In her case, would a sibling rivalry spark that level of aggression? Stepsiblings? Maybe it was due to a family fight. Maybe money.

“Thanks,” she said to Ryker. “The only reason I think they want me now is because I ran. I found Teddy, called the police, and ran when they wanted to arrest me.”

“According to the official report,” Ryker continued, now with two laptops open and running. “The only clue the FBI is clinging to is the fact you left the scene, and Theodore’s secretary overheard ‘Elizabeth’ and him arguing in the days before his murder. She told the police that you shouted at Theodore that you’d kill him before letting him drag the company into the toilet. But they didn’t have that information until later.”

Slater shook his head, a small laugh escaping. “Not exactly the words of a killer.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Ella snapped.

Ryker pointed at the screen. “It says your father gave Theodore the CEO position in Cassin Systems. From what I found, your dad married Theo’s mom two years prior. Bypassed his own daughter. That’s your motive in the report.” Ryker cracked his knuckles. “This isn’t a very strong case against you. No crime scene evidence. If you have an alibi, you’re set. They’re piecing together your suspicious activity on a bitter motive, verbal altercation, and presumed guilt because you ran.”

“Why did you run?” Damon asked. “Why didn’t you stay and let them sort it out?”

Before she answered, the apartment door burst open.

Damon took Ella by the upper arm, swinging her behind him as both Slater and Ryker drew guns.

Xavier took a step into the apartment before stumbling back. “What the fuck is this?”

“Us reacting to you kicking in the damn door,” Damon shot back. He looked down at Ella, who clung to his arm. “Sorry. That’s Xavier. Last one of the group.”

Ella exhaled and rested her forehead on Damon’s bicep. “I want this nightmare over,” she whispered.

“I know.” He peeled her off his arm instead of drawing her closer. They needed to get to the bottom of this.

“What’s your problem?” Slater asked Xavier as he holstered his gun.

“I just got a job.”

“I didn’t know the strip club was taking applicants,” Slater shot back.

Xavier lifted his middle finger. “Fuck you.”

“Naw. I’m saving my stamina for later. But thanks for the offer. Always appreciated to know you still want me.”

“What’s the job?” Ryker asked, laughing at the exchange. “I’ll start running some programs.”

“Emailed you the details,” Xavier said. “Runaway named Jerry Livingstone. Fifteen. Last seen at a motel in North Charleston four days ago. Police called off the active search. Put out some flyers. Blasted his information on the Internet and walked away. Mom called. Wants our help. We need to roll out.”

“I’ll call in a backup to my job so I can be on this,” Slater said, already typing into his phone.

“I understand that you have other things to do. Can I start tomorrow night at Cager?” Ella seemed to grab Xavier’s attention like he’d missed that she stood before him. “I need to make some money until I figure out my next step.”

Xavier held up his hands. “What in the hell did I miss? Is this the meeting you called?”

Damon nodded. “Xavier Kennedy, meet Elizabeth Cassin.”

Xavier’s frown was immediate. “We’re not turning her in for money are we?”

“No,” Slater said, making it loud enough for Ella to turn his direction. “We’re not.”

She seemed to take the first real breath since walking into the apartment.

Ryker snorted. “Get this. One of the agents made a note that says that Julia Cassin directly told them you were the killer. That’s all they have. Ridiculous you’re on the run. No jury will pin this on you. I’m sure Slater will help you contact the FBI, explain why you ran, get things smoothed over.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Slater said.

“Don’t call me sweetheart.” Ella’s matter-of-fact tone, full of pure authority, seemed to catch them all off guard.

Slater caught it, too. He smirked. “What about honey?”

“No.” A simple word, said with a slight tilt of her nose in the air, like a dare.

Wrong thing to do with Slater. “Sugar?”

Ella stayed quiet.

“Baby?”

At her silent, deadly stare, he chuckled. “No to all my nicknames, huh? Fine. Ms. Ella, you say the word, and I’ll make sure the police listen to me before I give them your whereabouts. And I promise I won’t even collect on the money since Damon looks like he’d enjoy smashing my face in if I did.”

“I would enjoy it, sugar ,” Damon shot back, causing Ryker to snort with a laugh.

She looked at each man until she turned back to Damon. “I can hire the best lawyer in the country and this shit won’t even go to court. No, I don’t want to be arrested and go through all that, but that’s not why I ran. If the police pin this on me, then they aren’t looking for the real killer. If you want to help, I need you to do that. Find the man who killed Teddy.” She wrapped her arms around her abdomen. “I need you to find the killer so they don’t kill me next.”