Stolen Seduction by Elisabeth Naughton Read Free Book Online Page A

around her upper arm and he was
    easing her back to the couch.
    Okay, she’d been wrong. Seeing Shane walk in the room this morning wasn’t the biggest shock of
    her life. Hearing the news about Bryan beat that by a long shot. “Are…are you sure? Maybe you
    have the wrong person.” She looked up at Chen.
    “We’re not wrong,” Chen said flatly. “What kind of errands?”
    “Um…” She lifted a hand to her forehead. Could she tell them the truth? No, because that would
    just raise a bunch of flags about how she’d gotten into the house and what she was doing there. And
    she couldn’t risk letting Billy get involved. “Shopping,” she lied. “I don’t get to Chicago very often.”
    “Were you alone?”
    “Yes.” More lies. Oh, man.
    “Then you went to a bar? Whereabouts?”
    “Ah…” She looked at her bare feet. “Somewhere near Lincoln Park.”
    “You don’t know the name of the establishment?”
    “No. I asked the cabby where I could get a good burger and beer, and he took me there. I didn’t pay
    much attention to the name.”
    Liar. She chanced a look at Shane from the corner of her eye, swallowed and looked back at her
    feet.
    Chen made notes on a tablet in his hand. “What time was that?”
    “I don’t know. Nine, I guess.”
    “And what time did you leave?”
    “Sometime after ten.” Oh, man, could she sound guiltier? She’d practiced all this in her mind, just
    in case Bryan figured out someone had been in the house and caused a ruckus within the company.
    But she’d never once anticipated she’d be answering questions about her whereabouts to the police.
    And never, ever, because of his death.
    Oh, shit. He was really dead. Her stomach rolled.
    “Did anyone see you there? Can anyone vouch for your timeline?”
    Vouch for her? Hold on a minute. In the midst of all the fuzz in her brain, one thing got through.
    Her gaze snapped to Chen. And as she focused on his pale eyes, reality dawned.
    These two hadn’t come here simply to relay bad news. They’d come to question her. Which meant
    Bryan’s death hadn’t been an accident. It also meant either they knew about the rocky relationship
    she’d had with her cousin, or they’d already found evidence she’d been in the house.
    Oh, double shit. The cut on her arm. She’d worn gloves to prevent fingerprints, just in case, but her
    arm had bled good when she’d been stuck under that bed. She’d cleaned up what she could see, but
    blood could be found with a black light. And if he’d been killed between the time she’d left the
    house and when she’d run into Shane…
    A lump formed in her throat, but she pushed words out and forced herself not to swallow and look
    guiltier than she already was. “I’m not certain. The bartender for sure. A waitress.” Shane. She
    chanced a glance his way and took in his rigid jaw and tight shoulders. Why wasn’t he saying any-thing? Did he think she was guilty? Was he ashamed of being with her? Did he think she’d run into
    him just so she could have an alibi?
    That last thought sent her stomach swirling. She looked back at Chen. “How did he die?”
    Chen glanced at the notepad in his hand. “The house is registered as a Roarke Resorts holding. Did
    your cousin live there permanently?”
    Oh yeah, she was in deep trouble. He was avoiding her question.
    She shook her head and looked at the carpet in front of her. Play it cool. Keep your head about you
    and you’ll do fine. You know how this works. “No. He, ah, lives in Florida. He has a wife.” She
    closed her eyes. Crap. Madeline. She forced her eyes open again. “He’s been overseeing construction up here. But he prefers to stay in the Chicago house rather than here.”
    “Quite a commute, isn’t it?” Chen asked.
    Yeah, but that was Bryan’s plan. Stay far enough away so he had an excuse for being gone a lot of
    the time. None of the staff would ask questions and he’d get off on easy street. It was part of the
    reason