To Win Her Trust by Mackenzie Crowne Page B

his gut for what it was. CC saw the stiff as a friend, but he was still a man. A man she’d thought of first as a candidate to test a theory she never would have considered but for his kiss. That made Ronald Bartolini an adversary. One he’d need to eliminate. Starting now.
    He shut the door and curled his lips in a sensual smile. “She’s in the shower at the moment. Shall I tell her you’re here?”
    Ronald’s eyes bugged out. “Oh. Oh, no, that’s not necessary. I can wait.” A phone jangled on a nearby desk and drew his gaze momentarily. He turned back and cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize you and CC were…friends.”
    The comment came out more like a question, as if he were on a fishing expedition. Tuck was more than happy to chum the waters. “I’m not sure friends is the right term.”
    The phone rang a second time, and her answering machine clicked on.
    “You’re dating her?” Skepticism sharpened Ronald’s tone.
    Beep .
    “Yeah. Why? Is there something between the two of you besides business?”
    “CC, it’s your father. I was hoping you’d be free to meet me for dinner.”
    Ronald shifted his briefcase from one hand to the other. “Not in the way you’re suggesting, but I consider her a friend, as well as a client.”
    Tuck crossed his arms. “Is that so?”
    “As a matter of fact…”
    “Are you there, CC? Bobby Oakley and I are in town, working out some tour details. He’d like to see you, too. You know you always were his favorite.”
    Whatever Ronald had been about to say trailed away as his stunned gaze whipped to the phone. Tuck’s brows shot to his hairline. He was as surprised as the agent at the mention of the rock ’n’ roll legend.
    A sigh floated through the machine. “ I guess you’re not home. I left a message last week, but I guess you didn’t get it. The band and I will be back in town at the end of the month for the kickoff concert for my new tour. I’d love for you to be there.”
    Tuck’s gaze crawled to the ceiling, above which CC was showering in preparation for their lunch date. Holy fuck. He’d sensed from the beginning there was more to her panic attacks than she was saying but…Ho-ly fuck! His new tour? If Bobby Oakley was part of the band, her father was Curt Jensen, lead singer of one of the biggest rock bands of all time.
    Unease slithered down Tuck’s spine as vague memories of old headlines flashed in his head. He’d been just a teen at the time but remembered how the kidnapping had captured the nation’s attention. He recalled his mother’s horror as she followed the story on the evening news. Three long summer nights while the famous singer pleaded for his daughter’s life. The blond head of a little girl hiding her face and clinging to her father’s arm at the press conference once she’d been recovered.
    Jesus .
    Ronald jerked out his arm and checked his watch. “I’ll have to speak to CC later. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for an appointment. Let her know I stopped by, will you?” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
    Tuck paid him no mind. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth and chin. Shit. The panic attacks suddenly made sickening sense. She’d spent three days with strange, criminally-minded men, intent on getting rich off the terror of a nine-year-old girl and her family.
    Walter rubbed against his leg, and Tuck bent to scratch his neck. “Christ. That explains a lot.”
    “A lot of what?”
    He turned his head. Fresh from her shower, CC crossed the floor to pick up the purse she’d left on the long work table in the center of the room. Despite the freshly applied makeup and slim woman’s body beneath tight jeans and a T-shirt, she appeared younger somehow, as if his mind superimposed the image of the frightened child she’d been in the old photos onto the woman before him.
    He straightened. She’d refused to explain the source of the attacks or speak of her past. Mention of her father could put