The Eligible Suspect
Read The Eligible Suspect Online
Authors: Jennifer Morey
Nothing is as lethal as an Ivy in the winter.
Letting a stranger into her secluded home in the wilderness may be loner Savanna Ivy’s biggest mistake. But tall, sexy Korbin Maguire was stranded in a blizzard, and Savanna can’t resist his charm despite his shady past and secretive manner.
A stunning, independent artist from a famous Hollywood family, Savanna has always fallen for—then been hurt by—bad boys. And Korbin is definitely a bad boy…albeit an innocent one. Framed for two murders, he has a gunman in hot pursuit and a sizzling passion for Savanna. But can she exonerate Korbin before it’s too late?
“You'd be a bad fit for city life,” Korbin said. “You wouldn't have time for all your interests.”
Savanna shook her head. “No.”
But he sensed she'd rather share it with someone. “Do you ever plan to have kids?”
“I'm too much of a kid myself,” she said. “No. I'm not a kid person.”
He could see that about her. “Me, either.”
Seeing the same in him, her eyes batted and lowered.
Korbin stepped closer. Something deep in him warned to resist this, but desire overruled. When he pulled her to him, she put her hands on his chest and looked up, startled.
He didn't give her time to react. Didn't give himself time to think. Just kissed her. Soft at first. Gentle. Warm.
Then the fevered kiss compelled him to wrap both his arms around her. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Slowly, with unease building, he pulled back. She'd felt exactly the way he'd imagined...and more. So much more that foreboding crept into his unease. This couldn't be right.
***
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***
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Dear Reader,
Welcome to the fourth addition to the Ivy Avengers miniseries. This is Savanna Ivy’s story. I’m really enjoying writing about this family. Savanna is the most reclusive of them all, living near Colorado’s stunning and beautiful Wolf Creek Pass, but trouble finds its way to her door anyway!
I’ve been watching a lot of crime shows on TV. My favorites are the reality shows, the true stories of how people try to get away with murder. We only see the stories about the murders that are solved. Just think about how many killers get away with their crimes. It inspired me to write about a man who is set up for murder. He’s my hero, so naturally we get a happy ending!
Thanks for reading my miniseries. May you enjoy many more.
Jennifer Morey
THE ELIGIBLE
SUSPECT
Jennifer Morey
A two-time 2009 RITA® Award nominee and a Golden Quill winner for Best First Book for
The Secret Soldier
,
Jennifer Morey
writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Project manager
par jour
, she works for the space systems segment of a satellite imagery and information company. She lives in sunny Denver, Colorado. She can be reached through her website,
jennifermorey.com
, and on Facebook.
Books by Jennifer Morey
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Ivy Avengers
Front Page Affair
Armed and Famous
One Secret Night
The Eligible Suspect
The Adair Legacy
Executive Protection
All McQueen’s Men
The Secret Soldier
Heiress Under Fire
Unmasking the Mercenary
Special Ops Affair
Seducing the Accomplice
Seducing the Colonel’s Daughter
Visit the Author Profile page at
Harlequin.com
for more titles
Mom is overdue for another dedication.
For you, Mom! Wish you were here.
Chapter 1
E
ach step closer to the Laughing Grass Pizzeria hammered a dark sense of foreboding in deeper. Korbin Maguire took the stairs down to the basement of the old redbrick building, certain his life was about to take a big turn. A man who took charge of his own destiny, he’d steer it in a direction he chose, but there was something else at play, and it would begin to reveal itself here, today, at this restaurant.
Under a high, ornately carved white ceiling, people filled worn wood tables, and conversation echoed in the cavernous room. It smelled like pizza, not marijuana. The latter was reserved for a fee in a private room, since it wasn’t legal to smoke in public. Korbin didn’t smoke the stuff but most of the people he knew did, and this was their favorite hangout.
Spotting Collette Hamilton, he headed over to her. A bleach-blonde with heavy makeup and surgically enhanced breasts, she was borderline trashy but a nice girl nonetheless. It wasn’t her fault she had parents who weren’t around for her and didn’t teach her how to survive anywhere but on the street. She was a woman on the brink of spending her life in and out of the judicial system. And, he’d realized recently, so was he if he didn’t make some drastic changes.
Collette didn’t even smile when he sat across from her. She’d sounded frantic on the phone when she’d asked him to meet her here, which was why he’d come. He had an idea what this was about.
“Where’s Damen?” he asked.
“Not here.” She sounded glad.
Was Damen the reason she’d asked to meet? He wouldn’t be surprised. Damen’s behavior as of late had raised his brow more than once. But why call him?
She’d never shown any indication of interest in him, and he wasn’t interested in any other man’s woman. They’d developed a friendship over the last year. She’d helped him through a rough spot and she talked to him about Damen sometimes. On the hardened side for a woman, a little easy and not very smart, she wasn’t his type. But she had a good heart and he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, least of all Damen.
“You two having trouble?” he asked.
“He told me that you turned him down on the offer to work a new job,” she said.
She hadn’t answered his question, but that must have something to do with why she was here. Korbin was always careful about how, when and if he broke the law. He also had a tough reputation to back up his freedom of choice. No one forced him to do anything. No one messed with him. If he took a job, he took it on his own terms.
A waitress came to the table and Korbin declined to order anything. Collette had ordered a soda.
“Damen told you I turned him down?”
She nodded, almost in awe. “He wasn’t happy about that at all.”
“No, he wasn’t.” He’d yelled and threatened. Korbin had warned him about the threats. He’d only partially listened, which had been the first wake-up call. That meeting had alerted him to what might lie ahead. Trouble. And it was beginning now. With Collette.
“Korbin, you should watch your back.”
“I’m not afraid of Damen.” There was nothing he could do to hurt him. He had no evidence to prove his past cyber crimes. Korbin was always meticulous about covering his tracks.
Collette smiled. “No, you aren’t, are you? But he’s been unpredictable lately. The fact that you turned him down made him furious. I couldn’t even talk to him about it. He started throwing things.”
Damen’s unpredictability was what bothered Korbin, but he was becoming violent? That caused him more concern. Not for himself, but for Collette. “I’m done with that type of work and nothing Damen does will change that. I’m going to find something else to do. Maybe get a real job. Maybe go see my parents.” He’d been a handful to them and they no longer spoke to him. By his sixteenth birthday, he’d hacked into all of their friends’ computers. By the time he graduated from high school, he’d added teachers and employers to the list. In adulthood, his expertise had attracted Damen Ricchetti’s attention. No more. Damen was out of his life now. He couldn’t be a part of his new direction, wherever that led.
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” Collette said. She pulled back her hair, tucking the strands that had hung over the side of her face. Korbin saw the fresh cut high on her cheek. Then she let her hair fall back down over her face.
Anger boiled to life inside him. “Did he do that to you?”
She nodded, her eyes pooling with tears. “It isn’t the first time. I’ve had black eyes that forced me to stay home until I healed.”
Korbin started to stand. “Where is he?”
“Wait.” Collette grabbed his wrist to stop him. “I just want to get away from him. And I asked you to meet me here today to see if you’d help me.”
He sat back down. She needed help to get away from Damen? “Why can’t you tell him to get lost?” Was she that afraid of him?
“Because he won’t stay lost. He’s threatened me many times that if I break up with him he’ll kill me. He wants me to move in with him, and I can’t do that. I need to get away from here.”
Korbin hadn’t thought in great detail about what he was going to do or where he’d go, if anywhere. He figured he’d start with a trip to see his parents. If they’d see him.
Damen’s saying he’d kill his girlfriend if she broke up with him changed the game. That made him far more dangerous than he’d anticipated and confirmed some suspicions he’d had. But first he’d step in and teach Damen a lesson.
“Of course I’ll help you.” He didn’t have it in him not to. He would never leave her, or anyone, helpless against violence. Damen had abused her. He was going to pay for that.
He should have become a cop.
Collette reached over and put her hand over his. “I know why you’re getting out, Korbin.”
Everyone associated with Damen knew that. But it was too raw to talk about.
“It’s a good decision,” she said in his silence.
Smothering the tide of unwelcome emotion, he asked, “What do you need me to do?”
She half smiled, a pity smile, empathizing but not saying any more on the matter. Slipping her hand from his, she said, “Help me find a place to go. Somewhere Damen won’t find me.”
That wouldn’t be a problem. “All right. I’ll need today to prepare.”
“Okay. Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I’d do it myself but I don’t have the resources you do. Damen would probably catch me before I left town.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “Do you need money? A place to stay?”
“No, I should be okay. I’ll just be happy to have a life free of Damen.”
He’d give her enough to get by for a few months. His parents may not be speaking to him but they hadn’t taken away his trust fund yet. “Be ready to leave in the morning. Meet me back here at eight.” He put some cash down on the table and stood with her, putting his hand on her lower back to guide her toward the stairs. Out on the street, he looked around for any sign of Damen. Not seeing any, he walked with Collette to her car. There, he looked around again and then reached under his shirt for the gun he’d put in the back of his jeans. Foreboding had compelled him to do that. Otherwise he never carried.
“Take this.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Wha—”
“Don’t let him in your house. If he gets violent again, use it to get away from him.”
“But...I can’t kill him!”
“Then aim for his knee. Just get away from him. You only have to make it to tomorrow morning. The goal is to act normal so he doesn’t figure it out. I’m hoping you won’t have to use it. But just in case...”
Collette put the gun into her purse. “Okay. Tomorrow morning.” She seemed worried.
“It will be okay,” he said. Leaning forward, he gave her a hug, one that elicited a comforted sigh from her.
“You’re a good man, Korbin Maguire.” She stepped back with a smile and got into her car.
He closed her door and waved back when she did. She thought he was a good man. He wasn’t, but he was going to be.
* * *
Early the next morning, Korbin woke to his ringing doorbell and pounding on the front door of his home in Lone Tree, Colorado. More pounding suggested urgency. He got up and went to the window of his second-story bedroom, which had a view of the driveway and part of the front entrance. A sedan was in the driveway and two men stood at the door. They wore jackets. Professional. Who were they?
He put on a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt and went down to the door. More pounding and ringing grew louder.
“Denver police. Open up!” one of them shouted.
Police? What were they doing here?
Korbin opened the door, leaving the security bar in place.
“Korbin Maguire?” One of the men opened a wallet to show him a badge. He was older than the dark-haired man.
Had something happened to Collette? Real worry for her swelled within him. “Yes.” He released the security bar and opened the door.
“Do you drive a Mercedes AMG Black Series?” the older officer asked.
Why were they asking him about his car? “Rarely. I mostly drive my truck.” He began to wish he hadn’t opened the door so soon. If this was some sort of ruse...
“But you own a Mercedes AMG, correct?”
He hesitated, wondering why they were asking him about his car. “Yes. What’s this all about?”
“Would you step outside, please?”
The two men moved back to give him room. Korbin didn’t see any way out of this. If they were real cops—and they seemed to be—he couldn’t refuse. He stepped outside onto the front porch.
“You’re under arrest for a hit-and-run that resulted in death.”
The younger officer produced a pair of cuffs. “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
Did he say death?
Numbly, Korbin turned around as the younger officer handcuffed him. In the street, more police cars appeared, lights flashing.
“I don’t understand,” Korbin said. “I didn’t drive anywhere last night. My car is in the garage.”
The older officer nodded to the one who’d cuffed him. Uniformed policemen gathered in the yard.
All three garage doors opened and Korbin saw the stall where he parked his Mercedes-Benz coupe was empty. His car was gone. Only his dark blue pickup truck was in the next stall over, closest to the inner door.
“Someone stole my car,” Korbin said.
“Come with us. We’ll take your statement at the station.” The younger officer guided him to the backseat of the sedan, reciting his rights as they went.
Had a stranger stolen his car and then run when he’d hit someone? His Mercedes-Benz coupe would be a prize for any car thief. Someone could have broken in and taken it. But how had his security system been breached? Whoever had broken in had experience. Professional experience. That’s where the stranger theory fell apart. Someone had deliberately stolen his car. Someone who knew him.
This had the stink of Damen. Their last conversation filtered into his mind. Damen had accused him of thinking he was better than him and said he’d regret not partnering with him. Collette had reinforced his emotional reaction. It had led to him beating her. And then she’d come to him for help. Had Damen found out? Had she told him? Or had he made her? Korbin hadn’t seen Damen anywhere near the Laughing Grass, but had he followed Collette?
It was possible. And Damen had plenty of experience breaking into buildings. And even more damning, he’d suggested the security system Korbin had installed in his house.
But if Damen had stolen his car, why leave the car at a hit-and-run scene?
All the way to the police station, questions pummeled him. By the time he was led into the interrogation room, he was convinced Damen had set him up. He’d deliberately run someone over and left the car there. His behavior was violent enough to support that assumption.
Korbin stewed with anger as he sat at a gray table in an interrogation room. The entire room was gray. Gray walls. Gray door. He’d have a gray life if he didn’t find a way out of this.
The older officer—the detective who’d been at his door—entered the room.
“What happened?” Korbin asked. “Why am I here?”
He sat across from him. “I was hoping you’d tell me.”
“Why was I arrested? You said it was for a hit-and-run.”
That resulted in death
. “I didn’t run anyone over.”
“Tell me about your day yesterday, Mr. Maguire. Let’s start in the morning. Take me from then all the way until this morning.”
The detective was following protocol and obviously didn’t believe Korbin. Why would he? He must hear all kinds of excuses and lies from people he had to question for crimes.
“I woke up at about eight, made some coffee. Watched some television for a while, and then went to meet a friend at the Laughing Grass Pizzeria.”
“What time was that?”
“Two in the afternoon.”
“What friend did you meet?”
“Collette Hamilton.” He explained that she was worried about Damen hurting her and that they had made plans to meet back at the restaurant this morning, when he’d help her get out of town. He checked the time. He wasn’t going to make it now.
“She came to you for help?”
Did that seem strange? “Yes. We’re friends.”
“Romantic friends?”
“No.”
“Has this Damen Ricchetti been violent with her before?”
“I wasn’t aware of his abuse until she told me yesterday.” But he explained how Damen had been behaving differently, leaving out why.
“Why did she go to you for help? Why did she need
your
help? I guess I don’t understand why she couldn’t leave on her own.”
“She trusts me. And she’s afraid of Damen.”
“What were you going to do to help her?”
“I found her a place to stay where she’ll be safe for a while.” He didn’t mention the fake ID. “And I’m going to give her some money.”
“She knew you had money?”
He nodded.
“Please respond verbally for the recording.”
“Yes, she knows I have money. Look, I need to get out of here so I can help her.”
The detective stared at him for a long moment. Korbin hoped Collette’s knowledge of him having money would provide enough of a motive for her to come to him for help.
“What do you do, Mr. Maguire?”