Trust by Design (Colorado Trust 2)

She swallowed hard, but didn’t want to admit she was still rattled and didn’t want to be alone. “Go ahead. I should probably start picking up this mess.”

“No. You should call the police and don’t touch anything.”

She huffed out a shaky sigh of frustration as he disappeared. If she could clean up, it would’ve at least kept her mind busy. Instead, she finally finished her call to 911.

Chapter 12

The sinking ball of lead in Dean’s stomach hit rock bottom when he reached the final office at the end of the hall on the fourth floor and discovered no other break-ins. He pulled out his phone, dreading the call, but knowing he had to make it before the police arrived.

His VP answered on the third ring. “Hey, I told you, you didn’t have to call me back.”

“Tell me it wasn’t you.”

“Okay. It wasn’t me.”

Sonofabitch. He fisted his free hand against the windowsill as he stared out at the mostly empty parking lot. He wished he was having this conversation face to face so he could tell if his friend was being his usual smart-ass self, or if he was serious.

“Mike, I need you to tell me the truth right now. The police are already on the way, and if you left prints, they’re going to find them.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

The genuine confusion in his voice convinced Dean he wasn’t simply trying to play innocent.

“Gina’s office was broken into while we were at dinner. We’re waiting for the cops right now.” In the weighted silence that followed, Dean cringed and turned to lean his butt against the windowsill.

“Wow,” Mike said quietly. “And I was your first guess.”

He drew in a deep breath but refused to apologize. “Yes. And if the roles were reversed in the same situation, I’d have been your first guess. After the conversation we had earlier, we both know that’s true.” Because they had each other’s backs.

A sigh whooshed across the line. “Okay, fine. I’ll give you that.” Once again, his voice confirmed he meant what he said. “So, what’s your take on it?”

Dean raked his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Her office is the only one with a break-in, but she swears nothing was taken. They even left her laptop wide open on her desk. The rest of the place is trashed, as if they were looking for something.”

A flash of headlights in the corner of his eye turned his head to see a squad car pulling into the lot.

“Cops are here,” he said as he lowered his arm. “I gotta go.”

“Wait—did she act like she was hiding anything? Or worried something was missing?”

“No. The computer seemed to be her only concern.” He straightened, his gaze shifting down the hall as it dawned on him that he’d left her alone with all the evidence. If she did have something to hide, she could be doing it right now. “Listen, just in case, give Quinn a call and have him keep an eye on this through his police contacts. Off the record, of course.”

“Will do. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Dean disconnected the call and quick

ly strode back to Gina’s office. His heart skipped when he didn’t see her at first, but all of a sudden her head popped up from behind the desk. He frowned as he stepped inside the room. “What are you doing?”

“Checking to see if my password cheat sheet is still here.”

“I said not to touch anything.”

“I’m being careful,” she assured him.

“You’re not supposed to keep your passwords with your computer—or even write them down, for that matter.”

“I have them hidden,” she retorted. “And who can remember all their darn passwords these days?”

He came around to her side of the desk to see her computer screen was still locked in security mode. It didn’t appear she’d been messing with it, and right now, she was busy craning her neck to peer into the dark recess behind her top desk drawer.