Burning Seduction Read Free Page A

“Hi, Charlotte. Nice to see you again.” He leaned over and gave her a light hug, trying to ignore Devon’s arm around her waist. Trent stood back and glanced at the rookie. “Dev.”
    “Detective.”
    Trent wanted to wipe the smirk off the man’s face, knowing he’d only hurt Charlotte in the end.
    A hand clasped on his shoulder, and he turned around. “Sharon.”
    “May I speak with you for a moment?” Vic’s secretary smiled and led him away from Charlotte and Devon.
    Her timing sucked. He looked over his shoulder to say he’d be right back, but Charlotte had faced Devon, Mason, and Connor, ratcheting his anger up a notch.
    Surely the older woman wasn’t trying to pick him up. While he wasn’t in the most charitable mood, he admired Vic and wouldn’t do anything to piss off his right hand woman.
    “You don’t stop by anymore. How have you been?” From the gleam in her eyes, that wasn’t the real reason she’d pulled him away. She must need information of some kind—or else Vic had instructed her to make sure Trent stayed away from his daughter.
    “Good.” Ever since the stalker incident that necessitated the need to protect Charlotte, he and Vic had tried to get together for a drink once a week, but of late, Vic had cancelled more times than not, saying he wanted to spend any free moments with his new wife, and Trent couldn’t blame him. Vic only had one true love in his live, and she just returned after a five-year hiatus.
    Sharon squeezed his arm, her brows pinched in concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    Trent refocused. She reminded him of the way his mom used to be—feisty, outspoken, and having a flare for the dramatic. “Not really. Can you keep a secret?”
    People would find out sooner or later, and he had the urge to talk to someone about it. Seeing Harmon in civilian clothes, acting so normal, stirred doubt in him. While Vic would be a good sounding board, Trent didn’t need his friend meddling in the case—a case that had seemed pretty cut and dried at the time. After three years, Trent had time to think about his brother’s behavior but could never come up with a reason why Harmon would forsake his upbringing and lie for financial gain. Could his brother be innocent? It was possible, but Trent wasn’t convinced he’d been framed, especially in light of the damaging evidence.
    Sharon puffed out her chest. “You know I can.”
    Her effrontery almost brought out his smile. Trent kept his back to Charlotte, fearing that if he watched her look lovingly into Devon’s eyes, he’d walk out of the party. “My older brother was released from prison today.”
    Her mouth opened and then snapped shut. “That’s wonderful news.”
    “For Harmon maybe.”
    Sharon looked behind him as if she was watching for Vic. She clasped his arm then leaned in close. “Afraid his past will come back to haunt you?”
    That was an excellent question, one he’d asked himself repeatedly. “I don’t know what I fear. Harmon has always been the elephant in the room whenever I’m over at Dad’s.”
    “I don’t see why—not unless you think he’ll commit another crime.”
    “No!”
    “Then what’s the problem? Family is family. Forever.”
    His shoulders relaxed. “You’re right.” His anxiety that something bad would happen was unfounded. Harmon had served his time, and Trent needed to treat him with respect.
    Sharon smiled. “Now that that’s out of the way, tell me why you haven’t contacted Charlotte? She’s been in town a week, and I know Vic told you.”
    So that was the real reason for her dragging him away. Perhaps coming here tonight had been a mistake. The last thing he needed was a matchmaker, especially since he had yet to wrap his head around how he planned to handle his feelings for Charlotte. He told Sharon the first thing that came to mind. “Charlotte is Vic’s daughter. I don’t want to piss him off.”
    Vic’s secretary chuckled. “He can be deadly, and I know