Bancroft and Ford: Alpha Male Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (10 page)
Read Bancroft and Ford: Alpha Male Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Online
Authors: Kristen Lane
Michael drove off towards the precinct, he felt that he had enough progress to give a report that would satiate the Captain while omitting his little chat with the former Mrs. Preco. He had a feeling that Adrianne would do the same about their meeting when speaking to her husband, avoiding any angry phone calls to the Captain from the pissed off and influential politician. In the coming days Michael hoped Adrianne Preco would prove to be even more useful to him than being able to keep a secret.
He returned home from work several hours later, tipping the neighbor an extra thirty dollars to keep Liam for another forty five minutes. Michael’s head was pounding and he needed to take a hot shower and pop some aspirin, which he washed down with a cold beer before he was ready to deal with his rambunctious and energetic son. The Captain had found a reason to lay into him despite his vigilant police work and exceptional track record for arrests and convictions. It seemed all his bosses cared about was making this case go away as quickly and quietly as possible. Michael had misjudged the Captain’s intentions when it came to the case however. It was not that his superiors did not agree that Mr. Preco was the most likely suspect, or that they didn’t want him brought to justice. It was that no one in the LAPD wanted to be the one responsible for bringing down one of the richest men in the county or deal with the repercussions that Mr. Preco could bring down upon them for doing so. It fit Michael’s luck as of late that he would be the one tasked with this case and he felt that he was damned if he did convict Mr. Preco and damned if he didn’t.
Michael fed Liam a less than wholesome meal of Mac and Cheese with a side of chicken nuggets. He made a mental note to ask the neighbor how to cook at least one vegetable and while he was at it, Michael thought it was best to remember to ask the elderly woman her name, other than just referring to her as the neighbor. These were just a few thing on a list of many that Linda used to handle for him, and Michael thought sorely that he also had taken advantage of her for. He didn’t bother sleeping, instead Michael waited up like a dutiful father to tuck his young son back into bed from his ritualistic nightmares. He prayed that the boy’s habits would go away on its own and not warrant a lifetime of therapy thanks to his parent’s messy divorce.
Liam woke up around the same time he did every night like clockwork and just so, Michael tucked him back into bed. Tonight he found himself to be a little bit more than tipsy as he had continued drinking after Liam had first gone to bed. He was a six pack deep by the time the boy had woken up and tapped him on the shoulder, asking for his mother once again. Michael passed out cold in the midst of gently stroking Liam’s hair, sitting on the floor with his head propped up against the toddler bed.
He awoke groggily to the sound of his work cell going off. It was something that Michael was used to hearing go off at all hours and even in his deadest of sleep, it always woke him up and made him feel alert. If he really thought about it, the sound of his cell phone ringing was a depressing thing, signifying another homicide case and another life lost, but somewhere in Michael’s mind it translated to something different. To Michael it was another chance to prove his worth, although with his father and Linda both gone now, Michael was no longer sure who he was proving it to.
Michael stood quickly and rushed into the hallway to answer the call, instantly regretting the move. He tried to hold his hand to his forehead in an attempt to keep the world from spinning so quickly while he checked the number on his cell. He didn’t recognize the caller, but no one had this number other than those who really needed it so he picked it up quickly anyway. It only took a few seconds for Michael to realize that it was Adrianne Preco, she was crying hysterically and seemed very distraught. She offered no explanation to Michael and only told him that she needed to meet with him right away.
“Uh sure, we can meet anytime and anywhere you want. How does twelve in the afternoon tomorrow sound?” Michael slurred into the phone, while attempting to stumble his way down the hall and into the kitchen for a glass of water. Adrianne became even more hysterical, forcing Michael to sober himself up a little and at least try to act like a cop. “Are you ok Mrs. Preco?” he asked, still unable to hide that he was slurring his speech. “No, I need to meet you tonight. Right now” Adrianne insisted urgently and Michael felt like he had no other choice but to agree, afraid that her life might be in danger. The sound of fear in Adrianne’s voice has sobered Michael up even more. He quickly splashed water on his face, doused himself with cologne and threw on a clean t-shirt before rushing next door.
Michael knocked loudly at the old woman’s door, surprised to find that she was already awake and watching The Antique Show reruns on a very outdated television. He offered the woman one hundred dollars to spend the night over at his house to look after Liam, explaining that he had gotten an emergency call from work. The old woman looked reluctant, hesitating to say yes. Michael struck a deal with her by offering her another fifty dollars and carrying Liam to her house instead, careful not to wake him up. Michael climbed into his car, cursing under his breath. For someone as old as dirt, she sure still knew how to hustle him out of his money. Michael felt a little better at least when he remembered to ask the old bag her name, it was Mrs. Arthur.
Michael drove cautiously but as quickly as he could, dialing Adrianne on speaker phone as he sped off. He told her of a safe place for them to meet where no one would think to look for her. It was a fast food joint that he had frequented often for lonely dinners by himself while on shift. It was such a low class place that Michael felt assured no one would recognize the semi-famous billionaire’s wife or a half cocked off duty police officer. He liked the joint because everyone minded their own business. Michael didn’t got there so often for the less than appetizing menu items, he liked it there because between the chaos of work and home, it was the one and only place he could find some peace and quiet. Besides, any onlookers would probably just assume that they were two people out on a cheap date. “I could only be so lucky to land a date with a woman like Adrianne”, Michael thought to himself as he made his way to their meeting spot.
Cha
pter 6
Adrianne pulled into the parking lot of Michael’s favorite dive, where he was standing outside anxiously awaiting her arrival. He hadn’t even bothered to ask why she needed to meet him, but something about her call had compelled him to come running. Maybe it was the whole damsel in distress scenario that had made him want to come to her rescue in the middle of the night.
She stepped out of her cherry red Ferrari and it was Michael’s turn for his jaw to drop. He didn’t know what was more of a turn on, the car she was driving or the stunning woman in a little black dress that the car belonged to. Michael tried his best to maintain his composure but found it difficult as Adrianne approached him wearing Jaclyn Kennedy style sunglasses in the dead of the night. He had to try even harder to stifle a laugh, the woman was terrible at being sneaky and inconspicuous but in the end he supposed that was a good thing. Michael advised her to lose the shades, his heart softening when she did so only to reveal tear stained eyes.
He ushered her inside, motioning to the solitary waitress to bring over some cups of coffee for them both. She lifted her coffee cup to her lips with her hands shaking terribly and Michael patiently waited for her to tell him what was up. In his experience he had learned when not to push people, especially when they seemed to be so close to their breaking point. Prodding a distraught informant or suspect could be seen as coercion in a court of law and while Michael had shown up to help Adrianne in any way he could, his work and the investigation always came first. Although he wasn’t sure how meeting with a suspects wife, unbeknownst by his superiors, while he was intoxicated at a food joint in the middle of the night would exactly go down in the books. In the back of Michael’s mind while he knew he had to and wanted to solve this murder case, he also knew that he didn’t really care to all at the same time. In his still almost drunken state, Michael found himself thinking that it might even be for the best if he did get canned from his job.
“Did he hurt you?” Michael asked, genuinely concerned. Adrianne shook her head no, explaining that he had tried to but that she fled and called him from the car before her husband had the chance to. She said she had never seen Timothy this angry before and it seriously made her fear for her life. Adrianne also admitted that their marriage was less than perfect, not at all like the media depicted. Timothy Preco was an abusive and neglectful husband, treating Adrianne more like his property and as if she were disposable, than as the wife he had once claimed to love. She spoke of violent outbursts and rampant cheating and then she dropped the bombshell that Michael had been looking for.
In her descriptiveness of Mr. Preco’s neglect and tendency to ignore her, she mentioned that he often hid himself away in a secret bachelor pad he kept just outside of Beverly Hills. This was news to Michael, who had thought he had been thorough in his research and investigation of Mr. Preco. Adrianne explained that Michael had not been able to find it as one Timothy Preco’s listed residences because he had illegally obtained the lease through a false name. She then produced a copy of the fraudulent lease to Michael, which she claimed to have taken from her and her husband’s bedroom safe.
This was more than a break in the case, this might very well be the piece of the puzzle Michael needed to solve the murder of Maria Constantine entirely. He still didn’t feel confident in confiding in his Captain, who more than likely would be unreachable until morning anyway. Michael realized that he could not very well send Adrianne on her way, if her husband was indeed a murderer then Mrs. Preco was in peril, as well as now becoming one of the key witnesses in the case. Michael was sure the answers he needed could be found in Timothy Preco’s bachelor pad. All he had to do was patch one phone call through to a judge, who happened to be an old friend of his father’s, and Michael would have the warrant he needed to search the place first thing in the morning.
In the meantime, his focus had to be on keeping Mrs. Preco safe until her husband was locked away securely behind bars. Although, if Mr. Preco’s reputation held true and he was as awful as his wife made him out to be, his reach extended far beyond the prison walls. Adrianne could very well be forced to live a life of constantly having to look over her shoulder, as could Michael. He knew how big the risks he was taking were, but he also knew when he looked into Adrianne’s scared, yet grateful eyes that it was the right thing to do.
Michael doubted that the former wife of a billionaire would be content in staying the night, or possibly longer in a no name motel, but he knew anywhere four stars or better would instantly recognize her face. Adrianne confirmed this by telling Michael that she had in fact frequented almost every upscale hotel in the state, bashfully admitting that sometimes she needed a place to run away from her life and her husband as well. The next best place that Michael could think of was his house. Liam was staying overnight at Mrs. Arthur’s and it was definitely the last place anyone would ever think to look for her.
Much to Michael’s surprise, Adrianne didn’t put up a protest or even so much as murmur a complaint. She went willingly with Michael as if he were truly her knight in shining armor, he supposed in some way that he was. He came up with the idea to park her car in a local garage nearby, that way it would be off the streets and out of the immediate view of anyone Mr. Preco might send out after her. Although it would be rather foolish for Adrianne’s husband to try anything while she was in the company of a detective, Michael would still love to collar this creep on any charge he could get, even if it was only temporarily for a domestic disturbance. He would pull out the big guns tomorrow and be able to charge him with the murder of Maria Constantine.
They took Michael’s car back to his house, and both seemed surprisingly at ease in each other’s company. There were no awkward silences or the normal disconnection he felt with anyone ever involved in one of his cases before. Adrianne acted just as she had the first time she met Michael, completely at ease as if they were old friends. Michael made it back to his place in record time, feeling more alert and energetic than he had in a long time. It felt almost as if he had a purpose in life again and he was beginning to wonder if that purpose was Adrianne. She had certainly calmed down tremendously since she had been in Michael’s company, he wondered if she was beginning to feel an attraction towards him as well. Michael had never really thought of being with any other woman since meeting Linda, and especially not since she had gone. Love was a sore spot for him and a wound that was still far from healing. He could be misreading her flirtatious manner all together in his desperation and loneliness, some people were just flirty in nature, especially rich bored housewives he presumed.
It didn’t take Adrianne but thirty minutes of being inside Michael’s home to make her intentions very clear to him. He was changing the sheets in his bedroom, giving Adrianne the master bedroom with her own bathroom and shower for privacy. He was planning to bunk it on Liam’s bedroom floor for the night. While Michael had his back turned and was bent over the bed changing the sheets, she crept quietly into the room. Michael would have been startled when he turned around and saw that she was suddenly there, had Adrianne not been standing completely in the nude and wearing only her black high heels. He supposed that he wasn’t just reaching out for a woman’s affection out of desperation, but that Adrianne had practically been throwing it at him since the day that they had met.
Linda had always been a bit of a goody two shoes and a prude, even after they had been married several years. Not to say that she wasn’t hot, she definitely was, but she lacked excitement to put it politely. She would never do something as bold as put herself out there and prance into their bedroom wearing nothing but a pair of black stilettos. Adrianne had to be the sexiest thing he had ever seen and Michael’s masculine instincts took over. He marched over to Adrianne, pulling her roughly into the bedroom. She gasped and let out a small squeal, pretending she was frightened, but by the look on her face Michael could tell she liked it very much. He was a very good judge of character typically, and he had hit the nail on the head when he assumed that proper Adrianne Preco was a very bad girl in disguise.
