Deadly Seduction Read Online Free

was securing a blade—a decent one.
    He knew exactly where and when he’d dumped that piece. The question was how did Deuce know?
    “Look, kid—”
    “Kid? I don’t need this.” Deuce—Luc—dismissed Rocco with a derisive snort. “Tell Mr. Franks that when he is ready to get serious—”
    The door opened just then, and to Rocco’s surprise, Travis entered, carrying the bulging case file on the missing agents. Travis pointed a remote control at one of the ceiling panels before turning to Luc.
    “I’m Travis Franks. And the rest of this conversation is off the record.” He slid a leather ID holder across the table.
    Rocco lowered his weapon, but kept a close eye on the kid. The switchblade had disappeared up his left sleeve.
    “I’m interested in talking with your father. I also want to hear how you know so much about my friend here.” Travis nodded toward Rocco. “And how you came to hear the names Daniels and Pierce. If your info is really good, I’ll pay well.”
    Luc studied the ID then handed it back. “How many zeroes in well ?”
    “Enough to cover your debt to Mongkut and Pham.” Travis mentioning the loan sharks seeking Luc was both a trump and a threat. “But the real money rides on questions I have for your uncle.”
    Nodding, Luc sat down once more, gesturing to chairs as if bidding Travis and Rocco to take their places. As if he were running things. This damn kid reminded Rocco of himself. His younger, cockier self. Christ, when had he gotten so freakin’ old?
    To be perverse, Rocco stood, but Travis sat. Good cop.
    “For starters, we need to establish you are indeed Ping Skihawtra’s son,” Travis said.
    Luc appeared to have anticipated the question. “I have no ID, but I can tell you some key information about the American who gave my father this chit. A Mr. Dante. I can also tell you names of two prison guards that this Mr. Dante particularly disliked. They were brothers, Som and Aroon. And they called Mr. Dante by a number: 703.”
    Rocco already had his cell phone out and was waiting while the international connection went through. Silence hung in the air, thick and familiar. He realized the tension he felt was hope. The hope of finding Max. Harry.
    Dante answered on the third ring.
    “Quick question—I’ll explain later,” Rocco said. “Name the prison guards you hated most and what did they call you?”
    “Tell me you found those bastards, Som and Aroon. They were twins,” Dante said. “But I’m drawing a blank on names. Shithead? Dirtbag? Prisoners had numbers there and—”
    “Yours was 703. I’ll call you back.” Rocco closed his phone and nodded to Travis.
    “Let’s start with your father,” Travis said. “Where is he?”
    “Dead.”
    Rocco and Travis exchanged glances. The news wasn’t completely unexpected since no one connected with the prison had been located. Still it was disappointing.
    “My father was killed at the prison the morning after the escape,” Luc went on. “What your Mr. Dante probably didn’t realize is that the warden had recruited my father to help him escape. My uncle said my father had gone back to the prison to collect his pay.”
    “Wasn’t your father required to turn over the chit in exchange for his thirty pieces of silver?” Rocco asked.
    Luc ignored Rocco’s taunt and directed his response to Travis. “The chit was a secret between my father and Mr. Dante. Apparently, my father thought he was being clever, collecting from the warden as well. And I am not defending him. His greed and stupidity cost my mother her life when she went to identify his body.”
    “How did you learn about your parents’ fate?” Travis asked.
    “From my uncle,” Luc said. “But he just found me two months ago. My parents were killed back in March. I have since returned to their village, but everything—my parents’ home, my uncle’s home, even the prison—are gone. Destroyed.”
    “I want you to look at something.” Travis tugged at