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She didn’t look. “What’s wrong?”
“Look at the picture, sweetheart.”
She tore her gaze from his and glanced down. Rachelle gasped. “No! I didn’t do that, Cal. I’ve never seen him before.”
“You appear to know that man very well, Ms. Carter,” Stokes snapped. “You might convince your bodyguard that you’re innocent of fraternizing with a known criminal, but you won’t convince me.”
“I don’t know him.”
“Funny thing about that. I have several pictures of you and this stranger taken in different places that say otherwise.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“I want to see the pictures.” Rachelle glared at the odious Russell Stokes. She waggled the photo. “This is a copy. I want to see the originals.”
“They were sent to my email.” Stokes inclined his head toward the paper. “Explain that.”
“I can’t. Yet. But this picture is fake. While I don’t know this man, it seems you do. Who is he?”
The man turned his cold gaze to Cal. “Ask your bodyguard. I’m sure he will answer your question. Won’t you, Taylor?” His expression shifted to smug satisfaction. “Isn’t he in your deck of America’s most wanted criminals?”
“I’m not with the military.”
“Once a SEAL, always a SEAL.”
How did Stokes know Cal was a SEAL? The information wasn’t common knowledge.
Cal said, “His name is Clint Nichols.”
Her gaze dropped to the picture again, stomach churning at the news. “My boss has mentioned the name. Nichols is into drugs and human trafficking.”
“So, you do know him.” Satisfaction gleamed in the depths of Stokes’s eyes. “Perhaps you’d like to change your story now.”
“I know the name, but I haven’t met him.”
“Evidence says otherwise.”
“Evidence can be manufactured.” Cal looked at Jon. “My bag is on the bed.”
His teammate returned with Cal’s laptop in his hand. After Jon sat at the table and booted up the laptop, Cal keyed in his passwords. He returned to the couch and wrapped his arm around Rachelle’s shoulders.
She relaxed, grateful he believed her. The person who sent the photo to Stokes doctored it. But would everyone who saw the photo believe she told the truth?
“Log into your email, Stokes,” Cal said. “My friend will forward the emails to our tech department to analyze.”
Stokes frowned. “How do I know he won’t delete them to protect a woman who is more than a client to you?”
“Save them to your cloud drive as soon as you forward the emails,” Jon said.
While his colleague was on the laptop, Meyer’s gaze locked on Rachelle. “I want an explanation, Ms. Carter.”
“Your hour is up,” Cal said. “No more questions.”
“We’ll force her compliance,” he threatened.
“A wise man would rethink that plan.” Cal’s voice sent a shiver up Rachelle’s spine. “You’ll bring yourself nothing except trouble if you press ahead.”
“Your objectivity is questionable.”
