“Can I come with you? I’d love to exercise.”
“Sure.”
She tossed the sheet off, exposing her flawless body and it was all he could do to not jump on her and keep her in bed for the next decade. He didn’t think he’d ever tire of her.
She emerged from the bathroom in a Lycra top and shorts set, her face scrubbed free of makeup and her long hair secured into a high ponytail.
“You can’t go out like that in public.”
She glanced at her outfit. “Why? Is there a dress code?”
“Yeah, sweats, baggy tops, nothing form fitting.” Every unattached male in the compound would be drooling after her. Call him a caveman, but he didn’t want to share her with anyone.
Her hands fisted on her hips. “What?”
He affected his most casual look. “I don’t make the rules, babe, I just enforce them.”
“Ethan.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “They’re my rules. You’re so damn beautiful, I don’t want to share you.” He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it. He felt possessive about her.
She walked into his arms. “I feel the same way. I’m sure all the ladies ogle you when you flex these muscles.” She stroked his arm and he felt it lower. “Come-on, let’s go get sweaty.”
He tugged her hand when she started to leave. “We could get sweaty right here.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Then she was off.
They took a golf cart to the workout facility. He pointed out other buildings on the way and promised a more in-depth tour later. The gym was hopping when they entered. Several of his coworkers called out greetings, but when they noticed the newcomer, they all abandoned what they were doing to meet the hot new chick and soon a line formed. He sighed.
“Incredibly handsome is a requirement to work here,” Esme murmured in awe.
With great reluctance, he started introducing her to his associates, shoving away some of the single ones who lingered too long.
“Well, hello, gorgeous.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet, Holly. Hello to you.”
“Not you, Addison.”
Wyatt Hollister nudged Ethan out of the way. Ethan only let him because he didn’t want to hurt the big Aussie any more than he had been when he’d almost been blown to bits after the compound was invaded. Though severely injured, Wyatt managed to single-handedly save everyone within miles when he shot down a helicopter ready to bomb the fuel tank at the airstrip. It’d already blown up the hangar, killing the entire airport crew, including their head pilot. Wyatt had just left the building when it exploded, launching him into the air. He landed near his SUV and was able to crawl to his sniper rifle to take out the chopper before it took them all out.
Still, he almost kicked out the cane Wyatt was using to encourage him to stop flirting with Esme.
“Why don’t you ditch the pretty boy and let me show you around instead,” Wyatt said to Esme, tossing a beefy arm around her shoulder.
Esme smiled at Wyatt and Ethan ground his teeth. “I love your accent.”
“Thanks, darlin’. I love yours, too.”
Was it Ethan’s imagination or did he add an extra dose of Aussie to the words? He’d had enough. “Dr. Howell was looking for you earlier. I told her I hadn’t seen you but maybe I’ll just—”
Wyatt’s panicked eyes darted around the gym. “I wasn’t here. You never saw me. Nice to meet you, darlin’,” he called out to Esme before he limped away.
Ethan smirked watching the big blond agent flee in fear. He caught his brother’s eye. Noah was shaking his head in disappointment. “That was low. You know Amelia’s been putting him through an intense rehab program after he, you know, saved all of our asses from certain incineration.”
Great. Now he felt guilty. He’d have to find Wyatt later and apologize. Buy him a beer or six. First, he had to make sure none of the other guys tried to put the moves on his woman.
#
Esme was in awe of how incredibly attractive all the people she’d met were—men and women. It was like walking into a modeling agency in Los Angeles, not that she’d ever done so. One woman was even a doppelganger for an Oscar-winning actress.
“Coming through. Make a hole. Outta my way.”
The crowd parted and an adorable young boy with dark hair skidded to a stop. “Wow, you’re pretty,” he said, gazing up at her. Thrusting out a hand, he said, “My name’s Kai Costa.”
Esme smiled at Ethan and then shook Kai’s hand. “I’m Esme. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Esme, that’s a beautiful name.”
“Kid’s barely in double digits and he’s smoother than me,” Ethan grumbled.
She smiled, charmed by the boy. He’d be breaking female hearts very soon. “Kai is a beautiful name, too.”
He waved a hand. “Nah, boys names aren’t beautiful. They’re manly. Butch.” He flexed his arms in a bodybuilder’s pose in front of his body. “Tough.”
She bit back a laugh. “I stand corrected. Your name is very masculine and tope.”
He looked impressed that she knew the current slang for tight and dope and held his hand up for a high five, which she accommodated.
“Esme, do you know where the fortune teller goes to dance?”
She chuckled. “No, where?”
“The crystal ball!”
Esme laughed along with the adorable boy. “That’s funny, but I’m not a fortune teller.”
“I know.” Kai sighed dramatically and threw out his hands. “But it was the best I could do on short notice.”
She would’ve loved to talk to the boy longer, but Ethan introduced her to several other people and though she tried to memorize names, there were just so many. She met Kai’s father Dante and almost swallowed her tongue. Wowza. Kai looked like a miniature version of his dad.
“I want you to meet my bosses.” Ethan led her to four people who’d just finished working out.
“Esme, this is Logan and Jade Bradley.”
Logan was, of course, drop-dead gorgeous. She shook his hand and then turned to his wife. “It’s nice to meet you. You look just like Juliet LaRue.”
She smiled. “I am.”
Esme’s mouth dropped open. “Y-you’re her?” She couldn’t believe she’d just met her favorite actress.
Ethan steered her to the next couple. “And this is Luke and Layla Colton.”
No surprise Luke was as handsome as his partner. And his wife—no way. “Layla Brooks!”
“Hi Esme. It’s nice to meet you.”
Her head was swimming. Next came Dante’s wife Taylor, who happened to be her favorite author. She loved watching Cassidy Swain perform on Dancing with Celebrities. When she spotted Reed Abs of Steele, she almost went all fan girl on him. And she nearly fainted meeting the granddaughter of the President, Harlow Duquesne Oldham.
It was almost an hour before she was able to exercise. There were so many machines and equipment she wanted to try, but she needed to be at work soon. The climbing wall looked interesting. She wanted to swim laps in the Olympic sized pool and tackle the obstacle course Kai tried to coax her into attempting, but she settled for a run on the suspended track. Ethan opted to lift weights, so she took off jogging and scoped out the facility from overhead. Everyone she encountered had been so nice. Ethan worked with incredible people.
After three miles, she wasn’t ready to leave, but Lumi and Lyra would wonder what happened to her. Ethan timed his workout to hers and they headed back to his apartment. Because she met so many of his coworkers, they didn’t have time for a tour of the compound, nor were they able to share the shower because that would’ve led to touching and exploring and they never would get to work on time. While Ethan went first, she texted her aunt to let her know they’d be on the way soon.
She discovered that Ethan ate mostly healthy meals and protein shakes, so breakfast was a spinach, blueberry, banana smoothie that was both filling and delicious.
She felt strong, fit, a
nd ready to tackle the day ahead.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ethan stopped at the back entrance and then jogged around and helped Esme into Lumi’s house before parking the SUV in the visitor lot. Esme waited at the door, holding her breath until he made it safely inside and turned the lock behind them. She hated that the shooting had shattered her sense of security, something she’d always taken for granted. Even when Merle and his merry band of protesters had targeted them, she’d never felt exposed when running errands or stepping outside in the fresh air. Now she did.
Laughter rang out from the kitchen and then Lumi stepped into the hallway with a woman close to her age. The woman’s hair was white as snow, complementing eyes the color of a stormy sky. “Oh good, there you are. Esme, Ethan, this is Solange Pierce. I’ve hired her to work with us. She comes highly recommended.” Lumi placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is my niece, Esme.”
Esme flicked a curious glance at her aunt and then extended her hand with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Solange.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too, Esme. I hope you don’t mind, but I looked around your shop earlier and your candles and soaps are exquisite. Your aunt told me that you make them yourself.”
“I do and thank you.” She turned and urged Ethan forward. “This is Ethan.”
Solange grasped his hand with both of hers, staring at him intently. Then she turned to Lumi. “Oh, my goodness, you’re right.”
Ethan looked decidedly uncomfortable. After he freed his hand, he muttered, “Uh, I’ll just be in there with Kayla.” With a nod he was off. “Nice to meet you, Solange,” he called over his shoulder.
Lumi chuckled. “You’ll have to excuse him. He’s still getting used to us. Let’s retreat to the kitchen. I’ll make us some tea and we can get to know each other.”
Solange excused herself to use the restroom while Lumi boiled water and gathered her basket of teas. Esme waited until Solange disappeared before confronting her aunt. “Do you think it’s a good idea to be hiring someone right now? We might be subjecting her to danger.”
“We can’t put our lives on hold, Esme,” Lumi argued. “If I didn’t offer Solange the job immediately, she would’ve gone somewhere else. I didn’t want to miss out. There are few people I would want to work here, and Solange was the top of a very short list.”
“I understand that, but have you told her what’s happened? She deserves to know the risk before she commits to the job.”
“I have. I told her everything. She wasn’t worried. She’s going to be staying in one of the upstairs bedrooms until she finds a place in town to live. I okayed it with Kayla first.”
Esme couldn’t argue with Lumi’s rationalization that if she didn’t hire Solange, someone else would, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the timing was wrong. She didn’t want another person touched by the violence that seemed to follow her. Merle lost his life because of it. She and Sophie lost their homes. Until the person was caught, no one in her orbit was safe.
#
Oracle didn’t want to get caught on one of the cameras Ethan and his cohorts installed, so evasive measures needed to be implemented. Oracle entered the house through a window conveniently left unlocked—by Oracle—and hurried to the security panel to punch in the code before alarms sounded. Esme and Lumi and their bodyguards were gone. Oracle made sure of it, watching from the shadows while they drove away in separate vehicles.
Oracle turned away from the panel and screamed. A spooky-looking woman with the whitest hair Oracle had seen stepped into the hallway carrying a steaming mug.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone would be here,” Oracle managed to say in a normal voice, despite a heart rate close to quadruple digits. Damn, talk about a stroke.
“I just moved in this afternoon. Lumi hired me to help with readings.” The woman placed the mug on a side table and narrowed her eyes, studying Oracle intently before taking a hasty step back. “You’re surrounded by a negative aura so dark, it’s black.”
“What? That’s crazy,” Oracle scoffed, ignoring the sweat breaking out all over. Who the hell was she?
“Evil walks with you.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say to someone.” True, but still, not nice. “You don’t even know me.”
“I see death at your hands.”
This would not do! Oracle was too close to the end game to get tripped up now. The woman hadn’t dropped her gaze. In fact, it was possible she hadn’t even blinked. Spooky.
“Snap judgments are usually wrong.” Or something like that. Oracle was reeling.
“I speak the truth, good or bad. Your intentions are malevolent.” She pointed a finger at the door. “You need to leave this minute.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll go now to appease you, but I’ll be back when Esme or Lumi can vouch for me.” Oracle muttered a hasty goodbye but spun back around. “Since you’re forcing me to leave, could you be so kind as to fetch me one of Lumi’s business cards. I promised one to someone interested in a reading.”
Oracle was afraid Whitey would refuse but finally she said, “One moment.”
As soon as the woman turned her back, Oracle withdrew a small packet and tapped the contents into the woman’s tea. After a few sips, the aconite would do the trick and she’d suffer a fatal heart attack, therefore taking her eerily correct suspicions with her. Damn, she was completely unexpected. Good thing Oracle was good at improvising.
It’d be fun to stick around and watch, maybe laugh as she gasped her last breath. Make sure the woman knew she’d been correct, but no sense taking unnecessary risks. This had been a close call.
Without waiting for her to return, Oracle slipped out the door and into the night.
#
Ethan donned his tour guide cap to show Esme around the compound, pointing out the myriad of buildings and construction projects underway to repair damage from the attack. Most of the destruction had been cleared away. A newer, larger guardhouse stood at the entry. The building that housed all the offices had been refurbished and BeBe Davis, their office manager, was the proud and excited caretaker of an expansive new lobby aquarium. Work was moving along on the day care center. For now, the kids were using one of the conference rooms. Just off site, the remains of the Gulf Stream and former airport had been leveled and cleared away so a new hangar could be constructed.
Not surprisingly, one of her favorite places was Quinn Billings’ canine training center. She insisted on going inside to visit Kilo. The Belgian Malinois remembered her, showering her with sloppy kisses and begging for belly rubs. The pure joy on her face when she frolicked with the dog had Ethan pulling Quinn aside to discuss the advantages of different breeds. He had a feeling he’d be hitting up the local shelter soon to adopt a rescue.
Esme was already familiar with the workout center, but he hadn’t shown her the attached indoor training course and shooting range.
“Have you ever fired a gun?”
“I played paintball once, if that counts.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Hey, I nailed the practice dummy in the family jewels on the first squeeze of the trigger.”
He chuckled. “There’s a slight bit of difference between a glob of neon paint and a moly coated full metal jacket. I’ll take you to the range and teach you how to shoot for real.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not really fond of guns.”
“You don’t have to carry it or even own a weapon, but I’d feel better if you knew the proper way to use one.”
“Fine, if it’ll make you happy, I’ll do it.”
“It will.” He stopped in front of another retinal scanner and the new ultra-sturdy, impenetrable gate that separated the work side of the compound from the residential area. The first move Luke and Logan made after the attack was to beef up the security around the section devoted to the family homes lining the lakeshore.
“Wow, these houses are amazing.” Esme craned her neck to
take it all in. He pointed out who lived where, including his bosses’ estates on a peninsula. He showed her Maggie and Carter’s tri-level and then pointed out where Noah and Peyton would build their home. “And this is my lot.”
“Ethan, it’s spectacular,” she whispered reverently. “That view is breathtaking. How wonderful to sit on a deck at night, watching the sun slowly fade into darkness with a glass of wine.”
The image of the two of them reclining side by side in lounge chairs on a wide cedar deck, their fingers entwined, formed in his head as he stared out at the crystal blue waters. For the first time, he hoped Lumi’s psychic abilities rubbed off on him and he was looking into their future. “Yeah, I’ve had it for a while, but I wasn’t ready to commit to a house.” He hadn’t been ready to commit to much of anything, not even a pet and he loved dogs. Now? He glanced at Esme. He was ready to commit to a hell of a lot more.
#
“I’m so glad you joined us, Kayla,” Lumi said as they climbed the steps and entered her house. She was careful of her surroundings, checking for any movement in the shadows like Ethan instructed her, but having Kayla at her side was comforting. Kayla might look like a country club debutante, but she was fierce. A human weapon. All the men at the bingo hall had been tripping over themselves vying for her attention. They didn’t seem to care that they were old enough to be her grandfather. Lumi and Ethel had a good laugh at their expense. She’d explained Kayla as the daughter of one of her oldest friends, but she could’ve told them she was an alien from Mars for all the attention they paid to her words. All their focus had been on the brown-haired beauty.
As soon as she entered, she started to punch in the code for the alarm Ethan had upgraded for free, but it wasn’t activated. She’d given Solange a quick tutorial on how to use it, and Lumi was sure she set it when they left. Maybe Solange needed to run an errand and forgot to reset it. It was a habit now, but it’d taken Lumi time to remember when she installed her first alarm. Lumi made sure to reset it once Kayla was inside. She wanted to pay Ethan for the improved equipment, but he brushed her attempts away. Such a sweetheart…and wouldn’t he blanch at her description. No matter what, he was a keeper.
Fatal Dreams (COBRA Securities Book 17) Page 21