Unbelievable (Heroes of Calvano Security Book 1)

by Nikki Rome

  Coming up with that flimsy excuse about needing a law firm seemed to have worked for now. At least she didn’t run. Besides, he could fire the firm he used normally when he got back to the office, he thought. He wasn’t particularly invested in Andrews & Mitchell P.A., not in the way he was with Christy. They had been fine in the past, but if he could keep a professional relationship with Christy, it would be worth breaking his contract. His company owned many properties for safe houses and additional office locations all over the world. If he could throw the business to her firm, that would give him some ground to work with.

  The look of fear that came over her face unnerved him. After this long, she couldn’t still be mad at him. It was like she was afraid of him, but he would never physically hurt her. After years of consideration, he realized he had failed to take care of her emotions and that was bad enough. It was something they still needed to discuss if he would ever repair the damage he did. That’s why he always knew he needed to apologize. He was young and stupid when they used to hook up and he treated her awful. Jason didn’t realize it until he was old enough to look back on the terrible decisions of his past. It was a conversation he wanted to have, but he knew now wasn’t the right moment; one step at a time. He was watching her movements; they looked strained, and he didn’t know what to think. Her pupils dilated and her breaths got shorter. She was exhibiting symptoms of a panic attack. His job required him to notice body language, and she needed space.

  She was standing there looking like a deer in headlights. “Christy, sit back down, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Christy pulled her chair further from him and sat back down. Then she placed the business card she had crushed in her haste in front of him on the table. He noticed right away it was her card, but someone else’s information from the law firm was written on it.

  “If you handle little real estate, then what are you working on these days?”

  “I didn’t say I don’t handle real estate, I said Ryan would be a better fit for your company.”

  This wasn’t going well. She was shutting him down. Frustrated, he studied her. Her nerves were making him anxious, and he hadn’t felt that way in years. As he sat thinking about it, he realized the last time he felt this unsure of himself it was with her. He spent most of his teenage years feeling this way. From the moment she entered his life, he always wanted to be a better person. The unsettled feeling in his heart came back with a vengeance, making him question once again if he was good enough to be in her life.

  “Okay, never mind, we’ll figure that out later. Tell me about yourself, it’s been a while since we saw each other.”

  “I don’t know what you want to hear. My life is pretty simple now. I love what I do, so I spend most of my time working. The firm has been very good to me.”

  “I guess I can understand that. I am a bit of a workaholic myself. Starting a business was hard, but I imagine finding success as a lawyer would be even more difficult.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “In New York City, the world of commercial real estate is extremely competitive. You carved a name for yourself early and that’s something to be admired.” The smile on her face made his heart skip a beat.

  “I won’t deny it’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s all been worth it.”

  “Working a lot of hours makes having a personal life hard. Are you seeing anyone now?”

  Dead silence. Maybe ex-boyfriends were in the no touch zone. Jason couldn’t figure out why being around this woman made him feel like he was losing control. Not only was she not answering, but she was looking at her lap, picking at the napkin. There was something to her reaction. Again, he didn’t like it. What happened to the Christy he had known?

  “Christy, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She cleared her throat.

  He knew she had dated someone for a while but had heard rumors that her relationship wasn’t as good behind closed doors as the outward impression would leave you to believe. Jason always tried to keep tabs on her, but after a quick look into her ex’s past, he realized he couldn’t compare. Back then he decided the best thing for him to do was to keep his distance from her.

  The next thing he knew she was popping up out of her seat, mumbling something about being late and running back across the street. Jason leaned back, wondering what the heck had just happened? She didn’t even finish her coffee. He’d hit a sore spot. A topic she didn’t want to discuss. Although he never loved her the way she had loved him, he still cared about her. Watching her as she ran across the street, he planned on looking into what she had been up to for all these years.

  Chapter Three

  Christy plopped down on the chair in her office and dumped her purse on the desk. She could not believe she just ran away. Looking out her window, she could still see him sitting there at the table in front of the coffee shop. He looked strange sitting there alone with his lips parted in confusion. She watched as he picked up his phone off the table and started typing something. Within a minute, her phone buzzed with a message.

  Jason: Do you want to talk about what just happened?

  Christy: Nothing happened, I just realized I forgot a meeting.

  Jason: I can’t even see you and I know you’re lying.

  She didn’t respond, hoping this would all just go away like an awful dream. Before she could put her phone away, it buzzed again.

  Jason: I will let this slide today, but I will be at your house tomorrow to pick you up for breakfast.

  Christy: I can’t, I’m busy.

  Jason: Busy doing what?

  Christy: I have a schedule, one that I intend to stick to.

  Jason: What is this Saturday morning schedule?

  Christy: You will laugh.

  Jason: I will not.

  Christy: I take a self-defense class at a friend’s kick boxing studio.

  Jason: Then I will join you. Be ready at 8, we will grab breakfast after.

  With shock on her face, she watched as he stood from the table, slipped his phone in his pocket, and threw some bills down for the server. It relieved Christy he didn’t know which office was hers. Even with the tinted windows, she imagined he could see the face she was making. Her life was spiraling out of control. Not really out of control. Her life was spiraling into his control, and she didn’t understand how it was happening so quickly. It’s like the word “no” seemed to escape her vocabulary when she interacted with him. Those feelings from when she was young kept creeping back in. His control made her feel safe.

  She didn’t want him at her self-defense class or go to breakfast with him. In fact, she didn’t want to spend anymore time with him. So why didn’t she tell him that? Christy knew better than to lie to herself. With a sigh she messaged back. Maybe if he didn’t come to her apartment, she could get some control back.

  Christy: I go to Belisle Boxing. You can look it up. I will just meet you there.

  Jason: I will pick you up at 8.

  Christy: I like to walk.

  Jason: Then we will walk together. Stop fighting me Christy. You know you want to.

  And she really did. She threw her phone into her purse and started her computer back up. Work always kept her calm, and she had a lot to get done today. Maybe she could focus on her cases and not the man she used to dream about.

  Focusing on work was a success. Hours later, she looked at the time and realized she needed to give Frances a call about the morning. The phone rang, and she heard a muffled answer.

  “Hey it’s me! Are you busy?”

  “For you, never. What’s up?”

  “So I have a situation…”

  “Ugh, what now? I swear for someone who lives their life as a hermit crab you have more drama than anyone I know.”

  “Oh, come on! I’m not that bad.”

  “Fine, what is it.”

  “Well, actually I have two problems. Marie keeps asking me to go out for drinks and Jason is coming with me t
o kickboxing in the morning.”

  “Wait what??”

  “Marie keeps asking me for drinks. I don’t know if I can dodge her anymore. Will you please come with me? I seriously can’t handle my anxiety in a crowded bar and she’s just going to keep asking until I…”

  “Stop! Stop right there. You know I wasn’t asking for details on Marie. You said Jason… as in your ex boyfriend who was never really your boyfriend Jason?”

  “Ahh… ya. That’s the one. But what am I going to tell Marie?”

  “Geez, Christy! Tell Marie to stuff it. Why is Jason coming to class tomorrow? How did you even get in touch with him?”

  “I didn’t, he got in touch with me.”

  “But how? I mean, it’s not like you are easy to track down. You change phone numbers like it’s your day job, and it’s not like you use social media anymore.”

  “He found me. I’m assuming with what he does now it wasn’t hard. He owns some huge security company. I can’t even believe it myself.”

  “I heard he opened a business, but he’s just as hard to keep up with as you are. You know I still talk to some people from college, but most of them said he dropped off the face of the earth after he went into the Marines.”

  “I remember you saying that.”

  “You know what? Good for him. As much as I hated watching you pine over him for years I knew he had to be a good guy deep down to catch your heart the way he did.”

  “Ya, catch it and stomp all over it.”

  “Listen, I know what you went through better than anyone with Jason, but you can’t keep blaming him. You knew what you were getting into. Besides you guys were kids, neither one of you was ready for forever. Now is a different story, though.”

  “Not so fast. I have no desire to have Jason back in my life.”

  “Christy, quit lying to yourself. That man was gorgeous. Desire was never your problem with him. Now back up and explain to me how the heck you roped him into coming to class.”

  “I didn’t rope him into anything. I agreed to coffee, and he insisted we hang out tomorrow. I told him I had plans, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

  “What else is new?”

  “I know right? So if I know all these things then why does my pulse speed up at the thought of seeing him again?”

  “I swear I never thought you would move on from what happened with Devon. Maybe moving back to something safe and comfortable is better than moving forward with something new.”

  “I doubt it. Besides, he’s not comfortable, he’s controlling.”

  “And that’s a bad thing how?”

  “Frances, you know I am trying to stand on my two feet again, and I’m going to do it on my own. Besides, if he had any idea what my life was like now he would run in the opposite direction.”

  “He would not and you know it.”

  “He would! I swear someone is following me again. I know you said I was being paranoid before, but I’ve seen the same guy twice now. If I am just being crazy, I’d rather Jason not know I’ve lost my mind. Don’t you think we are jumping to conclusions here, anyway? It’s not like he came back to express his undying love for me. He wanted to apologize and talk to me about hiring my law firm.”

  “Ya, and then he insisted on coming to a self-defense class. Does he know it’s a women’s only class?”

  Christy laughed. “No, I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

  “Well, I guess we can use him in the place of the dummy tomorrow. I’m sure I have extra pads around here somewhere.”

  Christy could hear Frances digging around in what was likely the storage room in the back of her studio.

  “Listen, I’ll let you go. I just wanted to give you a heads up before I come by with an unwelcome guest.”

  “Oh honey, he may be unwelcome to you, but I promise those women in class will drool over him.”

  “Whatever. I’ll see you in the morning. Oh, and I’ll only be staying for one class. He wants to have breakfast after.”

  “Ooh la la! How fancy!”

  “Shut it.” With that, Christy hung up.

  Before calling Frances, she had emailed over to Ryan telling him that an old friend needed an attorney. She provided him the name of the company and the phone number Jason texted her from earlier. At least if nothing else, he could get the help he needed from the law firm. Except right before she was leaving the office, her cell phone buzzed at the same time her email notification popped up. She looked down to read her text.

  Jason: I told you, I wanted you.

  Christy threw her phone in her purse and headed for the door. She hated leaving the office after dark, and she still needed to grab dinner. Heading out the double doors of the building, she made a quick turn to a local Indian restaurant she knew had fast service. As she approached the door, she felt like someone was watching her again. She kept looking behind her and ran right into a rather frustrated woman who nearly dropped her take out.

  “HEY! Watch where you’re going!” She yelled, pushing through the door. Just as it closed behind her Christy saw a man in a dark coat with a camera pointed in her direction. There was no way her imagination was playing tricks on her. A stranger in the street had just taken her picture, and it made her skin crawl.

  “Next up!” yelled the young girl behind the counter.

  Christy made a quick job of placing her order, then sat down, pulling out her cell phone to message Frances.

  Christy: I think a strange dude on the street just took my picture.

  Frances: We live in NYC. What do you expect?

  Annoyed with herself, she knew Frances was right. What would anyone want with a picture of her, anyway? She still had some time before her food would be done, so she responded to Jason.

  Christy: Ryan is more qualified.

  Jason: Took you long enough.

  Christy: I was busy. My life doesn’t revolve around you anymore.

  Jason: You say that like it was bad when it did.

  Christy: Like I said, Ryan is more qualified to handle you

  Jason: Maybe with high rise real estate, but only you are qualified with handling me

  Christy: Ha. Ha.

  “Order up!” bellowed the cook and Christy realized her time had run out. She ordered an Uber to pick her up and went to the counter to pick up her food. She could feel the phone buzz in her purse, but distractions had to wait. An Uber was a risk, but she selected a female driver and it seemed less of a risk to get in a car with a stranger than it did to walk down the street with some potential creeper stalking her. It wasn’t the first time she got weirded out by men, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

  She waited under the awning of the restaurant, holding her food and purse close to her. The Uber was 3 minutes away and tonight that felt like a lifetime. Waiting was never a strength of hers, and she could feel her pulse racing as fear crept in. She took a few deep breaths and tried to regulate her emotions. If she could just get through this Uber ride, she would be home and safe in no time.

  Chapter Four

  Christy spent the entire night tossing and turning, and every time she closed her eyes, she either saw Jason with his smirk or the terrifying face of her ex-fiance. Somehow Jason coming back into her life brought back nightmares she hadn’t had in months. Now she was sitting at her vanity trying to cover up the black circles under her eyes that seem to get worse as the minutes went on. She had dragged herself out of bed because the one thing she did for herself every week was going to class at Belisle Boxing. Frances and Christy were roommates in college until Frances inherited the boxing studio and dropped out. Even though she left school, they stayed close.

  Christy jumped at the sound of the doorbell and almost poked herself in the eye with mascara. It rang at 7:43. He was early. Running to the door, she was thankful she had at least gotten dressed. Shoes, hair, and makeup not complete but clothes… check! There he was standing on the other side of her door looking delicious. In a plain white t-shirt
, gray shorts and a pair of pumas, he looked nothing like the man she saw in the power suit yesterday. This man, now standing in her foyer, looked more like the man she remembered, and he had that shit-eating grin on his face that drew her in every time.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” he greeted her as she opened the door.

  “You’re early,” she said as she swung out of his way again. It annoyed her he kept trying to touch her, which meant she was in for a long day.

  “I know, get finished up; I’ll wait. Is there coffee in the kitchen?” he asked as he turned and headed to her kitchen like he had been there a million times before.

  “Yes, help yourself.”

  Once she was back in her room, she could breathe again. Thank God she had a large apartment, and he was all the way on the other side of it. But he was making himself coffee… in her kitchen… was she still dreaming? Thinking this was crazy, she hurried to pull herself together. He was always early. She should have remembered that. Now, staring at herself in the mirror, her ratty gym clothes made her feel ridiculous. But if she changed into something newer, he would think she was nuts. She knew she shouldn’t even care. He was here to get her to take him on as a client. There was no other explanation, it’s not like he needed to make up for lost time. He had apologized yesterday and for what it was worth; it made her feel better.

  “I can’t believe you still make these cookies,” he said.

  She jumped out of her skin as he waltzed into her bedroom with biscotti in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

  “You can’t be in here!” she exclaimed.

  “Christy, babe, I’ve seen you get dressed a million times. I know this will take a bit, so we can talk while I wait.” Then he sat on her bed and stared at her. Getting dressed on time was a source of many arguments in the past. Maybe he was right. She wasn’t much of a morning person, but that’s not what was important right now.