“Thank you,” the voice replies so sweetly I almost believe it’s human. I also almost jump out of my chair.
“Whoa!”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Its imitation of being contrite isn’t quite right. “I’m Gulizar. I’m the smart home system.”
She sounds almost proud, which makes me shiver. I’m reminded of the killer computer in 2001 for some reason, although this one sounds much more human than that one did. “What does Gulizar mean?”
“The woman with roses in her cheeks. It’s Turkish—Rustem named me.”
“It’s lovely,” I say automatically.
“Thank you.”
It’s deeply weird to be talking to a computer like this, but I can’t help my curiosity. “What happened to the panels? Where exactly are you running in the house?”
There’s a pause. “There was a breach. I had to be… confined.”
Confined? “What happened with the breach?”
“He’s coming.” Gulizar’s voice drops to a whisper.
“What—”
The lights go dark.
My heart slams into my ribs, compressing my lungs. A spike of adrenaline drives through me, locking all my muscles rigid.
“What the—”
“Hello, Ms. Robards.” It’s him. Gideon Wolfe, in the flesh, somewhere in the blackness. His voice, deep and dark as velvet, echoes through the room. “I’m so glad you came.”
Chapter 2
I pop up out of the chair, my hands reaching out. There’s nothing but blackness surrounding me.
Except for him. He’s here, somewhere.
“Please, sit down.” The please doesn’t make that any less commanding. In fact, the please is almost mocking, given how much steel was in it.
A warm shiver runs through me, tingly and sharp.
“What’s going on?” I demand.
“Sit down before you hurt yourself.” This time he really means business.
I hit the chair with an audible thunk. My heart is pounding so fast he must hear that too. I force myself to slow my breath, assess the situation calmly, rationally. It’s strange, but he hasn’t hurt me. Not yet.
“Her heart rate is elevated.” Gulizar says that with dead neutrality.
“Quiet,” Wolfe growls to it. “Not another word.”
Although the computer goes silent, I get the impression she’s sulking.
“Is this a sick joke?” I ask coldly. “I don’t appreciate having my time wasted.”
“No joke,” he says. “I want to hire you to completely overhaul my security. At the price you were quoted.”
“I don’t negotiate with someone I can’t see.”
“No visuals.” That cracks out quick as a whip. “You can leave now if that’s what you’re here for.”
Oh shit. He must be… I swallow hard. The rumors about his face melting in a fire might actually be true. Wolfe wasn’t a publicity hound before—he was no Axel Beck—but photos of him exist. He’s been taped in interviews, which is why I recognize his voice. Unless someone’s pretending to be him.
“How do I know you’re really Gideon Wolfe?”
“What,” he barks with disbelief, “you think I murdered him, took over this house, and I’m doing an amazing impression of him?”
Okay, maybe that was a bit much. “Why can’t I see you then? Usually job interviews happen face-to-face.”
“Or on the phone.” His voice is like… like a buzzer against the base of my spine, low and electric even though his tone is harsh. Something about not being able to see him is making my reactions to that deep, bittersweet tone so much more potent.
“Yes. Why not call then?”
“You needed to see the house. And I needed to see you.”
My mind snags on the word need. He says it in such a particular, memorable way. It makes me shiver again.
“Okay, I saw the house. And the electronics panels. If I’m going to fix your system, I need to know what happened.”
I sense the air around me gather, shift. Is he moving? I peer into the blackness, which isn’t quite as bleak as I first thought. There’s a little bit of light here.
There’s a shadow, there by the TV screen. Distinct from the rest of the shadows in the room. It might be a man. Tall, well built. Broad shoulders, muscled arms, narrow waist.
When it moves, I realize I’m right. It’s him.
I swallow and stare right at him, trying to make out more details, leaning forward as I do.
“You can see me.” There’s something like shock in his voice.
“Not very well.” I relax my face. No point squinting at something that won’t become more visible. “So what happened?”
Smoke, ambulances, the police—I’ve got the gist. I want the nitty-gritty though. And I really, really want to see him. Not out of any kind of gross, rubbernecking desire; I don’t care if his face is melted. I just want something to match to that voice.
“The security failed,” he says simply. “And that can’t happen again.”
“How did it fail?”
“Someone got in.”
I press my lips tightly together. “How? Where? Were they after something? Did they take anything?”
“Do you need to know the details to build the system?” he asks coolly.
I suppose I don’t need to know what they were after or if they got it—I mean, it was probably cash or valuables, considering the place they broke into. “I do need to know more about the specific failure if I’m going to build a system to prevent it.”
“Mmm.” That noise doesn’t say yes, but it doesn’t say no.
Jesus, this is like pulling teeth. I’m earning that obscene paycheck and then some. I ought to charge him a nuisance fee for this. “How did it fail?”
“An intruder.”
We’re getting somewhere. “Armed?”
The shadow shakes its head. There’s more light now, I could swear. I can see the outline of his hair, thick and straight. The curve of his ear. He’s still got both of those, so they didn’t melt off at least.
“Did they take anything?”
“They tried to.”
A shiver snakes down my spine. I’m not sure I want to know what happened to this intruder. “I didn’t see a safe,” I say. “Is there one?”
“In my bedroom.”
We didn’t get to see that on the tour. I wonder if the intruder was trying for the safe or somewhere else. But it doesn’t matter because no one will be getting inside this house when I’m done.
I take a deep inhale. “All right. You want me to install a new security system. We can do that. And you won’t be disappointed.”
“Not just a new system.” His tone is chillingly soft. “One that will never fail. Never be hacked. Never be penetrated.”
“That’s impossible,” I say without thinking.
“Then we’re done here.” The shadow gathers, moves away.
“Wait!” I can’t do what he wants, but I can’t let him walk away. “I can build you a fully self-contained system. A walled garden. The only person who could touch it would have to be in the control room.”
He stops moving.
I take that as permission to keep going. “You couldn’t control it remotely. But it’s the most secure system I can build. Motion sensors, facial recognition, machine vision: all the latest in threat-assessment technology. I can get you that.”
He can probably get all that on his own—look at the stuff Rustem had—but he called me in. And that’s what I can offer him.
“I won’t need to operate it remotely,” he says. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Wait.” I frown. “Not going anywhere, like ever?” Like this is going to be his prison mansion or something?
“That’s why I need the new security system. No one comes in. No one tries to steal from me.”
Ooooh, that sounded nasty. And personal. Like whatever the intruder tried to take from him had deep meaning.
I lick my
lips, steady my voice. “I can’t make it completely secure. No one can. But I can build you the best security system money can buy.”
It’s a bold claim, but my company’s never going to jump to the next level if I don’t seize this chance with both hands. I don’t know how he heard of us, but I’ve got him face-to-face—kind of—and I’m not letting go until I have the job, which I know we can do.
“I have a lot of money.” It’s a lick of amused velvet from the darkness. God, I wish I could see him.
“Then you’ll be really secure.”
There’s a moment of considering silence. The shadow of him shifts, and I catch the outline of a hand running through his hair. When he lowers it, he stiffens and gasps like he’s opened an old wound.
“Let’s come to terms then,” he grits out through his teeth.
I let myself exhale. I don’t usually negotiate with clients—the prices are the prices and I know what I’m worth—but this man upends everything. Not only because of the kind of money he has but also himself. Even though I can’t see him, his potency thrums through the air, supercharging everything.
“Well, the starting point is the offer you sent me,” I say. The very generous offer he sent. If I’m going to take him on, I won’t go lower than that.
“I’m finding that I require… more from you.”
My pulse zigzags through me. My mouth is so dry it’s hard to talk. “What would that be?”
“For these extras, I’m willing to pay double my initial offer.”
I can’t help my squeak even though it’s super unprofessional. But goddamn. Not only could I clear my debts and my parents’, they could retire. Like normal people are supposed to when they’re too sick and tired to work.
“Do you need some time to think about it?”
“No.” I say that too fast, but it’s so much money I can’t stop myself. “I can do it.”
Now it’s his turn to go quiet. I sense—and I have no idea how I do it—but I sense that he’s weighing something. My response? His next response? I can’t say.
“You don’t even know what extras I’m going to ask for.” His voice is dangerously soft. The hair on my arms rises but not solely from apprehension.
“I’m sure I can get whatever you need.”
“Mmm.” It’s like the rumble of a jaguar. “Rustem will actually have to get it for you.”
My head snaps up and back. “I’m sorry. What do you mean?” That makes zero sense.
“My condition for the… bonus money, we’ll call it, is that you stay here. In this house. Until the job is done.”
My mouth drops open in slow motion. “I can’t… That’s impossible.”
“Then the deal is off.” There’s no room for argument there. “I made this offer to two security firms before you. They said no. Do you see them here?”
“But… why?” My throat is closing at the thought of being stuck in this place for… Oh Jesus. “This job could take up to three months. You can’t keep me here that long!”
If the panic in me touches him at all, he doesn’t show it. “I need someone I can trust. There can’t be any leaks. Or pictures. Or rumors.”
Well, if he didn’t want rumors, he’s a little late on that. I’m reminded of how the pharaohs used to entomb the architects of their pyramids with them so no one would know the plans. Oh God, I don’t want to be entombed here.
“I’ll sign an NDA,” I say quickly. “You can sue me into oblivion if I break it.” It won’t take much to wipe out my finances, but he doesn’t need to know that.
Except he’s shaking his head, shadows moving against shadows. “No. No lawyers, no legal bullshit. You’re under my personal watch while you do this.”
I suddenly understand why he picked my firm for this. We’re small, hungry, desperate to grow. Desperate enough to agree to this crazy scheme.
Except there are a lot of flaws in his request. “I have nothing here to do anything. No parts, no tools, no help. There’s no way I could stay here and do the job.”
“Ms. Shepard is your only other employee. You’ll do the job on your own”—a small growl there, like I’m trying his patience—“it will just take a little longer than it would have with her. I’m willing to be patient—with the timetable.”
My anxiety shoots into overdrive. “Is this some kind of sex thing?” I blurt out. I’m imagining all his billionaire buddies coming, using me in some kind of freaky hostage scene. When a man can have anything, what could be more alluring than the forbidden?
“Just breathe,” he barks. “You’re not breathing,” he says when I continue to gasp.
“Should I call an ambulance?” Gulizar asks from the ceiling.
“I didn’t say you could talk.”
Although Gulizar has no feelings, I still flinch for her. And keep fighting for breath. This is too much. I can’t do this no matter how much money he’s offering.
“Hold up your phone.” That’s said to me, as cold and rigid as iron.
I do with surprisingly steady hands. Something about his command to breathe and hold up my phone short-circuits my panic. If he wanted to grab me, he could have done it many times before now. Hell, we’re together in dark room and he hasn’t done a damn thing.
And then there’s the mystery of the broken panels. He went to a lot of trouble to smash those. I don’t think this is a sex-slavery situation.
It’s still weird though.
“You’re really that paranoid?” I keep holding the phone up.
“If you’d been through what I have, you’d be just as paranoid.” He’s dead serious.
“I did a tour in Afghanistan—you’d be surprised at what I’ve seen,” I mutter.
“Then staying here for a few weeks should be easy.” His shadowed hand lifts, gestures to the phone. “Check your signal bars.”
“They’re full.” Meaning I can call whoever I want now. Like, I can call for help. “Does this mean I’m keeping my phone?”
“Yes. And your associate can give anything you need to Rustem. He’ll scan the items, then give them to you. If they clear.”
“Where did he get those handheld devices?”
“From a friend of mine.”
I’m guessing he means Gage, who founded an electronics firm that does a lot of business with the military. He’s also a member of Wolfe’s billionaire boys’ club.
“Why not have your friend do the security then?” I don’t let on that I know who he’s probably talking about.
“Like I said, I can’t trust anyone.”
Shit. He can’t even trust his friends, the ones who’ve been closest to him. At least if you believe the press about who he hangs out with.
“Call your friend,” he orders. “Tell her where you are.”
I dial Victoria quickly, waiting for him to do… something. But he doesn’t.
“What is going on?” she yells into the phone the moment she picks up.
I wet my lips, watching the shadow of him. “I’m still here. Talking to Mr. Wolfe.”
“That dude who works for him drove me all the way back to town.” Victoria’s very worked up. Wolfe can probably hear her through the tiny speaker. “I’m here with the van. It’s going to take me half an hour to get back to you. This is mental!” There’s a sharp intake of breath. “Are you okay? I’ve got the van started—”
“Don’t.” The shadow hasn’t moved, but I can feel him listening to me. “I’m… I’m not leaving.”
You could drop a hammer into that pause and not ever hear it hit bottom. “What?”
“If I take the job, I have to stay here. Everything has to be passed through Rustem. For security.”
My pulse slows, steadies as I realize what that will mean. I’ll be cut off completely except for my phone. If anything happens and I can’t reach it…
“Why haven’t you told him no yet?” Victoria is incredulous.
“Because… because he’s offered to double our fee.”
The shadow s
hifts, crosses his arms. He grunts softly as if something’s hurting.
I can hear Victoria catch her breath. “Holy shit,” she whispers.
“Exactly. And I can keep my phone. So I’ll call you and my parents and my brother every. Single. Day.” That last is aimed at Wolfe.
“You can’t. It’s not worth it. I’m ordering—” She catches herself before she goes full officer. “Tess, come on. You don’t have to play along with this.”
But I do. It’s too much money to say no to. So I’m going to pretend that keeping my phone, my last link to the outside world, makes it all okay.
“It’ll be fine,” I say. “It’s only a month or so. Sooner if I can swing it.”
His shadow relaxes, his shoulders coming down and his arms uncrossing. So he wasn’t quite as certain of my agreement as I thought.
“Tess.” Victoria’s tone is pleading, but she doesn’t protest again. She takes a deep breath. “Okay. But if you’re even a minute late calling, I’m breaking the door down. And I’m bringing my Ranger friends with me.”
I have to smile because Victoria is dead serious. “If I’m designing the system, you guys won’t be able to get in.”
Wolfe laughs once, sharply, as if he’s forgotten how and is surprised he still can. He cuts it off fast though.
“Just tell me this,” Victoria asks, her voice dropping, “did you see him? Did he tell you what happened?”
“No and no.” I stare at him, picking out what details I can. Some hair; an ear; a broad, long-fingered hand. Wide shoulders. “But I’m resourceful. I’ll send you a supply list tonight.”
“Mmm.” Victoria’s anything but convinced. “Stay safe.”
“I will.” I hang up and lower the phone.
“So that’s a yes?” He said before he could be patient about the install, but he sounds anything but.
“It is. But I want a lock on my room.” It’s the smallest security measure, but it’s better than nothing.
“You’ll have the entire in-law unit,” he says. “And you’ll be the only one with the keys.”
“I meant it about calling them every single day.”
“I know.” He clears his throat. “Lock down her phone.”
Before I can even register that he’s not talking to me, Gulizar says, “Done. Only outgoing and incoming calls now allowed.”
Primal Bargains Page 2