by Amanda Uhl
He set his drink down, a slight tremor in his hand, and picked up his cell. Grace Woznisky would be the mother of his future children. Though he would need to tread carefully until he killed Jenkins.
Chapter Ten
A Real Date
David’s sister was a surprise. She was dark, like David, but there the resemblance ended. Where he was controlled and deliberate, she was quick to laugh, answering the door with a welcoming warmth and smile.
“C’mon in. I’ll show you around.” Grace clutched her tape measure and notebook and looked around for Oliver, but he was nowhere to be seen. She could only assume he was with David on his travels. Sophia led Grace into the front room where a bank of windows faced the lake.
“Wow! What a view.” The evening sun dazzled, reflecting off the water like a thousand candles.
“It’s fantastic, isn’t it? I’ve always loved it. It’s been in our family for ages. Can I offer you something to drink…water or an ice tea perhaps?”
“Oh, no. I’m good.”
“Well, let me show you around.”
Sophia led her into an open, farmhouse kitchen with a large, rustic table, which took center stage. A glittering lantern style ceiling lamp shone brightly above. Sophia noticed her eyeing it curiously.
“That light has quite a legend behind it. As the story goes, our great, great grandfather brought it home from Ireland in honor of his bride, who had taken a liking to it.”
“I can see why. It’s lovely.” Grace marveled at how the light cast a golden shadow on the centerpiece below, adding to the rustic charm of the table.
“Yeah, well, the Jenkins men are known to do anything to please their women. The whole cottage was purchased for our great, great grandmother. She was homesick for Ireland, so he built it for her. Of course, the original cottage was much smaller than it is today. Each generation has expanded on the structure. By the time my father inherited it, the cottage was a bit chopped up and none of us used it much. David bought my share and hired an architect, who did a wonderful job of opening up the space, don’t you think?”
Grace nodded, marveling at the design, which blended the old with the new effortlessly. “Do you work full-time for David or are you just on call, so to speak,” she asked, as she busied herself taking measurements.
“You mean David didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“We…we have a sort of family business—a security business. The whole family is part of it. Even my husband, Brian.”
“Oh, well, I haven’t really known David long. We met a few days ago.”
“Well, David speaks highly of you. He told me you’re a really talented artist.”
“He did?” Grace couldn’t hide her surprise.
“He did. I know David isn’t good at giving compliments. But he would never hire you to work for him, especially on his precious cottage, unless he thought you were top-notch.”
Grace’s pride swelled. “Thank you. I enjoy what I do.”
Sophia’s cell phone rang, and she picked it up and looked at it. She grinned. “Speak of the devil. Hi, David. Everything okay?”
Grace thought she sounded anxious.
“Are you sure? Yes, okay. She’s here now.” Pause. “No you’re not interrupting. We only started. Uh-huh she’s good just like you said. No, I wouldn’t say that. No, she seems fine. Okay. Here she is.”
Sophia held the phone out to Grace. “Brothers.” She shook her head in mock despair. “He wants to talk to you.”
Grace took the phone, while Sophia busied herself with some sort of panel on the wall. Soft jazz filled the room.
“Hi.”
“Everything going well? Sophia says you’re feeling okay?”
David’s voice sounded rough, conjuring memories of the last time she had seen him and his concern for her. Grace wondered what he was wearing and where he was sitting. Was he in a power suit and tie in some high rise building? Or maybe since it was Friday evening he was back at his hotel. She could picture him stretched across a king size bed, his tie loosened, shoes kicked off and five o’clock shadow on his chin. She dragged her thoughts back to the conversation with some effort. “Yes, I’m much better. When will you be back in town?”
“Why? Are you eager to see me?”
His bluntness caught her off guard. She let out a nervous laugh. Was she eager to see him? She thought she was. David Jenkins was growing on her. Her lips turned up in an involuntary smile. “Well, I’m anxious to discuss some ideas for the cottage with you.”
“Good.” His deep voice sent a shiver up her spine. “I’ll be back tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at six. We can grab a bite to eat.”
“Er…okay? Do you normally take those you hire to dinner?” She couldn’t stop herself from asking and waited with some anxiety for his answer. He chuckled, a sound she was fast becoming familiar with.
“Only when I want to. Dress nice. We’re going to Club 32.”
She opened her mouth to argue but shut it. Club 32? The private millionaire’s club? He clearly moved in a different social circle. Was this a date? She was being asked on a date by the playboy David Jenkins.
“Grace?”
“Yes?”
“So there’s no doubt in your mind, this is real a date I am asking you on. I plan to pick up where we left off on the beach.”
It was as if he plucked that thought right out of her head. She was speechless for a moment. He was chuckling again.
“Night, Grace.”
“Good night,” she said, a bit breathlessly.
*****
David ended the call and checked the time. 6:00 p.m. Grace would be heading home shortly and so would he. He had awakened from a deep sleep barely thirty minutes earlier. Geneva had given him his privacy as she usually did. She would be somewhere close, though, in case he needed her.
He rubbed his temples wearily—the persistent headache was worse than normal. He really should keep his distance. But the longer he stayed away from her, the more he found himself anticipating their next encounter. He longed to sit face-to-face and reassure himself she was not the target of the rogue hacker.
His cell phone buzzed, alerting him to a new call. Peter. “Any news on Kevin?”
“He’s stable. We’ll know more in the next few days. Are you recovered?”
“Yes.”
“Headache?”
“Yep.”
“Good. That means the hacker still can’t get in. We have new info, and it’s not good.”
“Is it ever?”
“We don’t believe the attack originated from outside the US. We think this might be an inside job.”
“A traitor?”
“Negative. Although the possibility exists, we don’t think it’s someone on our team. But it is someone who knows about us and has a lot of influence and power. “
“Any leads?”
“Not yet. We’re working on it. We suspect it’s someone who’s heavily invested in the tech industry. Someone you know—maybe a business partner or acquaintance. We think they have an idea of what you’re doing—perhaps they know where you live or where you travel. They may even be a friend of your family.”
David’s stomach rolled. It would be unbearable if one of his family members were in on the plot. He thought of his cousin Percy who lived in Tennessee. David hadn’t seen Percy in a while, but he had heard talk about his temper and lack of control—two traits that could be deadly in the field. He wasn’t fooled at Peter’s tone either. Peter was much more worried than he was pretending to be. “Maybe they have infiltrated one of our people?”
“Not likely.” Peter denied. “They’ve all been reinforced like you—but it is always a possibility, yes. We need to run some tests tonight. Be prepared.”
“Certainly.”
“And David. This goes without saying but be very careful what you reveal to anyone not involved in the project. As long as they don’t know your secrets, your close friends would be unli
kely to be in any danger. But I suspect our rogue mind hacker will be ruthless in extracting information from an unguarded mind.”
He didn’t need to read minds to know what Peter was thinking. He didn’t have close friends outside his family. Peter was worried that Grace might be in danger. A cold chill ran up his spine. The hacker must be found and stopped as soon as possible.
Chapter Eleven
A Warning
Grace awoke to a familiar sound. “Curtain call, curtain call.” Harvey squawked.
She rolled over and peered sleepily at the alarm clock—8:00 a.m. She stretched her legs and lay there for a moment, her mind alert and refreshed. She was having dinner with David Jenkins tonight. A surge of adrenaline had Grace flinging off the covers.
She was halfway to the bathroom before she remembered she had forgotten to feed Harvey. No wonder he was squawking. Grace refilled his food and water dish and was closing the cage door when the doorbell rang. She peered through the peephole. A woman was holding a bunch of flowers. Grace unlocked the door and opened it.
“Are you Grace Woznisky?” The women held an extremely large and fancy bouquet.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“These are for you. Aren’t you a lucky girl. What’s the occasion?”
The florist handed her the arrangement and held out a pad for Grace to scratch her name electronically. She did so, blushing. “I’m…I’m not sure.”
“Well, I’d say you have an admirer.” The woman gave her a friendly smile. Grace smiled back, handed the lady her pad, and took the flowers inside. She stuck her nose in the bouquet, a mix of yellow Gerber daisies, purple roses, white baby’s breath and other greenery, and breathed deeply. Their light, floral scent was pleasing. Setting them on the kitchen counter, she quickly found the card and read: Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady. Looking forward to dinner. I’ll pick you up at 6. David.
A bubble of happiness broke free inside her, threatening to overflow into tears. It had been a long time since a man had sent flowers. Purple roses were one of her favorites, too. She remembered from a class she once took they meant the sender was enchanted with the receiver. Greg hadn’t been much for flowers—he usually went for nighties.
She rummaged around in her cupboards until she found a vase and cut the stems at an angle under warm water as she had been taught. She arranged them artistically and placed the vase in the center of the table. On impulse, she pulled out her phone, snapped a photo and sent it to Claire.
*****
Across town, David cracked his eyes open, groaned and stretched. He had not slept well. He had spent most of the night battling Peter’s “tests.” His thoughts turned to Grace. Had she fared better?
An image of Grace as David had last seen her at Edgewater popped into his head, followed quickly by the mystery man, who had scurried off at David’s arrival. He was going to have to take stronger measures, but he refused to draw on his talent for that. He did have some skills in his arsenal that had nothing to do with mind hacking. He hoped they did the trick.
Oliver was by the door, patiently waiting for his daily walk. David found the dog’s leash, put on his jacket, and headed out. They had gotten about half way around the block when his cell buzzed. He checked the number and answered. “Awfully early to be calling on a Saturday.”
“The tests were all negative.” Peter reassured, his voice calm. “Your mind is still intact from what we can tell.”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I’m not. Rest this weekend. We need you for another mission on Monday, and this is a biggie. You’ll be investigating several targets, all heads of large corporations. This is a scouting mission, but we’re sending in a full crew because if one of these turns out to be our man, you could be in for the battle of a lifetime. Which reminds me, Kevin sends his regards.”
David closed his eyes. Those simple words cut into a giant chunk of metal remorse around his heart. “Thank God.”
“He suffered some slight memory loss but otherwise, seems to be intact. Of course, it’s going to be a little time before we determine whether he’s fit to go under again.”
“Understood.”
“Well, I won’t keep you.” Peter hesitated.
“What now?”
“Yes, well, some of your teammates are questioning your…competence.”
“They think I can’t perform.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that. They know you still have talent. They don’t think you’re at the top of your game. They think you should be benched. There’s talk of bringing in your southern cousins.”
“You aren’t serious?” David was angry, but as always, kept it well-leashed.
“I told them you’re still the most senior and powerful hacker we have on the force, but all these numbskulls can see are your recent disasters. They think you should have remained in seclusion. I didn’t want to tell you this because I think you have enough to worry about. But you need to know, because if anyone else gets hurt on your watch, there may not be much I can do. Adam has been on me to make changes.”
Adam Ortiz was senior officer in charge of all the Special Forces. He’d never been a big fan of the CMU. He preferred more traditional methods. “So why haven’t you brought in Percy to relieve me?”
“David, you know damn well why. Percy Withers wouldn’t last two damn seconds. That branch of the family tree has never been strong. Your team needs you, even though they are too thick-brained to know it. Without you, we don’t stand a chance.”
David could picture Peter running his hands through his iron gray hair, his forehead wrinkled with concern.
“Look, I only told you because you need to know. But you can rest assured as long as I’m in charge, it’s not happening. Be ready Monday. We need you at full strength and at the helm.”
“I’ll be there.”
Chapter Twelve
Date Night
“Did you miss me?” He was sitting across from Grace at Club 32 in downtown Cleveland, cleanly shaven, not a hair out of place and looking hot. She knew she appeared outwardly calm, but her thoughts were a jumble. He’d collected her exactly at 6:00 p.m. as promised and whisked her to their destination. They had ordered drinks—him a water and she a glass of wine. Grace peered at David over her menu and caught him studying her, his mouth quirked in a small smile.
A familiar blush took root, her cheeks warm. David’s grin widened. He reached out and tucked a stray bit of her hair behind her ear. The romantic gesture made Grace blush some more. She found it hard to think and gave herself a mental scolding. Grow up Grace. You’re not sixteen. She reached for her wineglass and forced herself to take a tiny sip and set it down carefully. How to answer? If Grace said she missed him, she would seem too eager. If she said she didn’t miss him, then David would think she didn’t like him, and perhaps he would be turned off.
He laughed suddenly. “Cat got your tongue?”
Grace settled for honesty but with a wry touch. “Of course I missed you—all of a few days.” That seemed to satisfy him. He smiled again and raised his menu. How had she ever believed him stern?
“Their pasta is good and so is their walleye.”
“So what were you doing on your trip?”
“The usual. I’m working with a team of researchers on a project.”
“Sophia said you have a family business?”
“That’s true.”
God, getting him to talk about himself was like prying open a treasure chest—she knew something good was inside if she could only break the lock. She tried again. “Are you all economists?”
He set his menu aside, giving her his full attention. The impact of his stare traveled straight to her nether regions. “No, some of us in the family have more exciting jobs. How’s the design coming along?”
She gave up, doomed to date a mystery man. “Great. I drew up a rough draft last night and brought a copy with me for your review. I shared my ideas with Sophia yesterday, and she thought y
ou’d like them. I think you’ll be pleased.”
“What did you think of the cottage?”
“David, it’s beautiful. The original structure and architecture are fantastic. And all the improvements you made are perfect. It’s a thrill to be allowed to showcase my art in the place.”
“Great, because if I like your work, I have some other projects in mind. If you’re up for it, that is?”
Grace took a sip of her wine to give herself time to think. “Sure,” she heard herself say, while another part of her mind was screaming at her to stop and reconsider. Take the money and run far, far away to a distant land. And don’t look back. His eyes drew her, and she struggled to break the connection.
“Good,” he said with some satisfaction. He looked like he was about to say more, but the waiter arrived to take their order. She decided to try the chicken and risotto, and he went with the walleye. The waiter departed, leaving them in silence, David’s gaze once again dissecting her. She threaded a hand through her hair absently and searched her brain for something to say.
“How’s Oliver?”
“He’s safe at home enjoying a dog biscuit. He would like you to come visit him after dinner. He’s at the cottage.”
Was David inviting her to go home with him? Would she accept? “I’d like that.”
He nodded in acknowledgement, and she could tell her answer pleased him because he smiled at her with genuine warmth. Getting a smile from David Jenkins was fast becoming necessary to her peace of mind—she wasn’t sure why that was so.
He snagged the wine bottle and refilled her empty glass. “How’s your sister?”
“Still engaged.” She grinned. “At least when I talked to her Thursday. She and Tom had gotten into a spat, but I reminded her of some of his better qualities, which seemed to do the trick. Barely a few months away now. I’m looking forward to the wedding—and not only to see her happily married. This will be the first real vacation I’ve had in three years.”