Love Plus One ('G-Man Series')

by ANDREA SMITH

“What?” I asked, totally confused that Slate felt I needed a watchdog because of those freaking roses.

  I looked around and noticed the box containing the roses were gone.

  Taz read my mind once again.

  “One of our agents accompanied me and the roses are on their way to the lab in Quantico for analysis.”

  “This is ridiculous,” I said. “They were roses, albeit they were creepy, but come on, really? This is something the FBI is going to care about?”

  “My sentiments exactly, Lindsey, but I don’t give the orders, I just follow them. You’re stuck with me for a few days, get over it.”

  I realized that Darcy was not around. I wondered if she knew about all of this. She probably did since someone would have let Taz in the apartment.

  “Your roommate is out. I think I made her nervous with all of my ranting and raving,” he replied.

  I saw a hint of a smile cross his face, the first indication that his anger with me was subsiding.

  “I can just imagine,” I said, taking my jacket off.

  “Didn’t Slate tell you someone from the bureau would be coming up here?”

  “Yeah,” I replied, starting towards the kitchen.

  “Then why did you leave?”

  I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him.

  “Because I had a date, Taz; because I knew that Darcy would be here, and because Slate never specifically told me that I wasn’t allowed out, okay?”

  I could feel my eyes bugging out at him which was my sign that he needed to back off.

  He stifled a grin, shaking his head back and forth.

  “So, what’s the game plan?” I asked.

  “Until Slate gets back, you’re stuck with me. I take you to and from school and crash here.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Yeah, it’s a dirty job, I know. I guess that’s why I make the big bucks, Lindsey.” He gave me one of his sexy grins.

  “Well, don’t think for a second that we’re sleeping together. I’m through with my training. In case you didn’t notice, I am attempting to spread my wings here.”

  “Don’t you mean your legs?” he halfway snapped.

  Where did that come from?

  I ignored the barb and continued my interrupted journey to the kitchen.

  “Do you want a beer?” I called out to him as I opened the door to the fridge.

  “Yes, please, Ms. Dennison.”

  He damn well not get any idea we will be playing ‘teacher-student’ again.

  I grabbed a beer from the fridge and a wine cooler for me and rejoined him in the living room. He was sprawled out on the couch, reaching for the remote.

  Christ! I bet we are going to be stuck with ESPN for the next couple of days.

  I handed him his beer, taking a seat at the end of the sofa while he settled on a basketball game.

  “Do you have your schedule handy, Lindsey? We need to go over it. I’ve already pulled up a map of the campus. I want to familiarize myself with the various buildings where you have classes. I will plot out the time and location on the map so that I can conduct some surveillance while you are in class.”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll go get it.”

  Taz and I spent the next hour (during commercials) with my schedule.

  He had a computerized map on his government-issued laptop that he used to mark locations and times of my classes for each day of the school week.

  He then pulled up info on all of my professors. He made a quick call to someone who was able to electronically send him a roster of all of the other students in my classes.

  “Oh, I see here that Kazwell is in two of your classes this semester, Lindsey. It looks like he’s in your English Composition III class and Physics II.”

  “His name is Kyzer, and I think you know that by now.”

  He smirked and continued entering data into his laptop. My phone rang and I grabbed my purse to retrieve it. It was Kyzer.

  “I’m going to take this in my room,” I said, heading down the hall.

  “Hey,” I answered.

  “Hey, Lindsey. I just wanted to check and make sure that everything was alright.”

  “Thanks, Kyzer. Listen, I’m sorry about the way that Taz behaved. It seems my stepfather is a worrywart and sent Taz here to look after me.”

  “Is this because of those roses you received?”

  “Partly. The roses are being tested at some government lab.”

  “Tested? For what?”

  “I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I personally think it’s an over-reaction. I’m sure they think my father is involved in some way.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up for school tomorrow, Lindsey?”

  “Actually, that’s covered now. It seems that is one of Taz’s responsibilities while he’s here. But hey, I’ll see you at school. Do you want to have lunch tomorrow?”

  “That sounds great,” he replied. “Try not to worry. I’m sure all of this will blow over and turn out to be nothing.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. Goodnight Kyzer.”

  I went in and took a shower while the sound of the television blasting the basketball game droned on. I was dressed in my pajamas when Darcy finally came home.

  I passed her in the hallway and caught her raised eyebrows and shit-eating grin as we passed.

  “Have a nice night, Linds,” she said, giving me a wink.

  I threw her a dirty look as I opened the hall closet and got a pillow and blanket out.

  “Here you go,” I said, handing them to Taz, who now had his legs propped up on the coffee table.

  “Turning in?” he asked looking up from his laptop at me with those incredibly green eyes.

  “Yep,” I replied. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Goodnight, Lindsey.”

  “Goodnight, Taz.”

  CHAPTER 22

  I was up and ready to leave for school by 8:30 a.m. Monday morning. Taz didn’t appear to be very well rested. I noticed the trash can in the kitchen had an army of empty beer bottles resting at the top.

  His five o’clock shadow had reached midnight, and his hair was sleep-tousled, spiking out all over the place. He grumbled something to me about needing coffee as he rambled down the hall towards the bathroom.

  I put some coffee on and by the time he came back out looking a bit better, I had a steaming cup waiting for him. He sat at the breakfast bar, taking his time sipping his coffee.

  “I take it you girls don’t do breakfast,” he commented, raking his hand through his hair.

  “I usually get something in the cafeteria before my first class,” I replied, putting my books in my backpack.

  Darcy came into the living room ready to go.

  “Hey Taz,” she greeted sounding unusually chipper. “Did you sleep well?”

  He lifted an eyebrow, his coffee mug up to his lips and nodded. “Yeah, fine.”

  “Well, I’m off, Lindsey. I’ll see you both this evening, I guess.”

  “See you, Darce.”

  “So Taz, what’s going on with your classes since you’re stuck here for a few days?”

  “Luckily my courses this term are online so it’s not a problem. You ready?”

  “Yep,” I replied, hoisting my backpack over my shoulders.

  Taz drove me to the campus in his truck. He seemed to be aware of everything around him. I was kind of fascinated that I hadn’t noticed before his synchronized glances in the side and rearview mirror.

  I wondered if that was some sort of built-in behavior that was now second nature to him being in the bureau. Slate was the same way.

  “So, are we being tailed?” I joked.

  He looked over at me, his sunglasses preventing me from seeing his sexy green eyes or reading his expression for that matter.

  “Make jokes if you want, Lindsey, but it damn sure wouldn’t hurt you to develop some behavioral instincts. You aren’t always going to have your worrywart step-fa
ther around.”

  “What exactly is that supposed to mean, Taz?”

  “What it means, baby girl, is that no matter how you are related to Slate, I wouldn’t be here unless he thought I needed to be. Slate doesn’t operate on emotions. He operates on instinct and Intel. Something is telling him things are not right here and there is more to the story that likely involves previous Intel that he has received.”

  Now Taz was just plain frightening me. What did he know?

  “Do you know something that you’re not telling me, Taz?”

  “There are plenty of things that I don’t tell you Lindsey, some of them are personal; some are privileged which I am not at liberty to divulge.”

  “Well, how about we start with the personal stuff then since you have no such restriction preventing you to share.”

  “Okay, for starters how well do you know this Kyzer dude?”

  “I know Kyzer from school. We were in some classes together last semester. He’s always been friendly to me. We chat in classes; we were in a study group together and had lunch a few times before my car was towed away. Being the nice and caring person that he is, he chauffeured me around for that last week of school before winter break.”

  “Okay and how did he know you needed rides to and from school?”

  “He saw me get out of a cab on campus the morning after my car was towed. Darcy and Jill didn’t have classes that early, so I took a cab. He asked me if my car had broken down, and I simply told him it was out of commission for several days. He made the offer, I accepted.”

  “Okay, and just like that you have total trust in him and basically are acting like you’re ready to serve your pussy up to him on a silver platter.”

  “Don’t be crude, Taz.”

  He gave a genuine laugh shaking his head.

  “Don’t be crude? Jesus Christ, Lindsey, dude’s toes are going to curl when he hears how crudely you talk when you’re getting your nut.”

  He continued laughing and it royally pissed me off.

  “That stuff is private, Taz. We shouldn’t even be discussing it. It has no bearing on whatever point you are trying to make with me at the moment.”

  “Okay, Ms. Prim and Proper, you want a point? I’m going to give you one. First off, Kyzer started being a more integral part of your social circle the day after your car was broken into. Secondly, his interest in you has ramped up fairly quickly since that time for someone who isn’t getting pussy, unless of course that has changed.”

  He was looking over at me know expecting me to confirm or deny.

  “Jesus Christ, Taz, I saw him for the first time since the holidays just yesterday. What the hell? Did you think we were humping in his car before he walked me up to my door?”

  My eyes were bugging out at him again. I was that pissed by his assumption that somehow our little training sessions had rendered me a skank.

  “Keep your eyes in their sockets,” he remarked. “I’m simply pointing out the facts. Let’s not forget how generous he was in offering up his daddy’s private jet in order to get your grandmother up to you on Christmas Eve."

  I crossed my arms, giving him the benefit of no response.

  He continued on as if not noticing my distaste for where he was taking this.

  "Let’s talk about the roses being delivered yesterday. Whoever sent those or commissioned them to be dropped off, knew you would be coming back to your apartment that day. They were fresh. They were delivered just two hours before you got to the apartment.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “It’s my job to know these things, Lindsey. It’s what I do.”

  “So, what do you know that you are at liberty to share?”

  “I checked with your doorman. He had to sign for them and record the time. It was a private courier that delivered them. The courier service said that a cab dropped them off to their depot to be delivered. Of course, the cab driver that had the drop didn’t bother to call it into dispatch so there is no way of knowing who the driver even was. The courier service described the driver as medium height, medium weight, white or dark-skinned male between 35 and 45 years of age. They weren’t even sure of the name of the cab company. The car had one of those magnetic signs on it which anyone can make.”

  I was amazed. I couldn’t believe how much Taz had learned in such a short amount of time. Part of me still suspected that he was making more of the situation with Kyzer for reasons of his own that had nothing to do with the investigation.

  “So, I guess I need to know what your point is as far as Kyzer is concerned, Taz. I am dating him you know.”

  “My advice is to take things very slowly with him. I would certainly advise you not to put yourself in a position where you are alone with him. Avoid getting intimate with him. It is quite possible that he is not what he seems to be. This is simply based on my experience and instincts. I have nothing concrete right now, but you can bet your sweet ass that I’m looking.”

  “Hmmph,” I said, turning my head away from him and looking out the window.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” he questioned tersely.

  “Are you sure you aren’t just a tad biased where Kyzer is concerned?”

  “What reason would I have to be biased?”

  “I’m not as naïve as you would like to think, Taz. I know all about the male ego and their territorial nature. Is it just possible you are perhaps feeling that someone is interested in the ‘territory’ you so expertly marked?” I threw in a smile and a slight batting of my eyes at him when I said it.

  His face turned to stone.

  On the other hand. . .

  “Grow up, Lindsey, and get over yourself. You and I kicked it a few times, so what? I fuck a lot of chicks and don’t go all ‘territorial’ on them. This isn’t some game we’re playing like fucking sophomores in high school. You asked for my point of view and I gave it. I can’t control what you say or do with this guy. I would recommend you focus more on what type of information he attempts to extract from you. That will quickly show his true motives.”

  I was embarrassed that he had called me out like some starry-eyed teenager. Everything he said sounded logical to me except for the fact that I didn’t see Kyzer as being a villain in any of this.

  I did think that Taz was a bit out of sorts that we wouldn’t be sleeping together anymore. I knew about the male ego. At this point, the fact that I was working on developing a relationship with Kyzer would ultimately lead to it being a sexual one.

  I felt that Taz was struggling with that, not because he was emotionally invested, but because it was a matter of male dominance. I had learned all about it in my Psych classes.

  We had reached the building where my first class was scheduled. I marveled that Taz had known exactly where it was located without me giving direction or him having been here before. Then I remembered that Taz had done his homework as far as my schedule and the location of my classes. He was taking this seriously and I needed to respect that.

  “Thanks for the lift, Taz. I will heed your advice regarding Kyzer and anyone else for that matter. I apologize for doubting your motives.”

  I turned and opened the passenger side door to exit his truck. Just as I had jumped down to the pavement from his truck, Taz informed me he would see me between classes.

  “Okay, I’ll see you then in about ninety minutes.”

  “Lindsey,” he said, as I started to shut the door of his truck. I looked over at him. “Aren’t you going to give me a kiss goodbye?” he asked, tapping the side of his cheek with a finger.

  I shook my head in exasperation and shut the door, turning to walk up towards the entrance to the building. I heard his sexy laughter as he pulled away.

  CHAPTER 23

  (Taz)

  I watched Lindsey walk into the building where her first class was scheduled. I enjoyed watching her perky little cupcake ass wiggle just a tad in those tight jeans she was wearing. My mind pictured what that ass looked like naked.
Shit! It was perfect and why the hell was I fucking torturing myself with it?

  I pulled away and cruised through the lot looking for the Benz that Kyzer Stanfield drove. I found it in the lot across from Simmons Hall. Black sedan, Florida license plate 787 Tango, Bravo, Delta. Yeah. T.B.D. as in “To Be Determined.”

  I parked the truck down from the lot, shutting it off. I slipped from my truck, reaching in the back seat and I opened my laptop, going into the Intel files that had been gathered so far.

  Kyzer Michael Stanfield, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 10, 1992 to Thomas and Lila Stanfield. He was their only child, born to Lila when she was 42 years old.

  Lila died as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage on October 6, 1996. The death certificate listed the cause as natural resulting from acute hypertension. She stroked out at the age of 46.

  Thomas Stanfield, born on February 7, 1945, in New York City. Graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University in 1967.

  He married the younger Lila Mae Evans in June of 1980, after already starting Stanfield Industries, currently known as The Stanfield Group.

  The Stanfield Group is a privately owned business having three segments of operation: Stanfield Industries, the flagship entity located in Philadelphia, is a manufacturing facility specializing in plastic injection molded parts of all sizes and configurations serving the transportation industry.

  Stanfield Trading Company located in Miami, Florida, imports chemicals, powdered coatings, raw materials, machine tools and other miscellaneous industrial products.

  The newest addition to the Stanfield portfolio is Stanfield Research, located in Atlanta, Georgia. That business segment was established by Thomas Stanfield in early 2010. It’s listed as a research and development facility for organic dietary supplements, boasting their own brand name of “Orga-Blend.”

  At sixty-eight years of age, Thomas Stanfield is no longer physically able to run the operations of the group. His current wife, Sue Ellen Beasley- Stanfield, is acting CEO of the group. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stanfield currently reside in Naples, Florida.

  None of the family had any criminal records. In fact, Kyzer was what we referred to as being squeaky clean, meaning our background check couldn’t cough up so much as a parking ticket. That kind of shit typically made me suspicious.