by Dale Mayer
“Any chance we had cameras on the roof? Or outside?” Tyson leaned his head toward the window as if looking at the roof, then his gaze cut toward her. He nodded. “Right. Check the feeds. Send me any faces you can capture that you can’t discount, and I’ll ask her about them.” Their conversation went on a little longer.
As she curled up in the corner of the couch, she realized it was already five in the morning, and her day had already started. She didn’t know where she would go from here, but the asshole obviously knew they were watching him. It also meant he had skills. Mad skills. And that completely changed everything. Who the hell did she know who could do something like this?
Tyson stood in front of her. “Ice is checking all the feeds to see if they can catch sight of him. He could’ve done this in a couple ways. One was coming down the roof. One was climbing up the fire escape, which wouldn’t have been all that hard.” He took a deep breath. “Even possibly shooting the message from a paintball gun. They are easy enough to adapt to shooting all kinds of missiles. Most aren’t terribly powerful, but they are definitely good enough to do this.”
She shot him a startled look, worked her way through the information and then nodded. “Still, it’s pretty ballsy. And not very stalkerlike. This seems like a different skill set.” She groaned. “So now what do we do?”
“You won’t like this part,” he said quietly. “We wait. Everybody is searching feeds, checking out names, going through your history.”
At that she straightened her back. “My history?”
“Yes, your history. He has intersected your life somewhere. Unfortunately it could be as simple as someone at your bank, at a friend’s party, or it could be something else. But we will find him.”
*
Waiting was not anything anybody wanted to do. Particularly him. He’d take action over inaction any day. From the defeated look on her face he realized, of course, she would too. He sat on the couch beside her, pulled her into his arms. “Can you sleep again, even though the night’s almost over?”
She laughed. “And how much sleep did I get after we turned out the lights?”
He grinned and dropped a kiss on her temple. “How about a run then?”
She turned and gave him a startled look, then frowned. “It depends how far you’re running these days.”
He chuckled. “Why don’t we do three miles, and see how you do without any sleep? Neither one of us will have much energy left. But I’m too keyed up to not have an outlet.”
She grinned. “Wouldn’t you rather go to the gym and have me kick your butt?”
“You probably could do that anywhere—no need for a gym—but, if you’d rather that over a run, I’m up for it.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to be inside. I would rather be outside with the wind in my hair and on my face. I hadn’t realized just how much I miss being outdoors. My job here entails me traveling from my apartment to my vehicle, my vehicle to my office and back again. If I get out in the field, I’m a happy camper. But it’s still not enough.”
“We’ll have to get you out more.”
“With all this going on, do you think it’s safe?”
He nodded. “I’ll be hooked up in the communication system, so they can hear us as we run.”
She nodded and scrambled off his lap. “Then I’ll get changed and have a shower when we come back.”
He watched as she disappeared. She seemed okay, unnerved a little bit, but that was another reason for going for a run. The exercise would be good for them both. He’d love to take care of the issue in another way, and, if it hadn’t been for this disturbance, the lovemaking would’ve ensued again, but that mood was gone. This was a better option for the moment. He glanced down at his jeans and T-shirt and realized they were hardly the best jogging choices, but at least he had his running shoes, and they were only doing three miles.
He got up and grabbed a couple water thermoses from her cupboard and filled them. By the time he turned around, she was in front of him, wearing leggings and a sports bra with a tank top. She pulled a pair of running shoes from the entryway closet, squatted down and tied them up. Then she bounced to her feet and did a couple stretches. She turned, gazed at him and said, “You ready to go?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
She gave him a look and said, “You’re not exactly dressed for a run.”
“I’ll be fine.”
She nodded and unlocked the door. Once outside on the street, she asked, “Which way?”
“No matter which way, we’re looking at a cement jungle. So pick your favorite route.”
“I haven’t got one. So any route will do.”
“I prefer back routes then.” He started to run at a slow jog to warm up. He took the first right, staying in the back corners. “My watch can give us distance.”
“Do you have one of those mileage apps on it? I had it on my old phone.”
“I do.”
For the first little bit they ran in silence. Shaking their arms, kicking their legs, and pushing off the unsettling start to their day. But they quickly settled into a rhythm.
She pointed out a park, saying, “It’s got a good set of fields in the back.”
They headed in that direction as he kept a watchful eye around them. He let her run ever-so-slightly ahead and matched his strides to hers. She might have dropped running on a regular basis, but she was no slouch when it came to fitness. He knew perfectly well she could probably outrun him. In many ways they were equally matched. And after last night, he realized they were a whole lot better matched than he had any right to expect. He was still stunned by the speed with which they’d come together and the absolute sense of rightness through it all. Worry still nagged at him, but he wanted to believe Tracy would be happy for him. It’d been two years. Surely that was long enough.
“I need to adjust my shoelace when we get to the park,” Kai said, her breath slow and steady. “The left one’s too tight.”
“We can stop now if you want.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m good.”
They crossed the street, enjoying the absence of traffic, and at the park they slowed to a walk. She pulled up to a bench, lifted her foot onto the seat and untied her shoe. She readjusted it, bounced in place a few times and turned with a smile. “Race you to the end of the field.” And just like that she jackrabbited to the left.
Unprepared for her move, he was given an instant handicap. “Hey,” he protested, racing behind her. “That’s cheating.”
Her laughter trilled behind her as she picked up speed. She was one of the few people who could just churn up energy. She was damn good at it, almost like watching a bullet fly forward. It was all he could do to keep up with her. But no way in hell would he let her beat him too badly.
With his lungs pumping, his feet pounding, he surged behind her, caught up to her and was almost ready to overtake her when she had another burst of speed and bolted past him again. He was a good ten steps behind when she hit the end of the park, bounced into the fence and turned to laugh at him. He made no attempt to slow his speed but bounced into the fence over her.
He braced himself just before he came up against her. With their bodies pressed tight together, he lowered his head and kissed her. Hot, sweaty and ravenous, he devoured her mouth with the heat he thought would be long spent. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs climbing his frame until he pulled his head back and said, “Whoa.”
He gently disentangled himself, feeling his blood pounding. Apparently, once his sex drive came back to life, there was just no shutting it off. He tried to cool down his mind, but his body refused to cooperate. He studied her, leaning against the fence, dealing with her own shock of withdrawal.
“I guess we are in a public place, aren’t we?” she asked, her voice calm, thoughtful.
“Yeah, we sure are.”
“Too bad. But now I think I need to run that off a little bit more.”
And she bolt
ed past him again. Swearing and laughing, he raced behind her. And that was the way it went for the next several blocks. Finally he caught up to her. “We are well past three miles.”
She nodded. “I know. It just feels so damn good to get out here.”
They looked around, then took off again, and when they hit the corner where her apartment building was, they slowed their steps and walked to cool down.
“How about we go out for breakfast?”
“I’m in. Shower first.”
She turned her gaze to him. “Together?” Laughing, still chasing each other, he caught her once they were in the elevator. When the doors opened, she slipped out from under him, and he caught her again at the apartment door. By the time they made it inside, laughing, he called out a warning, “Don’t forget the cameras.”
Her laughter was shrill. She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Shower.” And she bolted toward the bathroom.
He went into the bedroom and closed the door where he stripped off his clothes and headed into the shower behind her. He could get used to this. In a big way.
Chapter 11
After several days with nothing else out of the ordinary, Kai wondered if they’d scared off her stalker. Then she remembered the note on the window. As she walked into the office, Tyson at her side, she said in a low voice, “Is he just waiting for us to make a move, to slack off our security, or do you think there’s any chance you guys scared him away?”
“Probably the first two. But does that mean he’s given up? I can’t say.”
“Neither can you sit here babysitting me all the time. As much as I love spending time with you, you can’t just stay here forever. You have a job to do. And it’s not babysitting me for nothing.” She deliberately avoided looking at him. He wasn’t getting paid to do this. That was fine and dandy for a day or two. But they were now five days in.
“I doubt he’ll let it go much longer.”
“Let what go much longer?”
“Let you off the hook for hanging around me. It’s eating away at him, making him miserable and angry. Then he’ll want to punish you for cheating on him.”
Kai gave him an outraged look. “I what?”
He nodded. “You and I know that’s not what you are doing. That doesn’t mean he agrees with us.”
“It’s such a bizarre feeling to think somebody out there is keeping track of my every move.”
“But he is. Even if he’s gone to ground for a few days.”
“It’s so damn frustrating. I want an enemy I can target, somebody you can go after. This hiding away in the background to jump out in the dark is not cool.”
Tyson chuckled. “You sure you don’t just want me gone?”
“Hell no. I wouldn’t mind having a vacation where we could take off, really enjoy ourselves,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him. “It’s fun playing house, but there’s always that pressure in the background.”
“Hopefully he’ll make a move soon.”
She walked into the office to find a definite edge in the atmosphere. She frowned. Tommy was here but avoided looking at her. She walked over and asked him, “What’s going on?”
He hunched his shoulders and said, “Please don’t ask me.”
She studied him for a long moment, glanced around and said, “Where is Warren?”
“In his office.”
She knocked on the door twice but got no answer. When there was no sound from inside, she knocked again harder. The door was flung open, and Warren stood with anger in his face. “If I don’t answer the door, maybe it’s because I don’t want to talk to you.”
She stepped back, surprised at his anger. She studied his face. “What’s going on?”
He thrust his chin at her. “You’ll find out when my lawyer contacts you. Until then, leave me the hell alone.” And he slammed the door in her face.
She stared at the door blankly, then turned to Tyson. “I have no idea why he’s upset.”
With a quick look around, she realized the others studiously kept their faces focused on their desks. And she realized it probably had something to do with her ownership buyout. “Like I need this now,” she said half under her breath. On the other hand, there was no good time.
“It needs to be solved one way or another,” Tyson said quietly.
She snorted as they walked to her corner office. She turned on her computer, waited until it booted up and checked her email. Tyson stood behind her, not prying. She brought up her emails to see one from her lawyer with the terse message, Call me.
She pulled out her cell phone, dialed his number and walked over to the boardroom. With Tyson standing at the door, she sat down in the empty room and waited for her lawyer to answer. When he did, he burst out, “Why did you go to the media?”
Shocked, she said, “Go to the media with what?”
“You know. You completely destroyed your partner in the media, called him all kinds of names. I’ve been hearing about it all morning from his lawyer.”
She stood, walked closer to Tyson. “What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t spoken to any media.”
Her lawyer was silent for a moment and asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. Maybe you should send me whatever it is I was supposed to have done. Because, as of right now, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Somebody hates you in a big way.”
She froze, turned slowly to look at Tyson and said, “Well, somebody does hate me, but it’s a police matter, and we certainly haven’t been able to ID who it is.”
Her lawyer’s tone turned brisk. “Talk to me. Why haven’t I heard about this before?”
“It’s my stalker and didn’t involve my company, so I didn’t tell you about it,” she said bluntly. “It’s a police matter.” She took a deep breath and explained further. When she finally ran out of words, she could almost hear the wheels of her lawyer’s head turning.
“That explains it. Somebody’s manipulating your life, that’s for sure. I don’t know how you can get out of this one because I doubt your partner will believe anything you say.”
“Well, he should know better. It’s also my company. Why would I do anything that would hurt our own sales?”
“I hear you. But his lawyer is pissed.”
“I think it’s his job to be pissed for no reason,” she snapped in frustration. “I’ve got nothing to apologize for because I didn’t do anything. The fact that I’m being targeted is not my fault.” She hung up the phone and sat down in a boardroom chair. “Christ, this is so stupid.”
With Tyson asking some pointed questions, she got the story out. As she finished, Warren strode across the floor.
“I want you to get the hell out of this building.”
Tyson stepped between the two of them, his arms crossed.
Warren sneered. “Sure, go sleep with the help, why don’t you? Just so you could get a bodyguard. You probably made all the shit up, just to bring more drama into your life. What you did this morning was completely off the wall.”
She wanted to argue, but it didn’t make any sense. She didn’t know what she was supposed to have done, but she could imagine. “You are accusing me of having done something I didn’t do, and now you won’t listen to me.”
“Because nothing you say will make me believe you.”
She slowly said, “Then I guess it is time to dissolve our business association.”
“You can buy me out,” he said. “My lawyers are talking to your lawyer now.”
She snorted. “Really? It might be a little hard to come up with that kind of money.”
“Then we should shut down, and we’ll both lose big time.”
“So that means you’re not interested in buying me out?”
He shook his head. “This was a failing company when you joined. We’re a sinking ship right now. And after what you’ve done to it today, it’s really not worth anything. I’m not taking any more losses. Same price you bought i
n, buy me out, or we have to dissolve it as it stands.” Then Warren stalked back to his office, slamming his door.
Sounded like a lot of money lost and a lot of jobs out the windows. She sat, watching the sunrise for a long time. Finally she phoned her lawyer again and asked, “What’s going on?”
“He’s looking for a buyout. Same price you bought in.”
“I don’t have it,” she said bluntly. “See if you can get back some of my investment.” She hung up, stood and faced Tyson. “I need to go for a walk.”
He never said a word. They walked back to her computer. She quickly logged out, shut it down, grabbed her purse and walked outside.
She walked for what seemed like hours, her mind stewing, trying to find a way through. Warren had likely been on the edge of doing this for a long time now. Since Mark’s death. That Mark had left his shares to her had finished Warren. It had all come down at the same time, giving her the control that Warren had never planned on handing over—which was the final straw. She’d been fascinated with the potential the company had right from the beginning. And she certainly wasn’t against being the sole owner, but getting there was a different issue. Warren wanted a buyout. But it was still more money than she had. Going to the bank for that kind of money was likely impossible as well.
She walked to a coffee shop, picked up two coffees, one for each them, and came back outside. “Thanks for walking with me,” she said quietly as she took a seat at one of the outdoor tables.
He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s the best thing we can do. Life isn’t always fun or nice. Right now you apparently have a little more trouble than most people.”
She nodded. “Since the stalker can’t get at me personally, he’s getting at me professionally. Very smart.”
Tyson nodded slowly. “That would make sense.”
She slouched back in her chair and stared off, her mind still not locking on to anything in particular. Another heavy sigh broke free. She reached up and rubbed her temple. “Well, it’s not how I expected my day to go.”