“Do you remember what happened?” Blake followed along as the paramedics wheeled her gurney over to where Tom sat in the back of the ambulance, looking as groggy as she felt. “Not really.”
“Tom, what about you?” Blake asked. “What do you remember from the incident?”
“Not much, sorry.” He raked a hand through his hair then rubbed his eyes. “They knew we were coming though, no question.”
“Yeah.” Liv allowed the EMTs to help her into the back of the ambulance as well. Something about the heat of Tom close by seemed to help chase off her chill and made her feel stronger. “They even seemed to know our backup routes. When I shifted to Plan B is when they trapped us.” She gathered her wild hair with one hand and secured it in the back of her shirt collar then held a hand over her eyes. “What was in that briefcase, Blake?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
He headed over to a nearby cluster of cops, and Liv glanced over at Tom, cringing. “Some first day, huh?”
“Yeah.” Tom snorted. “Nothing like swimming with the sharks.”
“You should take the rest of the day off. Go home and sleep.”
“What about you?” He frowned, and even disoriented and disheveled, he made her insides melt. “You were hit too, boss.”
“No. I need to get back to the office and figure out where everything went wrong.”
“This wasn’t your fault, you know,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “Trust me, there’s no way you could’ve known what—”
“A necklace. According to Jessica Matheson.” Blake pointed to a well-dressed redhead standing near the cops. “That’s what the thieves were after.”
“Looks like they got it too, at least for now.” Tom sighed. “Am I fired?”
“What? No.” Blake scrunched his nose. “But you are ordered home to rest. You too, sis.”
“Don’t even try it. I’m going back to work, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” Liv pushed to her feet and swayed slightly before finding her balance. Whatever they’d put in those darts was wicked powerful. “We can drop Tom off at his place on the way back.”
“You should rest.” Blake tried to take her elbow, but she waved him off. “Seriously.”
“And you should mind your own damned business,” Liv snapped. “Seriously.”
“Fine.” He dogged her heels all the way back to his sedan. “But if you pass out at work and hurt yourself, I’m not covering it under work comp.”
She gave him the finger then slid into the passenger seat while Tom got into the back. The roads were still a mess, compounded now by the crime scene and the multitudes of law enforcement that had responded. By the time they dropped Tom off and made it to the office, nearly an hour had passed.
“See?” Blake complained after finally pulling into his assigned space in the parking lot. “Taking you home would’ve been far easier.”
“Since when have I ever been easy?” She swallowed against the bile in her throat and got out of the car.
“Good point.”
He fussed over her and helped her inside the building, and it all just made her feel worse. It was bad enough she’d screwed up the assignment. The last thing she wanted now was to appear weak in front of her staff.
They headed for the elevators and arrived on the fifth floor, only to find the same designer-dressed redhead from the crime scene was now causing a commotion in their lobby. Her screeching made Liv’s sore head damned near explode. Garrett, her younger brother and the object of said redhead’s screeching, glanced their way as they exited the elevators, looking as pained as Liv felt.
Blake rushed over to perform damage control. “Ms. Matheson, if you’ll come into my office, we’ll discuss this further.”
He led the distressed woman away, along with some guy Liv assumed was her boyfriend, muffling the noise but not drowning it out entirely.
Dizzy and nauseous, she sank into a nearby chair in the reception area.
Laura, her younger sister, rushed to her side. “Oh my God. I came as soon as I heard. Are you all right, Liv?”
“I’m fine.” She took a deep breath to keep from hurling and concentrated on a fixed point in front of her. “Just a little sick to my stomach.”
“Oh.” Laura waved a still-scowling Garret over. “Get her some 7-Up from the vending machine.”
Grumbling, he headed over to do as she asked, and Laura smoothed a cool hand over Liv’s sweaty brow. “The soda will help settle your tummy. Mom always used to give it to me when I was little.”
Through squinting eyes, Liv noticed something glittering on her sister’s left third finger. Even sick and exhausted, a girl had to have her priorities. She grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled it in front of her face. “Mike proposed?”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Laura tried to pull free and failed. “What matters now is that you’re safe.”
“Don’t be silly. A proposal is way more important. Congratulations!”
“Thanks.” Laura pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Here.” Garrett handed Liv a cold can of soda then walked away.
So much for brotherly concern.
She cracked open the can and sipped the contents, but she could’ve been drinking battery acid for all she noticed. Once upon a time, she’d dreamed of getting married and having a family too, then work and other obligations had taken over. Now her career was all she had.
Had being the operative word.
After this morning’s debacle, fate and scrutiny would come down hard on Rockford Security, and it was all her fault. Liv only hoped she could protect Blake and his company the way he’d protected her more times than she could count.
7
The following Thursday, Liv sat in her office, staring at the ever-growing pile of paperwork on her desk. It had been nearly a week since the ambush, and she still wasn’t quite back to her usual energetic self. Her doctor blamed the sedatives in the tranquilizer dart for her lingering fatigue, headaches, and nausea.
Whatever the cause, it was a huge pain in her ass.
She’d tried to push through and do what had to be done, but most of the time it seemed she was swimming against a riptide. Not to mention that on the rare occasions when she did get into some kind of work groove, her overprotective family interrupted her every five seconds. They were worried, she got that, but there seemed to be no end to the dreaded coddling.
“Hey, sis.” Blake stuck his head around her door without knocking. “How’s it going?”
Speaking of coddling…
Liv sighed and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. “I’d be better if people would leave me alone so I could get some work done.”
“She’s still cranking, Henry. We take that as a good sign.” He made kissy noises to the pet iguana on his shoulder. “Don’t we, boy? Yes, we do.”
“Does this conversation have a point, or are you just trying to get on my last nerve?”
“Go home.”
“Excuse me?”
“Go. Home.” Blake stepped into the doorway and smiled. “Everything’s under control here. Take the rest of the day off. Better yet, take the whole weekend. No arguments. Boss’s orders.”
She wanted to protest—really, she did—but she was so exhausted even her bones ached. Liv lowered her head and took a deep breath. “What about Tom?”
“What about him?”
“Is he as bad off as I am?”
“Don’t know. He hasn’t come in since the ambush.”
“What?” With all the paperwork and symptoms, she hadn’t had time to check in on him. “Why?”
“Sounds like he’s in the same boat as you, only worse. At least that’s what I gathered when I talked to him.”
“Someone needs to go over there and debrief him. Find out what he remembers about the ambush.”
Lord knew she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the incident. Hell, the events had even seeped into he
r dreams. The masked men, the endless shots, the weird inevitability of it all. Her instincts told her their initial assessment had been right. They’d been set up. How else could all those pieces have come together so easily for their attackers?
Which meant they had a leak inside Rockford Security. Someone who knew their plans, their routes. Except all the people on that team had been thoroughly vetted by both her and Blake. They were all loyal trusted employees who’d been with the company for years.
All but one…
Liv sat forward, a spurt of renewed energy surging through her system. If Tom had been involved, that explained why he’d not been back to work since. This might also be her opportunity to redeem herself. She grabbed her purse and headed toward the door.
“What?” Blake blocked her exit by placing a hand on each side of the doorframe. “I don’t like that look.”
“What look?”
“That gleam in your eye. Means you’ve got some crazy scheme.”
“I don’t have a scheme. I have a hunch.” She ducked beneath one of his arms and walked out into the hallway. “See you later.”
“Care to share this hunch?” he asked from behind her.
“Not yet.” She punched the button on the elevator and smiled at him over her shoulder. “But soon.”
The doors opened, and she stepped forward and collided with a tall, broad wall of muscle that smelled like sandalwood and clean, warm male.
Her heart tripped and her eyes widened.
Tom.
“Sorry.” He held her upper arms to steady her. “Hey, boss.”
For a moment, all Liv could do was stare, amazed at how glad she felt to see him even though he’d just hit the top of her “most suspicious” list. He looked more rugged and handsome than she remembered despite the shadows beneath his eyes and the heavy shadow of stubble on his jaw.
Gathering what was left of her tattered composure, Liv pushed away from him. “My fault. Actually, I was headed to your place to check on you. Since you’re here, we can do your debriefing in the office if you’re up for it.”
“Uh, I was supposed to see Blake.”
“He can wait.” She glanced behind her to see her brother was gone, thank God. “Come into my office first, please.”
She followed him, doing her best to concentrate on the information she needed from him and not the way his faded jeans cupped his tight butt. Definitely not that.
After they both walked into her office, she closed the door then pulled the blinds so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Tom sat, silent, his gaze narrowed. At last, she plopped her purse atop her desk and stood before him. “Blake mentioned you haven’t been back to work since the incident.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Been pretty much comatose since it happened. Not sure what they put in those darts, but damn. Knocked me on my ass, that’s for sure. How about you?”
“Same. But I’ve still managed to get here every day, despite how awful I felt.”
“You’re dedicated.”
“You’re lying.”
“Excuse me?” He straightened and met her gaze directly. “Sorry, but I’m not following. I have doctor’s notes for the days I’ve missed, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I don’t care about your sick days. What I care about is someone in this organization leaking information to the thieves.”
“What?” His expression hardened. “You think I had something to do with what happened? Why? Because I’m new? Listen, I might be the new guy on the totem pole around here, but I’m no leak.”
She frowned. “You’re hiding something, Mr. Bates, and I intend to find out what it is.”
“So, we’re back to last names again too, huh? Perfect.” Scowling, Tom stood, towering a good six inches above her own five-nine frame. Liv ignored her feminine flutter of awareness and held her ground. She’d grown up with three brothers and myriad male cousins. She could stand toe to toe with the best of them.
“You don’t interrogate people often, do you?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Because you suck at getting information out of people.” He stepped closer, close enough for her to feel the heat of him through her thin cotton shirt.
Intimidated? No.
Turned on? Hell yes.
She tamped down her inappropriate flare of lust and forged ahead. “Really? Well, I know someone here had to tip off the thieves prior to that ambush, and right now all fingers point to you as the most likely suspect. How’s that for information?”
“I see. What’s the point of questioning me, then, if you already know the answers?”
Liv concentrated on the topic at hand and not the way his warm, minty breath tickled the hair near her temple. Her sore muscles longed to sag against him and snuggle into his comforting strength and sleep for days. His lips hovered so near to hers now, they looked so soft and firm, and she wondered if he would taste as good as he looked…
“Ms. Rockford?”
The sound of the receptionist’s voice hummed over the intercom, startling her back to reality. Liv sidled out from in front of Tom and walked around behind her desk, grateful to put some distance between them. “Yes, Cathy?”
“Jace is here to see you.”
“Thanks, Cathy. Please send him in.” She smoothed a hand down the front of her shirt and blinked over at Tom. “Sorry. I’ve got another appointment.”
“Right.” Tom raked a hand through his hair, leaving it adorably ruffled. “I need to see Blake. Are we done here?”
“For now.”
He started toward the door, but she stopped him. “Mr. Bates?”
“Yeah?” He turned, a hint of heat still lingering in his gaze.
“Watch yourself. I’m not through with you yet.”
Tom didn’t answer. He just looked at her for a long moment, his gaze flickering to her lips, before he took off down the hallway, cursing under his breath.
Liv sank back into her chair, knees shaking.
“Hey, sis.” Jace poked his fedora-covered head into her office. “How you doin’?”
“I’m good.” She hugged him, trying to remember the last time she’d seen him and failing. He usually worked undercover ops and rarely came into the office. “When was the last time we got together?”
“It’s been awhile, huh?” He leaned a shoulder against the wall near her door, all lean lines and Rat Pack cool. “Heard you had a run-in last week.”
“Please tell me Blake didn’t pull you out of the field because of me.”
“Nah.” Jace smiled, the silver earring piercing his eyebrow glinting in the overhead lights. “I’m between assignments at the moment. Thought I’d stop by and say hi to my siblings.” She gestured toward the chair recently vacated by Tom, and he took a seat. “Who’s that guy you were talking to?”
“Oh, he’s a new guard Blake hired. His name’s Tom Bates. He was with my crew that got ambushed.”
Jace stretched out his long legs and frowned. “You look like shit, by the way.”
“Bite me.” She laughed and tossed a wadded-up piece of paper at his head, which he avoided easily. “Tom’s in with Blake right now, so you’ll have to wait until they’re done.”
“Wait until who’s done?” Blake reappeared in her doorway, again without knocking. Henry skittered nervously on his shoulder while Tom hovered in the hallway behind him. “Hey, baby bro. You here to see me?”
“Yep.” Jace clasped Blake’s hand then pulled him in for a quick bro hug. “How’s tricks?”
“Tricks are good.” Blake stepped back and urged Tom forward. “This is our newest employee, Tom Bates. Tom, this is my youngest brother, Jace Rockford.”
“Hey.” The two men shook.
Jace glanced at Liv then back to Tom, his smile sharp as a razor. “Next time, you better keep my sister from getting shot, or you’ll have me to answer to, understand?”
If Tom was at all surprised by the thinly veiled threat, he didn’t show it
. “I’ll do my best.”
“You better.” Jace stared at Tom for a moment more then turned back to Liv. “Want to grab some lunch?”
“Um, I was just on my way out, but okay.”
“Great.” Jace walked over to Blake and coaxed Henry to leave his owner for fresher pastures. “C’mon, my man. Poor guy. I bet you’re bored, aren’t you? Cooped up with this bozo all day.”
“He can’t come with us,” Liv said.
“He can if we eat outside.” Jace winked. “And he gives me an excuse to come back afterward and harass you guys some more.”
“Okay, then.” Liv grabbed her purse once more. “Let’s just go.”
“Sure.”
They walked back out into the reception area.
Between cuddles and coos to Henry, Jace gave her a side glance. “So, tell me more about this new guy?”
The elevator dinged, and they stepped on board. Liv slumped against the wall for the ride down to the lobby. “What do you want to know? He works here as a guard. That’s it. And given the way his first assignment went, I’m not sure he’ll be an employee here for long.”
“That’s all?”
“What?” She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, God. Don’t you start on me too. I get enough of that matchmaking crap from Blake. Tom’s my employee. That’s all. Nothing else is going on between us, okay?”
“Okay.” Jace held up his hands in surrender. “Chill. Jeez. Let’s talk about something else. I hear Laura’s engaged?”
Her tense muscles relaxed a tad, and she reconsidered Blake’s offer. Maybe taking the afternoon off wouldn’t be such a bad thing. She could have lunch with Jace then head home and take a nap, rest up for work tomorrow.
Decision made, Liv chuckled. “Yeah, I saw the ring last week. Talk about a rock.”
The next day, Tom sat in the small cubby in IT they’d given him to work out of until he was cleared medically to return to the field. Paperwork was pretty damned close to torture in his book, but at least it gave him good cover while he continued to snoop. The fact Abby sat directly across from him was a problem, but it provided him with the opportunity to observe the other people in the department and get a feel for how things operated.
Wicked Deception (The Rockford Security Series Book 5) Page 4