As he reached the hallway, he leaned slightly out and peered carefully around the corner to make sure neither Rowe nor Noah had popped out of Rowe’s office. When he was sure the hallway was clear, Ian silently hurried down the hall and darted into the IT office. He wasn’t at all surprised to find that all three of them were at their desks, either empty plates or nearly empty plates sitting next to their keyboards.
“Ian!” Gidget squealed. “This ravioli is amazing!”
“Shhhhh!” Ian said, wincing. “Rowe can’t know I’m here.”
The sweet woman who looked and talked like a kindergarten teacher covered her mouth with her hand and stared at him with wide eyes. Gidget—or rather, Jennifer Eccleston—had been with Rowe since almost the beginning of Ward Security. She was absolutely brilliant when it came to computers, but then they were all geniuses.
“I’m pretty sure Rowe knows you’re here,” Quinn snickered. “You can’t enter this building with a mountain of ravioli and him not know.”
“I mean in here,” Ian said, his voice barely over a whisper. “I need a favor. But Rowe, Noah, and Andrei can’t know about it. Especially Rowe.”
“What kind of favor?” Gidget asked quietly.
“Does this have to do with…” Quinn started but his voice drifted off.
“Yeah.”
Quinn immediately spun around to face his computer monitors, his head down. He already knew about the attacks on Ian’s restaurant. Shane would have enlisted his help to research the IP addresses of the bastard who posted the bad reviews.
“Is this the secret project you won’t tell us about?” Cole accused, glaring at Quinn over his monitors.
“I’m not talking,” Quinn said.
“I am.” Ian held up the box in his hand. “And I brought a bribe just in case you needed persuading.”
Quinn’s head popped up. “For me too?”
Ian opened the box displaying three individual strawberry-and-chocolate tarts. He didn’t make desserts often. They weren’t his strength, but for Rialto and secrecy, he’d been willing to try something new and special. He offered the box to Quinn, who quietly celebrated as he pulled one delicate tart from the box.
Turning, he offered the box to Gidget, who looked at it while chewing on her bottom lip. She was torn between the treat and her loyalty to Rowe.
“What do you want me to do?” Her voice was cautious and hesitant. Ian felt guilty about asking her. She and Rowe had suffered a falling out a few years ago, with good reason, but Ian doubted that she wanted to cross him again. Rowe wasn’t big on second chances.
“Just review the security footage outside of Rialto.”
Her brow instantly furrowed, confusion clear on her gamine face. “That’s it?”
“And if you find anything, you have to tell me. If I decide to involve Rowe, I want to be the one who tells him.”
“I…don’t know,” she hedged.
“If it’s really bad, you can tell him, but I’m not expecting really bad.”
“Define really bad.”
Ian grinned at the woman. “Jagger-level bad.”
Gidget nodded. “That’s fair.” And she snatched up a dessert.
Ian turned toward Cole. He didn’t know the quiet man as well. Cole looked as if he were a bodyguard with his broad chest and shoulders, but he loved working behind his computer, according to Rowe. “Can I bribe you on retainer for a potential job later?”
“Similar level of sneaky?” Cole asked while eyeing the tart.
“Yes. Nothing to jeopardize your job, I promise.”
Cole nodded and accepted the last dessert.
Ian turned and found that Gidget had pulled a spare chair over to her desk. She patted the seat and smiled at Ian. Dropping down into it, he rolled closer so that he wasn’t easily visible to the door and kept his voice low as he explained everything that had been happening at the restaurant recently: the ICE raid, the bad reviews, and then the report to the health department.
Gidget nodded, jotting down some quick notes as he spoke. The first thing she suggested was checking the IP addresses on the bad reviews. Ian smiled and discreetly pointed at Quinn. She chuckled and shook her head.
“So, you mentioned you want me reviewing the security footage?”
“Yes. Hollis and I think this could be someone who’s at least been to the restaurant. Probably recently. There are cameras outside the front door and back delivery door. We were wondering if you could cook up some kind of…I don’t know…search parameters so that a computer scans all the footage looking for suspicious people. Or maybe someone who left angry.”
“I could do something like that,” Gidget said with a nod. “It wouldn’t be precise, but it would give us something to work with. Far easier than watching hundreds of hours of tape.”
“Probably look for repeaters too,” Cole chimed in. “The person could have returned several times to the restaurant, obsessed or maybe casing the place.”
“How far back do you want me to look?”
Ian twisted his fingers together and frowned. “I’m not sure. The ICE raid was over a week ago, and we figure that even after someone submitted reports, it would take a couple of weeks at least for them to pull something together.”
“So, three weeks?” Gidget suggested.
“I’d consider a full month. Just to be on the safe side,” Quinn said.
Gidget nodded and made a few more notes.
“I really appreciate this. I don’t want to get you in trouble with Rowe. We’ll tell him eventually. It’s just that he, Lucas, and Snow tend to blow everything out of proportion in favor of wrapping me in cotton and tucking me away in a closet.”
“They worry about you,” Gidget said diplomatically.
“I get it and I appreciate it, but this is my restaurant. I’m going to protect my restaurant.”
“We’re happy to help any way we can. No bribe necessary,” Cole said.
“But your bribes are always appreciated,” Quinn quickly added.
Ian relaxed a little as he chatted with the triplets for a few more minutes. Just talking to them made him feel like he was taking some steps in the right direction. If there was anything that could be done on computers to track this person down, they would be able to uncover it. He was just tired of wracking his brain over who it could possibly be.
Plan in place, Ian poked his head out of the door and peered down the hall. With it empty, he walked to Rowe’s office where he found Rowe stretched out behind his desk, appearing half-asleep. Noah was on the couch and not looking much better.
“I’m guessing lunch was good,” Ian teased.
“Amazing,” Rowe groaned.
“I’ve never had duck like that. Sooo good,” Noah added.
“I better get back to Rialto.” Ian waved a hand at him when Rowe acted as if he was planning to get to his feet. Rowe instantly stopped and lounged in his chair again with a happy moan.
“Leave the trays. We’ll clean up and someone will run all your stuff to the restaurant tonight.”
“If you’re planning to grab seconds, you’re too late,” Andrei said suddenly. Ian gave a little jump, surprised to find the dark, sexy man standing directly behind him. “I overheard Dom saying he was planning to lick the pans clean.”
“Well, no rush. We’ve got plenty at Rialto.” He leaned over and gave Andrei a quick hug before he hurried toward the stairs.
Had there been something in Andrei’s smile? A twinkle of knowledge in his dark eyes? Did he see Ian coming from the triplets’ office? Overhear something? The man just seemed to have a magical way of knowing things.
Ian shoved the thought aside, calling it paranoia. Andrei didn’t know anything. His secret was safe for now. He and Hollis were investigating this case themselves. Ian was handling the problem with his restaurant with just Hollis. No Snow. No Lucas. No Rowe, Noah, streams of colorful duct tape, code names, or explosions.
And most importantly, no one leaving Ian alone on the si
delines while they had all the fun!
Chapter Eight
Ian opened the trunk of his car and shoved one hand through his sweaty hair. It was almost October and the temperature had hung out in the low nineties all day. When the hell was fall finally going to arrive? Only the nights had been cool so far. Luckily, the sun had set and the air was finally growing more comfortable, even if his clothes were already sticking to him.
He surveyed the collection of reusable grocery bags overflowing with food in his car that needed to be hauled into the condo. It had been just over twenty-four hours since he’d successfully sneaked through Ward Security and enlisted the help of Gidget and Cole. No word yet on the results of the security video, but Ian knew it was going to take some time. It wasn’t just a lot of hours to go through, but hundreds of people came and went through the restaurant.
But for now, things were quiet and Ian would take a slice of quiet while he could.
Tonight Hollis was working late with Shane, so he had Snow and Lucas stopping by. He needed guinea pigs for some new dishes he was considering for the Over-the-Rhine restaurant. Of course, it also gave him a chance to deal with some of Snow’s wedding questions in person. With any luck, he and Lucas would be able to force Snow into actually picking a goddamn date. Nothing could be accomplished until that was finally done.
Rolling his eyes heavenward, Ian knew that despite all their frustrating qualities, he wouldn’t have his life any other way.
He glanced at his watch and did a quick calculation in his head. There was enough time to get everything inside and put away before grabbing a quick shower. Lucas and Snow would be arriving just as he got out. The recipes he was thinking of didn’t take long at all to prepare.
Looping the bags on both shoulders, he grabbed a few more in his hands before turning toward the condo. It took some more wiggling and shifting to get the key into the lock, but he finally managed to open the back door that led into the kitchen.
Thank God no one was around to see that little grocery dance. People would think he had no common sense. Tossing the keys onto the counter, Ian freed up a finger to turn off the security system on the house.
As he stepped across the threshold, he paused at what sounded like the scrape of a shoe on the deck behind him. Ian smiled and started to turn, sure that it was Hollis surprising him, but he never saw the person behind him. Never got the chance to turn around.
Pain exploded across his head. Blinding white light flared before his eyes, and Ian could feel himself falling. Mentally he reached out to catch himself, to stop his tumble, but there was nothing to grasp on to. He was falling and he couldn’t stop it. Darkness swallowed him up and the last thing he remembered thinking was that he wasn’t alone.
Someone was in his home.
* * *
Ian woke to pain and hushed voices arguing over him. The voices were growing angrier by the second, which was adding to the pain in his head. What the hell?
Lifting his hand, Ian gingerly rubbed his head. Everything was so blurry in his mind. Couldn’t remember where he was or why he hurt.
“Easy there. Go slow.”
The arguing stopped the moment he moved, and some of the pain in his head eased as he instantly recognized Snow’s soothing doctor tone. Always authoritative, but when it came to the small group of people he loved, there was a gentleness that was rarely heard.
“He needs to go to the hospital.” That was Lucas. Stern and dictatorial, but it was all a poor mask for the anger and worry that was slithering among his words.
“Are you seriously trying to tell me that I don’t know whether Ian needs to go to the hospital?” Snow snapped. He continued, his sarcasm growing heavier with each word. “I’m sorry, where the fuck are your diplomas? When the hell did you sneak in four years of residency in between your attempts to take over the world?”
“He’s got a fucking concussion. He needs to go to the hospital.” Lucas was not backing down.
“No hospital,” Ian croaked.
“See?” Snow said.
“Since when do you give a shit what the patient wants?”
Ian blinked and rubbed his eyes. He lowered his hand and looked around the room to find that he was lying on his couch with Snow sitting on the edge at his hip. Lucas was pacing back and forth along the front of the couch, lines of concern digging deep into his face.
“What happened?” Ian asked. He started to get up, but Snow placed his hand to his shoulder, holding him in place. There was worry in Snow’s blue eyes, but his expression was one of removed professionalism. He was in doctor mode. As soon as he was sure Ian was okay, he’d easily slide into angry, irrational Snow.
“Answer a few questions for me,” Snow said. He pulled out a small penlight and flashed it in Ian’s left eye and then right. “What’s your name?”
Ian sighed. He’d been through the concussion thing before with Snow. “Ian Banner.”
“What day is it?”
“Thursday. Ugh. September…twelfth, I think. I have no idea the date.” Everything was starting to come in clearer the longer he was awake. If he had a concussion, it was pretty damn mild.
“Who’s the president?”
Ian glared at Snow, but Snow didn’t budge. “A douche-nozzle. Can’t you ask me something else?”
Snow’s lips twitched slightly as if he were fighting a smile. “When is your husband’s birthday?”
Ian didn’t hesitate. “August twenty-ninth.”
Snow looked over at Lucas, who threw up his hands. “Why are you looking at me? I don’t know his birthday! My husband’s birthday is October seventh.”
“I’m right. Now someone tell me what’s going on. The last thing I remember was coming home and carrying in the groceries.”
Snow released Ian’s shoulder, and Ian scooted so that he was sitting up against the arm of the couch. Lifting his head, he carefully touched the back of it, finding a lump and some crusted hair.
“We’re hoping you can answer that question for us too,” Lucas said. He stopped beside Snow, his arms folded over his chest. “We arrived a few minutes ago to find you flat out on the kitchen floor just over the threshold with some blood on the back of your head. Someone hit you from behind and knocked you out.”
“Who?” Ian asked and then winced when he realized what a stupid question that was. They arrived after he’d been knocked out. They wouldn’t have a clue.
“We didn’t see anyone. When we pulled up, we noticed the groceries in your car.”
“How long was I out?” Ian looked down at his watch, trying to remember the time when he’d gotten home.
“We don’t think long. Your ice cream hadn’t even started to melt yet.”
“Oh, shit! All the food!” Ian tried to get up from the couch, but both Lucas and Snow lurched forward, holding their hands up to block him.
“No!” they said in unison.
“You need to rest for a while longer and help us figure this shit out. We can deal with the food later.”
Ian opened his mouth to argue that he wasn’t going to let all his food go bad when Rowe’s angry voice echoed through the house.
“What the hell happened?” Rowe demanded as he stomped through the kitchen toward the living room.
“That’s what we want to know. What happened to your fabulous security system?” Snow snarled at Rowe as he appeared in the living room. Right on his heels was a worried Noah. The other man gave Ian a questioning look and Ian nodded with a weak smile, wordlessly informing him that he was fine.
“My security system is fucking fabulous!” Rowe shouted.
“I turned it off as I came in the door,” Ian said wearily. He paused and rubbed his temples with both hands. “I think he struck right after I turned off the alarm.”
Ian closed his eyes as the reality of what happened started to sink down on him. Someone had watched for him to return home and had been smart enough to wait until he’d turned off the security system before he was attacked.
>
But at least a few minutes had passed between the attack and Snow and Lucas’s arrival. What had happened in those unconscious minutes? Had he been touched? Had his home been ransacked? Robbed?
Oh God, where was Hollis? He wanted Hollis there to wrap his arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be fine. That they could handle it all together.
Opening his eyes, he looked around the room at the gathered family. “Did anyone think to call my husband?”
He was met with awkward silence and guilty looks. Ian was about to blast them when Noah held up his phone. “I’ve got it!” he shouted and started to head toward the kitchen again.
“Be sure to tell him I’m okay!” Ian called after him.
“We’re sorry, Ian. It wasn’t intentional,” Lucas murmured. “We’ve only been here a few minutes and wanted to make sure you were okay first. We didn’t know whether to tell Hollis to come here or the hospital.”
“But you called Rowe?”
Rowe at least had the good sense to wince a little. “I might have already been on the way over. Heard you were cooking for Snow and Lucas.”
Ian let it go. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Rowe and Noah were just going to “happen by” on a night that he was already cooking for Snow and Lucas. It certainly wasn’t the first time and definitely wouldn’t be the last.
“Rowe, can you do a sweep of my house? See if it looks like anything was touched?” Ian asked calmly.
“Got it,” Rowe said and he was gone in a flash.
Ian turned his attention to Snow. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard that it was difficult to speak. He didn’t want to get the words out, but he had to know the truth. He’d always wonder if he didn’t ask.
“When you found me…” Ian started at a whisper.
“Not one piece of clothing looked disturbed on you,” Snow answered immediately. “Your attacker didn’t touch you. I swear.”
Ian released a loud, shaky breath. Snow leaned forward and pulled him into a strong hug that threatened to break bones, but Ian didn’t care. He snuggled close and sighed. It was nice to feel his comfort and strength. Lucas’s hand landed on the nape of his neck and squeezed before a kiss was pressed to the top of his head. The only thing that would make this better, that would put his world back on the right course, was Hollis. And he was sure his husband was already racing to him.
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