Duncan glanced over at the children playing on the jungle gym, visible through the trees that dotted the park. A slight smile flickered over his face at their unrestrained joy. It was such a shame everyone seemed to grow into grumpy, misanthropic adults—himself the worst offender of all.
Jeez, he was getting old.
“I’m meeting with them again tomorrow to finalise our plans. Apparently, they have a few more days before the father’s deadline to pay, so we have a bit of time.
Zack let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good news. Any ideas how you’re going to help?”
Duncan considered the problem. “Depends on what they tell me about him. If I can intimidate him with my fierce scowl, then I’ll just do that. If I have to pay him off, I’ll only go there as a last resort. But it’s always better to fix the problem, not the symptom.”
“Have you looked into this Victor guy?”
Duncan sighed. “Yeah. His name is Victor Garrera. Seems like he runs a bit of an empire. Drugs, guns, that kind of thing.”
“So, he’s dangerous. And you’re still thinking you’ll take him on by yourself?” Zack sounded incredulous.
“Hey,” Duncan said defensively. “You’re the one who told me to help these kids.”
“Yeah, but—”
Duncan cut him off. “It’s not my first plan. I want to talk to the guy first, see if we can’t negotiate some kind of arrangement.”
Zack hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose it depends on how much money the guy owes, too. Otherwise, you might have to ask Mandy for the cash.”
“No,” Duncan said flatly. “I won’t be doing that.”
Zack, wisely, said nothing in reply.
Even the thought of her and her mountains of money caused him to get twitchy and itchy all over. It didn’t help that she was all blonde coolness, like an Alfred Hitchcock heroine. Her pretty, dark eyes always seemed to be judging him about something or another.
Duncan simply didn’t understand why a woman that had so much money already would be so concerned with making more. Her drive to make Soldiering On into a success—by her own definition, not Duncan’s—was unfathomable to him.
He shook off the thoughts of his co-owner and turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
“Anyway, I didn’t call to update you on that. I need to tell you we’re all going dark in a few hours, and I don’t know when we’ll be back online.”
Zack was silent for a moment. “What’s going on?”
Duncan stretched his legs out in front of him, wincing at the tightness of his injured muscle.
“Someone broke into the Soldiering On offices last night. We need to make sure they didn’t compromise our systems. And if they did, I don’t want them to get any more information than they already have.”
Silence stretch between them as Zack digested that. “Wow. That could be big.”
“Yeah.”
“Any idea who it was?”
Duncan sighed. “No. But whoever it was, they’re high-end. They barely left a trace, and it’s only luck I found out they were there at all.”
“That’s…worrying. Almost like we’ve been targeted.”
“That’s what’s concerning me, too.”
“Did they leave anything behind?” Zack didn’t have to clarify what he referred to.
“I suspect there are some bugs, but I don’t want to tip my hand by searching for them. I’m going to act as if they are there, just in case.”
Zack hummed thoughtfully. “Does Mandy know?”
Duncan grunted. “I told her first. It was only right.” Much to his frustration. It wasn’t like she could really help, but he didn’t want her to make a mistake out of ignorance that might hurt the company. She did, after all, and much to his annoyance, own half of it.
“Good. So, what’s the plan?”
“I’ve got Paul on it. I’m hoping he can figure out exactly what they did, and what they might know. But first I have to warn everyone out in the field that there’ll be no support for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. If anything goes wrong, you won’t be able to contact us.”
He had a bad feeling about the next few days. As much as he liked the hunt—the investigation—he didn’t want it to impact his team. After what had happened to Paul a few weeks ago—when he’d dramatically rescued his now-girlfriend from armed intruders and kicked off a dramatic series of events—he wanted to be contactable by his operatives whenever they needed him.
But he had to do what was right for the company. It was just bad timing that it was happening as things were picking up. All his operatives were in the field except Paul. Even Blake, still recovering from a gunshot wound, was on a job.
He’d have to trust they’d be all right.
“I’ll be okay,” Zack reassured him. “I’m making some progress with the investigation, but I doubt I’ll get into any hot water in the next few days.”
Duncan settled back further onto the bench, tilting his head towards the sunshine. “I’m glad to hear it’s going well. This is a good one for us. It shows Soldiering On can do things other than guard people.”
“Don’t get excited until I find out who’s behind all this stuff. If I ever do.”
Zack sounded more disheartened than usual.
“You’ll be great, don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry. The investigation won’t be compromised.” He could hear Zack sifting through papers, perhaps trying to distract himself.
“Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?” Duncan asked curiously.
Zack sighed, long and heavy. “I like her,” he said eventually. “But it won’t get in the way of me doing my job.”
Duncan squeezed his eyes shut. Another staff member with a crush on a client. Between Zack and Blake, he felt like he was dealing with two hormonal teenagers.
“It better not,” he said. “Or at least wait until the job is over.”
“It won’t happen. Don’t worry about it.”
Zack sounded more sad than anything, and suddenly Duncan understood.
“Radha does seem nice, though,” Duncan said carefully. He wasn’t much good at the emotional stuff.
“Yeah,” said Zack, but he didn’t elaborate.
Duncan left it at that. “I should go,” he told Zack. “I have more of these calls to make. Just try not to get into trouble for the next few days, alright?”
Zack chuckled. “I’m the good kid, remember. Blake’s the troublemaker.”
Duncan smiled at the truth behind his words, but sobered for a moment. “All the same. Look after yourself.” He hoped Zack understood the double implication behind the words—don’t get yourself killed, and don’t get your heart broken. It was the best Duncan could do.
Zack cleared his throat, and replied equally serious. “Yeah. I will.”
Duncan hung up, and stared across the park, trying to suppress the feeling of unease in his gut.
Chapter 10
After a week of Zack staying holed up in his darkened office, Radha decided she was sick of him avoiding her in person, and she fully intended to do something about it.
She slipped into his dark room two minutes before his shift was supposed to end, shutting the door behind her. Brett had already finished for the day, leaving the two of them alone in the stark, empty office.
Zack glanced up from the screens, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Do you mind if I turn on the lights?” she asked. “I know you like your cave, but I can’t see a thing.”
“Go for it,” he told her.
The lights flickered on and Zack winced. “I hate the fluorescents in this building. Can’t you guys put in a window or two?” He turned his face slightly away from her, giving her a view of his unmarred side.
She suspected it wasn’t the fluorescents that made him keep the light off.
“Ah, but then the customers could tell the passing of time.”
She hated that part of the industry. The
tactics and manipulation that went into getting people into seats and keeping them there. It never sat right with her.
Still, it was the career that she’d fallen into. She had to make do.
“Have you gotten anywhere since we last spoke?”
He nodded. “I have, actually. I’m going to go through it all one last time tonight once I get home, just to make sure what I suspect is correct.”
“Oh,” Radha said. “I was hoping you could walk me through it, keep me up to speed.”
She knew it probably could have waited until the next day, but she found herself wanting an excuse to spend more time with him.
“Well, we can’t do that here,” he said apologetically.
Radha found herself disappointed and berated herself for it. This was her employee, and one that hadn’t expressed any interest in being more than that. But they still had a job to do. She was selfish enough to want to spend time with him, and maybe even get to the bottom of his hot and cold reaction to her.
“Well, if you’re heading home, I could go with you. Then, you can walk me through what you’ve found so far.” She tried to keep the suggestion light, casual. She didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable or obliged to spend time with her. It would probably even be a good thing if he refused. Professional.
But still, she waited, a little breathless with anticipation that he’d say yes.
Zack cleared her throat. “Yeah. I ‘spose that would be okay.” Radha breathed out a sigh of relief—or was it nerves? Zack continued. “Maybe you can help fill in some blanks. Do you have records of the employee rosters? And where each person was stationed?”
“Yes, they’re in my office. Why do you need them?”
“Now that I’ve gone through all the financial records, I want to cross check them with the employees’ schedules. See if it’s obvious who is helping the bad guys.”
Radha nodded. “Okay, I’ll go grab them. Meet you back here in five?”
He nodded, and she darted to her office. While she was there, she took the chance to hurriedly replait her hair and add some lip gloss. Just in case.
The two of them left as the night guard came in, giving them a silent nod on their way out.
A few of the staff members gave them curious stares as they left. Radha could sense Zack’s shoulders creeping up to his ears with tension at every new glance.
“You take the subway, right?” he asked her as they stepped into the cool night air.
“Yes. We don’t have to worry about leaving a car behind.”
Out in the staff corner of the parking lot, Zack held open the door to his black Range Rover for her. She slid into the comfortable interior, noting how clean and well-kept it was. Zack went around to the driver’s seat and hopped in.
“I have to warn you, my house isn’t much.”
She didn’t mind, not really. Though as he drove she found herself speculating about what kind of place he’d live in. Small, she assumed. Dark, if his office was anything to go by. A little untidy, but not too bad. The few men’s houses she’d been to were a mess, but she expected Zack wouldn’t be quite that bad.
But what would his house reveal about his character? She didn’t know much about him. He wasn’t very talkative or forthcoming, particularly when it came to himself.
Twenty minutes later they pulled up outside a suburban house. The garden was a mess of overgrown plants surrounding a neatly cut lawn. The house itself was modern. Bigger than she’d expected, with wide windows that occupied a large portion of the face. A porch sat to one side, with a swing waiting for its next occupant.
Zack jumped out and jogged around the car to open her door for her.
“This isn’t what I expected,” she told him. “It’s really nice.”
A small smile of pleasure graced his lips. “Thanks. I like it.”
“Your garden needs some work, though,” she added as they walked past some of the overgrown bushes. An escaping tendril caressed her leg when she got too close.
“I don’t particularly like gardening,” he admitted. “I’d much rather spend time in the house fixing things up.”
That didn’t surprise her one bit.
“And my skin can be a little sensitive these days. I try to stay out of the sun if I can.”
Ah. She’d forgotten.
“That makes sense. I love to garden, though. I live in an apartment, so can’t have more than potted plants.”
He hummed. “I need someone like you.” He turned to her as they reached the front door, a small smile on his face. And something else, too. A flash of heat in his eyes that told her maybe—just maybe—that had been a flirtation.
Interesting.
He ushered her inside and flicked a switch. Radha swallowed a gasp at the simple beauty of the interiors. Low light illuminated the wide, open space. Pale wood lined the walls, supporting high ceilings with wooden beams running across them. The furnishings, too, were simple but perfect for the space. Many items looked handcrafted, hewn from wood and solidly built.
And it was tidy, too. Not an item was out of place, but it still managed to feel homey and welcoming.
“Wow,” was all she managed.
Zack’s cheeks went pink and his chest puffed a little with pride. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”
“You really do have a lovely home,” she told him. “You take good care of it.”
He glanced down, his cheeks tingeing pink. “Thanks. I spend a lot of time here, so I want it to be a sanctuary.”
She nodded, pondering that statement. It told her a lot about Zack and his life.
“It would be a great space for entertaining,” she hinted, digging a little deeper.
Zack shrugged. “Sometimes when Soldiering On has social events I volunteer the place. Most of the others live in apartments, so it makes sense they’d come here.”
He settled her on the couch, next to a large dining table with matching chairs.
“Do you ever use the fireplace?” she asked. It was the perfect weather to curl up in front of a fire with a good book.
He grunted. “Not really. I don’t like…” He paused. “With so much wood in the house, I feel like I’d be tempting fate.”
He gave her a small smile, but Radha was almost certain he had been about to say something else entirely. He didn’t like what? Fire? It would make sense, since his scars came from being burned.
His discomfort was palpable, so Radha cast about for a safer topic of conversation. “I like the furniture. It’s rustic and sturdy, but with a delicacy to it.”
Zack cleared his throat. “Thanks. It’s just something I do in my free time.”
Radha blinked. “You made all this?”
He nodded, scratching the back of his neck bashfully. “Yeah. A hobby, you know.”
“You’re very good. You should sell some pieces.”
He shrugged. “I don’t do it for that. I find it relaxing. And after the accident it helped build dexterity in my hand.” He held up the scarred one, the one he was so careful with.
“I see,” she said. “Well, you have a gift.”
“Thanks. Should I order some takeout? I should order some takeout. What do you feel like?” He had the nervous energy of someone that didn’t host much suddenly confronted with a guest.
“Whatever’s good. Pizza?”
“Sure. There’s a place the does woodfired pizzas down the road. I’ll get us a couple.” He wandered into the kitchen. She could hear the opening of a drawer, and the rustle of a menu.
“Perfect. Though, as long as it’s not Indian, I’m fine with it.”
“I would have thought you’d love Indian food,” he called through the door.
“I do, but I eat a lot of it. It’s nice to have a change. Besides, almost no Indian food I’ve tasted here compares to my parents’ cooking.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Then, the pizza place must have answered, because she heard him place an order for two different types of
vegetarian pizza. Her heart warmed. He’d remembered her off-hand comment from the first night they’d met. Even better, he wasn’t planning on eating meat in front of her, without even asking her.
The crush that had been slowly creeping up on her blossomed into a full-blown problem.
Once he hung up, he wandered back into the room. Her gaze followed him as he moved.
“We can split them, if you like. Half of each.”
She swallowed. “Thanks,” she managed, her eyes glued to him as he sat on the opposite end of the couch.
“I would like to try your parents’ food at some point, though. It sounds amazing.”
She grinned. “It is. But try not to order it while I’m here, or my mother will start asking awkward questions. I’m pretty sure she’s already half-convinced we’re dating.”
Zack coughed in surprise. “What? How?” Then, after a brief hesitation, “Is that…is that a problem?”
“Only if you don’t want nosy parents in your business. They have an unfortunate habit of honing in on every available man I know in the hope he might be the one to marry me. They think it’s well past time.”
“And do you…want to get married?” he asked softly, a weight behind his words.
She met his eyes. “Yes. When the right man asks me.”
Zack apparently didn’t know how to answer that, because he fell silent.
“How about you?” Radha asked. “Any plans in that department?”
Zack blinked at her in surprise. “Marriage? Uh.” He hesitated. “I guess I’m waiting for the right person, too.”
A sadness entered his eyes, and Radha didn’t know what had caused it. At a loss for anything better to say, she dug the USB she’d copied out of her bag and handed it to him.
“Rosters,” she explained when he gave her a confused look.
His expression cleared. “Great. I’ll add it to the information so far.”
His fingers brushed hers as he took the USB from her. A pleasant shiver ran through her arm.
He left the room for a brief minute, returning with an armful of papers.
“I think this is everything.” He set it all on the dining table and spread out the pages.
Radha stood to look as he sorted everything into neat piles. As he stacked the pages, he explained what each of them represented, how far he’d got through each pile, what he was looking for. It was a huge amount of work. He must have spent hours every evening trawling through this information and making notes.
Dangerous Victor: (Soldiering On #3) Page 7