A Sense of Security: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 6)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  After what felt like an eternity, Alicia swung back around and met his gaze. “I’m going to be away this weekend. Can I move in when I get back?”

  “You can move in whenever you want.” The relief Marcus felt when she finally agreed seemed out of proportion to the role she played in his life. He really didn’t understand his need to protect her, but at this point, he was going to go with it and err on the side of caution. “Like I said, we have plenty of room. Meredith can help you find the room that would work for you.”

  “Okay. I’ll talk with her.”

  “If you need to leave, feel free,” Marcus said, hoping he didn’t sound like he was dismissing her, but he did need to get back to Jeff to see what was going on there. “Be sure to stay aware of your surroundings and if you have any concerns, call me right away. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow, and thank you for helping Meredith.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Alicia gave him a quick nod then headed back to the sunroom.

  Marcus stood and watched her slender figure as she walked into the sunroom and sat back down in the chair she’d vacated earlier. It was the first time he’d seen someone connect so well with Meredith. Over the years, he’d tried to help Meredith make friends, but it had been to no avail. He’d had girlfriends that he’d hoped would connect with her but that had never worked out either. To see Meredith make such a definite move toward someone warmed his heart.

  Satisfied with what he’d been able to accomplish with Alicia, Marcus turned and headed for the stairs that led to the second floor and the room where Jeff was. He couldn’t deny being a bit concerned that Jeff was apparently still unconscious. The longer he was under, the more likely it was that they’d pumped him full of drugs which could cause some serious damage. They may not be able to avoid a hospital stay after all, but he really hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

  Marcus hoped that once the younger man did come around, he would also agree to stay at the house. Though logic said that the Mastermind wouldn’t use Jeff again, Marcus didn’t want to take the chance. Hopefully, Jeff would agree.

  Plus, they just had a lot to talk about.

  11

  What on earth had she just agreed to?

  Alicia stared down at the puzzle, watching as Meredith pressed another piece into place. “Marcus has asked me to move in here.”

  Meredith’s head jerked up. “Really? That’s terrific!”

  Alicia was glad that Meredith thought so. “He said that you’d help me pick a room.”

  “When are you going to move in?” She sat back in her chair. “Tonight?”

  “No. I’m going away for the weekend. I’ll do it when I come back.”

  “Why don’t you come with me?” Meredith got to her feet. “I think the best room for you is the one next to mine. You’ll have your own bathroom, and it has a nice view too.”

  Alicia followed Meredith from the sunroom to the stairs facing the front door. When they got to the top of them, Meredith gestured to the right. “Marcus and Derek have rooms down there. Mine is this way.”

  When Meredith opened a door and motioned for Alicia to precede her, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t a room that was basically the size of her whole tiny apartment. She stepped into the bedroom, taking in the large windows on the opposite wall and the bed that looked double or triple the size of the one she currently slept in.

  “Will this one be okay? Or do you want to check out another one?”

  Check out another one? Alicia just shook her head. “This one is just fine.”

  Meredith beamed. “Marcus let me decorate the bedrooms in the house. After mine, this is my next favorite.”

  Alicia had never been one to pay too much attention to decorating. When she’d been younger, they had always rented apartments, and her mother hadn’t wanted to bother with decorating things like painting or putting up wallpaper. Aside from her mom’s boyfriends, they’d never had people come to their home, so it wasn’t as if they’d needed to impress anyone.

  “This is just lovely, Meredith. You did a wonderful job.” And she had. The room was painted sage green with chocolate brown accents giving it a warm, homey feel while still being elegant. The room would be a lovely break from where she currently lived.

  Meredith beamed. “Thanks! How did you decorate your place?”

  Alicia fought hard not to scoff at the very idea. “It kind of came already decorated. Maybe I’ll do a bit more in my next apartment.”

  “If you need some ideas, I’d be happy to help,” Meredith volunteered as she bounced on the edge of the bed.

  Alicia figured that if she ever did get a place, she just might need the other woman’s help because it hadn’t even crossed her mind to try to decorate her current apartment. Of course, there wasn’t much she could have done to improve the look of that place. No sense in spending her hard-earned money on décor that would have done little to improve things.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the offer,” Alicia said. “I should probably go home now.”

  “Really?” Meredith frowned as she got off the bed and headed toward the door with Bond at her side. “I wish you could have stayed here tonight.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t have any of my stuff with me.” Alicia followed Meredith from the room.

  “Are you coming back here tomorrow?”

  They walked side by side down the wide steps toward the front door. “I’m not sure yet. It will depend on what Marcus needs me to do. I really do need to be at the office working in the morning for sure.”

  Meredith nodded as if she realized that Alicia hadn’t been hired to be her friend. “Well, at least if you move in here, we can see each other in the evening.”

  “That’s true.” Strangely enough, Alicia found that she was kind of looking forward to it. And it wasn’t just because it would bring her into closer proximity to Marcus on a personal level. She did wonder what Tori and Eric might think about her moving into Marcus’s place. In truth, she wasn’t one hundred percent sold on the idea of moving in herself and likely wouldn’t even be considering it if she hadn’t received those text messages.

  “You’ll have to tell me your favorite foods so we can have them while you’re here.”

  Derek met them at the bottom of the stairs. “Are you heading out?”

  Alicia nodded. “It’s time for me to go home.”

  “Do you feel safe where you live?” Derek asked.

  “Yes, it’s fine,” Alicia said, surprising herself with how quickly and easily she answered him. In truth, she really didn’t feel safe, but she had a feel that if someone wanted to get to her, they’d do it regardless of where she lived. Even moving in with Marcus didn’t necessarily guarantee her safety since she wouldn’t be behind the walls 24/7.

  Derek gave her a look similar to the one Marcus had given her. One that seemed to be their way of assessing whether she was being honest and truthful. Finally, he gave a quick nod and then opened the front door.

  Alicia turned to give Meredith a hug before stepping out onto the porch with Derek. He walked her to her car then opened her door. “The gate will be open for you. If anything seems out of the ordinary please call Marcus or me.”

  “I will,” Alicia said, hoping that if things escalated with the person texting her, she would find the strength to tell them about the threat.

  “I think Marcus put my number in your phone, so don’t hesitate to use it if you need it.”

  Alicia nodded again as she slid behind the wheel of her car. Anxiety had taken up residence, tightening her stomach and making her feel slightly sick. As she guided the car down the long driveway to the gates, she felt the anxiety increase. Her shoulders hunched when she passed through the gates and left the safety of the Black mansion. She wanted to turn back around, but instead, she gripped the wheel harder and continued on to her apartment.

  ~*~

  Marcus stared at the man who was finally awake and sitting up. Though he’d been unco
nscious for several days, Jeff looked exhausted. He was still on the IV drip and had yet to eat any of the food that had been offered.

  Marcus leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Is there anything I can get you, Jeff?”

  The man shot him a wary look before dropping his gaze back to his hands where they lay in his lap, plucking at the blanket that covered his legs. “Why are you being nice to me?”

  “You’re family.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought that would make a difference to you.” Jeff gave him another look, brows drawn together, an edge of anger to his tone. “It didn’t to your father.”

  “I’m not my father,” Marcus said with conviction. “I take care of my family.”

  Jeff’s expression turned from angry to wary, but he still didn’t look convinced.

  “So, I’m asking again. Is there anything I can get you? Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

  “The nurse gave me some water.”

  Marcus sat back in his seat, trying to figure out which way to go with Jeff. More than anything, he wanted to know if Jeff had any information that could help keep Meredith—and Alicia—safe.

  “Aren’t you mad at me for what I did?”

  It took Marcus a moment to figure out the best answer. “I’m not as mad at you as Kelsey is likely to be. You just used her, right?”

  Jeff had the grace to look abashed as his gaze dropped once again. “I do feel bad about that.”

  “But you don’t feel bad about the other things you did?”

  “Your family had everything.” Anger filled Jeff’s voice. “We had nothing.”

  “Who is we, Jeff? I know you’re my half-brother. Do you have siblings?”

  “Yes. Two younger sisters.”

  Marcus felt his gut clench. He’d thought Jeff had only had one sibling because of the picture he’d found on FaceBook. “And my dad was their dad too?”

  Jeff nodded. “We were a family. The five of us. Dad had to travel a lot, but we were a family.”

  Marcus shifted in his chair, trying to absorb what Jeff was telling him. “When did you find out about…us?”

  “I heard Mom and Dad arguing because Dad didn’t have money even though he was still gone a lot. We had to move out of our house into a really small apartment. It only had two bedrooms, so I had to sleep on the couch in the living room. Then he told us he had lost his job and that he said that he was traveling for interviews. But I thought he was lying.” Jeff rubbed his hand across his thigh. “I was seventeen then and had worked to save up for a car, so I was able to follow him one day when he left. I was surprised when he didn’t go that far. He drove from Rochester to your family’s home. Your huge, luxurious family home. We had nothing, and he was living with you guys in a mansion.”

  “Dad really did lose his job, but the family wealth didn’t come from him. Mom’s job was the one that brought in the money. It was her career that took off, and she was the reason they could afford that mansion, not Dad,” Marcus said. “I remember Mom telling me that Dad had lost his job. I’m not sure he was even trying that hard to get a new one. I had just gotten out of the military, but I hadn’t moved back here yet, so I didn’t know a lot about the situation.”

  Marcus wanted to ask more about what happened on their end, but Jeff didn’t seem inclined to say anything more after his revelation. That conversation could wait, though. More important was to find out if he knew anything else about what the Mastermind had planned.

  “What else did the guy you were working with have planned?”

  Jeff straightened and sent a quick glance Marcus’s way. “He didn’t tell me.”

  “Is he working alone?” Marcus was convinced that Jeff knew something—whether or not the man realized it.

  Jeff hesitated and stared out the window. “I don’t think he is, but I’m not entirely sure. I never met him.” He looked back at Marcus. “Whenever he wanted me to do things, he emailed or texted me.”

  Before Marcus could respond, the nurse returned with a plate and glass. The doctor was behind her, and Marcus knew that the questioning was over for the time being. He had debated bringing some of the guys over to hear what Jeff had to say. It was probably better to have more people listening, more people asking questions. Especially Trent, since so much stuff had been done electronically.

  Marcus got up from his seat and moved away from the bedside. “I’m going to let you eat and maybe rest a bit more.”

  Jeff nodded as he took the plate from the nurse. Once he was in his office, Marcus called Alex to update him and make a plan.

  ~*~

  Alicia spent Thursday and Friday in the office and didn’t go back to the mansion. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened over that time, and it left Alicia wondering if she really needed to move into the Black home. By the time she made it to the airport late Friday afternoon, she was almost convinced that the text messages she’d received had been nothing more than a prank.

  The heat when she landed in Fresno was a bit of a shock since it had been cool when she’d left Minneapolis. She only had her carry-on bags, so she didn’t have to wait around for luggage. Though it was expensive, she picked up the rental car she’d reserved and headed north of the city. About an hour later, she was checked in to her room at the cheap motel she usually used when she came to visit her mom.

  She had knots in her stomach as she contemplated what the next day would hold. Thankfully, the room she’d gotten had good air conditioning and a decent bed, so she was at least comfortable in that regard. After a quick trip out to get food, Alicia settled down with her laptop. The TV played in the background as she went through her social media. She’d thought she might feel safer being farther away from Minneapolis, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

  Every time she heard a car door or a horn honk outside her room, she jumped, and more than once she went to check to make sure the door was locked. In the past, her trips to Fresno had just been something she’d dealt with and moved on. This trip felt different. She didn’t want to be there. She wanted to be back in Minneapolis where she finally had a job she loved and friends who accepted her.

  Although she wondered how much they would accept her if they knew why she was here. If they knew that she’d lied about—or at the very least omitted—the fact that her mother was still very much alive. Though, was it really living when it was a life lived behind bars?

  Alicia woke early the next morning even though she didn’t plan to go the prison until mid-morning. She lay in bed for a while, perusing her phone, before she got up. Though she tried to ignore it, her anxiety was back, which left her unable to relax and robbed her of any appetite. The process of getting ready just increased her anxiety as she kept in mind the rules the prison had with regards to what she could wear.

  By the time she left the motel to make the short drive to the prison, Alicia just wanted to run away. She didn’t want to have to deal with any of this, but the longer she put off her visits, the more abusive her mother got in their weekly phone calls. Logic told her that she owed this woman nothing, especially since she was still paying off the huge lawyer bill they’d ended up with after the trial. But finally, she’d cave, spending money she could ill afford to buy the plane ticket, rent a car and pay for a motel. And then she’d show up at the prison filled with dread.

  When Alicia left a couple of hours later, she was riddled with anxiety and felt sick to her stomach. Her mother had kept talking about appealing even though they had no more money for lawyers and she was already halfway through her sentence. Alicia wasn’t sure she had grounds for an appeal anyway. She really wanted her mom to just shut up and serve her time for the crime she’d done. Not that she was in any hurry for her mom to get out of prison. She still hadn’t told her that she’d moved to Minneapolis or that she’d met the McKinleys.

  She had too many secrets, and more than ever before, their presence in her life was causing a very physical reaction. It was rare that she didn’t feel the pit in her stoma
ch, aching from the anxiety and fear that was with her on a daily basis.

  As she walked across the parking lot from her rental car to the motel building, a figure suddenly loomed in front of her, bringing Alicia to a halt. Gripping her purse, she looked up, anticipating someone wanting to mug her.

  Instead, it was someone much worse.

  ~*~

  Marcus glanced at his watch then pushed back from his desk. Usually, Alicia popped her head in first thing to say good morning. Without fail, since she started work at BlackThorpe, she’d been at her desk by seven forty-five at the latest each morning. It was now almost eight o’clock. He had a meeting at eight, and he’d hoped to touch base with her before that since the meeting was likely to last the whole morning.

  He stepped from his office to see that Alicia’s desk was still empty. At the sound of voices, he looked down the wide hallway to Kelsey’s desk. He spotted Kelsey walking toward him with the two men he and Alex were scheduled to meet with.

  “Good morning, gentlemen,” Marcus said as they approached, holding out his hand to shake theirs each in turn. “Kelsey, could you show them to the board room? I’ll be there shortly.”

  Kelsey nodded and continued down the hallway with the men. Marcus hadn’t missed the fact that her smile was significantly dimmed with worry over her missing boyfriend. After Jeff had let him know that he didn’t plan on continuing to pursue a relationship with her, Marcus had contacted Melanie Thorpe to see if she’d be willing to speak with Kelsey about what all had unfolded in the past few days. He figured it might be easier for her to hear it from Melanie than from him or Alex.

  He and Alex would be meeting with the rest of the team later on that day to go over what they’d learned from Jeff, which admittedly, had been far less than they had hoped. In the meantime, he gathered up his tablet and headed for the boardroom, casting a concerned glance at the still empty desk as he passed it. Maybe he should have taken the time to call Alicia the night before or even that morning to make sure she’d gotten back from her trip safely. With everything that was going on, his first thought wasn’t that she might just be running late.