Touching The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 5)

by Mallory Crowe

Lori threw the skirt back on the bed. No. She wasn’t dressing up for Michael’s stupid groveling dinner. She tugged on a pair of jeans and put a hoodie on over the sparkly tank. So if she wanted to suddenly look good, she could pull off the sweater and would be more presentable. But for now, all he was getting was hoodie.

  Served the bastard right. Even as the anger returned, she reached up to fiddle with the necklace that rested against her chest. Was it possible that the strange jerk who she had dealt with was only the result of how much Michael cared for her? Even if she was open to the possibility that he’d only behaved that way because he cared about her, was she supposed to be okay with that?

  She had moved out here to make it on her own. To be strong and independent. What would she be if she became one of those women who let her boyfriend dictate everything about her life?

  Though Michael hadn’t tried to dictate everything. Just this one thing.

  She let out a breath. She’d take it one day at a time. She’d meet him for dinner and see where things went. Hell, she already knew where things would go. Knowing their track record, they’d end up ordering takeout again and staying at his place all night.

  And damn it all if she didn’t get a rush of butterflies at the thought.

  Hey. If he wanted to spend the entire night trying to make it up to her, she was going to let him. She grabbed her phone off the charger and slid it in her pocket, as well as her ID, credit card and keys. No purse. She wasn’t going to let herself sleep over. Get in, hear groveling, and leave. She knew that if she was given the chance, she’d rush right back into bed with him.

  Not that that still wouldn’t happen tonight, but at least now she wouldn’t be able to sleep over without her purse on hand.

  She turned off the lights because Quinn was out for the evening and slipped out into the hall. She pulled the door shut and locked it before she turned around and screamed as she saw who was waiting for her.

  Ken Kemmerling stood right outside her door. One of her hands flew over her mouth as she instinctively bit back another scream and fell back against her door. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hello, Ms. Briggs. I was hoping you’d have a few moments to talk.”

  Lori eyed the hallway, looking for someone she could signal her distress to, but didn’t see anyone. But just because he was taking a page out of Hunter’s notebook didn’t mean he was there to hurt her. “I asked what you’re doing here. I don’t appreciate people lurking outside my apartment.” Screw manners. This was not okay, and if Evelyn got upset with her for telling him so, tough luck.

  “I was actually just about to knock when you came out. I would’ve announced myself sooner, but your back was turned when you were locking the door. I thought that might appear…creepy. I suppose I miscalculated.”

  Lori nodded as she thought back to coming out of her apartment. She would’ve seen him if he were just about to knock. He had to be bullshitting her.

  “You did,” she said simply. “So what do you want? I’m heading off to meet Michael and my roommate is expecting company.” There. Let him think there was someone home and that there were people waiting on her.

  “I was hoping to discuss your uncle. He’s been handling my finances for years and I have been working to transfer all my bank information to his, um, replacement and have been having some difficulty getting historical statements for one of the accounts. I was hoping we could go to his apartment and look through some of the documents he’d retained for me.”

  Nope. No. No. No. No. Hell no. “I’d love to help you, but I really do have to run off for a meeting with Michael. Can this wait until tomorrow?” Or never?

  “Damn. I suppose that’s the risk I run of surprising you like this.”

  “Yeah, schedules can be hard sometimes.” Except Ken knew that. He also knew that his bank could give him copies of any historical statements, which made a trip to her side of town pretty much pointless unless there was something else he wanted that he was too afraid to fess up to.

  “I really have to go.” She pushed past him and rushed to the elevator. She jammed her finger in the button repeatedly as she urged it to arrive faster.

  She heard Ken’s footsteps come closer. “I really am sorry for popping in unannounced, but this is rather urgent that I get these documents. Will you be available later tonight, possibly?”

  You stupid, piece of crap elevator, just get to my stupid floor. “I can talk to Michael,” she said. “I’m sure he’d be willing to head over with me.”

  “That should be perfect.” Ken smiled.

  The lift doors opened and Lori cursed her luck when she saw that it was empty. She stepped inside the car and pressed the button for the lobby even as she stuck her hand in her sweatshirt pocket where her phone was. Technically Ken hadn’t done anything too scary, but she wasn’t about to let her guard down.

  “Maybe I can look for it and give you a call if I find anything? No use for you to make a pointless trip out there. Maybe you can tell me the name of the bank and I’ll pull anything that pertains to you out.”

  “That might work.”

  Somehow, him suddenly being so agreeable after he seemed so desperate to talk with her set her nerves on edge.

  “So things with you and Michael Devereaux seem to be going well,” he said.

  Lori nodded as she stared intently at the numbers decreasing in the glacially slow elevator. “He’s been great to me.”

  The doors finally opened and Lori jumped out of the lift. Ken kept pace with her as they crossed through the lobby, and he held the door open for her. She nodded her thanks and reached the street, scanning the cars for the familiar sight of Michael’s driver. Please don’t let him be late.

  “Can I offer you a ride, Ms. Briggs?” asked Ken.

  “Oh, no thanks. Michael already has a car on the way.”

  He stepped in closer and held out a hand. “Thanks for your help anyway. I do appreciate your willingness to call your evening short on account of me.”

  She hesitantly reached out to shake his hand, but she knew her mistake immediately. His fingers wrapped tightly around her palm and he pulled her in close. She opened her mouth to scream, but only empty air came out as a pain more intense than anything she’d ever felt shot through her back and up her spine. Her legs gave out and Ken wrapped his arms around her as though hugging a longtime friend.

  “There, there,” he muttered as he started to maneuver her closer to a black car parked in front of the building. “The pain will go away soon.”

  She could just maneuver her eyes enough to see him tuck a stun gun back into his pocket before going back to his hug.

  He opened the back door and all pretenses fled as he jammed her into the seat as quickly as possible. She was just starting to regain control of her limbs as he climbed in next to her and slammed the door shut.

  The car took off into traffic and Lori realized Ken wasn’t alone. Someone was driving. But when she looked up to the driver’s seat, she didn’t recognize the large man with dusty brown hair who wove through the evening traffic.

  Ken reached around her and patted at her pockets before he pulled out her phone. When he got to her lock screen, he dangled the device in front of her and pressed something cold and metallic against the back of her neck.

  Lori, slowly and as non-threateningly as possible, pushed herself up to a sitting position. She couldn’t tell whether he was holding the Taser or a gun to her neck, but it really didn’t matter. Her heart raced a thousand miles a minute as she tried to choke down her fear. “What do you want me to do?” she asked softly. They were surrounded by people and cars. If she could get one second of distraction, she could try to hop out of the car and make a run for it.

  “Unlock your phone and send a text message to Michael. Do it now and quickly and you won’t get hurt again. Understand?”

  She nodded as she reached for the phone with trembling hands. Breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out. The car hit a pothole and the metal jammed dee
per into her neck. She forced herself to unlock the screen and pull up the text application. Please don’t have a panic attack. If she started to freak out, he’d probably kill her right on the spot. She needed to buy as much time as possible.

  Once the screen was open, he moved even closer to see. Lori figured her shudder was suitably masked by her trembling.

  “Now write exactly what I say. Emergency. Can’t go out. Drinking with friends.”

  She forced herself to do as he said. As soon as the last word was down, his free hand reached forward and hit the Send button before he yanked the phone from her hands. He finally backed off a bit and rolled down the back window just a crack before he tossed her phone out.

  As Lori watched her one possible way of contacting help clatter onto the car-packed pavement, the panic truly set in.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Something’s wrong.” Michael jumped up and ran for his door. He tried to call Lori, but it went straight to voicemail. Damn it, this woman was so attached to technology, she never left her phone off.

  Luke ran after him and caught up as Michael was pounding on the button for the elevator. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean Lori is in trouble. She just texted me that she’s canceling tonight and is getting drinks instead with friends.”

  The elevator finally arrived, and Michael punched in Evelyn’s number as they got on.

  “Hey, I know you two are having a good time and all, but is her blowing you off to see friends really reason to call Evelyn?” asked Luke.

  “She doesn’t drink, Luke. It makes her sick.” Evelyn picked up on the first ring, and Michael didn’t wait for a greeting. “You need to find Lori. Right now. She just messaged me that she’s going out for drinks.”

  Evelyn didn’t share Luke’s skepticism. “I’m on it. My guy should have a location on her phone in the next ten minutes.”

  Fuck. If her phone was off, would tracing it even work? “Where would she be? Have you talked to her today? What happened that could’ve scared her? She wasn’t supposed to meet Kemmerling, was she?” If she was, she sure as hell wouldn’t tell him.

  “She didn’t have any other plans to meet with Ken,” said Evelyn. “If this is related to the Thirteen Stars, we have to assume it’s probably the same guy who got to Grayson.”

  “What the hell do you mean probably the same guy? I thought we still weren’t sure if it was a suicide! And these guys have money spilling out of their asses. Why wouldn’t they just hire different people? Are you telling me that the entire fucking FBI doesn’t know what to do?”

  The elevator doors opened in the middle of his tirade, but he didn’t care who heard him. He stormed through the lobby, not looking to see whether Luke was following. “Tell me where to go. You asked for my help and I’ve done everything you wanted. Now tell me where the fuck my girlfriend is!”

  There was a pause on the other end as Michael pushed open the doors to his building and stood in the cool night air for a moment, completely lost. Where was he supposed to go? Her apartment? He didn’t know what he was looking for. What he was doing…

  “Listen carefully to me, Michael. There are a few details I didn’t tell you about our investigation into Grayson’s death. Mostly speculation that we couldn’t prove. We think Grayson’s killer was inexperienced. Not a professional. The note written was cliché. Not consistent with actual notes we have on record for similar cases. Tell me exactly what her text message said.”

  Michael pulled the phone away from his ear and read it back to her.

  “Okay, that isn’t enough to make a definite analysis, but it could very well be the same guy. If he’s going to do something to her, he’ll do it at a place familiar to both her and him.”

  “Grayson’s,” said Michael to his brother as he took off running.

  “Michael, stay where you are!” ordered Evelyn. “I’ve contacted the NYPD and they are sending cars to her apartment and to Grayson’s. Whoever this man is, he’s armed, dangerous, and not sure what he’s doing. He’s unpredictable and I don’t want you or Lori getting hurt.”

  “Too late,” muttered Michael as he ran. He didn’t hang up the phone, but set it in his pocket just in case Evelyn needed to track him.

  Grayson lived just three blocks away. Michael would get there long before the police ever did. Footsteps sounded behind him and Michael realized Luke was behind him. Good. At least he didn’t have to go in alone.

  He kept his breathing controlled as he hit the second block and forced himself to run even faster. He swerved and dived between pedestrians as he got closer and closer to the building in his sights. He didn’t wait for the doorman to open the door, instead pulling it open and bolting straight for the elevator. If they wanted to call the police, he was all for that. He hit the button for the roof and stared at the doors, willing them to close.

  Luke caught up just in time and there was a brief moment of rest as the elevator rose to Grayson’s floor. “What exactly are we going to do?” he asked between pants.

  Michael didn’t answer. He didn’t have a plan. Find Lori was steps one through ten.

  “Well, did you even consider what you were going to do if someone’s about to throw her off a roof?” snapped Luke.

  Michael ran a hand through his hair. Damn it. There wasn’t time to plan. “I’ll think of something.”

  Luke reached behind him and pulled out a gun. Michael took a step back as he recognized their father’s old pistol. “How long have you been carrying that around?”

  “Since the sons of bitches tried to kill Emma,” said Luke. “I’m not going to be caught off guard.” He flipped the safety off and handed it, butt first, to Michael, making sure it was aimed toward the floor. “I’m assuming you still know how to use it.”

  Michael nodded as he gripped the gun. He hadn’t been to the range recently, but growing up, Luke, Rourke, and he had spent countless hours at their homemade shooting range on the property. “I remember. Evelyn said the police would be here in minutes. All we have to do is find her.”

  Luke rested his hands on his knees as he continued to catch his breath. “And you trust Evelyn?”

  “For fuck’s sake. Whatever is going on between the two of you, I need you to shut the hell up about it! Lori is here somewhere and in danger, okay? Yes, I trust Evelyn.”

  Luke stepped back as the doors opened to the small landing before the roof.

  Michael held the handgun in front of him and peered around the corner before he stepped off the elevator. When he reached the door to the roof, he took one steadying breath before he pulled open the door and stepped back out into the night.

  #####

  “Keep going.” Ken shoved another hand into her back.

  Lori stared at the menacing elevator in front of her as dread threatened to swallow her whole. No. She was about to lose any opportunity she’d have to get help. When they’d reached Grayson’s building, she assumed there would at least be a doorman to hear her scream for help. But this wasn’t the front entrance. It was a back service door and elevator that she didn’t even know existed.

  Once she got on that dark, dank elevator, there was no going back. There was only going…up. No. She wasn’t letting Ken throw her off the building like he did to Grayson. She would scream and scratch and claw…

  The Taser hit her in the back again, sliding in under her sweater to the bare skin right above her jeans. The large driver caught her and pulled her into the elevator before she could tumble back to the ground.

  Soon enough, the doors slid shut. She was locked in with two homicidal maniacs.

  “I am sorry about this,” said Ken. “But you have to understand that I need to clean up this mess.”

  Lori closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. On regaining control of her still spasming muscles.

  “When my guy I had monitoring Grayson told me he was working with the FBI, I couldn’t let the others find out. He was here on my recommendation. I was responsible for h
im. And normally you’d be safe, but I know exactly how capable you are. If Grayson had anything on us hidden in his apartment, you’d connect the dots. And I can’t trust your billionaire boy toy to keep you in line.”

  That did earn him a glare from her. She tried to give him her best go fuck yourself stare.

  “Oh, you didn’t know? Michael isn’t the white knight you thought.” The doors opened and he was pulled out of his own gloating. “But you don’t need to worry about that. Might as well go out still loving him. Who am I to get in the way of young love?”

  As the lug pulled her along, she braced herself for the stunning and terrifying view of the city from the roof, but instead all she saw was a hallway. They weren’t going to the roof…

  #####

  “They aren’t here!” screamed Michael.

  “Hey, keep it together.” Luke glanced over the side of the roof at the street. “They might not be here yet, okay? Maybe we beat them.”

  “Or they could be anywhere else in the city. This was just an educated hunch from Evelyn.”

  “Fine. We’ll use Evelyn. What did she say about this guy who led her here?”

  Michael tried to think back to their conversation. “She said this guy was cliché.” What the hell was a cliché killer? Stereotypical? “Evelyn said the guy wasn’t creative. The suicide note he wrote for Grayson was something you’d see in a movie. It makes her think he’s not experienced in murder. That’s why she thinks he’d go somewhere that he and his vic—Lori would be familiar with.”

  Luke slammed his palm at his forehead and strode back to the door they’d propped open with a discarded pop can. “Women don’t jump, Michael.”

  Michael followed him. “What?”

  “In movies. You said this guy is taking what he’s seen in a few TV shows and applying it to real life, right? Well, in movies, and real life, women aren’t known for jumping off buildings.”

  He nodded in understanding.

  “They take pills.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR