“Still worried about Katy?”
He jerked around to stare at Grace. “No. Why?”
A knowing smile covered her lips. “Didn’t think so.” She walked away and left him alone as he realized just how transparent he’’d been.
~~~~~
Victoria flipped through the flashcards in her hands. Her heels were the only sound in the quiet hallway as she paced back and forth, trying to commit all her talking points to memory. Public speaking had never been her forte. Even at more informal parties like this.
All she wanted to do was go up there and give a small speech about why her employees were so important and tell them everything they had all achieved together.
But she also wanted to spotlight a few exemplary ones, and she didn’t want to say any names wrong or confuse any of the award winners. But, no matter what, she didn’t want to be that CEO who needed to look at flashcards to remember her employees.
If she were walking down the hallway in her office, this wouldn’t be an issue at all. But once she was in front of a crowd, with her voice being the only sound in the room, suddenly her mind would go blank.
“Focus,” she said to herself as she quickly went through her speech out loud. “Thank you so much for coming. Green & Sons is honored, blah, blah, blah. Joke about the Henderson surprise order last month. Segue into how it wouldn’t be possible without the hard workers. Then I—”
A slight shuffling from behind her caught her attention, and she turned around. The hallway was well lit, and considering she stood at the end of it, there wasn’t any way for someone to sneak up. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’’t alone. Quickly, she hid the cards behind her back. How disingenuous would everyone think she was if they thought she couldn’t remember all her employees?
Taking a deep breath, Victoria decided to head back to the ballroom. She was as ready as she’d ever be. Her presentation was scheduled to begin in fifteen minutes, so she could freshen up in the bathroom and check in with Grace once more before she went up.
The man came from out of nowhere. One second she was completely alone, the next she was body slammed by someone wearing all black and shoved into the wall. Her head hit so hard it seemed to bounce off; pain shot through her body.
Before she could catch her bearings, something small and tight wrapped around her throat. As her air was completely cut off, Victoria’s eyes widened. This wasn’t some drunk guy who couldn’t hold his liquor. He was strangling her.
Whatever he was using, it was painfully cutting into her neck hard enough that it felt as though it must be cutting through the flesh. The abrupt attack, combined with the claustrophobia of being cut off from oxygen, set off a panic.
As her assailant pulled harder, her feet lifted off the floor. She leaned back against him, trying to get even the slightest bit of air, as she turned her high heels into weapons. She kicked back as hard as possible. She wanted to elbow him too, but she couldn’t bring herself to let go of the bastard’s wrists, even knowing she wasn’t getting any air while holding on. Somehow she felt as though if she let go, he would pull hard enough to completely remove her head.
Frantically, as her vision blurred, she kicked back even more. Black splotches appeared as the hallway disappeared. Shit. She was never going to make it…
Her body crumpled to the ground. She was so unprepared, she didn’t get a chance to brace her fall. Luckily her shoulder hit before her head and slightly cushioned the fall. As she gasped for air, she tried to see what was happening. But her eyes were so blurry, it was no use. The sounds of the struggle came to her first. Then she made out the two black figures.
One mercilessly pounded the other one with punches, but Grace didn’t recognize either. She pushed herself up and finally saw the man on the receiving end of most of the punches wore a face mask, only his eyes and mouth visible.
Alarm bells went off in her mind. She needed to do something. Help her strange savior, call for help. Something. But before she managed to make herself useful in any way, the attacker pushed himself up and ran.
The one helping her took a step after him, but abruptly halted and turned back to Victoria. Recognition snaked through her. “Dean,” she croaked out. Embarrassment shot through her. Somehow the thought of him seeing her like this seemed so much worse than a random hotel worker.
“Are you okay?” He quickly looked to the attacker’s form as he disappeared down the hall. But instead of chasing the man down, Dean pulled his phone from his pocket and punched something in.
That was all Victoria needed to spark the life back in her. She forced her shaky legs to strengthen and shot up as she snatched the phone from Dean’s hands. “What are you doing?” she snapped.
He looked at her as if she were insane. “I’m calling the cops. That guy was trying to kill you.”
Victoria backed away, struggling to stand in the heels that normally didn’t bother her at all. “I can’t be swarmed by police! I have a speech to give any minute now!”” Even she knew how ridiculous it all sounded, but she held her head high, refusing to let this night get ruined. Strong. She needed to be strong.
If the press got wind of the attack…
“You’re in shock.” Dean tried to grab his phone, but Victoria took another step back. But her luck was determined to stay in hiding for the night, and her heel landed at just the wrong angle. She started to tumble right back onto the cold tile, but Dean’s strong hands wrapped around her arms and pulled her up and against him.
Victoria took a stuttering, deep breath. Heat rushed to her face. She opened her mouth, but promptly shut it again. Good grief. She’d almost been murdered, but somehow this embarrassed her?
“We need to call the police and alert the hotel before he gets away.” Dean leaned forward and twisted his phone out of her hand.
“I need to go give a speech,” she insisted, pushing herself back and finally standing without wobbling.
“Giving a speech is not more important than your life,” he bit out, staring her down as though she needed to be institutionalized.
“It is to me.” She pushed her way past him. As soon as her back was to him, she took the opportunity to feel her neck, where the small rope had bit into the skin, but didn’t have time to dwell. She heard Dean’s footsteps close behind her.
“How can you say that?” he asked.
Her hands fisted at her sides. The handyman could prove to be a big problem if she didn’t nip his curiosity in the bud. She steeled herself and turned to face him. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
He clenched his jaw. “Of course I do.”
“Then let me handle this. I have people and the resources to take care of messes just like this one. I don’t need your help anymore, but I do appreciate the offer.”
His eyes dropped down to her neck and back to her face. “You’re going to do your big speech then?”
“Yep.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He nodded. “If you say so. But you might want to figure out how you’re going to explain the massive bruise on your neck.”
~~~~~
“Damn it,” muttered Victoria. Her hands bolted to her hair and pulled at the pins and ties holding it in its firm updo.
Dean let out a small laugh at her frantic motions, and she glared at him as she got the last few pins out. “Don’t look so smug. I have lots of hair.” With that, the long, dark strands fell down and cascaded over her shoulders and just past the generous swell of her breasts.
His jaw clenched, and Dean ripped his gaze away. Fuck. The woman was almost killed and he was checking her out? If she had a death wish, it wasn’t his problem.
The thin red line along her neck was still visible, but much less noticeable now with her hair covering most of it. He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine. Do whatever the hell you want. No skin off my back if a killer goes free.” He walked around her and stopped right before he was out of earshot. He looked over his shoulder at Victoria. “Unless he comes back.”
Without acknowledging him, she turned and walked the opposite direction towards the bathroom. All he could do was stare at her retreating form. What the hell was wrong with that woman? On one hand, she was remarkably calm under pressure, which he could respect. But she was also the most idiotic person he’d ever met.
Some crazy willing to strangle women was running around the city without a fucking care in the world thanks to her stubbornness. Even if she didn’t care about herself, that man was dangerous. If he had known that Victoria had a death wish, he would’ve left her on the floor while he kept on chasing the son of a bitch. But by the time it finally sunk in that she wasn’t going to do anything, the man could’ve been anywhere.
He probably wasn’t a professional. Not that Dean knew a damn thing about professional assholes, but it had been a bit too easy to fight off the other man. He bet that if Victoria was better versed in self-defense, she could’ve managed to get away long enough to call for help.
And help was only a short distance away. Why would someone attack her in such a public place?
~~~~~
“What’s wrong?” asked Denise.
Victoria put on her best poker face and turned to her assistant. “Nothing’s wrong. Aren’t you having a good time?”
Denise smiled in the way that Victoria was so used to seeing when Denise knew Victoria was lying to herself. The biggest problem about Denise was also her best attribute. She knew Victoria inside and out. Victoria had to resist the urge to rub at her sore neck or Denise would ask too many questions.
“I know you’re worried about your father. I’m sure he’s going to pull out of this and be even stronger than before, Vic.”
Victoria bent her head and rubbed at her temples, which allowed even more of her hair to cover the bruise. Well, Denise was right about her being out of sorts, but a bit off on the reason. Probably the only benefit of someone trying to kill her was the fact that she’d hardly thought of her father in the past hour. “Do you think I should be there?” she asked quietly. “Instead of here, throwing a party, you know?”
Denise set a comforting hand on her back and Victoria felt her first bit of relaxation all night. Her assistant had worked at the company for almost thirty years. When Victoria first took over the reins, Denise’s subtle advice had been invaluable. Her salt-and-pepper short hair, oversized glasses, and soft voice always made Victoria think of her more as a sweet relative than employee.
Or maybe it was because Victoria was seriously short on sweet relatives.
“Your father likes getting things done. When he wakes up, he’ll be grateful you weren’t at his side the entire time. The idea of not being as efficient as possible would upset him enough to give him another heart attack.”
Victoria scoffed, her guilt leaving her completely. This is what her father would want. Fighting for the company he worked his ass off to build. It didn’t matter what her brother, Dean the handyman, or even her would-be assassin thought.
Speaking of the handyman, he currently stood across the ballroom, talking intently to one of the event coordinators, Andre, but she hadn’t missed the constant looks in her direction. Damn it. Why couldn’t he just let it go? He saved her, she was grateful, event over. She could have some of the best people in the city looking into Terry’s connections first thing in the morning. She didn’t need him running to the police and making a huge mess out of this.
She needed her own people, people she could trust, looking into who attacked her. If the press thought she was weak or in danger, they’d have a field day. So far, Dean was the biggest loose end that could make this whole fiasco blow up even bigger.
Just then, he moved away from Andre and walked across the ballroom until he disappeared into the kitchen area. “Excuse me, Denise. I need to check in with the event coordinators.” She made her way over to where Andre was surveying the room. Now that Denise wasn’’t watching with her eagle eye for detail, it was impossible to keep her fingers away from her now aching throat. And the pain was only going to get worse over the next few days. She’d probably have to fit in some time to go scarf shopping……
“Hello, Ms. Green. I hope you’re having a good time.” Andre smiled.
If he only knew how horrible her evening had been so far. “It seems like everyone is enjoying themselves,” she told him.
He nodded and looked her over, as though trying to guess what she was going to ask before she said anything. She doubted he’d be able to, so she saved him the trouble. “What can you tell me about Dean?”
He blinked a few times, unable to hide his surprise at her abrupt question. “Our Dean?”
“The giant you were just talking to,” she confirmed.
Andre shrugged. “What do you want to know about him? I’m not sure how he and Grace met, but he’s our go-to for the more hands-on jobs when throwing the events.””
“Why don’t you just tell me everything you know and I’ll decide if it’s important.”
A sly grin covered Andre’s face. “Ohh... You’re curious about him?””
Her eyes widened at the implication but she quickly tamped down the surprise. So what if Andre thought she was interested in a less than professional relationship with Dean? The man was definitely handsome in an undereducated sort of way. But underneath the sarcasm and calluses was a classically handsome face and enough muscle a girl could sink her nails into. ““Does he live in the city?” she asked, not correcting Andre’s assumption.
“I gotta be honest. Dean’s a Class-A guy. Lives out in the burbs with his little sister. Their parents got hit by a drunk driver and Dean’s raised her ever since.””
Little sister…she could use this. “So they have a good relationship? Him and his sister?”
Andre smiled over at her. “Well, she’s a sixteen-year-old and he’s her sole guardian. They have their ups and downs.”
Victoria nodded. “Is she applying for colleges yet?”
“I think so. Dean’s been trying to pick up as many extra jobs as possible, so Grace and I think he’s trying to save as much as possible for Katy.””
A smile curled Victoria’s lips. This was perfect. If Dean needed money, she could give him money. Hell, she could put in a good word for his sister at any university in the country. This could be easier than she thought.
But she’d have to hold off on making any offers. Her experience with bribery was thankfully limited, but she knew not to rush into it.
CHAPTER THREE
Dean stumbled into the house, cursing the pair of tennis shoes that blocked the entryway. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath as he caught his balance, knocking into the small table lining the hallway, causing the lamp to sway precariously back and forth. He held himself stock-still.
He let out a sigh of relief as the lamp finally came to a halt. But before he could get used to the silence, he heard the frantic scraping of claws on wood as sixty pounds of fur and muscle clamored down the stairs and came to a miraculous halt right in front of him in the cramped hallway.
Although Dean was always happy to see Rigby’s energetic greetings, he knew that if he was loose, then…
“You’re home already?” asked Katy from the top of the stairs.
“You’re still awake,” he countered as he set his work bag in the closet.
She smirked at him as she started down the stairs. “I have a curfew, not a bedtime. There’s no rule against staying up late.”
“Late? It’s four in the morning. The sun’s coming up soon.”
“Come on. It’s Saturday. I don’t have to be up early for anything and there was a Project Runway marathon on the DVR.”
He eyed Katy. It wasn’t her staying up late that bothered him. It was why she might be awake. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, but she still had what looked like a full face of makeup on. Did teenage girls put on makeup when they weren’t going out? Even if she had gone out with friends, would she wash off the stuff before bed?
For that ma
tter, she hadn’t expected him home until morning. Should he check her room to make sure she was alone?
“So why didn’t you stay in the city?” She bent down to rub the back of Rigby’s head.
He rolled his neck and rubbed his shoulder. His sore muscles protested the motion, once again reminding him that he’d barely prevented Victoria Green from getting murdered. “I wasn’t tired. Figured I’d rather get here late and sleep all day tomorrow instead of getting up early and driving back.”
Katy glanced up at him through tired eyes and Dean felt a bit better. She didn’t look partied all night exhausted. She looked as if she’d been relaxing and he’d surprised her. He was okay with that. As long as she wasn’t out all night with a boy. Or drugs. Or alcohol. Really, his chances of having a premature heart attack would decrease dramatically if she just stayed inside the house and never left. But, as Grace continually pointed out to him, that was illegal.
“I didn’t think I’d make such a big entrance,” he muttered. ““You can head on upstairs. I’ll be unloading for a while still.”
She pushed herself up and let out a yawn. “Don’t stay up too late.” Katy motioned for Rigby to follow her. “Greg stopped by earlier asking if you were available for an emergency fix-up tomorrow.”
Fuck. Dean ran his hands through his hair. “Did he say what the emergency was?”
“Some rich dude is trying to get a new club or something open, but the health and safety guy said nothing could happen until the wiring was all up to code. Greg said if you could show, he’d make it worth your while.”
He let out a tired sigh, and Katy set a hand on her hip. “Don’t let Greg push you around. You already worked all day Saturday. Take tomorrow off. Greg can get someone else to help.”
“I’ll think about it.” But Dean knew he’d take the damn job. After working an endless stream of overtime and weekends, he’d finally managed to save enough to give Katy a head start for college, but as soon as he started to feel as if he wasn’t a complete failure as a brother, the damn roof started to leak again.
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