I guessed Koki sounded Asian, and that meant Brook was salt and pepper guy.
"There's more people here, though," Ric continued, and I realised he was giving me time to settle before leading me through that door. Like he'd done earlier, he was talking almost nonsense, but it was calming and grounding, and I was sure he knew it. "Finn and Drew will also be here, from Dominic's law firm. As well as Kelly and Lucas from Sweet Seduction. Kelly's with Drew, just so you know. Then Eva, Nick's fiancée. You'll be able to pick her out straight away, she's cowgirl through and through. That might be it, but who knows. We have a large extended group of friends and family and Nick may have called them all in by now, if he thought they weren't safe."
He paused, then must have decided to go ahead, because he added, "We're still in lockdown."
"Lockdown?"
"The bomb threat. Harding." He didn't say anything else, he didn't need to.
"You look after a lot of people," I commented.
"Yeah, we do. And we've added your father to that list."
My hand went back and rested against the wall behind me, as dizziness suddenly entered my frame.
"He's OK," Ric rushed to advise me. "Still in the hospice and under guard. Harding won't be able to get anywhere near him, security is tight."
"Jaxon has a pass to that hospice," I pointed out urgently. And he had already threatened my dad.
"Sweetheart," Ric said, moving to hold my shoulders, steadying me, but also bringing his face in front of mine so I could see the sincerity in his next words. "It's been revoked. He cannot enter the premises."
"How? I haven't had a chance to sign anything yet."
"We got lucky," Ric said, voice low but even, countering the warble of panic in mine. "The hospice you've got him in is one of ours."
"Yours?" I asked, shocked.
"We beefed up their security a while back for Eva's dad. Did it pro bono, established an understanding with them. It's linked back to ASI control, monitored, locked down when needed. And we've just flicked the switch, put them at red alert."
"Red alert," I whispered, my limbs numb, my brain about to shut down.
"Highest security level. No one gets in without permission. Everything is monitored by us."
I nodded, but my stomach felt queasy, my hand rubbing the empty hollow in my gut. My poor dad, what on earth would he be thinking?
"I think you have done more than enough damage for now, Eric Shaw," a throaty woman's voice said from my side. "Give the poor girl a moment to comprehend all of that."
I turned and met the stunning blue eyes of a dark haired woman, glamorously dressed in a navy tailored skirt and crisp white blouse. She smiled and it lit up her face and made her literally shine. Dazzling.
"I'm Katie, darling," she said, wrapping her arm around mine familiarly. "And I'm claiming you as mine."
Ric growled, but it didn't sound serious. Katie shot a beaming smile at him over my shoulder.
"So grouchy," she complained. "And here I thought, darling," she whispered in my ear, "that he'd never leave that control room. We all owe you our deepest gratitude," she exclaimed excitedly, as she started leading me through the door before I could protest. "We'd tried everything to entice the beast out of his cave, but clearly we lacked a certain panache. Now you," she added, giving me a little look up and down as we entered the room proper, "have panache written all over that beautiful face. I can see we're going to become fast friends."
I couldn't help it. She was so exuberant. Charming, but full of fun. I smiled at her grin, just managing to stop myself from laughing out loud. I liked her, I decided. And I loved the clothes she wore. Elegance wrapped up in a little temptation; the skirt above her knee, the blouse she wore revealing a small but well presented cleavage. Heels I could so rock. I realised the jeans and shirt I was wearing were also hers. Ric had said the clothes in the tote he'd given me, other than the gift bag with my High Street lingerie purchase, was from someone called Katie. And this was her.
She was almost my size, just lacked a little in the breast department, which made me pleased I'd had my own demi-cups to wear. The shirt I had on of hers was open at the top, showing my cleavage. Not because I particularly wanted to flash my boobs in here - this was no Champagne & Chandeliers - but because of necessity as Katie's tops were a little too tight.
"Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes," I said, loud enough to be heard over the conversations in full swing in the room she'd brought me into.
"Nonsense, darling," she replied with a wave of her hand. "If I left it up to Eric you'd be in his sweats and baggy t-shirt, and I did have requests from the boys to make sure you weren't hobbled."
"Hobbled?" I asked, noticing the conversations had died down and everyone was now listening to Katie.
"Yes, hobbled. You know, tied up, held back, compromised in such a fashion as to not be able to show your assets off."
What?
"I can see you'll need a little time to get used to them," Katie remarked in all seriousness. "Just know this, they're harmless and we're the ones with all the power."
"Power?" I repeated, sounding mentally challenged. It wasn't far from the truth, I think.
"Yes, power," Katie confirmed, then added, "Watch this. Kelly, darling," she called out.
"Yes, sweet?" I recognised the blonde, with the most amazing long curly hair, I'd seen in Sweet Seduction as she replied from across the room.
"Do your thing," Katie directed.
"What? This thing?" she asked in a sexy purr and then walked across the floor, swinging her hips in a perfect runway model imitation, and offering a smile at all the men scattered about the room. Then to my utter astonishment, she bent over at the waist and picked up a wee swaddled baby I hadn't noticed before - who had been chewing its fist quite happily while looking up at an activity dome above its head - revealing low slung black trousers, hot pink thong and an expanse of tanned, smooth skin.
"Kels," a man - also suit wearing - growled in the corner, shaking his head in amusement, which belied his gruff tone.
"When you get tired of the lawyer, honey," Adam drawled. "You know where I live."
"You wish," the one I guessed was Koki joked. "You'll have to get in line."
"In your dreams, Koke," salt and pepper said. "Kelly's got me on speed dial," he announced proudly.
"You have?" suit asked.
"She's got us all on speed dial," another suit wearing guy I hadn't met yet pointed out.
"Ah, but has she got us numbered in order of importance?" Adam asked, and received a chorus of hoots and whistles and barks of laughter for that. Obviously an inside joke.
"There can be only one," the first suit wearing guy proclaimed, in an imitation of Christopher Lambert in The Highlander.
"See?" Katie said happily. "Totally distracted and under our thumbs."
"Baby," a guy growled behind her, making Katie jump, her hand flutter on her chest like a dying butterfly, pink washing up her cheeks as she lifted her wide eyes to his face.
I hadn't met this guy before, but he fit the image the others had portrayed to perfection. Tall, dark - at least dark as in brooding, he was a blond - and sexy smirk on his face.
"Wanna rephrase that?" he asked.
"Jason," she breathed, and if anyone didn't know it before then, they certainly knew it now. This was Katie's man. Possession and exhilaration warred in her eyes.
His? They just held outright possession.
"Well, darling," she said to me, eyes still on her guy. "Some of them are wrapped around our fingers. And some of them actually own us."
The guy beamed, a smile so wide his eyes crinkled.
"That's my girl," he announced, leaning forward and kissing her soundly on the lips.
I felt a little like a voyeur watching, unable to take my eyes away from the scene. But soon realised I wasn't the only one. Almost all of those in the room were doing the same. And I suddenly understood why the men had been standing around in that hallway wat
ching me and Ric. The magnetism of true love, mixed in with a healthy dose of sexed up lust.
The guy, Jason, pulled back, blue eyes glinting in the lights of the room. Slowly everyone went back to what they were doing; talking, eating, laughing. As if they weren't locked in this building and held against their wills.
I felt hard arms wrap around me and Ric's breath coast over my shoulder from the back. Warmth seeped into my frame.
"I'll introduce you to everyone," he said softly, laying a kiss on my good cheek.
"Hold off, my man," Jason said, turning his attention finally away from Katie. Hers was still riveted on him.
"Yeah?" Ric asked, nuzzling his face into my hair distractedly. I'm sure he didn't realise he was doing it. My eyes lifted to Katie's, who had pulled herself together and was watching with a smirk.
"See?" she mouthed, nodding at Eric. I stifled a giggle. Then stilled, realising I'd wanted to giggle. It seemed so wrong, right now.
"Yeah," Jason agreed, pulling everyone's attention towards him. Somehow his voice just carried authority, a little like Nick's. "Pierce is here," he announced, not getting too much of a reaction from the crowd other than raised eyebrows here and there. "And he's demanding we call off the hounds."
"What?" Nick exclaimed, suddenly materialising out of nowhere and appearing at our sides.
Jason grunted, offering a single nod of his head.
"Harding's off limits," he added, making the world stop spinning and all my air to disappear.
"Off fuckin' limits?" the Māori guy, Ben, growled. "How's he figure that?"
"Fucked if I know," Jason replied. "So, I'm making him stew outside in the carpark until we all have a chat."
A series of "Good call," and "Serves him right," and "Choice one, mate," got thrown around the room.
I still couldn't breathe.
Nick's eyes moved to mine as he studied my reaction with seeming detachment.
"I think we need to have a private talk," he declared. I could feel Ric stiffen at my back, no longer draped over me, but upright. Ready for anything.
"OK," I whispered and Katie frowned.
"You behave yourself, Nick Anscombe!" she said with meaning.
"Katie!" he snapped back, but I just said, "It's OK, Katie. I've got nothing to hide."
All eyes turned towards me, but I held my ground, chin high.
"Well," Nick muttered. "Someone's hiding something and I intend to find out."
Silence for a beat, then Ric pulled me into his side, under the protection of his left arm, while his right pointed an angry finger at Nick's chest.
"Back the fuck off, Anscombe!"
Ben started laughing, drawing everyone's eye, giving me a chance to catch my breath. After a while he realised he was the centre of attention, and so shrugged.
Then said, in an exaggerated put-upon tone, "Here we fuckin' go again."
That made everyone laugh uproariously and suddenly the tension in the room was gone.
For them, maybe. But for me it was another thing entirely. And as I followed Nick and Jason out of the room, Ric still firmly attached to my side, I wondered just what the hell I had gotten myself into. Just who the hell these ASI guys actually were.
And, finally, perhaps most importantly, why the hell was Jaxon "off limits." And what would that mean for me?
Chapter 22
Are You OK?
Eric
Fuck, I wanted to hit someone. And at the moment that someone was looking like Nick.
My hands kept clenching with the need to make fists, but Amber was trembling at my side, so getting all agitated and shit just wasn't gonna to fly. I willed my temper to fuck off, then attempted to bore a hole into Nick's thick skull as we followed him to one of the interview rooms. Jason tagging along with the remote tablet computer in his hand, keeping abreast of what was happening in control. And probably, keeping an eye on Pierce.
What the fuck? Off limits? It just didn't make any fucking sense.
Jaxon Harding had been at the top of Pierce's shit list for months. Pierce was the one who put us on to him. And now he was calling us off? It just didn't make any sense.
"This doesn't make sense," I unoriginally declared as the door to the room was shut behind us and everyone took their seats.
"Not in the slightest," Nick agreed, then turned to Amber and got stuck in. "What do you know?"
"About what?" she asked, her voice only shaking slightly. Her beautiful pointed chin lifted in defiance, chocolate brown staring him down. I felt my chest expand with pride. So fucking young, and yet still full of fire.
"About why the cops would be saying your ex-boyfriend is off limits?" Nick explained and earned a few points for the inclusion of the prefix "ex."
"What does that even mean?" Amber asked, twisting her hands in her lap where only I could see.
I reached over and wrapped one of mine around the undamaged one, starting to stroke a thumb across the back to calm her down. It's all right, sweetheart. I got your back.
Her eyes flicked to mine and a small smile graced her lips. I got lost for a second so missed some of what Nick was saying, only catching the end.
"...and seeing as he put us onto him, it makes no sense he'd be calling us off."
"Put you onto him?" Amber queried, that bottom lip of hers immediately getting sucked between her teeth.
Fuck, now was not the time for my perverted brain to fixate on that. I shifted slightly in my seat, trying like fuck to concentrate on what everyone was saying. But it wasn't easy. Actually, it was getting pretty hard.
And again I lost the thread of the conversation. Fucking pervert.
"Pierce... Loose ends... Declan King... Harding."
Well, that was informative. I sucked in a breath of air and tried to blink my filthy mind clear. My eyes met the amused look in Jason's. His face said it all. Pervert!
I shrugged, but couldn't stop the smile that spread across my lips.
"Do you two mind?" Nick suddenly barked. Jason and I both jumped upright, spines stiffening, and in the case of Jason, a growl accompanying the scowl.
"Pay fucking attention," Nick demanded. Then turned to Amber. "What do you know of Harding's background?"
"Um," she murmured, sucking on that fucking lip. Both the men opposite us lowered their eyes to her mouth.
And now I was growling. Jason snorted a laugh and Nick just glared. Amber flicked concerned eyes to mine. I cleared my throat, and nodded for her to talk to Nick.
If I survived the next few minutes without thinking about spreading her out on this table to do delicious and debauched things, then I might just make it out of here alive. Nick looked ready to kill something and Jason was always trigger happy, didn't matter why.
I sat back in my chair, crossed my arms over my chest and scowled. Then realised I wasn't holding Amber's hand and she might want the support so shifted to remedy that mistake immediately.
"Fucking hell!" Nick exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "You got ants in your pants, Shaw?"
Jason looked like he was going to burst if he didn't get the laughter out soon. Amber just looked lost and confused.
Ah, fuck. I ran a hand through my hair and let a long breath of air out.
"Are you OK?" Amber asked softly, keeping her voice low, but everyone in the room heard.
"Just agitated," I managed, knowing she needed a reply and scowling at her was not on my to-do list today.
"Do you want to go get me a drink of water?" she asked, offering a sweet smile.
"OK," I said, drowning in those beautiful eyes.
"Pussy!" Jason barked, trying to mask the word in a cough, his fisted hand to his mouth. Even Nick was smiling. The bastard.
"Please," Amber prodded and I realised she wanted to talk about Harding when I was out of the room.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I did know that my chest currently hurt.
I nodded, got up from the table, offered a kiss on the top of her head, and left the r
oom. Standing outside the closed door for a second I just breathed, but I still felt like shit. Nothing replaced that ache deep inside. So I did a despicable thing. I walked next door to the viewing room and flicked the switch on the speaker so I could hear.
Yes. I'm not perfect. Yes. I'm often the one thinking perverted things.
But Amber was mine to protect. I left the room because she needed that from me. But I would not leave her.
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes as her soft, sweet, tentative voice started to come through the speaker and roll over my heated flesh. And a hole the size of fucking Australia opened up inside my chest that I was sure would tear me apart from the inside.
My fists finally clenched and I knew that arsehole would die. My target had shifted. No longer Nick, or anyone else I called friend at ASI. But the fucked-in-the-head psychopath that even now, miles away, outside of these locked walls, could make my Dancer cry.
It took several minutes for me to realise, she wasn't crying alone anymore.
Chapter 23
Yeah, Fuck
Amber
I couldn't do this with him sitting there. The emotions playing over his face were too real. If Nick growling and blustering about like a drill sergeant was upsetting Ric, then what I was about to say would send him apoplectic. I just couldn't do it him.
Jaxon was a part of my past, but he wasn't gone yet. And to get him gone I had to talk.
"Jaxon never opened up about his past. He was more interested in the present," I said, watching the two men opposite me settle in for the long haul.
I'd decided I'd start off easy, then hit the hard stuff once I'd gathered momentum and couldn't stop.
"He made sure I told him all about my past, but always as though it was the most important thing he'd ever wanted to hear. I felt... flattered. He asked a lot of questions. Even before we became close."
My voice had tapered off there, as though saying the words aloud made them more real.
I sucked in a breath and kept going. I'd started now, I had to finish.
"My degree interested him the most, though. Once he knew I could do more than just dance. He took such an interest he even went to see the Dean, to make sure my course was giving me everything I needed to stay challenged. I think he may have even had Professor Chalmers rearrange some of my course work, but I wasn't aware of it at the time. I only cottoned on to that fact when Jaxon started testing my knowledge of things I hadn't even told him I was learning.
Sweet Seduction Stripped (Sweet Seduction, Book 7) Page 17