“I can take you through it next Wednesday. The owner is in the process of clearing out his furniture as we speak.”
“That’s great.” They arranged a time, and Addison put the meeting into her work calendar from her phone, being sure to mark it private so that Renee wouldn’t be able to see it.
“What sort of business are you opening up?” Richard asked. “I have to double-check. The building owner is fairly conservative and has final say over all the tenants who move in, and I don’t want anything to trip us up.”
“It’ll be a communications and corporate culture consulting company. We’ll be helping small businesses manage their internal communications and staff development programs so they keep their best employees and attract the right candidates.”
“Ah, okay.” The click-clack of a computer keyboard sounded in the background. “I don’t expect any issues with that.”
“Perfect.”
“The owner will also need to see your financials to make sure you can cover the first few months’ rent. Do you have a statement you can send me?”
“I can get that information, but I’d prefer to look at the place before I hand any of my details over.” She might not be a security expert, but she’d learned a thing or two, especially when it came to preventing identity theft and fraud.
“Sure, that’s fine. I’ll see you next week.”
Addison ended the call and held her phone to her chest. This was really happening. Soon she’d be her own boss, a real boss. The idea of being totally independent thrilled her. Cobalt & Dane had been her whole working life to date, and while it would be hard to leave behind the company her father had started from nothing, she’d never feel like she’d be truly in charge of her own destiny until she did the same thing.
A breeze brushed along her legs, lifting the edge of her skirt. She suddenly remembered that she wasn’t wearing any panties per Logan’s order. Fisting the green fabric in one hand, she kept the dress pulled tight around her thighs. Guilt and excitement twisted in her stomach, wrapping around each other until she couldn’t tell the two feelings apart.
Logan would be shocked to learn of her plans to leave. The company was everything to him, and he probably assumed it was everything to her, too. That shock could very well turn into anger when he found out that she planned on taking two staff members with her. He held loyalty in such high regard that he’d probably take the poaching personally.
It’s not personal, it’s business.
Leaving Cobalt & Dane was about her, not him. And she wouldn’t be one of those women who feared chasing her dreams out of worry that people might not like her. If he took it as a personal attack, then that would be on him. She couldn’t be held responsible for his feelings.
“What are you doing out here?” Logan’s voice cut through the rush of traffic and people.
He walked toward her with Owen, the two men looking handsome as ever in their work outfits. They were quite the duo. Owen the ladies’ man and Logan the heartbreaker.
No, he did not break your heart. He taught you a valuable lesson: that you shouldn’t want relationships with men who have hero complexes.
“The office was getting a little stuffy,” she replied, painting on a false smile. “I wanted some air.”
“Good timing. We were coming back to collect you.” Logan stopped in front of her, his closeness sending a thrill through her veins. “We’re going to check out your apartment.”
“Oh, goodie.” Addison rolled her eyes.
“Don’t argue.” He leaned in closer. “Remember, you’re mine for the next three days.”
“How could I forget?” She tried to say it sarcastically but her body wasn’t playing along. A warm flush spread up through her cheeks and she shifted on the spot.
“You’re holding that dress pretty tight.” He said with a glint in his eye. “Windy day?”
Part of her wanted to be annoyed at him for taking advantage of his win. But if she’d come out victorious, she’d be using it against him all she could. They were two peas in a pod like that—competitive, fiercely so.
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Owen raised a brow, barely stifling his smirk as he pretended not to notice the tension. It surprised her that Logan would flirt with her in front of Owen, but perhaps he was sending a message. Making sure his subordinate knew to keep his distance.
Ugh. She was no one’s property.
“Owen, are you helping us out?” she asked, sending him a dazzling smile.
“You got it. We’ll make sure your place is safe and sound.” He raked a hand through his sandy hair.
“Excellent. I feel safer already.”
She turned and walked back toward the building and Logan quickly caught up with her. “So you don’t have a problem with Owen looking out for you, but when I do it I’m a monster?”
“More like a thorn in my side.” Another breeze whooshed past and Addison kept her hands down by her sides, ready to hold her dress in place.
“What’s the difference?”
“Owen would back off if I asked him to.” She walked through the main doors to the Cobalt & Dane building. “You, on the other hand, are relentless and pushy.”
“I happen to consider those two of my best qualities.”
“And I’m sure one day you’ll find a woman who appreciates an overbearing protector. But until that time, I’d appreciate some say in what goes on in my life.”
* * *
THE WORDS HIT Logan square in the chest. Addison expected him to move on from her, to pursue other women as he’d done before. She assumed she wasn’t the right woman for him. Or perhaps she thought they were incompatible on some basal level. And why should she think any differently? He’d said as much to her a few days ago and he’d given no indication that he’d changed his mind. But now, as he felt her slipping through his fingers, it made him want to hold on tighter...which was the very thing she was rallying against.
The thought bounced around in his head like a Ping-Pong ball. Of course he didn’t want to lose her. She’d been part of his life since the moment she’d welcomed him into her home when his own family had abandoned him. She’d slipped her small teenage girl hand into his and dragged him through her front door. She’d squeezed an extra portion out of their meal for two and had given up her roast potatoes when he’d cleared his plate in record time. From day one, she’d made sure he knew he belonged.
But she was finally sick of his bullshit.
“I’ll back off after my three days are up,” he mumbled, raking a hand through his hair. “But right now, we need to check your apartment out.”
“I know. And don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to change,” she said. “I’m smart enough to realize you won’t.”
Owen caught up to them at the elevators and said something funny to Addison. The tinkling sound of her laugh was rattling around in Logan’s head. He’d invited Owen along because he was trying to prove a point—that he wasn’t threatened. That her safety came first.
But now he regretted that decision. They’d have to search through Addison’s things to make sure that no one had managed to break in and bug her place. It felt wrong to have Owen do that, but if Logan changed his mind he’d have to face more questions—from both of them—that he wasn’t ready to answer.
“I’m going to grab my things and I’ll meet you out front in a few minutes, okay?” Addison didn’t wait for a response and Logan watched the swish of her green dress as she walked away. Knowing there was nothing beneath the silk fabric was driving him insane.
“Is everything okay between you two?” Owen asked as they waited in the Cobalt & Dane reception area.
“Sure, why?”
Owen shrugged. “Sometimes I can’t figure out if you want to kill each other or tear each other’s clothes off.”
“There’s something more to this security issue, isn’t there?”
Logan glanced around the space, making sure there were no prying eyes or sneaky ears in the immediate vicinity. “Yeah, there is. We didn’t want to worry the team, but we have reason to believe that Addison has a stalker, and he’s tampered with her apartment.”
“Shit.” Owen shook his head. “I’m happy to help out in any way I can.”
“Good. The first thing you can do is keep that information to yourself.”
“Done.”
By the time they made it to Addison’s apartment, she was jumpy as all hell. He tried to ease her nerves by joking around, but she was having none of it. The three of them rode the elevator up to her apartment in awkward silence. A crease had formed between her brows as she stared at the numbers climbing up on the small screen. No wonder Owen couldn’t work out whether they wanted to kill each other or tear each other’s clothes off—they had this crazy push and pull of attraction that made even Logan’s head spin.
What was he supposed to do? This was a very real threat to her safety. Perhaps it was unwise to withhold the information about the second email from her. But he’d tell her about it once Rhys had more information. She was stressed enough as it was, and telling her that they’d found a hacker’s pseudonym wouldn’t put her mind at ease.
The elevator dinged and they filed out into the hallway. When Addison stopped at her front door, keys in hand, Logan spotted something on the floor.
“Wait,” he said as he bent down to scoop it up. A white envelope had been partially slipped under the door. No name or any other identifying information was on the paper.
“Don’t say you’re going to start opening my mail, too?” Addison held her hand out.
“Of course not, but open it slowly. We don’t know what’s inside.” He felt over the envelope before giving it up. There didn’t appear to be anything inside except for paper.
She slipped her thumb under the seal and opened it. Blood rushed in Logan’s ears as she pulled a single sheet of paper out. It could be anything—a notice from building management, a request from a neighbor. But his gut told him it was something far more sinister than that.
He resisted the urge to take the paper from her as her face paled. “What does it say?”
“An eye for an eye.” Her voice was small, shaky. “It says that Dad took something from them and now they’re going to take something from me.”
“They?”
“There’s no name or signature.” She drew a breath and turned the note around so they could read it. Basic white paper, Times New Roman font. Nothing that could possibly tell them a goddamn thing about the sender.
“We’ll figure this out,” Owen said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got the best security company in the world at your disposal.”
“That’s very reassuring.” She tried to smile but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Come on, let’s do the inspection.” Logan nodded toward the door. “I’ll talk to building management when we’re done and check out the camera footage again.”
Addison unlocked her front door and they entered her apartment. Sunlight streamed in from the windows that ran the length of the main room, the light bouncing off her pristine white furniture. It was hard to believe anything sinister would happen in a space that looked more like a magazine spread than a home.
“Owen, you examine the front door and see if the lock has been tampered with, while Addison and I start from the back rooms. We’ll meet in the middle.”
“Sure thing.” Owen got to work and Logan motioned for Addison to follow him.
“What are we looking for?” Her hands knotted in front of her.
“Any signs of tampering with the locks on your doors or windows. It’s unlikely anyone would be able to get in via the balcony, since we’re quite high up. But I’ve seen stranger things. Then we’ll check for monitoring or surveillance devices.” He paused outside her bedroom door. “Rhys also gave me a program to install on your laptop which will run a scan for any viruses and give him access to monitor your device until we figure out what’s going on.”
“What do you mean he’s going to monitor my personal computer?” Her eyes narrowed. “Didn’t either of you think to consult me on this?”
“If this person tried to contact you through your work email—where there’s likely to be some high-grade security—it stands to reason he might have tried your personal computer, too. We’ve talked about this.”
“But I haven’t received any strange emails on my personal computer.”
“It’s no big deal, Addi. We won’t be reading your diary or anything.”
She gritted her teeth. “You don’t get it. How can you agree to these things on my behalf without consulting me first?”
“Because I’m doing my job, like I would with any other client.”
“I am not your client.” Her dark eyes flashed.
“The only reason you would be so pissed about this—especially after the note left on your doorstep—was if you were worried about us finding something on your computer.” He leaned against the door frame at the entrance of her bedroom, the uneasy feeling returning. Addison treasured her independence, sure, but she also understood what evil they faced in the world. There was only one reason she’d be getting this upset about a routine computer scan. “What are you hiding?”
“Nothing.” Her face was pale, drawn. “Is it so inconceivable that I want my private life kept private?”
In Logan’s experience, the people who were overly concerned with privacy were the ones who had skeletons in their closets. “It’s not inconceivable, but your privacy is the lesser concern right now.”
“Fine. I’ll fire the laptop up while you do whatever—” she waved her hand in the air “—you need to do. Then we can go to the store and buy a baby monitor so you can keep an eye on me overnight.”
He sighed as she walked off, her heels loud in the quiet apartment. Something was up with Addison; the certainty of it dug deep in his gut. She’d always battled with her overprotective father for her independence—and then against him more recently. But this time there was a real and ongoing threat to her safety. And yet she refused to accept it, which combined with what she’d said at the cottage made him suspicious. She might not like the way he went about things, but he would get to the bottom of this mystery—both who was after her and what she was hiding.
11
ADDISON’S HEART AND head pounded in unison. If Rhys got access to her computer, all the documents she’d been working on—business plans, budget spreadsheets and research—would be at his fingertips. And if she knew anything for certain, it was that Rhys’s loyalty lay with Logan.
She couldn’t have either of them finding out her plans until she was ready to put them into action. Until everything was set up so they couldn’t talk her out of it.
Addison found her laptop sitting on the pristine white coffee table. She dropped down onto the couch in preparation for damage control. The best she could do was hide the files and hope that they would simply monitor the computer rather than snoop around on it.
She made her planning folder invisible and dragged all the relevant emails from her inbox into a folder called “Online Shopping.” No man would venture there, surely. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do.
A few moments later, Logan reappeared. “Hey, is the laptop all booted up?”
“Yeah. It’s all yours.” She pushed it toward him and leaned back into the couch. “Will it take long?”
“No, it should only take a few minutes. Why? You got somewhere else to be?” He said it in a way that diverted her attention from all the security drama and funneled it into the dirt
y section of her imagination.
Why did he have to be so goddamn addictive? She couldn’t seem to go an hour without thinking about how much she wanted him. Even with all his annoying habits.
“Maybe,” she said cryptically.
“Have you forgotten our deal?” He’d plugged a USB into her laptop and was installing Rhys’s program as though they weren’t talking about a sex game within earshot of their employee.
“No, I have not.”
“So you’re reneging” He didn’t look up.
“I don’t renege”
“Good. Because we’ve got plans tonight.”
She rolled her eyes. “Want to clue me in on what they might be?”
“We’re going to find out what ‘an eye for an eye’ means.”
“I know what it means.”
“Not in this context. Unless you’re keeping something from me?” He glanced up from the laptop. “Are you?”
“Of course not,” she huffed. “Besides, you know everything about my life so I doubt something that big would have slipped past your eagle eyes.”
“We’ll talk about my eagle eyes later,” Logan said under his breath as Owen approached them.
“I’ve checked out the door. There doesn’t appear to be any tampering of the locks.” Owen paused, his brow furrowed. “One of the neighbors came past. I talked to him but he hasn’t seen anything unusual of late. He didn’t know anything about a letter being dropped off, said most mail goes straight into the boxes downstairs.”
“That’s right.” Addison nodded. “Which means this creep has been snooping around again.”
“I called building management and asked them to keep an eye out for anyone trying to sneak past.” Logan rubbed at the back of his neck. “There’s someone at the concierge desk twenty-four/seven, right?”
“Yeah. If a strange man came past, the concierge should have stopped him.” She drummed her fingers on her leg. “All guests are supposed to sign in but he did manage to slip past last time, so it could have happened again.”
“Are there any people who don’t have to sign in?”
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