They had first met months earlier when she and her family had moved to the neighborhood. Cameron lived five houses down. One morning when she had been outside raking the leaves, he was riding his bike and had stopped in front of their house. She smiled remembering how he had asked if she needed help with the leaves. Since that day, he’d been her hero.
“This is all the more reason why I can’t search for your sister.” Wiz’s words cut into her thoughts. “You haven’t had nightmares in years. Now that you want to find her, they’re starting again.”
Over the last couple of months, she’d had dreams about Keisha though they hadn’t been all bad. Today’s dream, though, she figured was sparked by her conversation with Raeanna.
Raeanna. Olivia straightened and glanced around.
“If you’re looking for Raeanna, she left about an hour ago.”
How long have I been out? It seemed like she had just closed her eyes.
She climbed off Wiz’s lap and sat on the sofa next to him, her thoughts on the conversation with Raeanna. Hopefully she could trust the young woman, but if Wiz happened to find out what she had planned, so be it. This wouldn’t be the first time they didn’t agree on a subject regarding her sister. However, she really didn’t want to argue with him.
“What are you thinking about?” He turned slightly, his arm behind her on the back of the sofa and his fingers sifting through her shoulder-length hair. She leaned into him.
“I know you don’t think searching for Keisha is a good idea, but shouldn’t it be my decision? She’s my sister. I don’t know if she’s dead or alive.”
“What if she’s dead? Do you think you’d be able to handle that?”
“She’s not.”
Wiz fingers halted and his body tensed against hers. “How do you know?” he asked quietly, still not moving. Olivia, baffled by his reaction, leaned back and glanced at him. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but his facial expression was unreadable. Rarely did his eyes give anything away, except for when he was turned on or angry. Right now, his expression was blank.
“I would know if she were dead. I would feel it here.” She pointed to her heart. “If there’s a chance for me to see her again and find out how she’s doing, I want that chance. I know the risks, and I’m willing to take them.”
“Well, I’m not!” He stood suddenly. Rubbing the back of his head, he paced near the sofa. “I’m not willing to take any risk when it comes to your life, especially where she’s concerned!”
Olivia’s heart went out to him. He always worried about her and if she were honest with herself, she should be worried, too. For years, Olivia had tried to be there for her sister, helping her when needed and trying to encourage her to change her ways, but it never seemed to be enough. To this day, she still felt guilty about not being able to protect her sister from falling in with the wrong crowd.
“Cameron,” she started but stopped when she saw him shaking his head. He must have seen the pleading in her eyes. Granted, Raeanna had said she would try to help, but Olivia knew that Wiz definitely could.
“I can’t do it, sweetheart.” The unmistakable sound of regret in his voice made her feel bad for even asking him again. He walked back over to the sofa and sat next to her, keeping a small amount of distance between them. “I love you more … more than I can ever express. You mean everything to me. I never, ever, want to deny you anything, but this … this I can’t do. I can’t allow Keisha back into our lives. Too much has happened. We lost our baby because …” His voice hitched and she reached for his hand and squeezed. “I know you fault the doctors or hospital for not doing more to save our child, but I blame your sister. And the last time she was in our life, you almost died. I can’t go through that again.”
She knew he had taken the loss of their unborn child as hard as she had. She hadn’t found out that she was pregnant until a few days after he and his team had gone on one of their secret missions. Wiz missed out on the first three months of doctor visits, ultrasound pictures, and he didn’t get a chance to feel their baby move inside her womb.
Olivia eased closer to him and squeezed his hand tighter, feeling his pain. From the moment they got married, they’d been trying to have a baby. After a year, she assumed she couldn’t get pregnant. They went on with their lives, her attending college, and pursuing a painting career.
After seven years of marriage, they had entertained the thought of adopting, but then out of nowhere, they were pregnant. Olivia still remembered how excited Wiz had been when she told him over the telephone. Everyone within a mile radius probably heard his excitement.
Their lives changed drastically after losing the baby. The pain was so great she shut down, pushing Wiz away in the process. At the time, she could only think of herself and all that she had lost over the years, not thinking that he was suffering as well. He poured himself into his career, staying away for months at a time and barely calling. It was his way of coping.
So she asked for a divorce, which was the hardest decision she ever made. Between losing their child and fearing for his life each time he went on a mission, she couldn’t handle it. He hadn’t wanted the divorce, but he didn’t fight it. He had told her that she was the only woman for him and that he loved her more than life, but if she wanted a divorce, he would let her go.
“I’m sorry,” she said to him now. “I don’t want anything, especially my sister to come between us.”
“I’m sorry, too. I hate not being able to do this for you, but …”
Seems they both had been saying sorry a lot.
“I know. I know you would if you could.”
He lifted her chin with the tip of his finger and lowered his head. His kiss, soft and sweet, almost brought tears to her eyes. She loved everything about this man from his brilliant mind to his unselfish nature. Add the fact that he was built like a sexy linebacker, loved her completely, and treated her like a precious jewel, and she couldn’t imagine her world without him. Yet, with all of that, the desire to seek out her sister didn’t diminish.
Olivia and Wiz had always promised to be honest with each other, but this was one of those times when she had to do what she needed to do. She had to find Keisha. She would just make sure Wiz never found out.
*
“Is your team able to do an audit on Terry’s security system between now and next Thursday?” Malik asked when he followed Wiz into his office. “I kind of promised him that we would get someone right on it.”
Wiz dropped down in his desk chair and pulled up his calendar. For the past week, they had been busier than usual considering it was closing in on the end of the year.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. But you might want to stop promising stuff until after you check with us. Remember, we’re in the middle of upgrading the agency’s firewall and revamping the disaster recovery plan.”
Malik sat at the round table, a smirk on his face. “So what you’re saying is your team can’t keep up with the demands.”
“What I’m saying is, get the hell out of my office so I can get some work done and go home.”
Malik laughed and didn’t move.
Most of the day had been full of meetings and at five in the evening, Wiz should be heading out, but instead he had more work to do before leaving.
“Speaking of home, how’s Olivia doing?”
“She’s actually doing well. Tonight will be her first day back to class since the bombing.”
Just saying the word sent a cold chill down Wiz’s spine. It took everything he had not to offer to drive her or put a detail on her, but he knew she wouldn’t go for it.
“What about the other situation? Has she mentioned her sister again?”
“Surprisingly, no. But I haven’t really given her an opportunity to. This past week, I’ve been swamped. When I leave here, I hang out with her for a minute, and then spend the rest of the time in my office.”
“So you’ve been avoiding her in order to keep the conversation from c
oming up again.”
Damn right. He had already been on edge when Olivia first mentioned her sister. Then he freaked when he saw someone on the jewelry store’s video feed who looked just like Olivia and Keisha. So yeah, he’d been avoiding Olivia. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss Keisha Abernathy.
He had asked Gary about the woman, but he said he didn’t know her. When he didn’t say anything about how the woman favored Olivia, Wiz wondered if he were the only one who saw the resemblance. Malik thought he was crazy, saying it couldn’t be Keisha. Wiz had also made a special trip to the store to see if Clayton knew the woman. He claimed he didn’t and said that the woman wanted to sell some jewelry, and she got mad when he told her she needed go to a pawn shop.
“I guess I’m right.” Malik’s words interrupted Wiz’s thoughts. “Your punk ass is scared of little ol’ Olivia.”
“Don’t you have something else to do?” Wiz logged into his computer.
Malik laughed. “Actually, I should probably get ready to head out.” He stood and someone knocked on the door just as he reached it.
“Hey, Malik,” Raeanna said, “Hank was just looking for you. He told me that if I saw you, to tell you that he took care of what you two were talking about earlier.”
“Good to know. Thanks.”
“Oh and, Wiz, we’re all set with Shaw Industries. The meeting is Thursday and I put it on your calendar.”
“That’s good, Raeanna. Thanks for taking care of that.”
“No problem. You guys have a good night.”
“You too.”
“Oh and one more thing,” Malik said to Wiz and closed the door. “Regarding the …” His cell phone rang. “Damn. Give me a second, its Stan.”
Wiz wiped his hands down his face and sighed as exhaustion settled in. The restless nights were starting to catch up to him and the anxiety swirling in his gut wasn’t helping. Maybe a trip to the gun range was in order. At least there he could take out his frustrations without anyone getting hurt.
Malik shoved his phone into his pocket. “I’ll be right back. I need to check on something.”
“All right.”
Malik once again had his hand on the doorknob just as someone knocked.
“Hey, Ollie? I was just asking about you.”
Wiz glanced at his watch, surprised she was there since she had to teach a class in a couple of hours. He stood and started around his desk, unable to see her since Malik blocked the doorway.
“Hello, Malik.”
Wiz froze.
Malik stepped back.
They noticed at the same time that something wasn’t right. Olivia never let him get away with calling her Ollie.
Unease crept through Wiz, twisting and tugging inside his gut. He didn’t have to see the woman’s face to know who the low, throaty voice with a twinge of attitude belonged to.
Midnight.
Chapter Eight
Olivia armed the house alarm and climbed into her car, debating on what she would say to Cameron. They had their share of disagreements, but she thought that once she stopped asking him to search for Keisha, their life would go back to normal. Apparently not. He’d been treating her with kid gloves since the accident, claiming she was still recuperating. They weren’t arguing, but she didn’t like living in a house with so much … silence.
She reached above the rearview mirror and pushed the button on the garage door opener before sticking the key into the ignition. Instead of starting the car, she rubbed her hands down the steering wheel of her new Ford Mustang GT, an early birthday present from Cameron.
She was trying not to take his silence personal, since it probably bothered him to have to say no to her. He was the toughest man she had ever met. Rarely did anything shake him. Occasionally he would get quiet on her when he was working a case out in his head, but his behavior lately made her think that something else was going on.
Her cell phone chirped and she dug it out of her bag hoping it was Wiz. Seeing Natasha’s number, she answered.
“Hello.”
“Hey. Where you been?” Natasha’s voice boomed. “I called you yesterday.”
“Tasha, I am so sorry. I totally forgot to call you back.”
“No problem. I was just calling because I forgot to ask you how it went when you asked Wiz to search for your sister.”
“He went ballistic.”
“Wiz?” The surprise in her voice was expected. Wiz was the epitome of cool, calm, and in control. “I find that hard to believe. Are you sure you’re not exaggerating?”
“Dead serious. Tasha, I have never seen him like that and trust me, I have seen him at his worst, especially after some of his missions overseas, but he was livid. I brought it up once more since then, but he made it clear that it wasn’t going to happen. That’s why I’m on my way to the agency right now. I can’t stand the silence in the house. I want my man back.”
Natasha chuckled softly. “Okay, girl. Go get your man.”
Olivia smiled for the first time in days. She had originally planned to drop dinner off, but maybe, if he wasn’t too busy, they could make up properly. She had to teach a fine arts class that night at the university, but she could make time for a little office fun.
*
“Midnight,” Malik seethed, his large body still blocking the doorway.
“My name is Keisha!” She squeezed around him and stopped short when her gaze collided with Wiz’s.
A heavy silence filled the space. So many questions skittered inside Wiz’s brain as he stared at Olivia’s twin, but the shock of seeing her strangled his vocal cords.
“Hello Cameron.”
His blood ran cold. Seconds ticked by before he put one foot in front of the other and approached her. With a slow stroll around her, he took in her appearance from her bone straight, shoulder-length hair, to the loose fitting Bohemian pants that were so much like what Olivia would wear. She had gone to great lengths to look like her sister, dropping her seductive, almost ho-like style for a classy, chic appearance … like Olivia.
She fidgeted under his scrutiny.
His gaze moved back to her face. There was one noticeable difference. Her eyes. Cold. Challenging. Calculating. Their eyes. That’s how he’d always been able to tell them apart.
When he remained speechless, she asked, “Can we talk?”
“Hell-the-fuck nah you can’t talk to him!” Malik growled, standing in front of her again. “As a matter of fact, I’m wondering how the hell you got into my building!”
That was the one thing Wiz wasn’t wondering. She was Olivia’s identical twin. No doubt the receptionist thought she was his wife and let her in. With the new security system, that was the only way she could have gotten to the back offices.
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Cameron!”
Keisha’s voice shook Wiz out of his trance. He still couldn’t get his words to work and gave a slight nod to Malik who stepped aside. Instead of leaving, Malik closed the door and leaned against it. They had an understanding. They never met with a woman behind closed doors if at all possible. And considering Wiz’s history with this woman, there was no way Malik would leave.
Keisha turned back to Malik. “Do you mind? This is private.”
“He stays.” Wiz walked around to the other side of his desk, putting as much space between them as possible.
Her gaze raked over him with the hunger of a tiger sizing up its prey. Rarely did much rattle him, but the way her eyes took him in, he wanted to reach for his spare weapon, snug against his ankle and shoot her between the eyes. That’s how much he despised her. Outside of some of the terrorists he and his SEAL team came face-to-face with, he had never hated anyone as much as he did Keisha Abernathy.
“You’re looking good, Cameron.” She licked her ruby red lips. Her deep, seductive voice felt like a knife slicing through his body.
“Get out.” His words were spoken low, but had a lethal edge to them. Anybody else would have felt th
e anger behind each syllable and hightailed it out of there. Not Keisha. “I … said … get the hell out of my office!”
She jerked as if slapped across her cheek.
Malik opened the office door. “You heard the man.”
Her panic-stricken eyes pleaded with Wiz. “What? No. Wait! I need your help. Please, just hear me out.”
Malik’s humorless laugh bounced off the walls. “Damn, girl, you have some big cojones. I can’t believe your ass was bold enough to ever show your face in Chicago again, but to ask for his help? Your brain must be fried from that shit you’re probably still snorting.”
“Again, I’m not talking to you,” she growled at Malik. “I’m talking to—”
“It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to. You are out of your mind if you think you can ask me for anything.” Wiz’s voice was steady, despite the cluster of emotions roaring inside of him and the barely controlled anger seeping through his pores. “I spared your life once. That was it. As a matter of fact, you’ve gone back on our agreement.” He reached for the phone on his desk with the intentions of calling his detective friend, Sheldon Baker. Wiz knew he should have turned her in years ago and he had a feeling he would regret the decision not to for the rest of his life.
“Please, Cameron. I’ve changed. Just give me a chance to explain why I’m here.”
He set the phone down and sat in his chair, not trusting his legs to continue holding him up. Seeing her standing in the middle of his office sickened him, but curiosity was getting the best of him. The phrase keep your friends close and your enemies closer immediately came to mind.
“Cameron, I swear I’ve changed.” She crept closer, her eyes pleading when his gaze met hers. He wasn’t sure what she saw in his eyes, but she had sense enough to stop before she reached his desk.
His mind took him back to the time when she had tried seducing him. Had come into his home, into his bedroom, butt naked, pretending to be Olivia.
He shook his head, trying to clear the thought but failing. He had realized who she was the moment she stepped closer to him. Her eyes, her scent, and then the small mole on her collarbone gave her away. If that weren’t enough, the moment she spoke his name, he put distance between them. And of course Olivia had picked that moment to walk in.
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