by Nana Malone
“Mr. Arlington, would you like me to take notes for your meeting?”
I scowled at her. Zia was still standing there as if she was waiting for some kind of introduction. So Kyle could stare at her some more? Not going to happen sweetheart.
“No. This meeting is private.”
I expected a snappy come back or something to indicate how she planned to make me pay for it later. But instead, she rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her.
Kyle whistled low. "Jesus. She’s…Wow."
I growled at him. "Yeah, that's her."
He held up his hands as if in peace, but then added, "Just so you know, she can cuff me anytime."
I glowered at him and angled my head toward my balcony. Since my secret was already out, I wanted to take all the precautions possible. With the sounds of the city below us, it would be more difficult to listen in on our conversation.
Kyle followed me, shaking his head as he walked. "If I didn't know better, man… You are him."
I knew what he meant. I forced my scowl to loosen. "Don't get caught up in it. None of this shit is real."
“I know, but it’s like that movie Sliding Doors. This is what you would have looked like if I hadn’t fucked up your life.”
I clenched my jaw. My choices to follow him had been my own. We were a package deal. I’d never regretted walking away.
Are you sure about that?
“I have the life I’m supposed to have.” I quickly changed the subject. I didn’t expect Zia to be content staying in her office for long. “Did you get my text earlier? I’m clearly missing something between Derrick and the old man."
Kyle nodded. “I’m still looking. But it’s not a secret there’s no love lost. The rumor mill says that the elder thought he’d be able to control his son." He lifted a hand in my direction. “Clearly that plan went tits-up. You think he’s behind the kidnap attempt?”
I rubbed my jaw. "It’s possible, but it didn’t feel that way. It felt like he hated me. Me as in Derrick. Not like he knew I was an imposter. But I’m not sure. Keep digging. Something is up with this merger with Inline. He’s angrier than a grizzly that I’m asking questions.”
“I will. But listen, anytime you think it’s getting too hot, we gotta bail, okay?” He glanced around. “This isn’t one of those noble times and causes things. These people don’t need you to save them. They don’t need any version of you. For once, if shit goes bad, think of yourself. Your mom will be okay. We will be okay.”
I hated that he knew me so well. “I’m fine. It’s under control for the time being.”
He sighed. “And you’re not going to listen to me. Fine. But watch your back. In the meantime, have you heard from your benefactor?”
I shook my head. “Radio silence, and it’s got me worried.”
Kyle jammed his hands in his pockets and glanced out over the cityscape. “It’s not too late to back out. We could be gone tomorrow.”
He’s right. You could be.
“Nope, I’m going to find out who put a gun to my back first.”
He sighed then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. In that case, get another ally. We’re in the abyss here, and it’s only going to get more dangerous. I think the safest bet is Brian Cohen. He seems to hate Derrick’s father almost as much as Derrick does.”
Brian had been more than forthcoming and seemed to be in Derrick’s corner. But it was too risky. Someone out there already knew our secret and had been ready to kidnap me for it. “No, let’s keep it between us for the time being. Just see what you can find on your own.”
My best friend gave me the same smile that he'd been giving me since we were kids. Full of hope. His sidekick smile, he called it. "Okay, then you need to perfect your act. Until we have more information, or I talk you into leaving, you just have to be him. You can't afford to fuck up. You need to be him. Including how you act with her. You’re not Theo, you’re Derrick. How would Derrick treat her?"
“I’m working on it.” He was totally right. I had to respond to her how Derrick would. Not how I wanted to.
“Well, work harder. If you want to stay, you better be going for that Oscar.”
When Kyle left, Zia popped in. "Who is that guy again?"
I watched her warily. "That's Kyle Winters. I'm having him do an audit of the company we’re acquiring." The lie rolled smoothly off my tongue.
"Wait, if you're already acquiring it, shouldn't you have already done your research?"
"Yeah, we should have. But lately, I've gotten the feeling people are sloppy. So, Kyle is just going to double check their work."
She narrowed her gaze at me. "Is there something you’re not telling me?"
A smile tugged at my lips. “A lot actually.”
She rolled her eyes. "Listen, if you want this to be discreet, I really do need to be in these meetings. What if he was behind your kidnapping?"
I almost laughed. "He would never."
"Yeah, so says you. But people do anything for power and money. Anything. Everyone is a suspect."
I lifted a brow. "Are you always this intense?"
"Oh, you know just when I’m trying to save your life."
“One time you saved my life. One. And I’m getting the impression you’re not going to let me forget it.”
“Nope. Especially if you keep fighting the arrangement. There is no Kyle Winters on the employee roster. If you’re hiring outside consultants, we’ll need to vet them.”
I met her gaze. Beautiful or not, she was going to be a giant pain in the ass. But Christ, I liked her spark. “I’ll give you the contract file I have for him.” We’d backstopped his ID. I just prayed it would hold.
“See, this is what team work looks like,” she said as she sashayed out.
When she was gone, I scrubbed a hand over my face. Kyle’s ID had better hold.
Or she’s going to find out who you really are.
Eight
Zia…
As it turned out, pretending to be a shitty assistant wasn’t that hard.
In the end, I just had to remember my sister in every temp job she’d ever had and just do that. I was supposed to stay as close to Derrick as possible while not actually letting daily drudgery of the work interfere. It was one hell of a balance.
It was easy enough to suck at this job. And in hindsight I could see why Deedee had been so frustrated.
I wasn't exactly the go get coffee girl. I was the hack into someone's bank account and see where the infusions of cash came from girl. I was self-taught when it came to hacking and coding and software programming. It was what had made me so useful to the military.
I was good in the field too but give me a computer any day. I had never really learned the benefits of fetching someone coffee or filing things. I always assumed there was a program for that.
And usually, there was.
Derrick's permanent assistant, Olivia, was a nightmare. She hadn’t gotten the Zia isn’t here to work for you memo. She kept routing all phone calls to me and asking me to file things, which would have been fine if their filing system made any sense. Or rather, her filing system. But I went in there and nothing made sense. At all. Nothing was organized by date or client. She had her own way of doing things, which meant it was a nearly impossible task for me to sift through. Luckily, I’d written a program and uploaded it to the servers that would let me take a look at the more sensitive files. If she was going to pretend I worked for her, I might as well take advantage.
A call came in from a woman named Miranda who wanted to speak to Derrick. The moment she said her name, I recognized it from his never-put-through list. There was a list with four women’s names on them. “Who was that? Did you mess with Derrick’s calendar?”
I blinked up at Olivia, trying for an innocent doe-eyed look.
Good luck with that.
“Of course not. Some woman wanted to talk to him, but she was being vague. Miranda something or other.” I played dumb.
&nbs
p; She had her laptop in her arms, and she gave an exaggerated eye roll. “That woman will never give up. I don’t know how many times she calls a week. I’m going to Derrick’s next meeting with him. You’re on phone duty.”
I made a mental note to look into Miranda and gave Olivia a bright smile as I stood and reached for my laptop. “Are you sure? I feel like I can do it. Derrick really wants me as his right hand.“ I added extra syrupy sweetness to Derrick’s name.
She abruptly stepped into my space. “I am his right hand. You think because you’re in his bed that he’ll keep you? What the hell do you think happened to Miranda?” She tried that slight lean thing into my personal space trying to intimidate me. Little did she know I’d learned from my aunt long ago that you never backed down from a bully.
I stood my ground and didn’t budge. Her motion only put her off kilter, throwing her off balance and forcing her to teeter then fall on her ass.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
“For the love of God. What does he even see in you?” she muttered as she pushed to her feet.
Derrick yanked the door open then. His voice was like a cold winter wind. “What the hell is going on here?” His voice was tense, cold. Had something happened? Where was the guy from this morning? The one who had rolled me over, slammed his lips over mine, and made my toes fucking curl from one slide of his tongue? Where was that guy?
That guy is a mirage. Focus on your job.
This guy was a brooding pain in the ass who was on his way to my shit list.
Olivia dusted herself off. “Nothing, I was just getting ready to accompany you to the meeting.”
He glowered down at her. “Not necessary. I’ll take Miss Barnes.”
Olivia gawked at him.
He didn’t slow down, leaving me to run after him and Olivia to stare at my retreating back. When I caught up to him at the elevator, I frowned. "I’m supposed to go ahead of you, remember? Ward off any danger," I ground through my teeth. “That’s how this whole thing works."
The elevator dinged and we both stepped in.
His gaze narrowed, as it raked over me from head to toe. I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I flushed hot under the prolonged gaze. “You should probably keep up then.”
It was an effort not to roll my eyes right out of my head. Instead, I muttered under my breath. "Jackass."
From behind me in the elevator, his chuckle was low. “What was that, Miss Barnes?”
“I said, as you wish, Mr. Arlington.”
The humor in his low tone was like silk fluttering over my skin. “I could get used to how you say that.”
And there went my panties. Get your shit together, Zia. What the hell was wrong with me and my lady parts?
In hand, my phone buzzed. Annoyed and grateful to be dragged out of my Arlington fantasies, I glanced down.
Jax: I'm downstairs. All you have to do is walk by me and I'll be on him.
“Are you coming to the meeting?” Derrick’s voice was low.
I shook my head. “No. Jax is going with you. I’ll be checking in with the team on any leads we might have.”
“What am I supposed to say about Jax?”
I smiled at him over my shoulder. “Nothing. The guy is basically a ghost. He’ll be there, but you’ll never see him. I’m meant to be conspicuous and benign for those times everyone thinks you have your guard down. He and Trace are more in your face, but you’ll never see them unless you need them.”
I replied to Jax.
Me: Thanks. He's supposed to be headed straight to the restaurant then to the Penthouse, but on the schedule, I see there's a new meeting that popped up, so you'll have to follow him. You might want backup.
Jax: Already on it. Trace is backup in case he makes another stop.
Me: Great. Thanks.
Jax: Anything suspicious?
Me: No, everything is as normal as can be.
Liar. Okay maybe, but I couldn’t tell Jax that the thing out of the ordinary was how good the billionaire looked in his suit and how it was unfair to my lady parts.
Jax: Great. See you in a few.
“Do you need back up?”
The elevator stopped and I turned to face him. His usual stormy gray eyes had a warmth to them like the sky before a summer rain. Was he worried about me? “No. I’m just going into to Royal Elite. But it’s sweet of you to worry.”
I would have sworn his lips twitched and he was fighting a smile. Why was he being nice to me?
“I have to say, I like this look better on you than flannel,” he added with a hint of a smirk.
Before I could snap back with a response, be brushed past me and climbed into the waiting car.
Zia…
I walked swiftly into Royal Elite after parking my car. Derrick had had someone bring it over last night since he knew I’d be needing it occasionally. Ahh, that billionaire service.
The sun glinting on the glass and the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore made me feel like I was back home. Gave me some grounding.
I knew I only had a limited amount of time as there was another client assignment happening this evening period. When I walked in, the women on my team were already waiting.
Tamsin gave me a wide grin. "Ah, there she is! The woman who is shacking up with a billionaire and basically living my best life."
Jameson, who normally didn't say much, chortled
I rolled my eyes. "You guys know I'm on assignment, right? And he's kind of annoying?"
Ariel strolled out from the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. This one said, Good morning, I see the assassins have failed. I knew it was a gift from Princess Jessa. She had the best mug collection I'd ever seen.
"Oh, give her a rest. I mean billionaires can be so difficult what with their spa bathrooms, private chefs on staff."
I lifted a brow at my boss and crossed my arms. "Et tu, Ariel?"
She chuckled. "Okay sorry. I’ve got to tell you, even I'm jealous of your assignment."
"Yeah well, don't be. He's a pain in the ass."
She did nod as she took her seat. "Yeah, Sebastian already warned me. You surviving?"
"You mean how close am I to killing him myself?"
She smirked as she flicked her bright auburn hair over her shoulder. "Yeah you know, whatever."
"Pretty damn close."
She laughed as she pulled up laptop screens putting them on the giant monitor in our conference room. "Okay, what do we have? Any leads?"
I settled back opening my own laptop with my notes. "Okay we've got a possibility in Miranda Lincoln. She's an ex of his. The longest relationship he's ever had on record. Nine months. Then all of a sudden three months ago, she was just gone."
Tamsin sat forward, a deep frown knotted between her brows. "Do you have any reason?"
I shook my head. "No, he is taciturn at best when it comes to anything that would actually be helpful. I've got a couple of software spider programs that are snooping around Arlington Tech's databases to see if there's anything out of the ordinary with any of their current mergers and acquisitions or any products they're putting out, but because he's the client and not someone I'm investigating I'm minding my Ps and Qs before you yell at me, Ariel."
Ariel threw up her hands. "I don't yell. I give resting judgment face."
"So you're not going to give me grief about the legality of what I've got going on?"
Her brows lifted. "What? Somebody's trying to kill the mother fucker, so right now legality schmegality."
I laughed. "Says the hacker."
"Former hacker. God, I always get a bad rap."
Tamsin interrupted. "Um, enough about who's trying to kill him and more about what his abs look like."
Sometimes I wasn’t sure why she was my best friend. "You know, I'm not sure I like you."
"So you keep saying. But be real with us. Is he as delectable shirtless as he looks in pics?"
Ariel shook her head for me. "No one is boning anyone. Or og
ling billionaire abs. Do I have to remind you guys this is a sensitive case? He's a cousin to the king. So Ps and Qs and all that."
This made Tamsin laugh. "Does that mean you're giving her instructions not to bone him? Because I seem to recall you boning the Prince."
Ariel's face went beet red, the color creeping up her neck, flushing her cheeks to the tips of her ears. "What I did with Prince Tristan is none of your business. And I'm sure Zia knows how to comport herself in a professional manner."
"Yeah, professional."
Now was not the time to mention that I'd already kissed the guy. Or been kissed by him. And enjoyed every damn minute of it.
"Not going to sleep with him, Tams."
She shrugged. "If you say so. But honestly, I feel like you're missing out, because the way he fills out a tux is just… wow."
"Oh my God, can we get back to the task at hand?"
Ariel laughed. "I feel like that's my line. But she's right. Let's get back to it. Any other possible leads?"
I shrugged. "He's got this guy working for him as a consultant. He's not on the books, and I can't find him. I have done a background workup, and he's there. But he's not there. It feels like a cover. I don't know."
This had Ariel sitting forward. "What's his name?"
"Kyle Winters. I mean his background looks real. Went to Columbia, computer science. Worked in various tech companies. He looks legit. But his connection to Derrick… I can't really find one. I don't know where he hired him from or how he found him. It’s like he's a pseudo ghost?"
That had Ariel tapping away on her keyboard. "Kyle Winters. Graduation year?"
"I don't know."
She nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can find on him. Any other leads?"
I frowned when I remembered Derrick saying something about his father. "Yeah, he's got a tense relationship with his father. I doubt the older Arlington would attempt to kidnap his own son, but he was ousted from the company he built and Derek was named his successor. There's bad blood there. I don't have enough information yet. But those are our three main targets."