“My gain? It was your drive to ensure your gain that killed Morgan—”
“I did not kill her!”
The coffee shop quieted. Jackson watched Andrew’s guards as they both moved their hands closer to their guns. His stomach fell. In the back of his mind he realized he was getting major clues as to the mystery of Nikki’s and Orion’s past, but his focus needed to stay sharp. The shop was filled with patrons, but in Jackson’s eyes all he saw were potential victims. Including Nikki.
He needed to get her out of there and as far away from the man next to her as soon as possible.
“Sorry for the outburst,” Andrew said, visibly loosening. His breathing calmed. Soon he was smiling again. The rest of the coffee shop turned back to their little worlds. Nikki’s expression was blank.
“Jackson?”
A waitress appeared with their two coffees and Calvin’s on her tray, only setting them down when Jackson nodded to confirm the name. Her eyes lingered on Andrew, but she didn’t comment on his outburst. Instead she told the table to enjoy their coffee, never mind the fact that three of the five hadn’t ordered.
Nikki reached out and took Jackson’s cup. He didn’t ask why. Andrew’s attention was now resting on him instead.
“Jackson, huh?” Andrew said when the waitress was out of earshot. “I thought I knew about the main men in this one here’s life, but I’ll admit that I’ve never heard of a Jackson. Is there a last name with that?”
“Do these guys have names?” Jackson asked instead. The one closest to him had a wicked knot in his nose, broken more than a few times if Jackson had to guess. The man next to him had a scar that Jackson hadn’t seen until now. It ran the side of his neck, disappearing beneath his collared shirt. Both lazily slid their gaze to him, unperturbed by his question.
“They do, but I’m not sure that’s what’s important right now.”
“Then what is?” Jackson asked.
Andrew pointed to Nikki.
“I heard about your apartment,” he said, turning back to the woman. Jackson could tell Nikki wanted to say a lot of things but had taken the listening route. Not thanks to the presence of guns, he was sure. “And I wanted to give you some advice.”
“To watch my back?” Nikki offered. Her voice was as cold as ice.
Andrew clapped his hands together. “You have such a fun sense of humor for someone who seems to be having quite a deal of bad luck lately. Car trouble and an intruder—sounds unpleasant if you ask me.”
“And how again would you know all that?” Jackson asked.
Andrew ignored the question and continued. “My advice to you, Nikki, is to think about what has made you successful, really think about it, and then, when the time comes...” He paused to stand. Only when his back was straight did he finish. “Know that it was those successes, those wins, that destroyed you.” Jackson slid his chair back and stood, fists balled and ready.
As if the other men had planned it, they rose, too. Again, their hands flitted to the inside of their coats. Andrew didn’t even blink. He kept his gaze on Nikki, the only person at their table sitting anymore. “But it is what you did to me, Nikki, that is going to get you killed.”
Jackson wanted to throw himself at Andrew, to break the pristine man who, for whatever reason, was hung up on his boss. To wipe the smile that hadn’t left right off his cleanly shaven face. But Andrew seemed to be done with his spiel, already turning away.
“You’re crazy,” Nikki said.
Andrew looked over his shoulder with a grin. “No, I’m angry. And smart. And resourceful,” he responded. “I’m much worse than crazy.” Nikki didn’t respond as he turned and went on his way.
His men kept their focus on Jackson, not moving even when the door chime signaled that Andrew had left the building.
“Isn’t it your job to follow the boss?” Jackson said through gritted teeth.
Broken Nose smirked, but it was Scar Neck who answered. “Our job right now is to fix a mistake made by a colleague.”
Broken Nose turned his gaze to Nikki. His eyes widened a fraction, the only reaction he could manage to what happened next.
Nikki slung Jackson’s cup of scalding coffee directly into Scar Neck’s pants, right where Jackson would never want hot coffee. For a big man he emitted a high-pitched scream and recoiled right over his chair. His legs got tangled and he fell to the floor.
Calvin’s cup of coffee was flying through the air right behind Jackson’s as Nikki slung it toward Broken Nose. Seeing what had happened to his partner gave him enough sense to try to move out of the way. A majority of the coffee hit the floor, but some hit his hand. He didn’t scream, but the grunt indicated it was an unpleasant feeling.
Jackson didn’t waste the moment of two armed men caught off guard. He swung out and hit Broken Nose right in the middle of his nickname. There wasn’t a crack, but Jackson didn’t miss the blood that sprouted as the man stumbled backward. He hit a table behind them and tipped over with it, away from them.
“Come on,” Nikki hurried. She was up from her chair and running for the front door within a flash. Jackson, however, hesitated. He wanted to stay and fight them, to disarm them and let the cops sort everything out, but a quick look at the pure rage on Scar Neck’s face and Jackson was following his boss.
Nikki was priority number one. He had to keep her safe, and to do that, he had to stay alive.
* * *
JACKSON HAD STARTED the engine just as the windshield shattered.
“Get down,” he yelled as Nikki ducked. Despite his warning of the obvious, he threw a hand on her back to keep her from sitting up again. She watched the floorboard as they reversed full speed and pulled out to the main road. Seconds after they straightened out, another shatter and spray of glass made her scream. Jackson swerved but kept up his speed. The back window was gone.
Two shots later and one of the back tires was blown.
Jackson let out a stream of expletives as he hung a hard right. Nikki braced for what she was sure was going to be the car flipping. Instead the sound of screeching tires and metal against asphalt filled the inside. Nastier words left Jackson’s mouth until the world around them quieted. They kept up speed but no more shots were fired. He removed his hand from her back and slowly Nikki sat up.
“Call Calvin and tell him we need backup now,” Jackson barked. The aggression in his command was no doubt encouraged by his frustration.
Nikki felt it, too. She pulled her phone from her purse and called Calvin’s extension directly. As briefly as she could she half yelled over the rush of wind coming through the absent front and back windows until Calvin was yelling right back.
“Natalie says there’s a patrol car in the area,” he said after confirming that Jackson and she had not been shot. “Are you near the Walmart?”
Nikki didn’t have to think about it. Looking around, she was able to place where they were. “Yes, another two turns and we’re there.”
“Good. Pull into the back of the parking lot and wait for the patrol,” Calvin ordered. “Then I want you two in that patrol car and on the way here. With or without coffee.”
Nikki relayed the message and guided Jackson to the rendezvous. They’d managed to get shot at during the perfect time to beat heavy traffic, just having missed the rest of the suits going to work. Which was good because Jackson’s car had certainly seen better days. The scraping of the rim complaining that it was bare all but killed any chance of pretending that there was nothing out of the ordinary. The bonus of missing windows helped elevate the suspicions of passersby to all-out alarm. It was a miracle they made it to the parking lot in the time they did without drawing a crowd.
Jackson didn’t cut the engine but did put the car in park.
“You’re bleeding,” Nikki said at the same time Jackson asked if she was
okay. Their eyes connected before hers trailed back to the three spots of blood. “The windshield,” she observed.
He nodded and put his hand out to her. She stilled as his fingers brushed her cheek.
Then she felt the sting.
Apparently she hadn’t ducked in time to clear the windshield’s glass.
“Are you okay?” Jackson repeated, a storm brewing behind his eyes. His fingers trailed down to her chin until he was cradling it. “Are you okay?” he asked for the third time. However, his tone had changed beyond concern. It almost left her speechless, but she knew he needed her answer.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Jackson didn’t let go. Once again their eyes took each other in, searching. For what? Answers? He sure deserved some from her, but Nikki couldn’t help feeling there was something else there. Something she might want. Something she might be too afraid to find. Whatever it was, the moment passed. Jackson let her go.
“I don’t think they followed us,” he said, scanning the parking lot. “Your coffee trick bought us enough time to turn tail and run before they even left the shop.” His eyes readjusted on what used to be his windshield. “I didn’t think they’d do anything in public. Especially not shoot at us.”
Nikki felt her body harden and her face pinch, her thoughts filled with anger. And fear.
“They were there to finish what the man from last night couldn’t,” she said, simply. “At least, that’s what I think.” She really hoped that was the case. If not, she’d just been the instigator. However, the men had shot at them.
“I think you’re right,” he agreed, his tone hardening just as her body had done. He was angry. Nikki started to reach out for him but let her hand drop to the center console. The ever-present guilt she sometimes forgot began to wake up.
“Jackson, I’m sorry,” she almost whispered. “You could have been hurt or worse, and look at what happened to your car. I shouldn’t have gotten you involved. I should have fired you. It would have been safer.”
She said the last part with tried humor. Jackson didn’t smile.
“You should have told me the truth,” he said. “But I don’t regret getting involved. For a woman who runs a security business, I’m finding that you don’t like being protected. I feel like you’re going to be my most difficult client, assuming you don’t fire me after this. Or, you know, I don’t get killed.”
Nikki was about to point out that she wasn’t a client and she hadn’t asked for his help, while also trying to suss out what exactly he had said that hit such a sour note in her, when his gaze jumped over her shoulder so fast that she was afraid the men were back. Instead, it was a police cruiser.
“That was fast,” he said.
“I think Calvin was afraid they’d come after us.”
“He wasn’t the only one,” Jackson said beneath his breath. He shut off the engine as the patrol car did the same. Before he started to get out, Jackson fixed Nikki with one last, long stare.
She held her breath, waiting.
“You may not want to tell your friends what’s going on,” he started. “But, so help me God, if you don’t tell them everything that has happened so far, I will.”
Chapter Nine
“Before Orion was even a thought, Andrew Miller was my boss.”
Nikki was standing in the police station’s conference room with Jackson, Calvin and Hannigan. Those who had gone out on the hunt for the two gunmen from the café hadn’t been able to find them. Like ghosts, they had seemingly disappeared. Along with Andrew.
Now, at the head of the table with all eyes on her, Nikki was finally telling everyone what they needed to know. The origin of Andrew’s hatred for her. And the reason why Orion existed.
Even if it was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
“I worked for him at an elite security company named Redstone Solutions in California. Redstone Solutions provided the same services as Orion does now but with the catch that you had to have some pretty serious cash to be able to afford them. So there were many who sought our help that we had to turn down. We were the best, which justified the price and gave us an excuse to deny the less than wealthy.”
Nikki paused, trying to tell the story without the infusion of shame. It came anyway. Even after all these years, it still hurt. “One day, a young woman named Morgan Avery came in and asked for Redstone’s protection. She was a hopeful astronomer and competing for a prestigious program in the UK that, if she won, would all but ensure a successful career. She was set to leave and wanted our protection to at least the airport. She was terrified, convinced that someone was trying to kill her for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Nikki couldn’t help smiling, remembering how excited Morgan had been when she described the program. In that time her excitement and hope had washed away all the traces of fear. The smile didn’t last long as Nikki was forced to remember the rest of the story.
“The California Redstone branch’s main boss heard the story and promptly turned her down when the fact that Morgan had no money came to light. Even after she tried to work out a plan with us.”
“Andrew was the boss,” Jackson guessed.
Nikki nodded. “Despite the fact that she was turned down, she came every day before her trip, begging for our help. At the time the only people in office were three agents just having gotten back from a contract. Those agents were Oliver Quinn, Mark Tranton and Jonathan Carmichael.” She paused to let that sink in. “Unlike Andrew, they didn’t want to turn her down. They wanted to help. But at the same time, they didn’t want to go against the boss. Andrew might not look like much in the way of threatening, but let me assure you, he’s fierce. Many don’t cross him.”
“But you did,” Calvin said. Again, Nikki nodded.
“I was the secretary for the branch at the time and talked to Morgan every day,” she said. Memories of Morgan started to replay in her head. Nikki tried to ignore them. “She was brilliant and funny and kind. The only thing she wasn’t was rich.” Her hands curled until her nails bit into her skin. “They found Morgan in a ditch, killed by a hotheaded man competing for the same program. Beaten so badly that if she hadn’t had her identification with her, they would have had to pull her DNA to know who she was.”
“The man, was he—” Jackson started.
“Caught? Yes. After he realized what he’d done, he had a breakdown, later turning himself in. He killed her to get her out of the picture to better his chances at the competition and then didn’t even try to compete.”
Nikki heard the bitterness enter her words, dripping and oozing between each syllable. The men might mistake it as a feeling for Morgan’s killer, but really, it was for herself. And Andrew. “I heard the news and immediately took it to Andrew. I was so upset and I suppose I wanted him to be, too, but that wasn’t the case. He was callous and uncaring. No guilt or grief. He told me he didn’t regret not trying to help her because it wasn’t his fault that she was poor.”
Nikki noticed Jackson’s jaw set. Calvin kept taking notes. Hannigan simply stared. “It was one thing to try to skirt blame for the death of a young woman, another to outright not care about any of it in the least. Instead of only getting angrier at Andrew’s lack of empathy, or the entire company’s disregard, I was inspired. I quit and decided to start a security group that would protect those who deserved it, never mind the heft of their bank accounts.”
“And Oliver, Jonathan and Mark came with you,” said Jackson, connecting the vague conversation between Andrew and her at the shop. The past with the present. The tragedy and the aftermath.
“Yes. They were the only other people who showed an ounce of feeling about her death. Like me, they blamed themselves for not doing something despite Andrew’s order not to help Morgan,” she said.
Jackson looked like he wanted to add to that ad
mission, but Nikki kept on, not giving him a chance. “I’d made some friends and contacts while working there, but it wasn’t until the interview that they really came forward to help.”
“The interview?” Hannigan asked. If there was any ill will from the night before toward her, he wasn’t showing it.
“One of Morgan’s friends told the press Redstone Solutions turned Morgan away. A local paper showed up as I was cleaning out my desk. I had just talked to Andrew and was furious.” Nikki cleared her throat. “I told them word for word what Andrew had told me.”
“Ouch,” Calvin said.
“I don’t regret what I did, but how I went about it probably wasn’t the best way,” she admitted, remembering how she was nearly trembling when she spoke to the reporter. “The interview caught on like wildfire and soon clients were threatening to find another company just to avoid association. That’s when Redstone’s higher-ups stepped in for damage control. They made their own press release in which they basically put full blame on Andrew, heavily implying that he acted alone in his decision. The same day Andrew was fired. A few months later and Orion was born, named after Morgan’s favorite constellation. I haven’t seen or spoken to Andrew Miller since the day he found out Morgan was killed. That is, until he showed up at the speed dating event last Friday.”
Nikki finally told the men about every interaction with Andrew as well as what had happened to her car. Calvin was mad that she hadn’t told them sooner, and to that all she could do was say sorry.
“So it’s revenge,” Jackson said when Nikki had no more to say. “He wants to make you suffer, getting a man to beat you with a bat and not just shoot and kill you.”
“Way to sugarcoat it,” Hannigan said with obvious distaste.
“Her car was vandalized, she received the addresses of the Avery family, a man attacked her in her home and then two men shot at her during a coffee stop.” With each point Jackson made he held up another finger. “Not to mention Andrew admitted that he was basically going to kill her.” He waved his open hand. “This doesn’t seem like a lonely man’s attempt at flirting.”
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