by Aden Lowe
Flag's flashlight illuminated a small object attached to the inside of the zipper, right at the top. Cutting across the top of the bag, through the puncture resistant fabric, proved more difficult, but within moments, we had the thing fully exposed.
The little explosive device was designed to detonate when the front of the bag opened. I contained my fury as I cut away the section of zipper it was attached to. If Lauren had unzipped the bag and opened it, the explosion would have gone off in her face.
I passed it over to Flag. "Can you disarm this shit?"
He shrugged. "Doubtful. Explosives aren't my thing. We could use Shell on this. Probably best I can do is get rid of it."
Fuck. "Alright. Do it, and keep it quiet. If they try again, they might fuck up and leave a clue to who's behind it."
Chapter fifteen
The wait in the bathroom took forever. I hated being locked in here, waiting while Trick and the other man figured out where the lock on my bag went. I didn't see what the big deal was, since it could have easily dropped off anywhere between my apartment and the hotel.
While I appreciated Trick watching out for me, over-protective males tended to set my teeth on edge. It made me think of my mother's and grandmothers' generations, where women were considered unable to take care of themselves. I tried to ignore the part of me that had enjoyed feeling safe and protected while Trick stood between me and any danger.
Finally, a tap at the door signaled freedom. I jumped up from where I sat on the side of the tub, and nearly fell flat on my face in my rush to get the door open.
A grim looking Trick met me. "Lauren…" He trailed off.
I froze. "What is it?"
The way his mouth tightened in anger made me wonder what I'd done wrong now. "There was an explosive device attached to the zipper."
Long seconds passed while I processed the words, and it still made no sense. "Explosive?" Surely the word meant something else.
"Yeah. Explosive. As in a thing that blows up." He took my hands. "Here, sit down before you fall down." He led me to a chair. "We have to face it, Lauren. Someone meant to hurt you."
My heartbeat thudded in my ears, and I tried, really tried, to accept it. Of course I knew people were capable of harming others for any variety of reasons, but I never intentionally gave anyone reason to want to hurt me. My face and hands began to tingle. "But who? Why?" My voice sounded like it came from the end of a tunnel. Everything began to grow dim, and distant. Only the blue of Trick's eyes seemed clear. God, what was happening to me?
***
Cold. I tried to turn away.
More cold. It wouldn't leave. It soaked through the darkness, and insisted on making me feel.
"Lauren, come back to me. It's okay, I've got you." Trick's voice pried back the layers of stuff between me and the world.
The effort to open my eyes exhausted me, and I gave up, until more cold came. Finally, I summoned the strength to force them open.
"Hey, there. Welcome back." Trick's gentle smile made the effort worthwhile. "You fainted."
Memory rushed back. Someone wanted to hurt me. Panic rushed over me in a heat wave, and my chest felt like it might burst.
Trick pushed back the hair that had fallen into my face. "Hey, easy. Long, slow breaths. You're fine. We'll figure out who's behind it."
I really wanted to believe him. "Okay." My fear started to abate, giving time for shame to flood in. I shouldn't have questioned Trick's instincts. "I thought the lock had just fallen off somewhere."
"That's what you were meant to think. Anything that looks slightly out of place, even if it seems insignificant, needs to be checked out."
I pushed myself to sit upright, despite my still-quivering muscles. "What's next? Police?"
A low grunt accompanied the deepening of his scowl. "No. Whoever put that thing in your bag is expecting you to be injured, or to see the place crawling with law enforcement. If they don't get the reaction they're looking for, they'll try again and give us an opportunity to catch them."
My heart tried to jump out of my chest. He couldn't be serious! "But, what if they succeed the next time?" My hands started shaking, and I tried to clasp them together, but it didn't help.
His big hands swallowed mine. "They won't. You have to trust me. I'll keep you safe. And I'll get whoever is behind this." He ducked his head a little and looked into my eyes. "I promise."
What choice did I have? Sure, I could go to Jared, or go to the police myself. But in the end, who did I trust more? Certainly not Jared. My doubts about him grew by the moment. The police were already overworked, and one woman visiting from somewhere else wouldn't mean a great deal to them. Trick had already taken considerable risks on my behalf. He had given me no reason to doubt his sincerity, or his ability to protect me.
A deep breath helped me gather my courage, and swallow the terror. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"
"Nothing. Just be alert, and ready to follow instructions." As if suddenly conscious of holding my hands, he released them.
The loss of his touch felt almost catastrophic. It had to be from the stress. People craved human contact following a serious threat. "Okay."
"How about you get settled in? I need to take care of a couple things, so Jones will be right outside if you need anything."
Jones must be one of the men he trusted. I forced a brave smile. "Yes, I need to get unpacked. I hope Jared didn't make plans for this evening." The smile, which felt more like a grimace of terror, stayed put until Trick closed the door behind him.
As soon as the lock clicked, I slid to the floor and let the events of these last few days have their way. The whole thing—from learning of the threat against me, to deciding to break up with Jared, then Poppy's death, and now this—felt as if it crushed me from the inside out. Maybe my soul shattered from the pressure, or maybe it just felt like it. Either way, I sobbed until there were no more tears. Trick's face, his striking blue eyes, filled my mind as exhaustion overcame me.
I slid easily into a dream world where Trick and I sat together in a big comfy chair, with me half on his lap, and his arms around me. We laughed and talked, kissed, and generally didn't have a care in the world. But I felt so safe and cherished, a feeling I wanted to treasure forever because I'd never had it before.
Rough hands shook me from sleep. "Miss Johnson! Wake up! You have to be ready for dinner in half an hour." Tabitha's annoying voice intruded on my dream.
Stiff and sore from lying on the floor, I groaned as I sat up. "What time is it?"
"After six. The Senator has a dinner with some key fundraisers at seven." She paused and looked at me closely. "You look terrible. He's not going to be happy."
My whole face felt swollen, and my eyes were dry and puffy. "He'll just have to be not happy, then." I pushed to my feet. "Thank you, Tabitha. I'll let him know when I'm ready."
If looks could kill, I would be dead. Pure hate shone from her dark eyes as she glared at me. "You'd better hurry. And you'd better look nice when you're done. He expected you to be getting ready, instead of taking a nap." She turned on her heel and stalked out, closing the door more firmly than necessary.
I stretched, and went to the bathroom. Cold water helped a little with the damage to my face, but I still looked terrible. Makeup at least covered the blotchiness. I took my time, determined to be a little late, just to make a point. If he wanted me ready at a certain time, he should have let me know earlier. With the way I felt from the past few days, the risk of angering him didn't seem as frightening as it might have another time. At ten after, I slipped on my low pumps, grabbed my purse, and texted Jared I was ready.
Out in the corridor, the man Trick had called Jones waited. "Miss Johnson, Ross has asked that you and I meet him at the elevator, where he's waiting with the Senator. He'll escort you both down to the dining room."
I nodded, and walked beside him to the intersection of the corridors where the bank of elevators waited. Just as he'd said, Trick stood there
waiting, with a scowling Jared. When the elevator doors slid open, Trick stepped inside first, then nodded for Jared and me to follow.
"Need me to go, too?" Jones' frown easily matched Jared's.
"No, we're good. The Senator's man will meet us when the doors open."
Jones nodded and stepped back, allowing the doors to close.
Jared turned to me, his face reddening with anger. "What the hell do you mean by coming out so late, Lauren? I told Tabitha—"
My very fragile control snapped. "Exactly. You told Tabitha. She gave me less than one hour to get ready. The next time you want me ready for something on time, I suggest you tell me yourself." God, that was incredibly stupid.
Even as I caught my breath, I watched the rage flare out of control in Jared's face. He clenched his fist in a threatening gesture, rather than hitting me outright.
"Oh, that's right. Go ahead. Be the big powerful man." I glared at him, entirely aware I'd gone much too far. "You're pathetic."
He slapped the red Stop button on the control panel. "What did you say to me?"
"I'm done, Jared. Once this trip is over, our relationship is over." The words just slid out, before I even realized what I was saying. I cast a nervous glance at Trick, reassured to see him standing there, alert and looking ready to help me if I needed it.
Jared laughed. "You stupid fucking cunt! You don't end shit, I do. And I'm ending this little rebellion right now." In a flash, his still-clenched fist flew toward me.
Frozen, I watched as the blow came closer almost in slow motion. My body refused to heed my orders to get out of the way.
And then, only Trick's broad back filled my vision. "You don't want to do that, Senator."
"Get the hell out of my way, you meat-headed idiot!"
Trick moved, but his body blocked me from seeing. Suddenly, Jared gave an agonized grunt and went to his knees. Trick bent over him. "Motherfucker, you better think very carefully about your next move. You can stand up, adjust your tie, apologize to Miss Johnson, and get on with your little money-grubbing dinner. Or you can make a wrong move and I will beat you until you wish your momma kept her fucking legs together."
After a long moment, Jared climbed gingerly to his feet. "I…uh…I'm sorry, Lauren. It won't happen again."
Trick clapped him on the shoulder. "Now, see, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He restarted the elevator and remained between Jared and me. The elevator dinged, then stopped. "Smile, Senator. Your public awaits."
Jared glared a few seconds more, until the doors opened, then he donned the public mask of a decent man. One of his regular security men waited in the corridor, but no one else seemed interested in our arrival. Jared took my elbow to lead me from the elevator, but I pulled from his grasp.
If he ever touched me again, it would be too soon. Now that I dropped my bomb shell, I wanted absolutely no contact with Jared, physical or otherwise. I might have to tolerate his presence until we returned to DC, but I certainly had no reason to allow him to play the attentive almost-fiancé. Instead, I kept a cool distance from him as I walked with him to the dining room.
Jared greeted his supporters. "Our sincere apologies for being late. Lauren took her time getting ready." The remark set my teeth on edge. How dare he blame this on me?
I gave a gracious smile. "Unfortunately, Jared neglected to inform me of our plans. I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting."
That earned me a flash of a cold glare, quickly suppressed, as Jared set out to seduce these rich people into making huge campaign donations. As a general rule, he depended on me, and wanted me interact with people like these, but that glare warned me to keep my mouth closed.
Ignoring him, I struck up a conversation with the ladies at our table, already having known some of them from other fundraising functions. It only took a few moments for one of them to bring up questions about which cause I would support.
The perverse thrill I took in defying Jared this evening insisted I answer honestly. "Jared would prefer I do something with children's literacy." The casual shrug I gave allowed me a glimpse of Jared's face, and the anger reflected there. "That's been done to death, though, and I'm just not sure what I could contribute. I've decided to support mental health awareness, and affordable treatment."
The other women at the table just stared at me. Apparently, in their world, a woman did not defy a man's proclamation. Finally, the anorexic brunette plastered on a fake smile. "How wonderful." She turned to the woman at her left. "Louise, will you go to the powder room with me?" And just like that, I was cut from the group.
At the moment, I couldn't have cared less about what these shallow females thought of me. And if my refusal to stick to the script costed Jared the nomination, I had no qualms about it. By the time the dinner ended, Jared's face all but glowed with the force of his fury. That look promised a terrible evening ahead, and most likely a painful one.
I didn't know if it was Trick's presence, or my decision to end things with Jared, or something else entirely, but for once, I decided I had no intention of being a passive punching bag. Words might be my only weapons against his fists, but I needed to make the most of them.
Chapter sixteen
Through the dinner meeting, I stayed at a discreet distance, but I watched Lauren like a hawk. She looked rough, and my guess was, the stress was getting to her. Pride flared through me when she defied Richardson in the elevator. She must have been fucking terrified, but she stuck to her guns.
While she sat beside him at that table, smiling and occasionally talking, he glared at her with the kind of hate a man reserved for an enemy. Definitely not something to aim at the woman you intended to marry. Had he ever actually cared for Lauren? Or was she just a prop he needed to better his chances at the polls?
He seemed the sort to do whatever it took to get what he wanted, no matter who he hurt in the process. If he thought he needed a woman on his arm to win, he would get one. He should have stuck with his own nest of vipers when he looked for one, rather than pull in someone good and clean like Lauren. But of course, good and clean was what he needed—a woman with a spotless past, to make up for all the rumors of corruption and wrongdoing in his.
The realization made me glad I'd punched the fucker in the elevator. Sinking my fist into his gut felt incredible. I wanted to do it again, and again, but at the time, it wouldn't help Lauren. I could wait. Eventually, the time would come, and I would beat the literal piss out of the Senator.
Finally, the dinner wrapped up, and I resumed my place within arm's reach of Lauren. Her scent, light and feminine, struck my nostrils like a clean breeze through the stench of a cesspool. Caution caused me to fight the urge to inhale deeply. If anyone happened to see me breathing her in like a lovesick teenager, Richardson would hear of it quickly, and come down on her hard.
The bastard turned to her after shaking hands with some big wig. "Darling, why don't you go on up? You look tired. I still need to meet with Tabitha and go over the details of the event tomorrow. You should get some rest."
Suspicion rang all sorts of bells in my head. He acted as if she hadn't told him she was finished.
"Thank you, Jared. I am tired." She turned toward the elevators, with a glance in my direction.
I moved up beside her, wary as hell. If a threat came, this would be the ideal time. We were separated from the Senator and his men, but still in public where I had little control over who approached her.
A woman literally dripping with diamonds called out to Lauren, and she paused. The woman rattled on about how gorgeous Lauren looked, keeping us in one position for an eternity.
Practically jumping out of my skin, I finally leaned forward to speak. "Miss Johnson, we should get you to a more secure location."
"Oh, forgive me! I didn't intend to hold y'all up for so long!" The woman announced Lauren's departure to everyone in the whole fucking lounge.
I took Lauren's elbow and tugged her toward the elevators.
She resisted for a few
seconds. "I didn't say goodnight—"
"Don't care. Move!"
An attendant spotted us, and had the elevator waiting. With Lauren safely behind the closed doors, I took a few seconds to notify Flag we were coming up in a hurry.
When the elevator stopped, X-Man waited for us in the corridor. "Jones is checking her suite."
I nodded, concentrating on getting Lauren safely inside her suite, and out of the unprotected corridor. Fuck, if I never worked security again, it would be too damn soon. This job was for the fucking birds.
Finally, she was as safe as we could make her for the night. I left X-Man on her door, and went with Flag to crash for a few hours before we started it all over again.
***
She worked the crowd like a pro, moving from one group to another, charming their checkbooks right out of their pockets. She gave the terms 'little black dress' and 'fuck me heels' a whole new meaning. She absolutely sparkled, and every dick in the room paid attention, including mine.
Even more than the night before, I stayed on high alert. This damn ballroom gave me absolutely no control over who had access to her. Fat old men with big bank accounts wanted to touch her, dance with her, and I had no choice but to allow it. Over my objections, she had agreed to help the Senator maximize the fundraising opportunity.
I stayed nearby and kept a close eye on her, exactly as agreed, ready to intervene if some old codger got too frisky. A stir on the other side of the room drew my attention for a second, until the voice in my earpiece assured me it was only the Senator entering, a little later than expected. Only one thing I could think of that might be more important to him than plundering the wealthy donors gathered in the ballroom. Fucking. Had he been banging someone on the side while Lauren thought they were going to get married?
It only took a few minutes for Richardson to make his way over to Lauren, wearing an expression like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. I instinctively moved closer. "A word, darling?"