A look of unease flitted across her ex-husband’s face. “He claimed that you’re stealing men’s wives.”
Natalie managed to chuckle even as the half-truth struck home. “That’s insane.”
“I laughed too, but the guy wasn’t joking. He said you talk them into leaving their husbands. Which sounded like something you’d do.” Matt’s expression wasn’t amused. “Then he told me that you were going to get yourself in trouble and I should warn you to stop.”
“Why would he think you could stop me when we are no longer married?” Natalie folded her hands on the desk to keep them from shaking with nerves.
“Right?! I told him that I can’t control you anymore.”
His statement hit her like a sucker punch. He had controlled her. And she had allowed it. Never again.
“What did he look like?” The information might be useful.
“I don’t know. Regular height, muscular. Dark hair. Some kind of accent. Dead eyes.”
“A Spanish accent?” she prodded, remembering what Regina had said about her pursuer.
“Maybe.” Matt swept his hands out from the chair arms. “Look, I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself mixed up in but you need to stop.”
“Sometimes you have to help people, even if it stirs things up,” Natalie said.
“Well, it’s sure as hell stirring things up for me,” Matt said, his hands clenched in fists. “I don’t like being threatened in my own office.”
A stab of guilt hit her in the chest.
“It’s upsetting for my staff and it’s bad for my reputation,” Matt continued before he pointed at her. “Whatever you’re doing is affecting my business, so it’s a big problem.”
She shoved the guilt down. He hadn’t come here because he was worried about her. He had come because he was worried about his image. “I can’t control other people’s actions,” she said.
“You can tell those guys to quit bothering me.” A vein stood out in his temple. “Seriously, Natalie, I have a good life now, and I don’t want your shit interfering with it.”
Rage boiled up in her throat. He’d blamed every problem he’d ever had on her and expected her to fix them for him. At least this time the issue really was related to her actions. “I will not stop doing the right thing,” she said in a calm voice.
“The next time one of those goons shows up, I’m calling you to come deal with him.” He must have heard how petulant that made him sound because he stood up abruptly. “Obviously I’m not going to be able to talk any sense into you.”
“It must be hard for you to lose control of me,” Natalie said with a serene smile as she also stood.
He spun on his heel and stomped out the door. She could hear his footsteps pounding down the hallway.
She sat back down again because her knees felt shaky. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused on holding the air in for a count of ten before she let it out slowly. She opened her eyes and turned her chair to face the window, letting the sun’s warmth soak into her skin.
She needed to tell Tully about the second visitor to Matt’s office. He might be the same man who’d been asking after Regina at her motel. Which meant that Dobs had definitely connected Natalie with his runaway wife. Even if he was just acting on a suspicion, it had the same frightening effect.
In a way, it would be a relief if Dobs was her stalker too. Then they could take action against him. But what would he have to gain by tormenting her if he was just trying to get his wife back? Was it sheer revenge?
She shook her head in frustration and pushed up out of her chair. She had a client waiting.
As she walked down the hallway, Matt’s words about controlling her gnawed at her. It had taken years of subtle manipulation for him to gain that power, but she still got angry with herself. She should have been smarter, should have seen what was happening.
Now it would take more years to rebuild the person she used to be. That was why she was so sure getting involved with Tully long-term was a bad idea. She still felt tentative about herself. He would roll right over her without meaning to.
She needed to limit their relationship to sex and protection. When the need for protection was over, she’d have to give up the sex too.
Tully strode across the blood-red oriental rug in Dobs Van Houten’s office to where the other man stood in front of his desk. “I appreciate your seeing me on short notice,” he said, shaking Dobs’s hand.
“I was intrigued by your call,” Van Houten said with a faint smile. “May I offer you a drink? I have scotch or coffee.”
Tully chuckled. “I like the menu, but I’m good.”
“Please, have a seat.” Van Houten sat in one of the two black leather armchairs positioned to face each other in front of his desk. He arranged the crease of his gray wool trousers to center perfectly on his knee and shot the cuffs of his pink button-down shirt.
Tully eased down into the other chair with its brass rivets and oak frame. Sitting in front of the desk was a calculated statement of confidence. Van Houten was saying that he didn’t need the massive mahogany barricade to protect his self-importance.
Tully unbuttoned his navy suit jacket while he studied the man sitting across from him. Dobs Van Houten had the bland face, straight blond hair, and pale blue eyes of a preppy, but something seemed slightly off. The eyes were flat and set too close together and the hair was thinning, even though he was in his thirties. He looked like a wholesome apple pie with one slice missing.
Van Houten was also scanning Tully with narrowed eyes. It was the look of someone searching his memory. Tully waited a moment but there was no flash of recognition . . . yet.
“You’ve got some handsome horseflesh grazing in your fields,” Tully said, starting with pleasantries. “I keep a couple of horses of my own out near here.” Which he didn’t get to ride nearly enough.
“Thoroughbreds?” Van Houten asked.
“Half Thoroughbred, half quarter horse. I like the combination of speed and agility.” He’d grown up riding farm horses, so he appreciated sturdiness too—something Van Houten’s overbred racehorses didn’t offer.
“Ah.” Van Houten put a world of disdain into the one short syllable, exactly as Tully had expected. Now Dobs was feeling smug and superior . . . which would make Tully’s takedown even harder for him to stomach. “I can arrange for you to visit my stable after if you’d like. So you can see the beauty of a purebred.”
Tully nearly refused, but a sudden longing to be with creatures who concealed no dark secrets overcame him. “I’d enjoy that. Maybe on my way out?”
“Of course. I’ll have my head groom show you around.” Thus Van Houten made it clear that he considered Tully equivalent to an employee—which didn’t bother Tully at all. Being underestimated always worked in his favor.
Tully leaned back in his chair and got to the crux of his visit. “You’ve got an impressive security system.” A lie. He’d done some scouting on foot before he’d driven through the electric gates and down the winding road to the stone mansion. “But KRG could make it better.”
“Really?” Van Houten raised an eyebrow with a tiny smirk. “Tell me how.”
“First, lose the hedge. It provides more protection for an intruder than for you. You don’t need it for privacy because you’re at least two miles from the nearest road or house.”
“That hedge has surrounded this house for over fifty years.” Van Houten’s voice held a patronizing note, as though Tully couldn’t be expected to appreciate such a heritage.
“Then it needs better lighting and a perimeter fence inside it.” Tully set his left ankle on his right knee so Van Houten had a good view of his slightly muddy cowboy boot. The man glanced at it with an expression of distaste. Then something else flickered across his face that Tully couldn’t quite read. He waited a second before he continued. “You’ve got at least two blind spots in the video surveillance on the front of the house. One’s by the garage and the other is at the f
ront left corner. You might have more but I didn’t check the sides and rear.”
“I’ll ask my security team to rectify that.”
“You’re welcome,” Tully said with a shit-eating grin. “And that’s just from a quick glance around. A more thorough inspection would uncover additional holes.” He was poking at Van Houten’s pride.
The other man’s lips thinned to a tight line. “I rely on my personnel more than on technology. A loyal staff is invaluable.”
And it probably made him feel like the lord of the manor to command his army of serfs. “Couldn’t agree more,” Tully said, still trying to figure out if Van Houten had recognized him from his boots. “But I got through your perimeter on foot about a half an hour ago without anyone raising an alarm. If you check, you’ll find my business card on the stone bench in that fancy gazebo by the fish pond.”
Now Van Houten looked seriously pissed off. Tully had figured that the business card would get under his skin. It had been easy to get past the guards, partly because their patrol pattern was easy to predict and partly because for all their vaunted loyalty, they weren’t especially alert. They clearly didn’t take their assignment seriously.
“I will speak to the guards about that,” Van Houten said. Tully caught the flash of ugly fury in his eyes and in the white knuckles gripping the arms of his chair.
“I’m sure your night crew is better, since that’s the time of higher risk.” Tully matched the patronizing tone Van Houten had used earlier.
The anger blazed hot for a second before something darker took its place. Van Houten’s eyes went utterly opaque and his hands relaxed before he smiled in a way that made Tully’s psycho detector whoop a loud alarm. “I’ll see to it that my security staff members take their duties very seriously from now on.”
Tully nodded. “KRG would be happy to train your staff.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Van Houten said, the ugly smile evaporating into a cold blankness.
Now Tully knew. This was a man who could abuse his wife and take pleasure in it. He would also relish playing cruel psychological games, such as stalking Natalie. However, his capacity for cruelty wouldn’t prove he had done either of those things.
“If you’ll give me permission, I’ll look around a little more and draw up a proposal for you,” Tully said.
“Let me give it some thought and get back to you.” Van Houten stood abruptly.
Tully took his time uncrossing his leg and rising to his feet. He stepped in closer, using his greater height to look down at Van Houten as he extended his hand. “It’s been a pleasure. I hope we’ll be working together soon.”
“I’ll be in touch. Maria will be outside the door to show you out.” Van Houten did not shake Tully’s hand nor did he bother to walk with Tully to the office door. Instead, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Tully heard the furious edge in Van Houten’s voice as he ordered the person he was talking with to come to his office.
Tully smiled. He’d stirred up the hornet’s nest.
After a refreshing half hour spent in the company of large, beautiful animals who didn’t have a psychopathic gleam in their eyes, Tully climbed back into his Maserati. He was savoring the feel of hugging the curves on the two-lane road leading away from Van Houten’s estate when a call came in from Natalie’s upstairs tenant, Deion.
“Someone’s watching the salon.” The young man sounded angry. “I set up a camera in my apartment window aimed at the street. The same black SUV has cruised by about every fifteen minutes for the last three hours. It’s a big Mercedes Benz. I have the plate number. I’ll text it to you.”
Tully’s hands tightened on the wheel as exhilaration flooded through him. Finally, a solid string they could pull on. “Excellent work. Could you see who was in the car?”
“The windows are tinted, so no. Also my camera isn’t real high resolution.” His voice held frustration.
“You got the important information. This is a real break, thanks to you,” Tully encouraged him. “Are you at your apartment now?”
“No, I’m on break, so I logged into my computer remotely to see if anything looked wrong.”
“I’m headed for the salon now. I’m guessing Natalie has a key to your place. May I have your permission to enter and look at the video on your computer?” Tully passed a car dawdling along in front of him. He needed to get back on the highway fast.
“Sure thing, Mr. Gibson.” He gave Tully his password too.
“Hey, the name’s Tully. And I have an offer for you. How would you like a job with KRG Consulting? I could use someone with your smarts and motivation.” Clients would love Deion’s good looks too. That never hurt.
“Like a permanent job?” Disbelief tinged his question.
“Hell, yes. I’m not going to waste my time training you if you don’t intend to stay.” Tully dodged around another slow car, the Maserati’s engine roaring like a big cat.
“Yes, sir! That would be awesome,” Deion said with enthusiasm before he asked, “What would I be trained for?”
“Security. You’ve got a knack for it. Besides, I found you, so I’m keeping you in my division.”
The young man laughed before he asked with some hesitation, “Is it all right if I give my boss two weeks’ notice? She’s been really good to me.”
“I’d respect you less if you didn’t.” Tully smiled as he accelerated onto the entrance ramp to the highway. “I’ll get HR to send you the paperwork. In the meantime, keep up the good work with surveillance at the salon.”
After they disconnected, Tully called to alert Pam about the possible threat before he sent the license plate number to one of his resources who could get him the registration information. The stalker had made his first mistake and Tully was going to use it to hunt him down.
Chapter 14
Thirty minutes later, he parked on the street a couple of blocks away from the Mane Attraction. He took off his jacket, ditched his tie, and rolled up his shirtsleeves to give himself a more casual look. Then he sauntered along the street, watching for the SUV Deion had flagged. He spent twenty minutes wandering nearby, but no car matching that description appeared. Tully glanced at his watch. Four thirty. So the salon would be closing in an hour. Why had the car been cruising past?
He walked up the front steps and through the purple door.
“Welcome back to the Mane Attraction, Mr. Gibson.” The pretty, young receptionist gave him a pleasant smile. “Natalie has a client right now.”
“Hey, Tully!” Pam walked up to the desk. “Any luck with an ID on the SUV the tenant spotted?”
Tully shook his head. “Not yet. Let me grab a cup of coffee.” He gestured for her to precede him down the hallway by the staircase to the kitchen. Even with the doors closed, the sound of hair dryers and the smell of hair products permeated the air.
“Nothing from the stalker yet today either.” Pam poured a mug of coffee and handed it to him. “Nothing on the surveillance cams around her house except the UPS man.”
Tully took a sip of the coffee, surprised to find it almost as good as Leland’s. Natalie treated her staff well. “Was Natalie expecting a delivery?”
“Not today specifically, but she has a couple of things on order,” Pam said. “He was on and off the porch fast and left a box.”
“Could you see his face?”
She shook her head. “He wore a baseball cap.”
“I’ll check him out on the video later,” Tully said with a frown. “I’m more worried about the cruising SUV.”
“What do you think it was doing here?”
“That’s what I’m wondering. Waiting for a chance to put something else in Natalie’s car?”
“If he does, we’ll have him.” Pam held up her phone with the feed from the security camera she had installed to monitor the parking lot.
“Or he wants to make sure she’s staying at the salon?” Tully shook his head. “No use speculating. We’ll have to see what his next play is.�
�� He bared his teeth in an anticipatory smile. “In the meantime, we have his plate number.”
Pam pumped her fist in victory. “Gotcha.”
“I’m going to get the key to the tenant’s apartment from Natalie.” Tully finished his coffee and walked through the archway into the main salon, where he stopped, his gaze drawn immediately to Natalie despite the swirling motion of stylists and customers in the busy room.
Her chair was in the center of the inside wall, a position that would allow her to keep an eye on everyone in the room either directly or via the mirrors in front of her chair. He gave her kudos for good surveillance strategy.
Then he forgot all that as he watched her move around her client like a ballerina, her movements precise and graceful as she lifted swaths of hair with a round brush and aimed her blow-dryer at them. Like the rest of the stylists except the guy, Gino, she wore a lavender smock belted over her navy trousers and cream blouse. The wide sleeves accentuated the sinuous movements of her delicate wrists and hands.
A surge of desire raced through him, settling in his groin. He started toward her just as she did a scan of the room, her eyes widening when she saw him. She smiled, a private, meant-only-for-him smile of welcome and—he’d swear it—seduction. His cock hardened even more.
As he approached the chair, Natalie’s customer saw him too. “Well, hello!” she said with a flirtatious note. “Do I know you? I’d like to.”
Natalie choked on a laugh. “This is my friend Tully Gibson. Tully, one of my most loyal customers, Marta Cipriani.”
Marta held out her hand and Tully shook it with a wink. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“Absolutely,” Marta said, eyeing him with appreciation. She was probably about twenty years older than Tully and had a curly cap of dark-brown hair that Tully suspected owed its rich color to Natalie’s expertise.
“Would you excuse me just a moment, Marta?” Natalie asked.
“Take all the time with him that you want, honey,” her client said with a knowing look.
Natalie coughed before she led Tully partway down the hall. She lifted her hand to lay it against his chest, sending a zing of pleasure through him. “How did it go with Dobs?” she asked.
The Agent Page 15