by Katie Reus
Barely two minutes into their negotiations, Berr received a phone call. From out of the corner of his eye, Wyatt noticed Iris touch her ear, clearly in contact with one of her security team. After a few moments of one word responses, Berr abruptly stood, shoving the chair back against the hardwood floor. “Gentlemen, I have to go. I apologize.”
Iris straightened and stepped toward him, her low heels clicking against the floor. She clearly knew what was going on because she gave Berr a brisk nod. “Let’s go.”
Worry for Iris built inside him. Even though he had no idea what was going on, Wyatt knew when she stepped outside that door she’d once again be putting herself in danger. Unable to stop himself, he stood and crossed the floor before they reached the door. “Iris,” he said quietly.
Her hand was gripping Berr’s upper arm as if she had to hold him up. The man’s face was pale and worried, but Wyatt ignored him.
Iris’s dark eyebrows rose slightly, her expression wary. “Yes?”
“Will you call me tonight?” God help him, he needed to know she was safe. Even if she only called and spoke to him for a few seconds, he just wanted to hear her voice.
She paused, the moment seeming to stretch on for an eternity. He hated making himself vulnerable in front of anyone, especially a room full of sharks who would rip apart any perceived weakness, but at the moment he didn’t care.
Iris was and always had been his weakness.
“Of course,” she murmured, her eyes softening for just a second before her familiar mask fell back into place.
Then she and Berr were gone.
* * * * *
Iris kept a firm grip on Berr’s upper arm as they headed down the stairs. This time the team didn’t bother trying to be invisible to the partygoers. In addition to her, they surrounded him in a tight circle as they hurried through the house.
“I’m not going to collapse,” Berr muttered as they eventually reached the waiting SUV. Vincent was already in the driver’s seat as she helped Berr into the backseat.
“I know.” But she figured he might need the support right now and didn’t want to admit it. “She’s fine, so you’ll be fine too.” Iris knew saying the words out loud would help him stay calm on the drive to Loretta’s house. They’d received word from one of her team that Loretta’s house had been broken into while Berr had been at the meeting tonight. Turns out Berr wasn’t the one being stalked, Loretta was. By one of Berr’s exes. The gunshot she’d suffered earlier in the week hadn’t been intended for Berr. Now Iris was incredibly thankful she’d left two extra men to guard Loretta.
It had saved the woman’s life tonight.
“I should have been there with her.” He glanced out the tinted window as they zoomed away.
“She insisted you go and Loretta is forceful.” The petite woman with flawless skin had been laid up with a gunshot wound and she’d still been a little terrifying.
“I should have—”
“There’s nothing you could have done. And she’s alive.” That was what mattered. According to her teammate, the woman who’d wanted to hurt Loretta was now dead, one of Red Stone’s guys having been forced to kill her in self-defense.
Iris figured that it might take Berr a while to come to terms with the fact that a woman he’d once been involved with had tried to kill someone important to him—and was now dead. She rubbed a hand over her face. What a mess.
There would be a whole lot of paperwork and a trip down to the police station tonight. She didn’t have to go, but if one of her men was filling out a report and being interviewed by the police, she wanted to be there with him. Iris also had a feeling that her boss, Harrison Caldwell, would show up too. And he’d bring a lawyer or two.
They drove in silence, taking only fifteen minutes to arrive at the quiet, middle class neighborhood on the outskirts of the downtown area. She could see the flashing blue and red lights bouncing off the trees of the dead end street before they’d reached the one-story cottage style home.
There were four police cars, two ambulances, a fire truck and two black SUVs Iris knew were owned by Red Stone. Oh yeah, total mess. Before Vincent had even parked, Berr had jumped from the backseat and was sprinting across the asphalt.
“Crap,” she muttered, unsnapping her own seat belt and following suit.
A police officer with blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun held up a hand as Berr neared the cordoned off area. The cops hadn’t taped anything off, but they’d set up small cones signaling where civilians weren’t allowed past and Berr didn’t look as if he planned to stop for anyone.
“Sir—” The woman stopped as Loretta cut her off with a shout.
“Gene!” Loretta sat on the back of one of the ambulances, a uniformed EMT in front of her. She waved a hand, swatting at the man who tried to stop her, and slid off her seat. Wearing a knee-length purple tube top-style dress, her bandaged shoulder was visible but she looked well enough considering everything. While her face was pale, she was definitely relieved to see Berr.
Berr didn’t pause as he crossed the distance between them. Loretta looked like she was about to say something, but Berr kissed her hard. Even though he was Iris’s client and she was supposed to be watching him at all times, Iris turned to the side to give them a little privacy. She ruthlessly buried the unwanted emotions that built inside her as she thought of the closeness she’d shared with Wyatt only a month ago. He’d kissed her the same way Berr was kissing Loretta now. The need and hunger emanating off both of them was almost palpable. And she so did not need to see that. Not when she was already a conflicting mess of emotions.
She found Vincent hovering behind her. Kell and another Red Stone agent were talking to the female officer, no doubt letting her know who they were and why they were there.
For the next few minutes Iris and Vincent kept an eye on Berr and Loretta who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Eventually Vincent opened his big mouth, just like she knew he would. “How is it that you’re married, Iris? And how come none of us know about it? And why weren’t we invited to the wedding?”
“Seriously?” Her head snapped up and she glared at him. He wanted to talk about this in front of a client? Well, Berr wasn’t exactly in hearing range, but the timing was inappropriate. Besides, she couldn’t find the right words to tell her coworkers that she’d had a quickie marriage in Vegas a month ago but now wanted a divorce without sounding like a flake. It was too personal and she didn’t want others knowing all about her business. Her private life was just that. Private.
Kell tried to smother a laugh with a cough as he strode up to them. It was a pathetic attempt.
“What? I’m curious.” Vincent shrugged, those pale eyes of his flashing with amusement.
She half nodded in Berr’s direction, hoping Vincent would get the hint, but the client was now feet away from them and looking at her. Iris glanced over his shoulder to find Loretta talking to a police officer and an EMT.
“I’m curious too. Wyatt Christiansen…” Berr trailed off, shaking his head, his gaze growing speculative. “It makes sense that he’d end up with a woman like you.”
Despite her desire to end this conversation immediately, a spark of anger popped inside her. What was up with a relative stranger talking to her like that? “Like me?”
He held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I just meant…bad ass. Harrison gave me your resume. It’s impressive. You and Christiansen fit, that’s all I’m saying.” Berr turned back to watch Loretta. “She said to give her a few minutes while she packs a bag. They wanted to take her to the hospital but she’s not injured and she refuses to go so we’re taking her to my house.”
Iris nodded at him then looked at Vincent and Kell. “You two escort them back to his house. I’m going to the station. Are the cops okay with our presence?” Depending upon who was on duty made a difference for Red Stone’s reception anywhere.
“Yeah,” Kell said. “And Harrison’s on his way to the station. I figured you
’d be going so he’s meeting you there instead of coming here.”
“Good. Call me if there’s a problem.” Iris said a polite goodbye to Berr, then headed toward the closest police officer.
She tried to clear her head of all thoughts Wyatt, but couldn’t get his sexy image out of her head. And she wanted to throttle Vincent for bringing up her marriage. She still couldn’t believe she’d married Wyatt and she certainly didn’t want to talk about it when her husband refused to divorce her. Stubborn ass.
A month ago she’d had to take her vacation time or lose it and had no clue where to go when Wyatt had asked her to visit Vegas for the week. He’d just bought another hotel out there and she’d needed the break so she’d gone. They’d been friends for a long damn time, but they’d somehow ended up married her second night there. Okay, there was no ‘somehow’ about it. She’d been completely sober, unless you counted being high from the most addictive sex she’d ever had. After making the jump from friends to lovers so quickly they’d spent the next week practically naked the entire time, and fucking on any surface they could. Wyatt had been adamant that she wear his ring, that she show she was his. God, the man was so possessive and with anyone else it would annoy the shit of her. But with him, it terrified her because she felt possessive about him too. Always had. But what chance did they have of making things work?
She felt her cheeks heating up as she thought about those nights—and days—wrapped up in his strong arms. Damn Wyatt for being so sexy and stubborn. All it had taken was one look at him tonight and she’d wanted to run her hands through his jet black hair and pull his mouth to hers. Then rip his clothes off and let him completely dominate her. She’d never been like that with anyone else, but letting Wyatt take control came so naturally it made her want to run far and fast from him.
Mentally shaking herself, Iris forced thoughts of him from her head. Berr’s threat might be eliminated, but she wasn’t going to be distracted. Until this job was officially over, she had to stay focused. She hadn’t gotten to where she was by letting her emotions rule her and she wasn’t about to start tonight. Something Wyatt should be aware of by now.
Chapter 3
Iris kept her lights off in her room as she stripped off her dress and shoes. She could move around her house blindfolded if necessary. After securing her weapons and washing her face she fell into bed with just her panties on. It was four o’clock in the morning and she didn’t care about showering or pajamas. Wyatt had liked her to sleep naked but that didn’t come naturally to her. Gah, why was she thinking about him?
Because you want him naked and on top of you, that’s why.
Sighing, she snagged her cell phone from where she’d left it on her nightstand. A month of arguing was enough. They needed to settle things between them like adults. The scorching sex between them had really thrown her for a loop. No, that was an understatement. It had disrupted her entire world like an out-of-control volcano. She’d always been attracted to him, but had never wanted to cross that line. He’d been in her life too long to risk that. So was she a coward for running from him? Absolutely.
Now was time to rectify that. They needed to talk and more than anything he had to see reason and give her a divorce. Then maybe they could build their former relationship back. Okay, she doubted things would ever be the same and that killed her inside, but she couldn’t stay married to him. Not when she’d never be the type of woman he wanted forever. He’d made that clear their last day together… She shook her head, shoving those thoughts from her mind.
She scrolled to his name and pressed send. Cringing, she closed her eyes as the phone started ringing. One ring, two ring, three rings… It was four, but he was normally up at this time and he’d asked her to call but maybe—
“Hello?” A very husky, sexy female voice answered, jarring Iris out of her thoughts.
Her throat seized. What the hell?
“Hello? Is anyone there?” the woman asked again.
Iris cleared her throat and found her voice. “Is Wyatt there?”
“He’s busy right now, may I take a message?” The woman was perfectly polite, but Iris felt jealousy rising inside her like a raging fire, burning away at her reasoning and making her want to strike out at a complete stranger.
Some woman was answering Wyatt’s phone at four in the morning? Yeah, she didn’t like that one bit. She forced her jaw to unclench. “Tell him his wife called.” Unable to say anything else, she hung up and set the phone back on the dresser.
She knew Wyatt had multiple assistants so maybe that was one of them. Maybe. Ugh. Iris hated the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that threatened to overtake her. She wasn’t a jealous or possessive person by nature, but Wyatt just brought that out in her. Which was another reason she needed to stay away from the man. Control was one of the most important things to her.
Letting out a frustrated groan, Iris turned off her phone so she could sleep uninterrupted and curled up under her soft covers. She hadn’t slept in nearly two days because of work. Worrying about anything else right now was stupid when deep down she knew that Wyatt wouldn’t sleep with someone else while they were still legally bound. It wasn’t the way he was hardwired. And she needed rest in the worst way. When she talked to Wyatt she needed to be on her game. Because if he sensed any weakness, he’d pounce and take full advantage.
* * * * *
Wyatt looked up from his laptop as the door to his office opened. He’d recently bought a home in Miami and was settling into this one more quickly than normal. Probably because the thought of living here on a permanent basis was easier than he’d imagined. Because the sole reason he wanted to stay lived here too. He just needed Iris to talk to him about why she’d disappeared from his hotel one morning a month ago. After a week of non-stop sex he’d assumed things were great. They’d had breakfast, talked about the future, then he’d gone to work for a few hours and when he’d come back, she’d been gone. At first he’d assumed she was lounging by the pool, but then he’d realized all her bags were gone. In their place she’d left him a pathetic note telling him she had to get back to work, but she’d call him as soon as she landed in Miami. She’d never called. Instead he’d received standard divorce papers two days later.
He got pissed even thinking about it. Divorce? It shredded him that she could trivialize their marriage like that. He’d been holding back his feelings for her for what felt like forever. Feeling a dark mood settle over him, he looked up at his new assistant hovering in the doorway. The twenty-four-year-old woman was more than competent and came highly recommended, but she’d answered his bloody phone this morning and hadn’t gotten him in time to talk to Iris. Now Iris’s phone was turned off and he was edgy at being unable to speak to her. “Yeah?”
Ellie’s lips pulled into a thin line. “Don’t growl at me. I’ve already said I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize the number and…” She threw up her hands in exasperation. “We have a problem. One of your security team saw someone leaving the house.”
Annoyance quickly disappearing, he stood. “Leaving? From where? Who saw it?” he asked as he rounded the desk.
Before she could answer, Jay stepped up behind her, his large frame filling out most of the doorway and dwarfing Ellie. As Wyatt’s longest-term employee, Jay did a little bit of everything and was more or less his live-in bodyguard. “One of the temps saw a person wearing all black leaving from the east side of your house. A side window into the kitchen was found unlocked but nothing is disturbed. The individual disappeared through the east side hedges and by the time we followed, they were gone. I don’t even know in which direction.”
“Man or woman?”
“Couldn’t tell. Lean, very fast, individual likely five feet eight, hair and face disguised by a full face mask.”
Wyatt frowned. He’d just arrived in Miami and while he’d had some security concerns in Vegas he hadn’t thought that would follow him here. The security system that had come with the house needed a serious
upgrade, but it hadn’t been his top priority since arriving. Now it was. “And nothing was taken?”
“Not that we can tell, but we’re taking inventory and checking for explosives.”
His frown deepened as various scenarios raced through his mind. “Do a full sweep of the kitchen. Check the food, drinks, everything.” He received his fair share of death threats so it wasn’t a completely foreign concept that someone would try to poison him. It had happened a couple of times in the past, always when he was working on a big deal. Competitors got desperate sometimes.
Jay nodded and turned away, not needing further instructions.
“What should I do? Should I call the police?” Ellie’s face had paled a fraction as it dawned on her why he was having Jay check the food.
Wyatt held back a snort. He respected law enforcement but there wasn’t anything they could do other than take a report. Which would just waste his time. “Get Harrison Caldwell’s number for me.”
He might hate that the woman he loved put herself in danger every time she went to work, but Red Stone Security was the best protection agency in the region. And if he had to hire Iris as his personal security to get her to talk to him, he’d do it. He clearly needed the extra protection right now and the thought of Iris protecting him with her body…oh yeah, he could get on board with that. Wyatt knew that under normal circumstances she’d never be allowed to guard him. It would be a conflict of interest. But he’d done a huge favor for Keith Caldwell, Harrison’s father, a few years ago, and the man owed him. It was time to collect.
* * * * *
Sato called her contact on one of her burner phones as she drove down Highway 95. She’d waited until she was completely sure she hadn’t been followed from her quick escape of San Marino Island. Miami wasn’t a place she’d worked before so she was still learning the layout of the different areas. There were a few manmade islands with atrociously priced homes on them in the South Beach area. Of course that’s where her target lived. Harder to access just like the other villas and mansions that were located on the various Venetian Islands, but she would have no problem taking Wyatt Christiansen out. If he wasn’t dead already.