“I’m going the office for a while,” he said.
She nodded and got up to get her shoes. “Just give me a moment.”
“No need to come along.” He really needed some time alone.
“I’m your bodyguard, Nico. I can’t let you go alone,” she said in a tight voice.
He hated seeing her so upset. He wanted to go to her and wrap his arms around her, but he was still pissed at her. He was hurt that she had not trusted him enough to share something so important with him, not until her teammates had found out.
“I need some time alone.”
She gazed at him, her eyes pools of liquid sadness. He had never seen her without her guards up and her vulnerability beckoned to him in a way nothing else could have.
“Should I call Rusty then? He’ll be glad to go with you,” she offered.
She was not happy, and she was respecting his need for privacy, but his safety was uppermost on her mind. Probably because it was her job, but he knew it was not just that. She really did care. And no matter how hurt he was, he would rather be with her than with anyone else.
So he sighed and fingered his keys. “No, it’s fine. I’ll wait for you.”
She went back into the bedroom. She came out a few minutes later. She had flung a jacket over the jeans and tight fitting navy blue woolen blouse she’d been wearing. He saw just before she zipped up the jacket that she’d worn her holster.
They were silent on the elevator ride down. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he did not know where to begin. So he kept quiet and tried to focus on the issues with the new resort. The drapery had been delivered, but was the wrong color. Charly had handled that, but there were other small bugs he needed to iron out. The opening was in less than six months and they needed to have everything perfect before then. They were already a couple of months behind schedule.
They got to the basement car park and he unlocked his BMW. He could afford a more expensive ride, and this one was not even the latest model. But he could not forget where he came from and he knew that the fastest way to go back there was to spend carelessly. So he’d invested his own personal income in government bonds and real estate.
He glanced at the clock on his dashboard. It was five pm already and they had to be at his mom’s at seven. He could get in a couple of hours work at the office before leaving for his mom’s house.
He glanced at Tamika, she seemed to have withdrawn somewhere inside her head and it was not a happy place.
He felt off in a way that bothered him. He had gotten used to teasing her, laughing with her and just generally talking with her. This silence was killing him.
He parked the car in the parking space reserved for him, but did not turn off the engine.
“Are you tired of this relationship?” He felt his stomach twist into knots at the thought. He had no idea what her answer would be, and that scared him.
She shot him a confused glance. “Why would you say that?”
He ran his hand through his hair, noting as he did that he needed a haircut. “I don’t know, maybe because you’re giving mixed signals,” he said with a sigh.
“I’m giving mixed signals? I honestly don’t get what you’re so mad about.”
She didn’t know why he was so mad? That made him only more pissed. “You act like you’re interested in what we have going on, but it’s all a damn lie. You are too scared to commit!”
The silence after his outburst was profound. She stared at him in anger, but he did not regret what he’d said. He didn’t know if he could cope with her noncommittal attitude towards them. He was so crazy about her and it was driving him crazy that she still had one foot out the door.
“You know what? I don’t have time for this,” she said then opened the car door and jumped out.
He watched as she drew her weapon and cautiously walked around the vehicle. The lot was well lit and there were no other cars parked around them so it was easy to see that everything was clear. She paused, as though she was listening for something, then satisfied with what she’d heard, or not heard, she beckoned to him.
Nico realized that he was still sitting in the car. He had been lost in thoughts. It occurred to him that he and Tamika had just had their first fight. Stepping out of the car, he picked up his laptop carrier and slipped his phone into his pocket, then walked towards her, locking the car as he went.
They got to the office building and met the security guard at the entrance.
“Good evening Mr. Ortega,” the man greeted.
“Evening, Bob. How’s it going?” Nico replied with a nod.
“Everything is fine over here.”
Nico gestured towards the building. “Anyone working late?”
“Everyone’s gone for the day, except Mr. Monroe. He came in about an hour before you did.”
Nico nodded. “Thanks, Bob.”
As they walked towards the elevator, Nico wondered what Ted was doing back at the office. He was supposed to be in DC for a meeting. He gave a mental shrug; it was possible that the meeting had been cancelled.
Tamika walked silently by his side, her gaze scanning the entire place, her body tense and alert. He did not expect any danger here, in his offices, but he understood that she was just doing her job.
They stood side by side in the elevator. She avoided his gaze. He did not like fighting with her, it made his life quite boring. He looked straight ahead of him with a sigh.
“I guess you’re not speaking to me now,” he said.
He felt her glance at him, then heard her sigh. “Stop trippin, I’m good.”
“No, you’re not.”
She sighed again, “You’re right, I’m not. I’m pissed at you right now.”
“Yeah, I got that much.” She had lapsed into that faint New York accent that seemed to show up whenever she was upset.
She turned to face him. “Why would you think I’m scared to commit? Why is that even an issue?” she demanded to know.
“Because I care about you, Tamika. I’m not just playing relationship here. This is real for me.”
She stared at him in shock. “But we just met. You don’t know me. It’s too soon—”
He placed a hand on her mouth and held her gaze. “I know,” he said quietly. “I know all that. But I also know what I feel and I think, I hope, you feel the same way too.”
Just then the elevator dinged. He moved his hand from her mouth and caressed her face just as the doors swooshed open. He stepped back and waited for her to get off the elevator, following after her.
He saw Ted walk past his office. He was so focused on his phone that he did not see them and for some reason, Nico did not call out to him. By the time they got to the end of the hall, he had disappeared around a corner. He exchanged looks with Tamika, but they remained silent until they had gone past Charly’s office into his office.
Tamika began a search of his office. She checked his table. She reached for the phone box and then followed the phone line to where it ended at the wall plates, behind the couch. She paused and stared at the couch.
“Nico, come here for a moment.” When he was standing next to her, “Does it seem like this couch has been moved just a bit?”
He turned his head to the side and looked at the couch. He was usually a bit anal about the way his stuff was placed, but he tried not to drive his staff too crazy with that. He knew exactly where everything was supposed to be in his house, but he could not say the same for his office. However, he knew Charly, and she could not abide having things out of place or out of sync. She believed very much in harmony.
To the untrained eye, the couch looked perfectly okay, but Nico could see that it had been slanted slightly at a ten degrees’ angle. It had definitely been moved.
“It has been moved, but it could have been the cleaners,” he said with a shrug, going back to his table.
Tamika did not say anything. She pulled out the couch and glanced at the wall plate. After several minutes she stood
up and pushed the couch back in place. She walked over to the phone and placed the receiver against her ear. Then she carefully placed it back in its cradle. Next she pulled out her phone and tapped into it.
“I don’t think we should stay here,” she said still tapping her phone.
Nico frowned. “What’s up?” He was already deep in work, sorting out some of the last minute paperwork that needed to be done so that they could stay on schedule.
“Your office has been bugged.”
That brought him up short. He lifted his head from the file he was working on. “Bugged?” He should not be so surprised with all that’s been going on, but he was.
“Yep,” she said, lifting her gaze to his. She looked serious, so this was not some joke. “I’ve alerted Rusty and the guys, but we need to get out now. I think your safety might have been compromised.”
He glanced at his file. He had been looking forward to catching up on his paperwork. He wondered briefly if the situation was that bad. Maybe he could stay for an hour. What could happen in an hour? Then he sighed. He trusted Tamika. She was not a drama queen. If she said they needed to get out, then they needed to do just that.
“Okay, fine. Let me just gather up these files.” He could work at home before heading to his mom’s place.
“I’ve asked for backup and a vehicle.”
“What’s wrong with the one we drove here?” he wanted to know.
“I’m not sure that it hasn’t been compromised.”
This was getting bizarre. They were not in a movie. This was his life and he was getting tired of not being in control of his life.
“That is ridiculous,” he said.
She narrowed her gaze at him, it was clear that she wanted to say something in response, then she sighed and walked up to him. She placed a hand on his arm and he saw in her eyes that she understood what was going through his mind.
“This is only for a little while, Nico. We’ll soon get all this sorted and life can go back to normal. But for now, trust me. Please.”
He looked down at her. She was tall for a woman, but he had good five inches on her. Yet, he knew she was strong and capable and even if he thought this was too much, it was for his protection. He ran a hand over his head.
“I do trust you, Tamika,” he said sincerely. “But where does this end? If I let you guys, pretty soon you’ll say I can’t live in my apartment or I can’t go visit my family.”
She looked at him and bit her lip. “Er, about that…”
“Forget it! Mom is expecting us and we are not going to disappoint her.”
He could see that she wanted to argue, but she just nodded. She stepped back from him and tapped on her phone again. After a few minutes, she looked up at him. “I know it’s last minute and all, but please ask your mom if she can accommodate two more at her table.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
“We need to be at your mom’s, right? But we also need to make sure that you’re safe. So two of the team will be coming with us.”
“I don’t want Mom to worry,” he said with a frown.
“No worries. We’ll keep it casual.”
She glanced at her phone. “Our ride is here. Let’s split.”
He had not heard the phone beep. He had not even seen the screen light up. He supposed it was in some kind of stealth mode. The first indication he got that they had stepped into some alternate reality was when they got outside the building.
In the elevator, Tamika had asked him, “Is there another entrance apart from through the car park or the lobby?”
“There’s a back entrance, but we keep it locked. I have no idea where the keys are,” he’d replied.
“Then the lobby it is.”
They had hurried through the lobby and stopped right outside the side door, next to the large swooshing doors of the entrance.
“This is not good,” she muttered to herself, glancing outside the doors.
“What?”
“Too much light,” she said, waving towards the front. “Well, no help for it. Let’s move.” She pulled out her weapon, placed a hand on his arm and they stepped outside. He could feel the tension radiating from her as she swept her gaze first one way then another, without breaking her stride.
He saw the SUV waiting at the front curb. It was just a few feet from the doors they had just exited. They hurried towards the vehicle then suddenly, Tamika froze and tackled him to the ground just as he heard the sound of a gun go off. She lifted her weapon and aimed in the direction where the sound had come from, then fired. At the same instant, the door of the SUV was flung open. Two people got out and grabbed him, he tried to fight but recognized Rusty. They used their bodies as buffers and hurried him into the vehicle. He reached back for Tamika then realized she was right beside him. The doors were shut as they squealed out of there.
Chapter Twenty-six
Tamika watched Nico as he paced the floor of his living room. This was a penthouse apartment and the living room was much larger than that of the suite they’d stayed in while in Seattle. Hell, his living room could swallow up her entire apartment with space for more.
She understood his agitation. It had been a tense evening ending with their cancelling the dinner at his mom’s.
“Nico, how did Cruz know about the plans?” It had been bothering her for a while. She had a feeling that the answer to that question would unravel some of the mystery they were dealing with.
“I have no idea,” he said, pausing to glance at her.
“I think he might be working with someone in your office.”
He gave her a disbelieving stare. “If our shares tank, everyone gets affected. It’s not in anyone’s interest for this to get out, believe me.”
“People have different motivations, Nico.”
“No, forget it. I trust my people,” he said with an air of finality.
Tamika shook her head. In a way, she envied him the ability to have such blind faith in people. “Think, Nico. How would a man like Cruz know the value of the plans? The fact that they are tied to the funding for the new resort? Until you told me, I had no idea.”
He walked towards where she was seated and took the armchair next to hers. “Keep talking.”
“Someone, and it has to be someone who is in the know, must have told him what to look out for and how valuable it is.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to think that any of them would betray me like this,” he said slowly.
“It might not be about you, Nico. It might be about something else that they want or need.” The only thing she could think of was greed. Someone’s greed had gotten out of control. “Who knew about your presentation to the investors, where you unveiled the plans to them?”
He ran his hand over his head as he shut his eyes in thought. His crew cut had grown out slightly and she ached to run her hands through his hair.
“Everyone on the executive level was present during the presentation. That makes about eight people and then Charly.”
She nodded. “We’ll have them all checked out by tomorrow.” She brought out her phone and tapped into it. Then she asked the question that had been bothering her. “How do you know Ted Monroe?”
“He was my college roommate. We lost touch after college, but then the business grew and the responsibilities became too much for me to handle alone. I needed a head of operations and got in touch with him.”
Just then Nico’s phone rang. He glanced at it and said, “It’s Charly,” then answered the call. “Hey, Charly, what’s up?”
He was silent for several moments then he swore, “Shit. I really don’t need this hassle now.” He stood up and resumed pacing. “No, it’s not your fault, Charly…yeah…this week?” There was a pause. “Fine, tell them Friday at noon.” With that he ended the call and let out a string of curses.
He turned and walked straight to the minibar at the corner of the living room and poured himself a drink. She waited for him to fill her
in.
“The shareholders have insisted on a meeting this week.”
“This week?” She was alarmed. That did not give them a lot of time.
“Yeah. Ivan got to them. I’ve set up a meeting for noon on Friday.”
Noon on Friday. It was Tuesday already. That meant they had to retrieve the plans and the little girl before Friday. “Damn.” She got to her feet and placed a call to Emily.
“Hey, Tamika, are you okay?”
She heard the concern in Emily’s voice and smiled. She had chewed her out about keeping her relationship with Chicha a secret, but Tamika had not expected anything less. Emily was tough on them, but very fair and she really cared.
“I’m fine. The shareholders have called a meeting for Friday.”
“Friday?” Emily asked, her voice cool.
“Yeah.”
“You both need to come over to the safe house so we can discuss this. I’ll send Rusty over.”
“Okay.”
“See you in ten.”
She slipped the phone into the pocket of her jeans. She had taken off the jacket and the holster as soon as they got into the apartment. She looked up to find Nico watching her. She remembered the conversation they’d had in the elevator. Was he serious about caring for her? She knew he had no reason to lie, not about that. She wondered how she felt about it. It made her jittery, that was for sure. And he was right. She had one leg into this relationship and one out. She was just waiting for him to leave, because she knew there was no way he was going to stay. No one had ever stayed. Everyone she’d ever loved in her life had left her, starting with her mother. Even her husband and her kids…No, she could not let herself care too much for him. She didn’t think her heart could take any more battering.
“We are meeting with the team to discuss the new development. We need to get the plans back before that meeting.”
He nodded, then walked slowly towards her. With each step he took, her heart beat a little louder. He came to a stop right in front of her. She looked up at him and melted a little at the caring she saw in his eyes. He really did care about her. Without thinking too much, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. His arms came around her and he pulled her closer. She could hear the steady beating of his heart.
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