The Long Game (Alexis Parker Book 16)

by G. K. Parks

  I was in the middle of dialing Jablonsky when Cross burst through my door. “How long?” he bellowed, his voice reverberating off the walls.

  “For what?” I asked.

  He slammed my door, making the walls shake. “When did it start?”

  I put my phone down. “What are you talking about?”

  He was irate. The last time I’d seen him this angry was the night he fired one of the members of his security team. He stalked back and forth, swallowing and clearing his throat. He coughed again. “How long have you been seeing James Martin?”

  Ice ran through my veins, but I did my best not to react. Martin thought Cross knew about our relationship all along and liked to screw with us. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. “I don’t see how that is any of your business.”

  He let out a huff and jerked the client chair away from my desk. He circled back around, coming to stand in the now empty space, and gripped the edge of my desk. “We had an agreement. James is supposed to be mine.”

  I stared at him as if he had six heads. “Excuse me?”

  He straightened and stared at the ceiling, composing himself. “Before you started here, you worked for him. A condition of your contract stipulates that any future work you do for him falls under the scope of Cross Security.”

  “I told you our business relationship was over.”

  “Yeah, like I was going to believe that.” Cross rubbed both hands over his face. “How long have you been dating? Is that why he originally hired you over my firm?”

  “How dare you?”

  Cross shook it off. “No, I’m,” he indicated that I should give him a minute while he organized his thoughts, “not implying that. Forget I said that. Shit.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I need to know what the situation is.”

  “You need to go to hell.”

  He licked his lips. “According to every media outlet, James Martin is single. He’s listed as one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. In an interview he gave six months ago, he said he wasn’t dating. He said it.” Cross blinked rapidly, shaking his head. “Is this just a fling? Do the two of you hook up whenever you feel like it? Booty calls or whatever people are calling it now? Is that what the apartment is for?”

  “We are not discussing this. This is none of your business.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I told you I thought he was interested in you. I was right.” He watched me carefully. “But you already knew that. Dammit. Tell me how long this has been going on.”

  “Asked and answered,” I growled, not understanding why Cross thought my private life had anything to do with him.

  “That’s why Don Klassi came to you. He’s on the board at Martin Technologies. You might not work for James, but you’re doing his bidding.”

  “Fuck you.” Don must have decided to get payback for last night.

  A million thoughts went through Lucien’s mind. He hesitated for a brief moment before adding, “You own an apartment together. The paperwork went through months ago. Care to explain that?”

  “Get the hell out of my office.”

  “Per the terms of your contract,” Lucien began, but I stood up.

  “I said get out.” I pointed at the door. “Now.”

  “Fine. We will discuss this when you’re calmer.”

  “When I’m calmer?” I balked. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  He didn’t respond. He simply walked out of my office like his outburst didn’t just happen. As soon as he was out of sight, I dropped into the chair. I was so angry my hands were shaking. Who the hell did he think he was to ask about my personal life? I ran through the things he said and the accusations he made, getting more infuriated by the second. Getting up, I slammed the door closed. If I wasn’t careful, I might kill somebody. Preferably Lucien or maybe Klassi.

  I reached for my cell to call Martin but decided against it. He had enough on his plate, and he didn’t need to listen to me yell about my asshole boss. Instead, I rolled my neck from side to side, resisting the urge to heave heavy objects across the room. When I was slightly more in control, I dialed Mark.

  “Hey,” I said, figuring I could rant and rave to him, “you’re not going to believe the day I’m having.”

  “Did you get my messages?”

  “What’s up?”

  “Someone ran your details late last night. With everything that’s been going on, I have you flagged, so I get an alert whenever anyone pokes around.”

  “I’m waiting,” I said, already suspecting what he was about to say.

  “Someone at Cross Security ran your credit history, phone, and property records. It was a little after eleven when they did it. It was probably just a work thing, but I thought you should know.”

  “Oh, I know.”

  Mark heard the tone of my voice. “I warned you about Cross.”

  “I told you so isn’t exactly what I want to hear right now.” I picked up a sharpened pencil and flung it across the room like a dart, wondering if it would stick in the wall. It did not. “My boss is an asshole. Any idea exactly who ran my records?”

  “It just came from the office. That’s all I know.”

  “Yeah.” My eyes focused across the hall. “If you’re not busy later, I’d like to talk through some ideas and theories. Heathcliff mentioned some interesting things about cryptocurrency.”

  “Cryptocurrency or how to kill Cross.” Mark chuckled. “Either way, count me in.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Any other car sightings?” he asked before I could hang up.

  “Not today.”

  “Good.”

  I stormed across the hallway and barged into Kellan’s office. Unlike Cross, I didn’t scream at him the moment I entered. Instead, I took a seat in his client chair and stared at him. Silent interrogation was usually the most effective. I just wasn’t sure how much training a former DEA agent might have undergone to resist such tactics.

  Luckily, Kellan cracked in less than a minute, probably since half the floor heard me arguing with Lucien. “Alex, you don’t understand.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “When you came aboard, Cross asked me to look into you. To find out everything I could about you and James Martin.”

  “That’s why you were so friendly at first. You’ve been lying to me since the day we met.”

  “Alex,” he insisted, but I held up my hand to silence him.

  “That’s why you’ve been asking so many questions lately and why you kept trying to get me drunk, so I’d tell you whatever you wanted to know.”

  “At first, I thought Lucien was just doing his due diligence. He likes to know everyone’s secrets to avoid unpleasant surprises down the road. But you were clean. So I started thinking maybe he had a thing for you, but you made it obvious that wasn’t the case. When Renner told me about Don Klassi, I recognized the name and ran your records. I’m sorry.”

  “What did you find?”

  “The apartment. The regular phone calls.”

  “What did you find on Klassi?”

  Kellan looked confused. “Nothing.”

  I bit the inside of my lip and gave him an icy stare. “My relationship with Martin has no bearing on anything, least of all my ability to work here. It is none of Lucien’s business, and it sure as hell isn’t yours. Just tell me one thing. Did you have anything to do with the attack?”

  His mouth dropped in shock. “How can you even think that?”

  “I don’t know you. And I sure as hell can’t trust you. Just answer the damn question.”

  “No. I would never.”

  “Fine.” I stood. “Do yourself a favor, Dey. Stay the hell away from me.”

  Fifteen

  “Why does it matter?” Martin asked. His eyes followed me as I paced back and forth. “Who cares if Cross knows we’re together? I don’t. And honestly, sweetheart, you knew when you signed the papers on this apartment that our secret was out. Frankly, I’m surprised
it took him this long to figure it out.” He pointed a finger at me. “That’s the reason I didn’t hire that prick in the first place. He’s slow on the uptake. And you can tell him that the next time he asks.”

  “He wasn’t supposed to find out. No one was.” I met his eyes. “It matters.”

  Martin sat back and rubbed his palms on his thighs. “Explain to me why.”

  “It’s not safe. Lucien’s an issue, but the unsub with the knife is more of an immediate threat. You can’t deny that.”

  “It’s not any more dangerous today than it was yesterday, before he knew. You aren’t a federal agent. The chances of someone seeking retribution have diminished. No one should actively be trying to hurt you.”

  I tugged on my collar. “Yeah, we see how well that’s going, right?”

  Martin wanted to pretend everything was fine. He hated knowing I was at risk, and he knew how detrimental outside threats were to our relationship. He found the conversation vexing, and the vein at his temple jumped and pulsed. “We cohabitate eighty percent of the time. Y’know, I really thought this time would be different. I don’t know why. It never is with you.”

  “Martin, I’m not saying this changes anything.”

  “Then what the hell are you saying?” He got up to pour a drink. “We live here. We’ve been living here. Anyone who feels like checking into property records will discover that. The cat’s out of the bag. The ship has sailed. We can’t put the genie back in the bottle.”

  “Any more idioms you feel like using?”

  The beginnings of a grin formed at the edges of his mouth. “Give me a minute. I’ll see what I can come up with.” He swallowed a mouthful of scotch and let out a long exhale. “It’s out there, and someone found it. What’s the problem?”

  “Someone found it, which means other people can find it. You have to be careful. We have to be careful.”

  “But you already knew that.” He gave me a long look. “All or nothing. I told you I’m all in. I guess it’s time you make a decision.” He smiled. It wasn’t nice or friendly; it was more of a gotcha smile. “Not so easy, is it?”

  “I’m in. And if you didn’t figure that out the day I signed the papers on this place, you’re not paying enough attention.” I took the glass from him and gulped it down. “However, that doesn’t change anything. Cross wants you. At this point, it’s not beyond the realm of reason to think that he’s jealous I’m your girlfriend. Maybe he caught a gay vibe. You do wear a lot of pink and purple for a straight man.”

  “Lucien isn’t gay,” Martin said. He poured another splash of scotch into the glass, waiting to see if I’d make a move for it. “Even if he is, I don’t swing that way. And nothing on Page Six or in the tabloids ever indicated otherwise. Your point is moot.”

  “No, it isn’t. Maybe if you’d start paying attention to what I’m saying, you’d see we have a problem.”

  “Here are the things we know,” Martin said. “Lucien approached me about a joint business venture. We had a preliminary meeting to discuss the possibility. I told him I wasn’t interested. He asked that I remain open to working with him in the future. That was it.” Martin saw the concern in my eyes. “And you’re afraid he intends to use you as a pawn or somehow leverage our relationship for his own gains.”

  “Like I said, we have a problem.”

  Martin drained the glass. “Let him bring it. I know how to shut him down. If he does anything retaliatory to you, I’ll bury him in lawsuits. And despite what he might want you to think, my corporate attorneys are much more skilled at civil proceedings than the legal counsel on his payroll. Furthermore, if it came down to it, I’d buy out your contract. You don’t have to work for him.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I provided him with a glowing recommendation. You can do much better than Cross Security.”

  My head pounded, and I rubbed the back of my neck. There were so many things wrong with what Martin just said that it would take the rest of the night to point them all out. He knew that I never wanted to get a job or keep a job because of my connection to him. When Cross hired me, I knew it was because of Martin, even though, at the time, I had no idea Cross was this obsessed. However, under no uncertain terms did I want Martin to fight my battles, nor did I want to be used as a game piece in their battle. And that’s what I was to Cross. A piece he could exploit for his own gains, and depending on Martin’s actions, I might be nothing more than a prize to be won on the corporate battlefield.

  Despite my annoyance with Lucien for putting me in this position, my biggest issue was the worry worming its way through my belly. Someone found my connection to Martin. This time, it was Cross. Next time, it could be anyone with an agenda. But I couldn’t act out of fear. That’s how I nearly lost Martin the first time. Instead, I had to bury it and hide it. I’d probably end up with an ulcer.

  “Alexis,” Martin said, drawing my attention to him, “it’ll be okay. He can’t hurt us. Do you want me to give him a call and clear the air?”

  “No.”

  Martin held up his palms. “Okay.” He brushed his thumb against my cheek, knowing that no matter what he said, I still found the situation unacceptable. “What else is bothering you?”

  I turned to check the time. Jablonsky was on his way. He’d save me from this, and unlike Martin, he’d fully comprehend the situation. “Kellan betrayed me. Maybe Renner too. I trusted them. Hell, I even liked them. How could I have been so blind?”

  He kissed me. “I’m sorry.”

  I gave him a look, feeling as though he were patronizing me. To Martin, business wasn’t personal, but he took the bullshit with Klassi rather personally. Before I could point that out, the intercom buzzed, notifying us Jablonsky was here. At least he saved Martin from a fight I didn’t think he’d win.

  “I have some calls to make and e-mails to return. I’ll be in the bedroom if you need me.” Martin took his glass and closed the door behind him while I let Mark inside.

  “Twice in two weeks. Clearly, you miss me,” Mark said, stepping inside with a bag of takeout. “Hope Chinese is okay. I thought you could use some orange chicken and fried rice.”

  Even though I wasn’t hungry, I thanked him for picking up dinner, and after a brief rant and recap of my dealings with the unsub, Lucien, Martin’s view, and the fact that I still didn’t know precisely why Lucien was this interested in Martin, we turned the topic of our conversation to cryptocurrencies and Noah Ryder/Ripley. Mark bit into an egg roll, chewing thoughtfully.

  “You should hand Klassi over to Heathcliff, and let the detective take care of it.”

  “I did some digging,” I admitted, “but I can’t find a connection between Klassi and CryptSpec. It’s the same type of cryptocurrency that Noah traded to Don, but that’s the beginning and end of it. Don has no obvious ties to anyone at CryptSpec.”

  “Businessmen tend to travel in the same circles. There might be some overlap but probably not what you’re looking for. What about Noah? He’s dealing in the same coin.” Mark thought for a moment.

  “Even if I give Noah to the cops, they won’t have anything to charge him with. Don won’t come forward.”

  “Not even for ten million?”

  Something told me the answer was no, but I shrugged in response. “I’ll keep on it unless it gets to be too much.”

  “Last night sounded like it was too much. The bastard with the knife connects to Klassi. Have you tried speaking to him about it again?”

  “I’ve left a few messages, but he won’t return my calls. The only way I’m going to get answers is to see this through.”

  “In that case, it sounds like you have everything you need.” He blotted the mustard that had fallen onto his shirt with a napkin. “But I don’t like it.”

  “Noah?” I asked.

  Mark shook his head. “We don’t know much except that he set up these companies and identities years ago. He’s a planner. And since the Bureau has no record of him or his scams, he’s careful. He won’t fall for the usu
al lines of bullshit. You have to sell yourself as Alexandra Scott. Your background is rock solid, but you need to be on point. Are you?”

  “I hope so.”

  He picked up a container of beef and broccoli and a set of chopsticks. “After you called, I had the boys upstairs do a thorough eval of your entire cover story, including the paperwork on the gallery. Despite Cross losing his shit today, I will admit he did a good job establishing your cover. I don’t think Noah will see through it. Hell, our experts couldn’t find any loose threads, and they knew it was a plant.”

  “But that’s the crux of the problem.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “I can’t trust anyone at Cross Security. What if Lucien decides to be vindictive and screw me over? I don’t even know what he wants, and after he barged into my office, screaming like a banshee, I kicked him out.”

  “You should have kicked his ass.” Mark put the container down and slumped back on the couch. “I can’t believe Marty’s being so cool about this.”

  “He doesn’t understand, and I don’t know how to make him understand without sounding like an overprotective, paranoid lunatic.”

  “That’s because you are, but you have your reasons. I know you, Parker. You’re freaking out about a million worst case scenarios. Here’s the thing. You know the score. You know what this job entails, and deep down, so does Marty. He isn’t stupid. He understands Cross better than you think. Hell, you know what my feelings are toward your new boss, but I don’t believe he would jeopardize your safety for the very simple reason that it would make him and his precious company look bad. However, the less you rely on him, the better off you’ll be.” He reached for the container again, digging his chopsticks into it. “Why does Marty think Cross is obsessed with him?”

  “It’s Martin. Naturally, he assumes everyone wants him.”