“Damn it!”
The anger split through him as he rose to his feet.
Trouble just increased ten-fold.
Lucinda Ricci had finally landed and struck.
***
“I don’t know if I’d go in there if I were you,” Penelope warned, the next morning, and threw a cautious glance towards the office door. “Titan has been pure hell today, and usually I don’t say that. Not that he’s gone hard on me and you, has he baby,” the pregnant woman soothed, glancing down, and patted her well-rounded abdomen. Then, she lovingly and slowly, smoothed her hand along it. “If anything, he’s been extra gentle, sweet, and kind. We even sprung an afternoon off from the stinker.” Then, Penelope’s smile left as she looked at her again. “Unfortunately, others haven’t been as fortunate as me and Junior here.”
She winced. “Is he that bad?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Well, it’s not like I have a choice,” she sighed, shaking her head. “And Penelope, what you saw the other day---”
“Nope.” Penelope shook her head. “It’s none of my business. Whatever happens between you and Titan, stays between you and Titan.”
“I know that. But, in these days of sexual harassment claims, I don’t want you to think that’s what happening with Titan and me. Truth is, Braden and I are close friends. I was upset about something, he was trying to comfort me, and then you walked in…” Her face flushed warm. “I just don’t want his reputation---”
“Don’t worry, okay?” Penelope grabbed her hand, squeezed it reassuringly, and then released it. “I know Titan. I’ve been an employee here for several years, and he’s never made any advances towards me or any of the women here to my knowledge. There’s never an occasion when he doesn’t treat his female employees with dignity and respect. If you have this conception that I’m the type to start unwarranted rumors, lose that thought here. I’m not about that. So, please, stop worrying.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “I just wanted to clear the air on that front.”
“It’s clear.” Penelope arched a high brow and inclined her head towards the office door again. “What you need to worry about is surviving a game of untimely war with Sir Titan in there. My advice? Put on whatever armor you have. You’re going to need it.” The receptionist patted her back and then edged towards her desk. After getting behind it, with careful effort, she managed to sit down. “Good luck.”
“Pray for me.”
Squaring her shoulders, she marched forward.
But, once reaching the door, her bravado faded somewhat.
After taking a tentative breath, she knocked and received a terse ‘come in’.
As soon as the door closed behind her, she fully grasped Penelope’s warning.
He was on fire.
In waves, a volatile energy exuded from him.
Sitting behind the desk, dressed in a sharp light gray business suit, hair perfectly gelled and laid, he was the picture-perfect example of a suave businessman. Except, maybe, his posture was too uptight and rigid…not even a hint of cordiality came from him…perhaps his features were too drawn in a scowl…
“Good morning.” Offering a soft smile, she advanced forward. Rather than sitting down, she stood before the desk and eyed him. Still, acting as if she weren’t even there, he continued scribbling on the ledger before him. “You left in the middle of the night. Too, I didn’t hear when you left this morning---”
“Why don’t we just skip the fucking chit-chat and get to business?” Scowling, grabbing a sheaf of papers from the left side of the desk, he tossed them forward, and they landed at the edge of the desk where she waited. “Read over those, give me your standpoint on how we should approach the partners. This will show if you’ve kept anything that I’ve said these past weeks embedded in your head.”
“But, haven’t we looked at those already?” she asked, frowning while picking them up, and then flicked a fast glance over the papers. “I think it was---”
“Don’t think, just do what I ask,” he snapped, writing fast. “Remember, you’re here on my time, time that you’ve been lucky enough to get.”
“So, I’m lucky, huh?” she said, feeling her anger stir.
“Damn right you are.”
“What’s your problem?”
“Problem?” he scoffed. “Does it look like I have one?”
“Yes, you do. Plainly put, your attitude sucks right now.”
“Ms. Spencer,” he said calmly, finally looking up, and his gray eyes were unreadable. “It’d be wise not to insult the boss since you’re amidst training.”
“Putting up with bullshit isn’t in the clause, Mr. Jameson.” She forced a sweet smile. “Maybe you should check your own damned memo.”
His handsome features hardened. “You’re trying my patience.”
“Guess what?” Leaning down, she braced both hands against the desktop and met his fiery stare head-on. “You’re trying mine. So, before I lose it completely, why don’t you explain why you were out all night?” Her expression became hurt. “Couldn’t you have at least told me that I’d be waking up this morning to not two, but four, expressionless hired goons?” Her pause was quick. “Braden, what the hell is going on?”
“There she goes with the 20 questions again.” He hurled the pen down. “How can I say it again? It’s not your war to fight. So, don’t worry your pretty little head---”
“Don’t worry my pretty head?” She straightened to her full height, and the long-sleeved white sheath dress suddenly seemed to constrictive. The fear inside her chest was making it hard to breathe. Naturally, the awful, lost, dreaded look on his face made it so. “How can I not when you’re acting and behaving this way? Everyone in the building is terrified of you right now and with good reason.” She released a frustrated breath. “Ever since Goth man arrived, you’ve been on edge. Don’t think I haven’t also noticed the heightened security, even since last night. What’s going on?”
A tense second passed.
“Again, like I said before, I can’t go into any specifics.” An undeniable tension gripped his features. “Plainly put, you’re only here for brief training and nothing more. Therefore, it’ll be in your best interest to concern yourself with just that.”
“Wow, so much for this so-called friendship of ours.” Again, she couldn’t hide the hurt. “Well, that was short-lived, don’t you think?”
“Me not telling you everything doesn’t mean that we aren’t friends.” Tightening his jaw, he showed his own frustration. “Sometimes, can’t it simply just be that I’m protecting you?”
“I don’t need protecting---”
“For the thousandth time, this is not a game, Bella.” He slammed a hard fist against the desk and dented the papers easily. “It’s bad enough that you’re involved in this farce of a relationship with Vitali. But, now you want to throw yourself headfirst into my troubles. No, I’m not going to let you do it. The subject’s closed.”
“You don’t have to fight this battle alone. Whatever it is you can tell me---”
“No, you’re staying out of it.”
“I hate it when you treat me this way!” She passed him an exasperated look. “You’re not being fair.”
“Let’s get a few things clear. You can be angry with me. You can hate me. Hell, never speak to me the rest of your living days.” Steeliness gleams in his eyes. “If doing those things keeps you safe, so be it. Protecting your well-being is what matters most.” With a careful slowness, he grabbed the pen again and resumed writing. “Now, where were we? Oh---the ledgers. Take them and read over them like I asked. We’ll go over them together later.”
“So, I’m being dismissed?”
He didn’t even look up. “Yep.”
“This is not over, Braden,” The sheaf of papers rustled noisily as she snatched them up, and evidently, they received the brunt of her ire. “Not by a long shot. I can promise you that.”
His jaw line tightened. “We’re done here.�
��
“Fine.”
Fuming, she stalked to the office sofa and sank down. Still, as she flipped through the papers, she shot flying daggers in his direction. But, then, realizing that he wasn’t going to cave in, she turned her focus to the ledgers.
“By the way, we’re leaving town tonight,” he remarked in a stiffened tone and glanced up briefly from the paperwork. Then, turning his attention to them again, he perused over them. “My plans are to check on Mama and everything else. Also, in light of what’s happened, I think that it’ll do us both good to relax for a few days. Any objections to that?”
“No.” Her head jerked up. “Why would I have any?”
“Seeing as you find my behavior so highly intolerable, I thought that you’d abhor the idea of being in my company. Not to mention the fact that we’ll be back home, stuck between the mountains again.”
“It’s beautiful there. I’m looking forward to going back.” To her disappointment, he didn’t look up. “And the mountain air may do us both good.”
“It certainly will.”
Purposely, she stared down at the papers again.
Yet, her attention was on his verbal slip.
Back home, she mulled, feeling the heat spread across her face.
He hadn’t even caught his own words.
Home, she smiled to herself.
That’s exactly what he was.
***
Around 1:30 pm, her shift ended.
Not that she wanted to leave, mind you.
The choice hadn’t been hers, but Sir Titan’s, she scowled, shutting the apartment door and was thankful for the immediate privacy. With Penelope leaving and with her having read and been briefed on the ledgers, he’d insisted that the take the remainder of the afternoon off.
Of course, she’d protested and volunteered to stay.
“But, your stubborn streak is ten times worse today,” she griped and dropped her handbag onto the sofa. “Guess I should be grateful that I’m inside here alone instead of being stuck with Roofus and Doofus out there.”
Like before, the guards were positioned outside the apartment.
Truthfully, that did make her feel safe.
More than she cared to admit, the little pseudo-kidnapping episode had her shook. While she strove for normalcy, she still found herself looking over her shoulder and was jumpy at times.
“Now, what?” Sighing hard, she plopped down onto the sofa. “Everything’s come to a standstill. Not only that, but, I’m no closer to finding out why Mr. Goth was here than I was before.” She blew a frustrated breath. “Worse than that, Braden won’t trust me to help him.
The cell phone rang.
Caller ID said it was Rowell.
“What the hell?” Cursing under her breath, she sent a cautious glance towards the door. “I thought that we agreed to keep our communications to a minimum?” After snatching the phone up fast, she quickly jogged to the bedroom and shut the door. On the tenth ring, she answered. “Wasn’t the plan to talk less, at least until my troubles with Velasquez blew over?”
“Change of plans. Everything just got shot sky high and hit the fucking roof,” Rowell mumbled with barely controlled excitement. “You won’t believe this shit.”
“What is it?” She took the side of the bed. “Tell me.”
“That lead you gave us on Vitali’s sex-trafficking ring? It was legit like I said before. We ran our sting and caught those bastards red-handed. As we speak, Barbers and Wilson have been taken into custody. Right now, they’re trying to hold rank and not squeal on Vitali. So, let’s just say, we’re looking for the Achilles heel. Once we find it, we’ll dig in.”
“Yes!” she said triumphantly. “Those bastards deserve to be behind bars for the rest of their miserable lives. Did they at least give indication of where the girls are being held?”
“The shit that I said you wouldn’t believe?” Rowell’s excitement was palpable. “I’m about to tell it to you now.”
“What? Don’t leave me hanging, Rowell.” Tensing, gripping the phone harder, she plopped onto her stomach and stared unseeingly across the room. “The suspense is literally killing me.”
“Not only have we ID’d the location, but get this---we have the girls.”
“What?” she gasped in shock. “Are you being for real?”
“It’s as real as me talking to you right now.”
“Yes.” She shook a triumphant fist. “That’s incredible, and something that we’ve all wanted to happen. You couldn’t have given me better news.”
“Yes, that part of it is. For once, it’ll be great to spread good news rather than bad. We can get these girls home back to their families.” He released a pent-up sigh. “Amidst the good news, there’s bad, unfortunately.”
“What could possibly be wrong after all of this?” Her elation cooled somewhat. “Surely, the bad won’t trump all the goods.”
“Guess it depends on how you view it. That is if you believe that we should have a legal pathway to justice or not,” Rowell said stiffly, and then blew another frustrated breath. “It seems that we have a vigilante on our hands. Whoever the fuck it is was savvy enough to spring the girls out, leave them parked on Central, and then contact us.”
“What?” The shock split through her. “So the feds weren’t actually the ones to find the girls?”
“No, someone beat us to the punch. Question is just who that son-of-a-bitch is. Our lead is dead cold on that front. The area where the victims were found is practically a dead zone. No security cameras or anything of that nature are available. As a result, we’ve got nothing.”
“What about the girls?” she probed with a deeply concentrated frown. “They have to know something. Did you talk to them?”
“We interviewed all of them, and they all maintained that they were taken from the hideaway during the middle of the night unharmed. In fact, they claimed that their abductors had one goal---getting them out. All of them say that it’s the best treatment they’ve received in months.” A breath of surprise left him. “Get this, they were fed and provided with fresh clothing.”
“Evidently, we’re dealing with a heavy bankroller.” She gave a thoughtful pause before speaking again. “Considering the circumstances, perhaps we should show our gratitude and send them a thank you card. After all, freeing those poor girls is what’s most important.”
“What? I don’t believe your attitude,” Rowell exclaimed and was apparently surprised by her statement. “No one is above the law, and since when has taking the law into your own hands been a good thing?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe in a fair justice system. You know I do. Sometimes, though,” she rationalized. “The world isn’t shrouded in black and white. A fine shade of gray exists, and it’s not always so bad.”
“Hate to say it, Spencer, but…never mind. Forget it.”
“No,” she said adamantly. “Say what you’re really thinking, Rowell.”
“Alright, I will. Ever since Jameson’s become involved in all of this, your perspective has changed greatly. Could this new mindset of yours have something to do with him?”
She stilled on the bed. “Exactly what are you accusing me of?”
“Be straight with me, Spencer. Do you have feelings for this Titan, Braden Jameson, or whatever in the hell they call him?”
“What kind of a question is that?”
“From your response right now, it’s one that needs answering.”
“Your question is totally unprofessional,” she nearly shouted, springing up on the bed. “Not to mention uncalled for. Haven’t I given you information and other things that you needed?”
“Yes, you have,” Rowell admitted quickly. “But, that’s not the point---”
“The point is I’m still doing my damned job, and that’s all that you need to know.” She inhaled a heated breath. “Now, if you and I are going to continue this phone call, I suggest that you drop this.”
“Ok, I’ll drop it for
now. But, at some point, we will have this conversation again. But, something tells me that I already have my answer.”
“I can’t change what you believe,” she muttered in self-defense, and a small bit of guilt needled her. For it was so unlike her to keep secrets, and Rowell was one of her closest friends within and outside the agency. “So think what you want.”
“Like I said, we’ll drop it. Good news is this should wrestle you from Vitali’s clutches sooner than anticipated. The info on this should be credible enough to lock the bastard and his cohorts up for a lifetime. Fuck, we’re going to make something stick. There’s no way in hell we’re allowing them to walk away from this.”
“This vigilante of ours---it’s obvious that he’s working on our side. For months, this individual has been dropping tips and information. Painting Vitali in a bad light is the apparent goal. Whoever it is, they’re intent on making him pay---and with the same level of intensity that we are. They’re not fooling around.”
“We’re in agreement on that.” Pausing for a brief second, Vitali wheezed noisily on the other end. Then, sniffling, he spoke again. “But, question is this. What’s their endgame? Are they out to settle a score or simply take over Vitali’s turf?”
She shrugged. “It could be either one.”
“Either way, they’re in our way. I won’t stand for it.” Rowell’s tone toughened further. “Whenever I find out who our vigilante friend is, there will be obstruction of justice charges. That’ll be a lesson to show that catching the bad guys is our job, not theirs.” He sighed heavily again. “Hate to run, but I have to. Barbers and Wilson have had too long of a break. Time to put the pressure back on them.” Now, concern filled his tone. “Listen, I know that you don’t want me to mention it. But, I’m going to anyway. In the next few days, things are going to be tough for you---”
“Please,” she replied, stiffening on the bed. “Don’t say anything about it right now, okay? Just knowing that the time is approaching is enough to deal with. But, I’m grateful that this stuff with Vitali happened on this side of it. There’s no way I’d be able to focus otherwise.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I’m sure that I’ll be fine.”
Rise of the Titan Page 49
