Luke took another drink, but it only seemed to make the anxious knot in his stomach worse. He thought he’d taken care of the Joslyn problem years ago. “I have to tell you something.”
Michael narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Well, when you use that tone, I don’t really want to hear it.”
“You need to know. Especially if Emma is going to be digging around.”
“Fine. What did you do now?”
Luke leaned against the back counter and set his beer down. “Joslyn didn’t just take off to the Bahamas and suddenly disappear from our family for no reason.”
“Shit,” muttered Michael. “You paid her off?”
“What the hell was I supposed to do? She’d just gotten away with murder and was strutting all around Georgia, acting like she owned the damn place. How long before she snapped again and hurt one of us, or worse, hurt Emma? I did what I had to do.”
“I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t get her locked up on some bogus charge.”
“Trust me, the thought crossed my mind,” said Luke. As in he’d plotted out an entire scenario where he could frame Joslyn for being an elaborate drug kingpin. It wouldn’t be easy, but he had the money and connections to make it happen. But if Emma ever found out he’d gotten Joslyn arrested for a crime she didn’t commit, she’d never talk to him again and the family he was trying so hard to keep together would never heal.
As sad as it was, Joslyn trying to murder one of the richest women in the city was really the best-case scenario. No one got seriously injured and Joslyn would finally be in prison where she belonged. It would all be well and dandy, if Emma weren’t so hell-bent on blaming herself for her sister being crazy. “If Emma finds out I paid Joslyn to stay away from her, I don’t know how she’d react.”
“I thought she’d finally start agreeing with us after this whole mess.” Michael leaned back in the stool.
“We can’t really blame her,” said Luke. “She already lost her parents. If she admitted to herself that Joslyn was the one who caused that car crash, she’d lose everything.”
“Emma might not figure it out. There’s no need to tell her anything that could hurt her even more than she already is.”
Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not telling her anything. But if she gets her hands on Joslyn’s bank statements and sees strange deposits coming in once a month, she’ll want to know who it’s from.”
“It’s not like she’s a master sleuth, Luke. Even if she sees them, she won’t know they’re from you. I’m assuming you covered your tracks, right?”
Luke had done plenty of covering. Michael had taught Luke more than he ever wanted to know about sneaking around in the digital world. Normally he wouldn’t be worried about the truth coming out. But Emma wasn’t normal. “Emma might not be able to figure it out, but she has time and money on her side. All she has to do is hire the right guy, and she’ll never speak to me again.”
“Never speak to us again,” pointed out Michael. “She’s going to think I was involved too. But there’s an easy enough fix.”
Luke rubbed the ever increasing crick in the back of his neck. “What’s your easy fix?”
“We have to find the people she hires and make sure they know that we’ll pay them more than she ever will.”
CHAPTER THREE
Jace took a deep breath of the cool fall air as his feet pounded on the concrete jogging path in Central Park. It was too crowded for his liking, but the rotating door of crazy personalities was one of the things he enjoyed about New York. Working with Victoria had been his first job in the city and he couldn’t say he hated it. Not sure if he’d ever want to live there forever, but it had a certain charm.
It would be a nice place to pass the time while he decided what job he was going to work next. One of his old military contacts had already messaged him about some abandoned fuel station in the Ukraine that needed guarding for some reason—probably because there was something much more explosive than fuel in the underground tanks—but Jace enjoyed his time stateside and his taste of the corporate world was more interesting than he ever expected it to be. Or it was until the whole mess with Joslyn got sorted out. Once Victoria was free from death threats, he thought he was going to explode with boredom.
Besides, he had a feeling even someone as rich as Victoria couldn’t afford his fee for a full-time, year-round position. He was never a nine-to-five kind of guy.
But he could use this break to get back to his normal self. He’d put on a few pounds from sitting in one position for so long and it shouldn’t take him longer than two or three weeks to get back to his preferred fifteen percent body fat. His heart rate monitor beeped and Jace increased his pace, making sure he stayed in the peak zone to keep his endurance up.
At least he’d been able to keep his running schedule. Most people didn’t see the benefit of continuous endurance training, but he’d been in places where the ability to run five miles straight had come in handy more than once.
Right after he hit the four-and-a-half mile mark, the phone strapped to his arm buzzed. He debated letting it go to voicemail and checking it after his run, but at the last second, he pulled off to the side of the pathway and checked the screen. It was an unknown number, but at least half of his contacts would call from unlisted lines.
“Jace here.”
“Jace! I’m so glad you answered,” said a rushed, feminine voice from the other end. “This is Emma Devereaux. We met yesterday outside Hunt Tower. I was hoping we could schedule a meeting to discuss my hiring you for a job.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. Shit. He never thought she would actually try to hire him. Didn’t she say that she was going to check him out first? How the hell could she have done a thorough look into his history in less than a day? “I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you so soon.”
“Well, I’m not in town long and would like to tie things up rather quickly. Do you have time later today?”
“I’m booked solid today,” he lied.
“Strange how a man between clients is so busy. I didn’t realize there was this much competition for your services,” she said with just enough bite to let him know she was onto him.
“I don’t want your business. Do I make myself clear?”
“Oh, I suppose that’s clear enough. I suppose I’ll just have to go back to Hunt Tower and track down Victoria myself then.”
Jace gripped the phone tighter in his fist. “What?”
“Well, you aren’t going to help, so I suppose I’ll just have to do everything myself, right? I’ll have to go back to Hunt Tower and I’ll refuse to leave until Victoria will see me.”
He’d misjudged Emma. She was every bit as crazy as her sister. “Security won’t let you get anywhere near her.”
“I have my ways, Jace. Anyway, I appreciate what little time you’ve given me. Now I really have to get ready.”
“Wait! If you really want to meet, we can meet. But I am not taking you on as a client, understand?” At least if he had her in person, he could look her in the eye and decide just how dangerous she was. He’d written the tiny Southerner off as harmless yesterday, but apparently she had a bigger bite than he thought. He just needed to see for himself whether she was bluffing.
“Great,” she said, the smugness clear in her voice. “Where and when?”
“Meet me at a coffee shop just outside Central Park in one hour. I’ll text you the address.” He hung up before she could respond. Morning traffic could be a beast in the city but it was her own problem if she had to rush to make it in time.
He sent her the address and tucked his phone back in his armband before he continued on his run. So now the heiress knew he was involved with Victoria somehow. He made damn sure that his name stayed out of the press, so she must’ve seen him in one of the pictures that leaked.
But he didn’t work for Victoria anymore. If Emma wanted to storm Hunt Tower for a second day in a row, it really wasn’t his responsibility. Gor
don could handle the heiress half his size and Victoria had more than proved herself in stressful situations.
So why had Jace agreed to meet with her? He really needed to get back in the field. Working in corporate America had already softened him. So what if Emma got arrested for trespassing? Her family had the money and lawyers to take care of her.
He was half tempted to cancel the whole thing. But hell, she was right about one thing. He didn’t have a full schedule. Maybe if he met her in person, he could actually convince her to leave him and his former client alone. Jace had a feeling his intimidation skills worked much better in person than over the phone.
###
“I’m heading out for the day. Let me know about any plans before you make them this time, okay?” Emma gave Luke a pointed look.
He smiled up at her, no sign of lingering resentment from their argument on his face. “I promise. You will be included in the planning stages next time.”
“Glad to hear it.” She pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and placed it in her oversized bag. She could grab something to eat at the coffeehouse. Jace didn’t seem like the kind of guy to walk around with an oversized latte in his hand, but she wasn’t about to question his meeting spot. As long as he showed up and didn’t stand her up, she’d be happy.
“So where are you off to today?” Luke poured himself a cup of coffee from the state-of-the-art coffeemaker on the counter.
“Nowhere special,” she said. He motioned toward her with the coffeepot and she shook her head. After her England trip, she’d been a faithful tea convert and had never grown re-accustomed to the bitter taste of coffee. Unless it was packed with milk and sugar, of course.
Luke apparently didn’t have the same aversion as he poured his cup and brought the coffee straight to his lips, no sweetener necessary. After he drank, he said, “I can have my driver take you.”
“Are you going into the office today?”
“It’s Tuesday. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Then I’m not using your driver.” Not that she wanted someone reporting her every move to Luke anyway. “The doorman can get me a car in no time downstairs, so don’t worry about me.” She checked the time on her phone. Forty minutes until her meeting with Jace. Traffic would be bad, but the coffee shop was only two miles away. The day was nice enough, she might even walk back afterwards—depending on her mood, of course. If Jace turned her down flat, she doubted she’d feel like a leisurely stroll back to the apartment.
“So you’re really not telling me where you’re going?”
“It’s not all that interesting. I’m going to grab some tea down the street and then I might swing by Joslyn’s apartment,” said Emma carefully. She’d prefer not to lie to Luke, but if he was going to be an ass about her sister, she’d do what she had to do. Besides, he couldn’t get mad at her for stopping by Joslyn’s secret apartment. As Joslyn’s only living immediate family, Emma needed to clear her sister’s stuff out before the landlord threw everything away.
“Michael and I can help with the apartment,” said Luke. “I already have a list of storage rentals where we can store things.”
“Thanks for the offer, Luke, but this feels like something I have to do alone.” Actually, it felt like something she didn’t want to do at all, but it would be great for her investigation into Joslyn’s psyche. Emma looked down at her phone again. She really needed to get going. “I have to run. Have a nice day, Luke!” She slid out the door before he had a chance to ask why she was rushing off.
Once she was downstairs, it only took a few minutes for a doorman to get her a car and then she had a chance to relax and prepare herself for what she would say to Jace. She was half surprised he even agreed to meet with her, but it was a good sign. At least he had enough loyalty to his former employer that he didn’t want her being bothered by Emma. That loyalty would be great on her side.
As far as how she could convince him to take her seriously, she had one major factor on her side. Money. Whatever his normal rate was, she could double, even triple it. It wasn’t as if Emma threw money around left and right and with her inheritance, she could afford to throw gobs and gobs of money at a man who was actually there when Joslyn was arrested.
The only things she tended to waste money on was school. For most people, getting a college education wasn’t a waste of money. But Emma firmly considered herself in the wasteful category right around the time she got her third bachelor’s degree.
The driver dropped Emma off with a few minutes to spare. Emma tipped him and stepped onto the street. She eyed the quaint coffee shop in front of her. Through the windows, she could see the long line of New Yorkers eager to get their morning caffeine fix. Emma scanned the tables she could make out, but there was no familiar blond waiting for her. Emma kept thinking back to how reluctant he’d been to meet. What if he didn’t show? He’d probably be screening calls for the rest of the day after her threats. She’d have no way of getting hold of him or finding him if he didn’t show up now.
She supposed she’d have to make good on what she said. If Jace stood her up, she’d have to barge into Hunt Tower and demand to see Victoria. Sure, security could pull her away, but there was a chance, albeit a slim one, that she could get into see the CEO.
But hopefully Jace would appear and save her the trouble. Emma tried to remain optimistic as she pulled the door open and stood in line. Whatever was going down once Jace got there, she’d feel much better if she was fortified with tea.
Right when she was next in line, her phone went off. Even though it was an unknown number, she had a feeling she knew who it was. “Jace?”
“When you get up to the counter, tell them you’re here to see Phillip Smith.”
She frowned and glanced around her, trying to catch a glimpse of the man. “Are you playing a joke on me?”
“You want my help. We’re doing things my way. You’re up.”
The customer in front of her moved aside and the barista looked expectantly at Emma. Damn it, Jace was definitely watching her somehow. This wasn’t creepy at all. Emma stepped up and took a nervous swallow. “Um, I’m here for Phillip Smith.”
The barista didn’t look confused at all. She just reached under the counter and pulled out a key. “Here you go. The door to the stairs is to the left of the restrooms.”
“Thanks,” murmured Emma as she stepped aside and stared down at the key. Did this guy really have to make things so difficult? She started to bring the phone back up to her ear, but saw that Jace had already disconnected. They were supposed to talk normally over coffee, not exchange nuclear codes.
But desperate times called for desperate measures, thought Emma, as she maneuvered her way through the crowd to the back corner. Three doors lined the far wall: the women’s room, the men’s room, and an unmarked door.
Emma glanced over her shoulder once more, hoping Jace would hop out and say he was just playing some sort of stupid joke, but nothing happened. She took a deep breath. Was this really important enough to risk going into a strange room with some man she knew nothing about while no one knew where she was?
“Damn it,” she muttered as she stepped forward and turned the key in the knob. The door easily opened to a dimly lit staircase, but due to the angle and the walls that surrounded the entire staircase, Emma couldn’t tell what was at the bottom. Maybe it wasn’t worth it….
“If you stand there, you’re going to draw attention,” said Jace’s voice from the basement. “Come on down.”
Emma quickly closed the door and started down the stairs. “Why would I want to avoid attention?” she asked as she reached the bottom.
“Why would you want strangers to know your business?” he countered.
Emma’s eyes widened as she saw the room they were in. Even though the stairs didn’t look all that classy, she and Jace stood in a beautiful bedroom. Despite the lack of natural light, the recessed lamps illuminated the exposed brick wall that an oversized bed was pressed against. The
tiniest bit of sunlight penetrated the frosted windows right beneath the ceiling. The bright white comforter also added the illusion of brightness to the room.
Emma’s mouth fell open before she forced herself to close it. “Um…what did you say?” She had to stay focused on what she came here to achieve. Not get sidetracked by the curveballs Jace threw her way.
She looked over the security consultant, whose smug expression told her just how proud he was of causing her unease. He hardly looked ready for a business meeting. He was dressed head to toe in black and looked as if he’d just come from the gym. His hair was damp and slicked back carelessly as though he’d run his fingers through it repeatedly, and his sweatpants that hung low on his hips seemed as if they’d been worn through countless workouts.
Somehow the reminder of how fit he was (not that she needed a reminder—his lean strength was obvious with every move he made) made her feel even more uncomfortable.
“You said you didn’t care about avoiding attention. I asked why you’d want other people knowing your business.” Jace leaned against the desk that rested against the opposite wall as the bed.
“I guess I’ve never had much to hide,” she muttered. “Why exactly are we in a bedroom? There are perfectly good tables upstairs we could’ve used for this.”
Jace pushed himself forward and took a step closer to her. “Well, you seemed so comfortable threatening me over the phone, Ms. Devereaux. I wanted to see how brave you were when I got you all to myself.”
A chill went down Emma’s spine at the stark reminder that she was alone with a man she knew nothing about. “I think you’re mistaking desperation for bravery,” she said, especially proud of herself when her voice didn’t crack.
His eyes roamed up and down her body and the urge to run back upstairs intensified tenfold. “What exactly makes you so desperate to bother Victoria Green?”
“I’m not trying to bother anyone!” she insisted. “But Victoria is a large part of the reason my sister is probably going to prison. Why does everyone think it’s so insane that I’m curious about what happened?”
Trusting The Boss Page 3
