by M. Malone
I sniffed even closer. He wasn’t wearing it, but there was transfer. Maybe the front of his arm? “Evan, did you rub against a perfume stick or something?”
He frowned at me. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
I ignored him and then took a step closer to the blonde. Oh holy hell, it was her. “Excuse me, are you wearing Glitter?”
She glanced down at her arms. “What? It’s kind of early for glitter, don’t you think?”
Her voice was soft and feathery, like frosty cotton candy.
“No, not glitter that you see. The perfume called Glitter.”
She giggled. “Well, it’s my signature. I wear it all the time. I had to buy a lotion. There’s even a dry shampoo with it.”
I coughed. She came closer, and I practically gagged, trying to get the scent out of my nose.
“Do you recognize that you’re in a perfume lab? You’re contaminating our ability to work.”
She frowned then slid a glance over to my brother. “You were so right. She’s a total bitch.”
My hand twitched. The temper I kept distinctly and tightly wound and under control attempted to flair to life. No, don’t lose your shit. It’s not like he would understand or get it or even care.
“Well, in that case, allow me to escort you out of my lab.”
Evan grimaced because, at the end of the day, he knew I was right. She was interfering with my ability to work, and it was my lab. He was my older brother. He should have been the one in charge, but he wasn’t. Hell, at this point, he barely even worked for Livingston Perfumes anymore.
“I’m so sorry, Evan. I’m glad you came down to check things out, but I need to ask you to leave so I can work.”
Blondie’s mouth fell open. She glared at Evan, but he knew I was right, so he couldn’t really say anything. “You don’t have to be a bitch about it.”
I rolled my shoulders. “Time to go, but see you later, okay?” Then I turned my head to the woman at his side. “It was nice not knowing your name.”
God, that was so harsh. But really, I needed to get back to work. I had a big day. And I’d already lost hours.
As soon as they marched out—shoulders stiff, chins high—I turned to everyone in the lab. “Sorry about that, guys. Let’s go ahead and air out the room. Another two hours and then we’ll proceed, okay?”
Everyone nodded. They turned on the air purifiers and started piping in the scent of coffee. Little did they know that wasn’t going to help me. I was still too keyed up to even appreciate the gesture. At the moment, the future of Livingston Perfumes was resting on me. And my brother had just robbed me of several precious hours.
2
Hailey
By the time I finished the testing for the day, it was after nine o’clock. Not that leaving late was unusual, but I was really feeling it. My feet dragged slightly as I walked across the marble lobby toward the doors. Paul, the night security guard, saw me coming and put his hand to his ear.
“Good evening, Miss Livingston. I already called for your car.”
Even though I was exhausted, it was easy to find a smile for Paul. Boyishly charming, he’d been with us for about five years and still wouldn’t call me by my first name. Every time I asked him to call me Hailey, he just grinned and said in his warm southern accent, “I’m from North Carolina. That’s just the way we are, ma’am.”
“Thank you so much. I’m dead on my feet today.”
“Busy around here lately. Everyone’s excited about the new perfume. My lady loves the last one.”
One of the many benefits we offered to our employees was a huge discount on all Livingston-brand fragrances. Everyone from the part-time mail clerk all the way up to the executive branch should have the opportunity to wear our scents.
There were many advantages to being part of such a prestigious brand. I would never deny the benefits the company had brought to my life: the best education, vacations, and homes that money could buy. But being raised wealthy didn’t mean I was blind to the plight of others. It was a simple fact that quite a few of our employees would never be able to afford to wear a Livingston fragrance if we didn’t offer such a huge discount. My father had always stressed that this company was like family.
The car pulled up then, so I waved goodbye to Paul and walked out into the humid summer air. The uniformed driver held the door open for me as I climbed into the cool interior of the car. Usually I enjoyed driving myself to work, but whenever I was thick in the testing phase for a new fragrance, my father insisted I use his car service. I balked at first, unwilling to give up any of my hard-won independence, until I almost fell asleep driving home one night.
When I was this tired, it wasn’t responsible to be behind the wheel.
The ride passed in a blur, and I could only hope I wasn’t rude when I said good night to the driver. My building had a private elevator for the penthouse level, so at least I didn’t have to see anyone as I dragged myself upstairs. I waved my keycard in front of the sensor and took a deep breath as the car hurtled upward. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open during the ride. But I had a feeling if I closed them, I might fall asleep standing up. The doors opened with a soft chime.
“Welcome home, Hailey.”
The slightly robotic voice came from the built-in speaker directly over my head.
“Good evening, Jarvis.”
I’d only had the in-home virtual butler system for a year, but it still made me chuckle every time I greeted him. The system logged my arrival and turned on lights throughout the penthouse. I dropped my briefcase next to the door and then stepped out of my shoes. Instantly, the pain I’d been ignoring all day flooded through my feet. The pair of limited-edition Louboutins were gorgeous but murder on my toes. Finally, I reached under my blouse and unhooked my bra. It landed on top of my briefcase.
“Feeling better already. Jarvis, remind me to clean up before retiring for the night.”
“Noted. Chef left you a plate in the refrigerator. It’s your favorite.”
The robotic voice followed me, now coming out of a speaker in the kitchen as I went to see what Chef John left for me this time. Cool air bathed my face as I leaned over to peer into the refrigerator. The plate was covered with a thin layer of plastic wrap, but I could easily discern that it was the rosemary lamb chops I loved that practically melted off the bone. I could also tell that the maid service had been by because the Chinese food I had two days ago was gone and the refrigerator was now restocked with milk, eggs and the energy drinks I needed to get through each day.
After a quick detour to my room to change, I returned in my most comfortable pair of yoga pants and a long nightshirt. My dining table was too big and formal for a quick meal, so I set up a place setting on the eat-in counter in the kitchen while the food warmed in the microwave. My thumb rubbed over the tines of the fork, noting how the gold tips were starting to rub off slightly.
“Well, that just won’t do.” I made a note to have my assistant order new ones just as the room plunged into darkness.
The fork fell from my hand, and the sound of it clattering on the floor was like a gunshot. Disoriented, I placed a hand on the counter in front of me. What had just happened? There hadn’t been any mention of storms on the weather report, and it had been clear when I came home.
Then my gaze was drawn to the wide windows on the opposite side of the room where I could see the buildings across the street. All of the windows visible were lit up. If there was a power outage, it wasn’t affecting anyone else it seemed.
It was a little odd for a power outage to only affect one building, wasn’t it? I stood and walked closer to the windows. From this vantage point I could see more buildings, and none of them had lost power. Suddenly I felt very vulnerable standing there in the dark.
Then something in the air shifted, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I turned slowly, my eyes darting around the room, but it was too dark to see more than a few feet ahead. My head whipped to the side when some
thing moved. What was that? Maybe it was just a shadow, but suddenly I was convinced I wasn’t alone.
Panic clawed at my throat, and it was only my hand over my mouth that kept me from crying out.
Think, Hailey!
I had to move because, if someone was in here, I wasn’t just going to wait around for them to find me. There was enough light coming in through the windows for me to see the pathway back to the front door.
My phone. I’d dropped my briefcase right next to the door. I crept across the floor slowly, trying not to make a sound. If I could get to my phone, I could call… Honestly, I wasn’t even sure who to call. My father? The concierge?
The concierge, of course, made the most sense. There was probably some sort of building maintenance issue, and I was panicking for nothing.
Then something fell behind me and hit the ground. My heart leaped into my throat. Someone was in here, and they were close.
Too close.
No longer caring about being quiet, I ran, stubbing my toe on something before falling to the ground. Crawling, I almost cried with relief when I felt the unmistakable shape of my bra and then the solid lump of my briefcase. Once my fingers closed over my phone, I turned on the flashlight and waved it around, my heart in my throat.
Nothing. There was no one there.
Hands shaking, I hit the speed dial for the front desk.
“Miss Livingston. Are you calling about the power outage?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes. So it’s not just me?”
“No, ma’am. It’s a building wide outage. However, we’re recommending that all residents make use of their panic rooms until electricity and property video surveillance is restored.”
“Thank you. I’ll do that.”
After I hung up, I used my phone’s flashlight to make my way to the master bedroom. Every one of the units in this building had at least one panic room. Mine had one in the master bedroom and another in the family room. When I bought the place, my father had insisted on it.
At the time I’d protested, telling him that it was unnecessary, but now I was glad to have it. Even if it was a bit ridiculous, it made me feel safer and like I was at least doing something.
Anything was better than standing in the dark and listening to myself breathe. That was enough to freak anyone out.
The panic room in the master bedroom was outfitted with a small couch and several battery-powered lanterns. I brought the pillow and small throw blanket from the end of my bed with me. If I fell asleep waiting for the power to come back, at least I would be comfortable.
As I settled down to wait, I forced myself to take several deep, calming breaths. Why did I always do this? No matter what happened, I always seemed to take it so much more seriously than everyone else. It wasn’t like anything had actually happened, after all. The lights had gone out and I’d been forced to make my way in the dark. Big deal. Plus, the building had excellent security. The staff would never allow anyone up who wasn’t on my preapproved guest list, so no one except my parents or my brother would ever be allowed up without a courtesy call first.
As my heart rate finally settled, I picked up my phone. I could always work on a crossword puzzle while I waited for the power to come back.
But it was a long time before my heart rate slowed down.
Oskar
“Can we please get the molasses out of our asses? Let’s go!”
Rafe ignored me and continued whispering to his wife, Diana. The two of them were always connected at the hip anyway, but it had been even worse since Diana’s pregnancy had started to show. She was a badass and an excellent shot. She fought right alongside her husband most of the time, but now that her belly had popped out a bit, it had introduced a whole new dynamic to the team.
Rafe was an overprotective type when it came to her anyway but now… it was like trying to control the direction of a hurricane. Any hint of a threat and he was out of control. Not that I was complaining. Usually all the destructive energy was useful as hell when we were partnered up, but there were times it was inconvenient.
Such as when we were really fucking late for a job.
Times like now.
“For fuck’s sake!” I threw up my hands when, instead of ending with a kiss to her forehead, Rafe pulled her closer and started kissing her for real.
The kind of kissing you did when you didn’t have to go to work.
“Get a room,” Jonas muttered as he walked by then snickered as the two jumped apart.
Diana looked dazed and then mortified when she saw us watching. When Rafe tried to move in again, she planted one hand in the center of his chest. “Uh-uh, big guy. You heard Jonas. Duty calls.”
My eyes almost bugged out of my head. “Am I invisible? Is that what’s happening?”
Seriously though, what the hell? I had only been standing there for what felt like an hour yelling for Rafe to get the lead out, but all Jonas had to do was say one thing?
My thoughts must have been written all over my face because Jonas clapped me on the back. “Don’t take it personally, but he’s not going to listen to you when it comes to that kind of thing. He knows I get it.”
Jonas’s other half was the aptly named Jessica Jones, a ball-busting blonde who, quite frankly, scared us all a little. I could understand if Rafe deferred to him when he needed advice on how to tame a she-devil, but for everything else?
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with it. Jonas has a lady. He understands.” Rafe finally stopped sucking face with his wife and followed us onto the elevator.
We were starting a new job, and this would be our first time establishing the client’s routine. Technically she wasn’t expecting us for another hour, but I always liked to get us there early so we could scope things out beforehand.
“I may not have a ball and chain, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand.”
Rafe’s obnoxious smirk made me want to cuff him upside the head. Which I would totally do if he wasn’t, you know, an actual former killer.
“Really? Have you ever seen this guy with a woman before?” Rafe turned to Jonas for backup.
“None of my business. Maybe he’s got a chick on the side that we’ve never seen. Or maybe he’s into stuffed animals like Matthias. Some things I don’t want to know.”
Completely unoffended, I laughed right along with them. Our resident tech genius, Matthias, had kept a stuffed animal given to him by his long-lost love that I used to tease him about all the time. Well, no one was teasing him anymore. In a strange twist of fate, that toy had reunited him with his soul mate.
So I guess he got the last laugh on that one.
“Keep guessing about my love life, gentlemen. But I’m not the kiss-and-tell type.”
If only they knew how true that was. Over the years, I’d seen and done some pretty off-the-rails shit, but I was never going to be that douche that went around bragging about it. If you were lucky enough to be invited into a woman’s bed, you should for damn sure respect her enough to keep it private.
That was just good sexual karma.
We made good time in traffic and pulled into the garage across the street. Noah had negotiated deals with most of the garage companies in the city, so we didn’t have trouble finding parking on jobs. I nodded my head as we walked out of the garage and toward the client’s address.
“Okay, that’s her building. I scoped things out yesterday. One exit in the back through the maintenance room. Fire escape. There’s no doorman. Matthias already wired up her security system.”
As Rafe ran through the usual details we covered before starting with a new client, my eyes darted left and right, searching for anything or anyone out of place. Being a bodyguard was about so much more than just showing up and intimidating everyone. It was also about the research you put in to understand your client’s life and environment. Knowing what was ‘normal’ in their world made it easier to recognize when something
unusual happened.
“Great. This shouldn’t take long—”
Just as I reached the door of the building, something whizzed by my right ear and lodged in the doorframe.
“Get down!” Rafe launched himself at me just as another bullet shattered the glass on the revolving door where I was just standing. We both rolled until we were behind some metal trash cans.
“Fucking hell! Someone’s shooting at us already.” Jonas’s annoyed voice carried over the sound of the panicked screams around us.
People scurried to get out of the way as bullets kept coming, sending a flurry of white dust into the air as they hit the newsstand next to us. The vendor dropped to the ground behind his cart, his panicked eyes meeting mine.
This wasn’t good. We hadn’t even reached the client yet, and we already had a situation. I pulled out my phone and sent the standard SOS to Matthias so he’d know to send out backup. I glanced over at Rafe. He already had his weapon out, a murderous look on his face.
“We need to get the client back to headquarters. Clearly her ex-husband is even more of a threat than we thought,” I added.
He nodded and then motioned to Jonas to cover us. It had been quiet for a few seconds, which could mean the guy was gone or that he was taking time to reload.
“Hurry up, Matthias.”
Rafe scowled. “Fuck waiting. We need to make sure this wasn’t just a distraction to keep us busy while he’s making his way inside.”
With just a quick glance over the top of the trash can, Rafe barreled his way toward the revolving door and pushed through. I peered out. Sirens wailed in the distance. We needed to get the hell out of there before NYPD showed up. Noah could deal with them later. Meanwhile, we would already have the client secured.
A few minutes later, a van pulled up to the curb, blocking any further shots. I kept my weapon at the ready, prepared to provide cover once Rafe got the client. After what felt like ages, I saw them coming.
“We got incoming, Jonas.”
