“She’d been married twice before, but neither one stuck. She thought she had finally found the man of her dreams. Turns out Tolliver was after her for her connections. The Moore’s know everyone who’s anyone. Tolliver was trying to buy respectability. He does well enough in business to have the money, but he’s a persona non grata with the ‘in’ crowd. Monica was going to change all that.
“Then she found out he was sleeping around on her. She was devastated. She had given him the Matisse her grandfather had given her. Of course, he refused to give it back. Once she dumped him, his new-found status with the ‘in’ crowd was terminated. They shunned him, so he made her miserable. He taunted her with the painting by hanging it in his office and humiliated her by posting some nude pictures of her on Instagram he had coerced her into taking. He hurt her in every way imaginable. I know she was afraid of him. She hired a bodyguard, but Tolliver must have paid him off.
“She came home one night, and Tolliver was waiting for her. I’m pretty sure he beat her. He blamed her for his sudden downfall. He’s been trying to get accepted by the creme de la creme of monied society in New York for years, and he was so close. Anyway, she hired me to get the painting, which I did, and then I heard she ran off to Europe. Tolliver tends to stay on this side of the Atlantic.”
Dex added, “I can confirm she’s in Paris. Diana wished she would come back to the Hamptons for the summer but, so far, she’s refusing.”
“But how do you know him personally?” Mitch asked.
“He was livid after he discovered the Matisse missing. He called Monica and threatened her if she didn’t tell him who took the painting. She caved and gave him the information on how to contact me. She called my handler and said Tolliver had threatened to kill me and swore revenge for humiliating him. Turns out he arranged a party to show off the Matisse when he went in to discover it missing.
“My handler told me about it, so I went on a threat assessment mission. I was introduced to him at a party, under an alias, and that was enough. He’s a total slime-ball. He groped several women in the short time I was in the same room with him and managed to insult the rest. He’s disgusting.
“I can easily see him threatening Monica to get Diana to use me, but I’m not sure that would be enough. Monica has gotten smarter where he’s concerned and hired better security.”
“I might have the answer to that,” Dex piped up. “Diana let it slip that she had a short affair before her husband left her. I guess he’d been cheating on and off for years, and she finally wanted a bit of revenge.
“Anyway, he still doesn’t know about that affair. Even though she’s pissed at him for the moment, she still doesn’t want him to find out about it. She’s afraid he’ll leave again. If Tolliver found out, he could have blackmailed Diana into setting you up.”
“That sounds like Tolliver,” said Alex. “I know he likes to pay people to keep him informed. Plus, he would have done serious research on Diana.”
“So, what’s our theory then?” Logan asked his brothers.
Gage leaned back in the chair. “Seems to me the theory is that Tolliver got Sterling to use Alex to get the car. He then set it up that he would have someone else steal the prototype at the same time so he could blame Alex for it. Anyone who knows Drake would know he would never let someone get away with stealing from him. He’d chase Alex to the ends of the earth for it.”
Logan frowned. “It works as revenge for stealing the Matisse, but what about the bomb? And the guys shooting at Alex?”
“What if the bomb was meant to go off under the car?” Mitch said quietly.
“What do you mean?” asked Logan.
“What if Tolliver had someone on the inside and that person, knowing Alex was going to steal the car, planted the bomb on the driveway. If it was supposed to detonate as she was driving away, then everyone would assume Alex had the prototype, or at the very least she was part of the plan to get it. With her dead, we would have no one to question. Tolliver’s inside guy would’ve had the time to steal the USB stick during all the excitement around the explosion. Then Tolliver gets revenge on Alex and the prototype.”
Alex nodded. “Wouldn’t surprise me if someone on Drake’s payroll works for Tolliver. Drake would be the type of person Tolliver wants to keep an eye on.”
Gage spoke up. “Makes sense. But why did the bomb go off when it did? She was already past it by the time it went off.”
“I know. I can’t figure out that part.” Mitch rubbed his face with his hands and them jammed them in his pockets. “Wait. She fishtailed.”
“What?” Logan asked.
“Dan came out of the woods and was running at her. She got distracted and fishtailed right there. She went over on the grass on the left-hand side.”
Gage shook his head. “But if the bomb was meant to be set off by her driving over it, wasn’t that one hell of a risk? Anyone could have driven down the driveway at any point and the bomb would have gone off.”
Mitch said, “I’ve been sitting here thinking about it. Hear me out. What if the bomb had a proximity transponder? If the inside man put the corresponding transponder on the car, then only that car would set it off. It was supposed to go off when Alex drove over it, killing her and hiding the fact she didn’t steal the prototype, but because she fishtailed the back of the car, she didn’t drive directly over the bomb. When she swung back onto the driveway, the back of the car was then close enough, and it triggered the bomb.”
“Except the prototype was in the car so that doesn’t work either.” Alex frowned. “They wouldn’t want to blow up the prototype.”
“The prototype was supposed to be in the safe, not the car, so the theory works. But if it’s true, then only one person could be the inside guy.” Gage stood up from the chair. “Dex, go talk to Jake and find out if he was on his way into the hospital or out of the hospital when he got shot at.”
Dex got up and went to a door in the wall Alex hadn’t noticed before and disappeared through it.
Mitch stood, too. “Dan was the inside guy. Tolliver is cleaning up his mess. He took a swipe at Jake because he was afraid Dan had talked to him. We need to get someone to the hospital to protect Dan.”
Logan got up. “I’ll call the police chief out there and fill him in.”
“Logan, talk to Jake again. See if he ever reached Jason. He’s been calling Jason to try and find out more about Dan, like why he wanted Dan to stay on after we took over the job. I guess we know,” Mitch said. “I should have pushed harder, but Jason’s been ducking us, which means he’s in on it, too.” He certainly hadn’t seen that coming. Mitch closed his eyes. “Oh, fuck.”
“What?” asked Gage and Logan simultaneously.
“Dan told me he was guilty, and I didn’t believe him.”
“What? What do you mean?” Alex asked. All eyes were on Mitch now.
“When Jake and I first went to see him at the hospital. He was just out of surgery and still pretty out of it. He said it was his fault. He apologized and said it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. I assumed he was feeling guilty for getting hurt, but he wasn’t. He was trying to confess, and I missed it.”
Gage shrugged. “Jake didn’t catch it either, so I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it. He just got out of surgery. I don’t imagine he was making too much sense.”
Logan said, “I’d better go make that call to the Chief. The sooner we get a protection detail on Dan, the better I’ll feel.” He went through the same door as Dex.
“It’s still not adding up to me, though.” Alex looked up at Mitch. “How did Dan end up getting hurt?”
“We all thought Dan was running to help me stop you, which I guess he was, but for a different reason. He wanted to stop you from hitting the bomb because he needed to get the prototype out of the car. He heard Drake tell me it was in the car over the comms. My guess is, in the heat of the moment, he forgot exactly where the bomb was, and he went too close, so when you hit the driveway again and it
went off, he was in the blast radius.”
“Oh. I see... Did you guys say Jake got shot? Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Just a scratch.” Mitch moved over to stand in front of Alex again. “But I’m afraid with all of this going on, we can’t take the risk of letting you leave here. You’re in too much danger.”
“I see...” Alex mumbled again. Having Mitch this close to her was killing her concentration. Maybe it was finding out that someone had planned to kill her, or maybe it was because she was exhausted but, either way, she was losing the battle to not let Mitch’s closeness affect her.
Her heart picked up its pace in her chest, and heat emanated from her core. She wanted to touch him, to run her fingers over his chest again. God, she wanted to rip his clothes off and take him right now. They said that a brush with death made people feel alive. Her whole body was tingling with the need to have Mitch Callahan.
She tried to shrink farther into the cushions, but there was nowhere to go. She tried to remind herself that he thought she was weak, that he had known who she was and had kept up the charade so he could have sex with her and humiliate her. But in that moment, she honestly didn’t care.
Lacy rose from the sofa. “Alex and I need to go. I think we’ll be fine on our own. These people have missed every single time. Apparently, they aren’t good shots.”
A little giggle escaped her lips. “I can see Tolliver trying to save a few bucks by hiring cut-rate henchmen.”
“So, while we appreciate your concern, we’ll be on our way.” Lacy touched Alex’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Alex stood up, which put her in closer proximity to Mitch. “Uh, um, excuse me.”
“No.”
Her gaze flew to his. “You need to move so I can leave.”
“I can’t let you do that.” Mitch stood firm. “Think Alex, just for a second. If Tolliver went to all that trouble to kill you while he was getting the prototype, imagine how angry he is now. You thought he was pissed about the painting. Now he doesn’t have the prototype he undoubtedly promised his client and you’re still alive. His rage will be tenfold. He may have started with amateurs, but he’s not going to continue that way. If I let you go, then I’m worried you won’t make it back.”
The seriousness of his tone got to her. Was he right? Would Tolliver be that angry? Yes. He’d be livid. And she’d be his first target. She had the prototype. “The guys in the park. You think they were there to kill me?”
Mitch shook his head. “I think they were there to kill the rest of us and get the prototype from you. Then they’d kill you.”
A small shudder went down her spine. She did not want to die. Was she safer here? From Tolliver, yes, but being near Mitch was going to be hard. Heat started up her cheeks, but she willed it down. It was better for her to stay here, at least for tonight. Once she got the prototype back tomorrow, then she could get out—all the way out. Since Mitch and his brothers knew she hadn’t hurt anyone and they would have the prototype, she would be free. “Okay, I’ll stay.”
Lacy did a double-take, but Alex just shook her head. “I need to be done with all of this. Once I give them the prototype tomorrow, I’m out and on my way to the other side of the world.”
“I guess I can see your point.” Lacy nodded slowly, “I, however, have some work to do so I’m going to head out. Call me first thing so I can go with you to get the prototype.”
Alex smiled, reached over, and gave her friend a hug. “Thanks for having my back,” she whispered. They pulled apart, and Lacy gave her a wink.
“Unfortunately, we can’t let you go either, Ms. Carmichael.” Logan had walked back into the room unnoticed.
Lacy whirled around to face Logan and then raised a hand to smooth her hair. Alex knew instantly Lacy was flustered. The hair thing was her tell. “I have work to do, Mr. Callahan. I cannot stay here.”
“Call me Logan, please. We can provide you with a quiet, secure place to work, but leaving is simply out of the question.”
Lacy’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Excuse me? I will not be held against—”
Logan raised his hands in a surrender position. “I understand. However, we have had two shootings today, and although they don’t seem to be good shots, there’s a chance they could get lucky. I know you don’t feel you are a target, but they shot at our employee, Jake, because he spoke with Dan. They’ve had plenty of time to discover exactly who you are, and as Alex’s lawyer, you would also be her confident. What’s to stop them from scooping you up to question you about the prototype and killing you once they’ve gotten what they want?”
“I can assure you I’m not that easy to ‘scoop’.” Lacy’s lips were crushed together in a thin white line. “I have managed to look after myself quite well in many different circumstances. I appreciate your concern for my safety, but it’s unwarranted.”
“I beg to differ, but regardless, I would think you would want to stay with your client and make sure she isn’t being taken advantage of.” Logan looked like he was trying to repress a smile, but triumph was clear in his eyes.
Lacy’s face flushed crimson and she balled her fists at her side, but she acquiesced without a scene. Alex shook her head. If Lacy hadn’t liked Logan before, now he was definitely on her enemy list. Heaven help him once this was all over. She’d rip him to shreds if she ever had the chance.
“Come, I’ll show you a space where you can work without being disturbed.” Logan gestured toward the elevator.
Lacy nodded but kept her back stiff. Logan hit the button, and the doors opened immediately. Alex wanted to call out to stop her friend from going. She didn’t want to be left here with Mitch by herself. At least Gage was here. She swung around to locate him and discovered he must have left the room sometime in the last few minutes. She turned back to call to Lacy, but the elevator doors had already shut tight.
Chapter Thirty
Mitch saw the panic on Alex’s face as the elevator doors closed. She didn’t want to be alone with him. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea to be alone with her either. There was a lot to do, and he should be doing it, but no one said anything to him, and he couldn’t bring himself to leave. “Are you hungry?”
“Wh—what?”
“Hungry? I noticed you wolfed down the cheese and crackers.” Alex’s face flushed, and he mentally smacked himself. “I meant, we didn’t eat lunch, and it’s getting on dinner time. I could use some hot food. Would you like some?” When she nodded, he walked over to the kitchen area and grabbed the wall phone handset.
“Dex, everyone is sure to be hungry. Can you order us some food?” He turned around and looked at Alex. “Chinese okay?”
“Sure.”
“Yeah, we’re good with that. Do the usual thing, just add more bodies.” He hung up the phone and moved over to lean on the island.
He had lots of questions floating around in his mind, but he didn’t think she’d answer any of them. “If you’re up for it, I’d like to review a couple of things.” When she groaned, he said, “I know, I know. You want to be through talking about it, but the questions I want to ask are about different parts of your...caper.”
She gave him a hard look but moved over to a stool and sat down at the island.
“Want another beer? That one has to be warm by now.” He had his hand on the fridge door waiting for her answer.
“Sure, why not? Looks like I’m not going anywhere.” Alex slumped a little on the stool, brushing the long black hair back from her face. She scratched her scalp. The wig was driving her crazy.
“You know, as much as I like your get-up, you can take it off if you want. It’s not like I don’t know your real name. Or your real eye color.” He didn’t dare mention he knew her real hair color as well. He remembered it clearly from the afternoon on the yacht when she was naked in his lap. Her hair “down there” had been blond.
“Just because you know my first name doesn’t mean you can track me down. I have taken great pains to make sure my tru
e likeness is nowhere to be found,” she said smugly.
“I hate to tell you, but your stride is what will give you away if some law enforcement group goes searching for you.” Mitch leaned on the island and took a sip of his beer. “The way a person walks is very distinctive, like a fingerprint. Different countries have been working on it for more than ten years. It’s been tested in all kinds of places. Facial recognition isn’t so great, and it can be easily confused. At least thus far,” he amended as he thought of Drake’s prototype. “But it’s really hard to change the way you walk. They can also use your ears if they have a picture to compare it to.”
Alex frowned. “Still, no need for pictures of me to get out in the world.”
“What makes you think we’d share that information?” Mitch asked.
“Why wouldn’t you if someone asked?” Alex challenged.
Mitch bit back a retort. She didn’t trust him. At. All. But could he blame her? Topic change. “How did you get into this business anyway?”
She took a sip of beer. “That’s a long story.”
“Well, we’ve got nothing but time at the moment.”
She shrugged. “I had...an unhappy childhood.” She was silent for a moment, and Mitch remembered what she had said about her parents ignoring her.
“I was left alone a lot, at least until boarding school. I met Lacy there, actually. She helped me. We were like sisters. Still are. But she wanted to go to law school after high school, and I had no such ambition. I didn’t want to do anymore studying. Books aren’t for me.”
Mitch started playing with the bottle caps. Did no one care about her or help her make decisions? Jesus, it hit him in the gut. She was truly all alone and had been for years. He had an intense urge to reach out and bring her close. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. But she’d probably hit him if he tried.
“Anyway, I got a job working retail in an outdoor mall in Los Angeles. I worked at a kiosk. I noticed a pickpocket one day. He was good. Smooth. He would come several times a week and lift wallets from the people at the mall. It intrigued me.
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