Illusion (Billionaire in Disguise Series, #2)

by Lexy Timms

  “Or because you let your guard down,” he said.

  “I haven’t let my guard down. Jacob took us all by surprise. I didn’t see you rallying to check him out when I kept handing you suspect lists.”

  “Sam, sleeping with a client introduces an entirely new set of emotions. I’m not saying you’re compromised, but I am saying your attachment to him might be forcing you to draw conclusions that aren’t there or perceive threats that aren’t there.”

  “Then let me ask you this. When have we ever left a job before the perpetrator was caught?”

  The silence on the other end of the line answered my question.

  “Exactly. This client is no different. Derek is no different. We stay until Jacob is found, we do a further threat assessment, and then we leave like we always do it,” I said.

  “Look, I’m surprised you’re even doing it. I know you’ve had men offer, and I’ve watched you turn them all down. I’m not complaining, but you’ll find me playing Devil’s Advocate more. As your second in command, it’s my job to make sure all your decisions are sound, logical ones. That’ll be more important than ever now.”

  “It’s only some fun. I’m not attached,” I said.

  “Sam, you wanna talk honestly for a minute? I’m glad you’re gettin’ some. You’re too wound up, and you deserve some attention. But if this is as serious as you say, then I have to assess all the avenues as well. If I approach this as if you’re emotionally compromised, then every step we take from here on out will always be the right one. You’ll be annoyed. You’ll be pissed. But every step will be logical like they should be.”

  “This your way of warning me to be careful?” I asked.

  “It is. You could get distracted, and something could go horribly wrong. You know that. And if you’re really that worried about Jacob coming back, then that’s a problem we have to stick around for.”

  “Glad we took that really roundabout way to figure that out at ten o’clock at night,” I said.

  “Just keep all of this in mind when it comes to me. We haven’t guarded any hot women in a while, so it’ll be your turn to level the playing field with the next job we take.”

  “You’re insane,” I said with a grin.

  “What? I could use a hot sugar mama on my arm for a bit. On a personal note, I’m happy for you. On a professional note, I’m worried, and you can’t blame me for that.”

  “No, I can’t because I’m worried about it too.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Got any more men over there halfway in the grave because of pesticides?” I asked.

  “Not that I can see. They’re tough. They’ll be okay. What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m worried about being emotionally compromised. I mean, I don’t love the man or anything, but the attention is nice. And you’re right. Derek as well. Both of you have pointed out to me that I could’ve easily shoved him out of the way but didn’t. I’m concerned that being with him ...”

  I felt my face flush as John chuckled over the phone.

  “Embarrassed to say you’re having sex?” he asked.

  “Stop it.”

  “You’re having sex, Sam. Penis in vagina sex.”

  “I’m gonna kill you.”

  “Naked body against yours sex.”

  “Seriously, I’m taking my gun off my hip right now.”

  “Muscles against smooth skin sex.”

  “I can see you through the scope of my rifle,” I said.

  “You don’t have your rifle in the house.”

  “Wanna bet?” I asked.

  “Fine. Then what hat am I wearing, Miss Sweaty Sheets?”

  “Your black hat lined with that orange bullshit so someone can easily blow your head off in the dead of night.”

  John fell silent again as a smile crossed my lips. Out of all the men on my team, he was the easiest to profile. It didn’t take a genius to know that was the hat he was wearing. I’d seen it being reflected during the perimeter sweep before he called. He wore that fucking thing like a taunt, a “Try to kill me and see what happens” kind of thing.

  “Fine. Okay. I’m sorry,” he said.

  “You better be.”

  “I can tell there’s something else, though.”

  “We know each other too well,” I said with a sigh.

  “Spit it out, Sam. What is it?”

  “I wonder if I’m made a mistake. With Derek.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “I’m not used to letting my guard down like this, letting myself feel all these positive emotions.”

  “I know. Fuck forbid you smile every once in a while. Doesn’t go very well with that leather jacket and those brooding eyes.”

  “You’re a little shit, you know that?” I asked.

  “Look, you’ve got me to make sure you don’t get in too deep. But you’re still making sound judgment calls. In a few sentences, you proved to me why we should still keep this job. It’s not finished. Simple as that. There was nothing in there about wanting to stay with Mr. Steele or save his life or anything like that. It was simply ‘the job isn’t finished.’ Had it been anything else, I would’ve called you out on that.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “So stop worrying. That’s distracting too. Just roll with it, and keep doing what you’re doing. You’re good at what you do. One of the best. It’s gonna take more than a bit of dick to derail you.”

  “Okay,” I said with a sigh. “Anything else?”

  “Nope.”

  “Let me know what happens with that guy and his hives. I’ll talk with Derek in the morning about it and figure out who he uses for lawn care.”

  “Thanks, Sam. Good night.”

  “Night, John.”

  Chapter 17

  Derek

  A Week Later

  THINGS CONTINUED TO roll on, but nothing seemed to get better. Gretchen ran the story, and it bolstered her career greatly but did almost nothing for my public persona. I had my public relations sector breathing down my neck for giving an unauthorized interview, and now people were twisting my words in public, saying I was defending Jacob by defending his parents. They were saying I was sympathizing with the enemy and that I deserved to lose my company. My stocks were taking greater hits even though the interview was written with a forward tone of innocence, and all the media called it was a smokescreen for my guilt.

  It made me seethe with anger.

  I was working as both CEO and COO because no one would touch the position now. I talked with a couple of people within the company I thought I could trust, and they completely turned me down. I was carrying the weight of two massive departments on my shoulders while trying to get more projects off the ground, but the longer Jacob went without getting caught, the more they wanted to stall. It was like these failing companies were waiting until Jacob was in custody or until they knew my company was no longer a threat to theirs.

  A threat to theirs? They were all going bankrupt!

  It was becoming harder and harder to reign in the money from my investors. Everything was slowly coming to a standstill, and I was worried about the future of my company. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be talking with the Finance Department about the implications of bankruptcy, but now it was plausible. No one would push forward with their projects, the investors were keeping their wallets close, and I was in the red with losing two of my biggest international contributors.

  How the hell had I gotten myself into this position?

  “Derek? You okay?”

  I looked down at Sam as she threaded her arm around my waist.

  “Fine,” I said. “How are you? Enjoying the water?”

  “When you said a ‘small July Fourth celebration,’ I didn’t think you meant a massive yacht in the middle of the ocean.”

  “What? It’s a small gathering. There are twenty people on this boat, tops, and over half of them are security.”

  “Security I cleared wi
th additional screenings, mind you.”

  “Which means you can take the night off. Relax. Get that gun off the outside of your thigh and enjoy a drink or two.”

  “How did you—?”

  “It’s your favorite place to pack heat whenever you don’t have it strapped to your jeans. This dress looks phenomenal on you, by the way.”

  I watched her cheeks flush as I pulled her into my body. My yacht was steadily parting the waters of the ocean as the drinks flowed and the food was prepared. It really perturbed me that she wasn’t taking the night off. It was the Fourth of July, and I wanted her to enjoy all I had planned. The time alone. The breeze off the water. The fireworks to come. The drinks that were flowing. This last week had been hard on both of us. Late nights in the office meant late nights for her, and the stress of work was coming through in the way I talked to her. I was snippy. Tight-lipped. Distant. And I knew it.

  I wanted to plan this night to show her she was still important to me, despite the stress we were under.

  “I just want you to unwind,” I said.

  “And I am. I know it’s been a rough week, but I can’t let my guard down. Hawaii was a different story. Here, we aren’t so isolated. We’re closer to the threat,” she said.

  “There isn’t gonna be a shootout on the water, Sam.”

  “I’ve seen boats go up in flames while riding on the choppiest of sea waters. Anything’s possible around me,” she said.

  “Then, let’s go back to the topic of Hawaii, to those memories and moments.”

  “It was a nice trip,” she said.

  “Would you go back with me sometime? After all this stuff is done?”

  “We can see about it,” she said. “Oh, I never did apologize to you for overreacting over Valerie.”

  “Why would you need to apologize?” I asked.

  “The argument we had on the deck. How I closed off and pushed you away.”

  “I’m not sure what memory you’re dwelling on, but from what I remember, that moment was the springboard into what we have now. You saw that happening, it revealed to you a truth you tried to bury, and we spent the entire week ... dwelling on that truth.”

  “Dwelling, huh?”

  “If anything, I owe Valerie a ‘thank you.’”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” she said. “But for what it’s worth, I am sorry for the way I acted afterward.

  “Sam, if that’s the biggest fight we ever have, then we’re doing better than most couples out there.”

  “We’re not a couple,” she said.

  “You know what I mean.”

  She looked up at me, her dark brown eyes connecting with mine. She was a gorgeous woman. Even with her bodyguard persona on and her head on a swivel. I grinned down at her, pulling a smile across her cheeks as she shook her head. I loved how I could do that. Change her facial expressions in an instant without ever having to say anything.

  “I’m not worried about it,” I said. “The important thing is you understood in the end, and it brought us to this point. I’d have that argumentative discussion any day if I knew it would bring us to a better point.”

  “Argumentative discussion.”

  “Yep. There was no yelling and no actual fighting, just two adults hashing things out like adults should.”

  “Uh-huh. Well, I’m glad it happened then too. If that’s how you wanna frame the moment.”

  “It is,” I said as I pulled her into me. “Now, are you sure I can’t get you a drink?”

  “I don’t drink on the job.”

  “Ugh. Sam. You’re killing me.”

  “That is not a funny joke,” she said.

  Her eyes whipped up to mine, and I could see that same fear trickling across her face. The fear I saw that night when I looked into her eyes as she ran toward me, that same fear she had when she came running to the shoreline after thinking she had lost me underneath the waves in Hawaii.

  “Sorry. That was insensitive,” I said.

  “Damn right, it was.”

  She leaned into my body, allowing me to hold her even closer as I sipped on my champagne. The view from the ocean was beautiful. Out here, California didn’t seem too threatening and scary. Out here, it was like I was staring at all the bad and tossing it a big, swollen middle finger. I didn’t want to go back. I wanted to whisk us back to Hawaii and stay in that blissful little bubble we had going there. It was perfect for both of us, and it was exactly what Sam deserved.

  Perfection and happiness all wrapped up into one sun-shining bubble.

  As I stood there with her in my arms, a thought crossed my mind. Sooner or later, Jacob would be caught, which meant her job would be over. What would that mean for us? She would leave, obviously, but would that mean she would leave what we were cultivating underneath the stars of the California ocean sky? The thought made me ache. Losing her was more terrifying than losing my own life at this point. I had fallen hard for this woman, and I didn’t want her leaving. I liked having her around. Hell, I loved it. She worked well as my security and even better as my lover.

  “When this is all said and done, I’d like to hire you as my head of security.”

  The word vomit came up faster than I could contain it, but I didn’t regret it. She was fabulous at what she did, and I would pay her whatever she asked for. I could afford it, she could have the job, and we could continue whatever this was brewing between us. I felt her tense against me as she slowly turned around, confusion written all over her face.

  “Your what?” Sam asked.

  “My head of security. When Jacob’s caught and your job here is done, I want you to come on as my head of security.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Why? Because you’re the best, and that’s what I hire. I hire the best. You’ll take the position Griggs used to have, and you’ll have full control over security measures not only at the house but at the company. You can be a personal and professional employee for all I care. I’ll pay you whatever you want.”

  “I know where this is coming from.”

  “When you guys leave, I’ll have to hire a new security team anyway. Why not hire one that’s already settled in for the position? You know the layout of my house and my company. You know all the security protocol I have in place. Why not?”

  “Derek, come on,” she said. “Do you really think you’re fooling me with this act?”

  “What are you talking about, Sam? I’m offering you a job.”

  “We’re tangled up personally, Derek. I know you’re offering me this job because you don’t know what comes after once Jacob is caught. What happens if this falls through? If this doesn’t work? If we break up or something? Then I’m your head of security as well as another ex.”

  “Sam, that’s not what—”

  “I’ve got a good thing going with my company. I’ve built a solid reputation that I’m not willing to throw away yet,” she said.

  “That makes it sound like you’ll still consider it.”

  “I don’t know. A decision like this takes time to make. Are you expecting an answer now?”

  “No. I’m expecting you to do what you do best. Stay on high-alert and let me hold you,” I said.

  “Good. Because I won’t have an answer for you anytime soon.”

  I was annoyed she wasn’t jumping at the chance to take this job. Didn’t she want to stay with me? Stay here and keep doing what we were doing? I could whisk her off to anywhere she wanted to go and blame it on work. Or business trips. Or meetings. Or take the fucking vacation time I was afforded but never did. I could give her a wonderful life and provide her with a substantial paycheck in the process.

  We could be an unstoppable team if she stopped fighting me every step of the way.

  Before I could voice any of that, however, the fireworks began. She turned her head up toward the sky and took a step away from me. Creating distance, which was exactly what she was good at. I reached out and took her hand, making sure she understood I wasn’
t going anywhere. Even though she wanted physical distance between us when things got serious, I wasn’t letting her go that easily. I hadn’t before, and I wasn’t planning on stopping now.

  But once the fireworks picked up, there was a loud bang.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  Sam turned her head out toward the ocean as the boat tilted.

  “Listing,” Sam whispered.

  “What?” I asked.

  People were scrambling on the boat to keep things steady as Sam pulled her hand away from mine. She whipped her head around as fireworks burst above our heads, and then another loud bang erupted. The boat jolted again, tilting dangerously close to the water’s edge.

  “Stay here,” Sam said.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “No,” she said as she whipped around. “You stay right here. There’s a gun in the drawer behind you against the railing of the boat. If anyone other than myself or the staff of this boat comes for you, shoot them on the spot. That’s an order.”

  “You want me to what?” I asked.

  “Stay here!”

  Then I watched as she took off into the night, her hair fluttering behind her and her dress wafting against her legs.

  And her hand pulling her gun from her thigh holster.

  Chapter 18

  Sam

  I RAN ALONG THE EDGE of the ship, slipping my gun from my holster. The boat was listing far to the right, and it made it hard to trek the deck without having to hang on. No matter what the hell had happened, we were going to have to abandon the boat. Derek’s yacht was going down no matter if this was an accident or intentional.

  But I had a feeling it was intentional.

  I found the staircase heading downstairs, and the crew was scurrying up it. There was smoke pouring from the opening as I holstered my gun. I held my hand out, dragging the crew up the last of the steps as they ran for the lifeboats. People were coughing and screaming, and I could see tongues of fire flickering from below.

  An explosion had occurred, and the entire lower portion of the ship was being engulfed.

  “Call for the Coast Guard! We’re going to need help!”