Garrett (Dark Water Security Book 2)

by Madison Quinn

  “Damn…if only there was someone that could threaten to take Mr. Meyer’s money away.” We both laugh and even though it doesn’t solve my immediate issue, it’s good to know that Cole can relate. This is my first long-term contract with Dark Water Security and even though Luke told me otherwise, I was concerned that this could reflect on my ability.

  “Foxx!” Mr. Meyer bellows through the apartment. Why he can’t come and look for me is beyond me. Cole and I both roll our eyes as he takes my place behind the computer to monitor the apartment while I’m gone.

  “Yes, sir?” I walk into the kitchen and find Mr. Meyer finishing his coffee.

  “We need to go.” He briskly walks past me on his way to the foyer to grab his jacket.

  “I’ll see you later,” I whisper to Hope, desperately wanting to kiss her goodbye, but of course I can’t.

  Mr. Meyer and I ride in silence to the parking garage, his eyes stay glued to his phone as he types. I glance around the rather empty parking lot once the elevator doors open. Mr. Meyer at least waits for me to nod before stepping out to follow me to the SUV.

  “Have there been any changes to your schedule this week, sir?” I ask.

  “No,” he answers. “I expect to be in the office this entire week. We may be setting up a meeting with someone last minute but if it works out, they would come to the office.”

  “Very well, please let me know if your schedule changes,” I request.

  He grumbles but doesn’t say anything. I haven’t figured out exactly why he hired security; he could have easily just hired a driver since that is the only thing he seems to use me for. I don’t think he understands that if I’m going to protect him, his business and his home, I need to know everything about him. I need to know his plans, his enemies, who he pisses off, who he befriends—hell I even need to know his favorite restaurants so I can make sure there are no surprises. Instead, he leaves me in the dark, informing me only what he thinks I need to know.

  The highlight of my day is that our lease application was accepted on the apartment and it will be ready for us to move into immediately. I know Luke and Alec likely had something to do with that because the apartment manager told us it would be a week to ten days before we heard anything. Either way, I’m thrilled because it means Hope and I are one step closer to living together and getting away from Mr. Meyer.

  Just as I’m about to text her the news, my phone dings indicating a text message from her. We text back and forth about her day. Immediately I’m relieved when she tells me that Cole accompanied her to the market earlier this morning to get a few things. Before we end, I tell her about the apartment and I can practically see the excitement in her replies.

  Thankfully, today Mr. Meyer actually leaves work on time and we make it back to the apartment just as Hope is finishing dinner. I speak briefly with Cole before he leaves for the night.

  I’m in my apartment, already locking up my gun when Hope walks in, having finished cleaning up the kitchen already. I immediately take her in my arms, loving how she relaxes against me and is no longer worried about things between us affecting our working relationship.

  Chapter 34

  Hope

  I wake up a few minutes before the alarm is supposed to go off and decide to quietly start to get ready for work while Garrett stays in bed for a few minutes longer. I’m surprised to find him still sound asleep when I finish in the shower. He rarely sleeps late and the few times I’ve been awake before him he immediately wakes the moment I move even the slightest from the bed. Not this morning though; he is sound asleep in the exact position I left him when I slid out of bed a short time ago. For the last three days, Mr. Meyer and Garrett have been getting home later than normal—last night it was after nine by the time they finally walked through the door. Then of course, Garrett had to meet with Cole for a little while, eat dinner, and just wind down, so it was after midnight when he finally joined me in bed.

  I slip out of the bedroom heading to the kitchen in our apartment to start breakfast. I make two egg sandwiches and start the coffee before sitting down to eat my own breakfast. Again, I expected Garrett to be awake by now, but I hear no signs of movement from the bedroom. I set his breakfast on the counter with a travel mug of coffee next to it before I go to wake him up. As much as I want to let him sleep, I know if he doesn’t wake up now he won’t have enough time to eat before he needs to take Mr. Meyer to work this morning.

  “Garrett?” I sit on the bed next to him.

  “Hmmm?” he grumbles.

  “You need to wake up.”

  “No.” I laugh at how much he sounds like to grumpy teenager right now.

  “You’re going to be late if you don’t get in the shower right now.”

  “Shit!” He sits up and immediately looks at the clock. “The alarm didn’t go off.”

  “I turned it off, but let you sleep as long as I thought you could. Go shower, your breakfast is waiting for you on the table. I’m going to go get Mr. Meyer’s breakfast ready.”

  “Hopefully tonight won’t be as late as the last few nights,” he mumbles before slipping out of bed, giving me a view of his perfect ass as he walks across the room naked.

  Although I’d love to join him in the shower, I unfortunately don’t have time since Mr. Meyer will be downstairs in the next twenty or so minutes. Just before I leave the room I glance back and see all the little things that Garrett has left in my room since we started sleeping together at night.

  I head into the main apartment knowing that I’m pushing my schedule as it is. It’s utterly silent, a complete opposite of earlier in the week when I had to listen to Mr. Meyer and his brother engaging in a scene with Ms. Smith. I start chopping the vegetables for breakfast and realize that I never brought the kitchen towels down from the laundry room yesterday. Once breakfast is finished, I place the plate on a warmer with a lid over it before heading upstairs to the laundry room. When I reach the top of the stairs I hear an alarm clock buzzing from Mr. Meyer’s bedroom. I check my watch and realize that unless he’s going into work late today, it’s likely the alarm has been going off for at least thirty to forty-five minutes. In fact, Mr. Meyer is usually in the kitchen starting to eat his breakfast by this time most mornings. I pause at the laundry room door, wondering if I should check on him or go back to the apartment and alert Garrett to the buzzing alarm clock. Since Garrett is probably busy getting himself ready, I decide to check on him myself.

  “Mr. Meyer?” I knock on his door.

  No answer.

  “Mr. Meyer?!” I call louder.

  No response.

  I hesitantly open the bedroom door, expecting at any moment for him to tell me to close the door, but instead the only sound I hear is the alarm clock. I continue to call his name as I open the door all the way, but again, there is no response. Stepping into the bedroom, I’m immediately surprised at what I see. The bed is made perfectly, just as I had left it yesterday when I straightened up his room. In all the months I’ve been working here, I’ve never seen his bed made first thing in the morning. The bathroom and closet doors are open, but I check those rooms anyway–finding both of them empty. I turn off the annoying alarm clock and look around the room, trying to see if he left any indication to where he might be. Perhaps he went to the gym or out for a run? But that doesn’t explain why his bed looks as if no one has slept in it all night. Could he have slept in another bedroom last night? Maybe one of the guest rooms?

  I check all the guest rooms upstairs, finding each one the same as the one before–empty. Realizing that he’s likely not in the apartment, I rush down the stairs, practically running through the hallway and the kitchen before thrusting our door open where I find Garrett finishing his breakfast.

  “Mr. Meyer…isn’t here,” I blurt out before he can greet me.

  “What do you mean he isn’t here?!” Garrett’s voice is raised, making my body tense slightly even though I know his anger is not directed at me but because of not knowing where
Mr. Meyer is.

  “I went upstairs to grab the kitchen towels I had left on top of the dryer yesterday when I heard his alarm clock going off,” I begin. “I knocked several times on his door before opening it; the alarm was going off but the bedroom, bathroom, and closet were empty—”

  “He’s probably in the gym or went for a run again without telling me,” Garrett suggests, though I can tell he isn’t happy with that idea either.

  “I thought that too but, the bed was still made,” I argue.

  “So he didn’t sleep in it?” he asks although I’m pretty sure he is putting the pieces together in his head already.

  “It looked like it did when I left the room yesterday,” I confirm.

  “Fuck!” He runs his hands through his still damp hair from his earlier shower. “Maybe he’s in one of the guest rooms?”

  “I checked.” I shake my head.

  “FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!” He heads into the security office in the main living area.

  “You’ve checked all the bedrooms and bathrooms?” he asks as he waits for his computer to start up.

  “Yup.”

  “Can you call Cole while I run through the footage?” He tosses his phone across the desk towards me.

  “No problem.” I take the phone and step into the hallway as to not distract Garrett.

  “Cole,” The phone is answered immediately after the first ring.

  “Hi, it’s Hope—”

  “What’s wrong?” he interrupts.

  “Mr. Meyer isn’t here,” I blurt out.

  “Tell Garrett I’ll be there in three, I’m just around the corner.” He ends the call without saying anything else. I head back to the security office where I can hear Garrett swearing.

  “That no good, lousy piece of shit!” he yells just as I walk into the room.

  “Cole will be here in three minutes,” I say.

  “Mr. Meyer left just before two this morning,” he says through gritted teeth.

  “Was there anyone with him?” I ask.

  “No.” His answer is short. “Mother fucker left without saying a God damn word! He deactivated the alarm and fucking snuck out!”

  I don’t know what to say as Garrett paces the floor. I want to suggest that he try calling Mr. Meyer but it’s probably best that he calm down before he calls him. I would hate to be on the other end of the phone right now, given how angry he is. I don’t blame him at all; his job is to protect Mr. Meyer and this is a blatant slap in the face.

  “Are there any indications that he was taken against his will?” Cole rushes into the office a few minutes later.

  “No, the bastard walked right out of the apartment, luggage bag in hand.” Garrett gestures towards the computer screen where Cole and I both watch Mr. Meyer calmly getting into the elevator.

  “What time?” Cole asks.

  “A few minutes before two,” he answers. “He disarmed the alarm before he left his bedroom.”

  “You need to call him, Garrett,” Cole says firmly. “There could be more than what you’re seeing on the security feed.”

  “True,” he agrees.

  “Put him on speaker just in case,” Cole requests.

  Garrett dials the number on his iPhone, hitting the speaker button before placing the phone at the end of the desk. I debate staying, unsure if I should stay in here since this is obviously a security issue, but it’s not like I have anything to do other than tossing the few dishes I used this morning into the dishwasher. I take a seat in the chair next to Cole, figuring I will stay unless one of them indicates I should step out of the room.

  “Meyer,” the phone is answered after several rings.

  “Mr. Meyer, it’s Garrett—” His voice is calm and controlled, a complete contrast to his clenched fist.

  “I know who it is,” Mr. Meyer interrupts. “I will be away for the next week or more, I’ll notify you when I’m returning. In the mean time you and Ms. Williams can take the time off.”

  “With all due respect, sir, you hired me to protect you; something I cannot do if you sneak out in the middle of the night,” Garrett points out.

  “I didn’t sneak out.” The anger in Mr. Meyer’s voice is evident. “I walked out of my home, got into my car, and drove myself out of the city.”

  “If you could tell me where you are I can meet you there—” Garrett offers.

  “No,” Mr. Meyer interrupts. “I’m turning my phone off and will not turn it on until I’m about an hour from Richmond next week.”

  “Mr. Meyer—” Garrett argues but the call is already disconnected.

  “Can you locate his phone via GPS?” Cole asks.

  Garrett types away on his computer, both he and Cole watching it anxiously.

  “No, it must already be off.”

  “Garrett—” Cole begins.

  “I know,” Garrett interrupts.

  “Let me know if you need anything.” Cole stands up and nods to me. “Good bye, Ms. Williams.”

  “Bye, Cole.” I’m completely confused as to what just happened and why he’s leaving so suddenly.

  “I can’t believe he just up and fucking left.” Garrett runs his hands through his hair again.

  “Garrett, I think it’s time.”

  We sit in silence for several minutes. If anything were to happen while Mr. Meyer was gone this week, it would be on Garrett and I don’t think he’d ever forgive himself even though it wouldn’t be his fault. We had said after we submitted our resignations that if Mr. Meyer put either of our jobs in jeopardy we would end the contract early.

  Chapter 35

  Garrett

  “This place is so cute!” Abby gushes as Hope shows off our apartment.

  “I know! I love it!” Hope agrees.

  We moved in yesterday, but this is the first time that Abby has had a chance to come over. Our contracts with Mr. Meyer were terminated and we haven’t heard a word from him; hell, I don’t even know if he’s returned from wherever he disappeared to that night. Luke has been great at finding me a job on such short notice, and to be honest, I’m loving the security detail job I’m currently on. The guy actually follows the guidelines and wants to stay safe! The job ends in another couple of weeks, but Luke has assured me he has another one already lined up.

  I’m not that worried. I barely touched the money I earned in the service, so the bulk of it is still there. Plus because Mr. Meyer broke our contract early, he has to continue paying Dark Water Security for the remainder of the thirty days’ notice that was provided to him. Hope started working with Abby at her catering company this week and she seems so much happier than when she was working for Mr. Meyer. I love that over dinner she tells me about her day, something she really didn’t do much of before.

  Moving in with Hope wasn’t much of an adjustment, even though she’s the first woman I’ve ever lived with. Then again, we’ve been pretty much living together for the last few months. I’ve only had one night that I ended up working late, but I still loved coming home and slipping into bed next to her. That was the night I learned she no longer locks the bedroom door at night.

  While she gives Abby the tour of our small apartment, I start setting up my desk in the bedroom. As I’m going through the boxes though, I realize the book I need isn’t here. I quickly search through all the other boxes that weren’t unpacked yet, but it’s not there. If I didn’t need the book for my test tomorrow night, I wouldn’t be as worried about it. I have no choice but to head back to Mr. Meyer’s apartment and see if I left it there even though I swore we packed everything. I grab my gun from the safe, even though he’s probably still out of town I’m not taking any chances.

  “I gotta run back to Meyer—” I walk back into the living room to find Abby and Hope sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in their hands.

  “Why? What’s wrong?” Hope immediately jumps up.

  “I can’t find my advanced accounting book and I need it for the test that’s due tomorrow night.”

  “Do
you want me to go with you?” she asks.

  “No, stay with Abby and enjoy your wine. I’ll only be gone a few minutes,” I kiss her soft lips before grabbing my keys from the coffee table and heading out.

  The traffic is light as I drive to Mr. Meyer’s apartment; I quickly park and head to the service entrance, not surprised to find my code still works. I take it as a sign that Mr. Meyer hasn’t returned from his trip as I’m sure if he did he would have changed the codes after realizing we both had left. Despite that, I still knock on the apartment door before walking into the space that Hope and I shared while we worked here. Even though neither of us brought much here when we moved in, it looks so empty.

  I head into what was my bedroom and dig through the drawers, eager to get out of here and back to Hope. She’s been looking forward to Abby’s birthday dinner tonight. Unfortunately my desk drawers are all empty, which isn’t a surprise because I knew I went through it when I packed everything. That leaves only one other place it could be—my office in the main living space. I was using it in there when Meyer last worked from home before he took off with no notice, perhaps I left it in there?

  With a heavy sigh, I slowly open the door separating the two living areas. It’s eerily quiet for a couple of minutes, but just as I’m about to step further into the kitchen, the silence is broken.

  “You cost me fucking everything!” a male angrily screams from down the hall. I’ve worked for Meyer long enough to know that’s not his voice and I’m pretty certain it’s not his brother’s voice either.

  “I didn’t cost you shit!” Meyer argues. “You wanted out—”