by Leigh James
“Maybe you could volunteer to pick them up coffee, or something,” I offered, a bit lamely. “Get them to hang out in the common room.”
“And then go break into her freakin’ computer when they’re two feet away? With other people walking by? Awesome plan, Nicole. I’m really glad you’ve got this whole fugitive-vigilante thing figured out. Really.”
“Hey, Harvard,” I said, “you’re always telling me how brilliant you are. Now come up with a solution that proves that. And once you get the Advent files, run — run, do not walk — back to that apartment. Copy everything to your hard drive. Have Tammy email it to us. Then I want her to print out hard copies and put them aside, at least for now. I’ll probably have her send them to us in one big batch.”
“And then what the hell am I supposed to do?” Alexa screeched.
“Get back to work before anybody notices you’re gone. And await further instruction. Now, can I please talk to Tammy?”
I heard Alexa snort as she handed the phone off.
“How’s my favorite associate?” asked Tammy’s voice, warmly.
“Tammy!” I cried, so happy to actually hear her. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m better now,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m so glad to be doing something. If David Proctor and Norris Phaland think that I’m gonna take what happened lying down…well let’s just say that, once I divorced that cockroach that I was married to, I don’t take shit like that anymore.”
“What was the deal you made with them?” I asked.
“Well, they fired me the day you quit. The day before the bomb,” she said. “So that at least was in my favor. If I’d been there that day, I don’t know what they would’ve done to me.” I shivered just thinking about it. “The day you left, they came to me and told me that even though I’d been with the firm for a long time — fifteen years, Nicole! — They were no longer in need of my services. That they’d started to doubt my loyalty and my discretion. That was Norris’s word — discretion.
“They said that because you were no longer with the firm, my services were no longer necessary. They didn’t want me to work anywhere else though, either. They had me sign a Covenant Not to Compete and a confidentiality agreement in exchange for a pretty decent separation package. They made it clear, though, that if I looked for another job at another firm or if I talked to anybody — the bar association, the police, the press — about you or Mr. Walker, they would yank the payments.”
She sighed. “When that poor girl died the next day, and I heard the way they were spinning it —- that you’d planned it, that you were trying to create a distraction so that you two could get away — my blood was boiling. But that’s when I also realized that I might find myself in a rock-and-a-hard-place type situation. If I went to anyone with my suspicions, not only would they take the money away, but they would…kill me. I didn’t realize how hard the hard ball was until then.”
I let out a low exhale, picturing poor Tammy in her house, an afghan wrapped around her, watching the news. “I hope you’re safe now,” I said. “Levi chose the building because it’s safe. There’s security there, and I know he’s sneaking around somewhere, too.”
“Oh, Levi’s here with us,” she said and laughed. “We hit it off after he scared the bejeezus out of me back at my house. Now he’s just excited to be in a nice place, with a home-cooked meal. He’ll go on assignment from here. He says he’s staying with us until it’s over, and that he’ll shoot anybody who tries to mess with us. He’s good people,” she said.
I smiled and my heart felt better, knowing that Levi found Tammy as wonderful as I did. It made me feel better to know that he was there, protecting her. “I’m so glad,” I said. “Walker trusts him, so I do, too.”
“How is Mr. Hottie McTottie these days?” she asked.
“He’s good,” I said and smiled. “I don’t think he misses the rat race too much.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“It’s weird not being a lawyer,” I said, “but it’s not half as weird as being a vigilante fugitive.”
Tammy laughed. “How are things with you two?” she asked. “Serious?”
“Um…I think so…” I said, my voice trailing off. He wants me to run away to the Caribbean with him and have his babies? “He tattooed my name across his back. So I’m pretty sure he likes me.”
Tammy laughed some more. “Oh, this is getting good,” she said. “My little associate. All grown up, with a hot most-wanted billionaire who adores her.”
“He’s most wanted in more ways than one,” I lamented.
“I know,” she sighed. “But I know he’s innocent.”
“Thank you, Tammy,” I said. “That means a lot. I need to know something — how do you know he’s innocent, just besides your gut instinct? What happened…right before you gave me that note? What did you find out?” I asked her.
“Well, after Norris jumped out at you in the ladies’ room, I had a few concerns.” She paused for a beat and I tried not to remember his cold voice that day, the look of disgust in his eyes. “So I started poking around a little. And I found out that Norris and David had been meeting with Lester Max a couple of times a week. I was pretty sure you were never involved in those meetings — it would’ve been on my calendar. And then there was Norris’s schedule. I started checking it, back to when we got Mr. Walker’s case. He had regularly scheduled meetings set up with another man, a Mr. Tobin, and I didn’t recognize the name. So I cross-referenced it through all of Proctor & Buchanan’s files, and I came up with nothing. Then I started to wonder, is this guy a vendor? A therapist? Who the hell was he? Come to find out, he works for the United States Government, the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
“He was Walker’s main contact,” I said. “He’s involved in all this. I’m surprised Norris was so sloppy that he used his name.”
Tammy snorted. “Oh, honey, he didn’t. That man is slipperier than an eel dipped in olive oil.” She laughed and I cringed at the image. “He had it listed as a working lunch, no client reference number or anything. I had to get it out of Tina, his secretary — and that was only after a couple of Seven and Sevens.”
“Tina told you who he was?” I asked. This wasn’t good. If Norris knew that Tina had told Tammy….
“She only told me his name, and I didn’t ask until she had a couple of drinks. I said it was because David Proctor was planning a surprise party for Norris, to congratulate him on twenty years with the firm. I wanted to make sure that everyone who needed to know about it was notified, including any important clients who wanted to send Norris a card.”
“That’s pretty innocuous,” I said. Sometimes the simplest explanation, even when it was a bald-faced lie, was the best. “And she believed you?”
“When I told her I was leaving the firm she was all upset about it,” Tammy said. “She was like, ‘but who’s gonna plan Norris’s party?’, and I told her she was going to have to take over. That I’d send her a list of what I’d done so far.”
“When was this imaginary party going to take place?” I asked.
“I didn’t get that far,” Tammy said.
“Maybe we should work on it,” I said, staring out the window at the ocean. Today was overcast and gray, and the water looked steel instead of its normal turquoise. “Norris deserves a nice surprise, don’t you think?”
* * *
The next thing we did, and it was with great difficulty on my part, was let Lester and April go.
“I have some directives for you,” Walker said. He’d sat them down on the couch next to each other. April was looking at him expectantly; Lester was looking at him like he wished he would disappear, and leave a big pile of money in his place.
“First of all, it’s back to business as usual. You tell everybody that Miami has been shut down, and that it’s no longer a concern. Tell them everything is going to be processed under the name Advent from now on, and that you’re certain i
t’s still secure.”
“Miami hasn’t been shut down, though,” Lester interrupted. “The sign is still up, the lease is still in place….”
“I’ll have my associate take care of it,” Walker said, and I pictured Louise prying out the nails that held up the sign with the back of a hammer. “So that’s no longer your concern. What is your concern,” he continued, “is getting me the evidence I need. We have some of the Advent documents, showing payments to the law firm and to you, Lester, but what I need now is proof of intent.” He turned to Lester. “I need you to tape your conversations with David and Norris — and John Tobin, if you can get that fucker to say anything helpful.
“In addition to that, I want you to get three of our prototypes to track their computers. One for David, one for Norris, and one for John.” He turned to me. “Remember what I told you my first patent was? It’s technology that allows you to track the physical location of the computer, as well as what the computer is doing.”
He turned back to Lester and April. “April, you’re going to be in charge of doing the tracking. I want this done off-site, preferably at your house. Lester’s house could be bugged.”
“What we need you two to do, so that people don’t get suspicious, is to pretend that you’re having an affair,” I said. April huffed and rolled her eyes at me and I frowned at her, feeling guilty.
“I’m sorry, I know this is gross,” I said. Lester shot me a dirty look that I ignored. “But we need you guys to stay together. Lester’s going to collect the information, and you’re going to synthesize it and send it to us. You just tell people that Lester finally broke you down with all of his charm on this trip. And that you decided to let him move in with you.”
“Thanks a lot, Nicole,” April said, and I could almost hear our new friendship hiss as it fizzled out.
“Listen,” I said, “I really am sorry. But you two need to watch each other’s backs. This is going to be dangerous, and you’re right in the middle of it.”
April’s sour look didn’t go away, but Lester Max didn’t seem too upset. He leaned back on the couch and sidled over next to April a little bit. He smiled at her and her sour look turned to a withering one. He scooted away a little.
“You two owe me,” she said.
“We know,” Walker and I said in unison. April laughed and Lester didn’t, giving us a filthy look instead.
“We have to get this done quickly,” I said. “We don’t have a lot of time. So set up the meetings for tomorrow, if you can. In the meantime, get organized at April’s house. When you start with the records, make sure you have an electronic file and also a hard copy.
“Make sure you’re not followed — and if you are, make sure you’re holding hands,” I said. Make a show of it, so they don’t think anything else is going on. Okay?”
They both nodded at me.
“Play your cards right, you get to walk away. With a large part of my money,” Walker said. “Screw up, and you’re dead. We’re all dead.”
Chapter 21
“It’s time. We need to somehow get word to Adrian and your dad that we’re all right, and that they need to be very careful,” Walker said, pacing the room. April and Lester had left about an hour ago. It was the strangest thing, watching them go down the stairs. Our prisoners, released so quickly. Could we trust them? Were they going to deliver what we needed?
Only time would tell. And we didn’t have much time.
“We can’t ask any of the people who’re already involved to do it,” I said. “It’s too risky. They could be watching my dad, and Adrian.”
“Is there anyone else we can contact? To at least get them a message?” Walker asked. He ran his hands over his head and again, I missed his hair. I wanted to run my hands through it. I felt like I only got to do that once, right before he buzzed it. Once was not enough.
You can do it again, I thought, if you two can get yourselves out of this mess.
“There may be someone I can call,” I said, getting up and pacing, too. “She’s a friend, but she’s not connected to the firm anymore. We don’t talk that much.”
“Do you trust her?” Walker asked.
“Yes,” I said, picturing Mimi out for her daily run. “She’s one of those rare people that you can actually count on.”
“Then let’s try it,” Walker said. “She’ll have to be very cryptic when she talks to them. I don’t want to make things worse, but I feel like we’re running out of time.”
I went to him and threw my arms around his neck, putting my head on his broad, strong chest. “I’m so glad our company is gone,” I said.
“You mean our prisoners?” Walker asked, stroking my back.
“Yes, our prisoners,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief to be held by him. “I was used to having you all to myself. I missed you.”
“You have me,” Walker said, “all to yourself. Always.” He pulled me close to him and I could feel him stirring against me.
“You still need some personal space?” he asked, lowly. I assumed he was referring to my period, because there was not an ounce of me that didn’t crave his touch.
“Only a little,” I said. It was pretty much over, as were my cramps, moodiness and bloating. Thank goodness.
“Plus, we could always have sex in the shower,” I said, eagerly.
He beamed down at me. “That’s my girl,” he said, kissing me hotly. My back arched as I pushed myself against him and kissed him, wildly; desire ignited through my body, making me hot and needy and wet. He rubbed my breasts through my shirt, and then he grabbed my ass, greedily cupping it, pulling me against his hard bulge again and again. He was making me wet and my insides hurt, I wanted him so much.
“I’ve missed being inside you,” he said, pausing in between his deep, probing kisses. Then he hoisted me up on his erection and carried me to the bathroom. I clung to him, relishing the feeling of him holding me and being between my legs. He put me down and I turned the water on, making it very hot, and the room filled with steam as he ripped off my clothes. He kissed me, hard, pinning me to the door with his lips as he undid my shorts roughly, taking them off and leaving them in a ball on the floor. His need was powerful; usually he was very gentle with me, playful, and I was always the one trying to rush things, to get him inside me as soon as I could. But today he was the greedy one, the one who couldn't wait. He took his shirt off and his enormous chest rose up and down with his rapid breathing. I ran my fingers down it, then bent down and licked, nipped and sucked on his nipples. He put his knee between my legs and spread them; the bathroom was filling with steam and our bodies were becoming slippery.
He put the swollen, lush tip of himself inside of me, unexpectedly, and I leaned my head back and moaned in pleasure.
He pulled out and grabbed a condom from one of the vanity drawers and expertly rolled it on. “You’re already wet, and I can’t wait anymore,” he said, coming back to me and putting himself between my legs. I could feel him start to thrust into me. The suddenness and the feeling of fullness surprised me; it took me a moment to catch my breath. When I did, I put my hands on his finely-muscled ass and drew him in as far as I could; he filled me with heat and pleasure and thickness. He started to grunt and thrust into me again, pulling out and slamming back in, slowly, filling me with his width, hitting that place inside me that I didn’t know existed until the first time I’d been with him. I grabbed his ass harder and his body answered mine, filling me, rhythmically pumping into me. His thrusts lifted me up off the floor; I put one foot on the tub for leverage and held onto the door knob to hold myself up as he slowly, deliciously and thoroughly filled me.
He held me up by the ass and continued his luxurious thrusts, he was taking his time now, slowing down even more, and he could tell that if he didn’t he would climax. He licked his fingers and reached down, finding my clitoris; he started to rub and swirl in circles. I collapsed onto him, moaning that I couldn’t take it anymore, and then he just gave up, gave in, and slid
his cock all the way into me, to the hilt, making us both moan in ecstasy. He thrust in even deeper and then he threw his head back and his whole body shuddered, collapsing, filling me. He pinched my clitoris hard and spasmed into me and I shattered then, calling his name, shaking and crumbling as my whole body shuddered around his, our orgasms colliding, as he continued to thrust, not stopping until my spasms subsided.
I felt limp like a rag doll and he gently cradled me and brought my feet back to the floor, putting my head on his shoulder, stroking my back. He calmed me even as his body continued to shudder. I felt the wetness and the emptiness he left when he pulled out, and I shivered and moaned into his chest.
“Stay,” I said. “Stay with me.”
“Always,” he said, and lifted me gently into the shower.
* * *
Later on, after we’d made love again in the shower and then practically collapsed, we were on the couch, watching the stormy weather outside, the roiling sea.
“What do you think about what Lester told us?” I asked. “About what everybody did? Do you believe him?”
“I believe him,” Walker said. “I wish I didn’t, but I do.”
“So he was with Tobin from the beginning,” I said. “Lester conspired with him to get the technology out of your control. He even arranged to have you killed, when you wouldn’t cooperate.”
“That’s right,” Walker said. “And when that didn’t work, he colluded with Tobin to bring those charges against me. I was going to get locked up, probably for life, and he was going to run the Board just the way he wanted. Blue Securities would basically have become a subsidiary of the U.S. Government, and Lester would have made all the money he wanted, and really not have to do any hard work for the rest of his life.”
