Distorted

by Christy Barritt

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Morning.” She paused, but her expression looked strained as she turned toward him. “I assume that Grant has talked to you.”

  Tennyson braced himself at her cold tone and set his own coffee down. “Only briefly this morning. Why?”

  “Then he ran our plan past you?”

  “What are you talking about, Mallory?”

  She frowned. “We’re going to hire someone else for the security team, just like you and I spoke about doing. You’ll be in charge of the team, however. Grant promised he would run his new hire past you.”

  He fought a sigh. This was just another power play on Grant’s end. However, Tennyson wanted to be careful and not also become a power player. That would put him on the same level as Grant, and he wouldn’t do that to Mallory.

  “He didn’t run anyone past me.”

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, but he saw the deep angst in her eyes. “Grant knows how to hire quality people. I’m sure he’ll do a good job. I didn’t see any harm in allowing him to bring on someone he trusts.”

  Tennyson had to bite his tongue. Trust her, Tennyson. Trust her. “As long as you’re comfortable with all of it, Mallory.”

  She seemed to let out a breath, followed by a quick smile. “Okay. Great. He’ll be coming in later this morning.”

  “That quickly?”

  She nodded. “Grant worked on it last night.”

  “Do you know anything about him?” Tennyson at least wished that he could vet the guy first.

  Curiosity flickered in her gaze. “Why? Are you going to do a background check?”

  He shrugged, realizing she had him pegged. “Maybe.”

  She continued to examine him, not bothering to hide it. “You really don’t want anything to slip past you, do you?”

  His jaw flexed as his past mistakes began to play like an old movie reel in his mind. Never again. “Failure isn’t an option.”

  “Good. I don’t want you to fail either. I’d really prefer that I wasn’t in this situation at all, but since I am, I’m glad you’re on my side.”

  Silence stretched for a moment. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t ever want to hurt you.” His words weren’t professional. This conversation wasn’t professional. But he knew the lines were blurring for him.

  She sat down beside him, her cheeks reddening. “Thank you.”

  “Look, I want to be the one to tell you this. I slipped outside last night for a walk, and someone shot at me.”

  Her gaze darted toward him, and her lips parted. “What?”

  He nodded. “Thankfully, I just have a few bruises.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know. The police are looking into it. I can only assume they won’t find anything. I haven’t heard from them yet this morning.”

  Before he realized what was happening, Mallory reached over and squeezed his hand. As soon as she touched him, the air between them changed. Electricity crackled between them.

  Electricity? Was he crazy? Mallory probably wasn’t interested in ever attempting to trust another man. Sure, she’d overcome a lot, and she was an inspiration. But that didn’t mean she was going to be in a hurry to fall in love.

  Nor was he.

  Her touch was just an act of kindness and compassion. But the fact remained: she’d reached out. Tennyson knew how hard that was for her, how she didn’t easily offer any physical contact.

  His conversation with Stone came back to him. When Mallory found out the truth, she was going to hate him. Hate him.

  He stood. “I need to go check my e-mails. You okay?”

  She nodded a little too quickly and withdrew her hand. “Of course. I need to review my notes for the interview today.”

  And before either of them could do anything they’d regret, they both escaped.

  CHAPTER 22

  The new guard showed up at their hotel suite midmorning.

  “This is Logan Hagen.” Grant extended his arm toward the towering man behind him.

  Mallory stared up at the new guard. He looked Nordic in his features. His eyes were crystal blue. His teeth perfect and white, and his smile blinding. He was tall with a strong, angular face, hair so blond it was almost white, and arms full of defined, bulky muscles.

  Tennyson had muscles also, but his were more subtle. Mallory had the distinct impression that Hagen wanted everyone to know how strong he was.

  Mallory fought a wave of anxiety at his quick appearance here. This was her decision, she reminded herself. She’d given Grant the go-ahead.

  Still, there was a peace-loving side of her that knew there would be tension over this choice. Tennyson, though he was trying to conceal his emotions, wasn’t happy about this. Hagen was oblivious. Grant was gloating.

  “Glad to have you on board,” Mallory said.

  “Nice to meet you.” His voice sounded as stoic as his demeanor.

  “This is Tennyson. You’ll be working with him—” Grant started.

  “You’ll be working for him,” Mallory corrected, knowing she needed to establish that up front. “Tennyson is in charge of our security plan. He’ll ultimately call the shots.”

  Something flickered in Hagen’s gaze, but he still reached out his hand toward Tennyson.

  “Nice to meet you,” Hagen said. “We should sit down and talk.”

  Tennyson nodded. “As soon as you’re settled in, we can meet for a few minutes.”

  Grant clapped his hands once. “Now that this happy meet-and-greet is over with, Mallory, I need to prep you for your interview this afternoon.”

  Mallory thought about the gunshots last night. “Are you sure the interview is a good idea? It’s one thing if I’m in danger. It’s another thing entirely if I put any of you in danger.”

  Grant frowned. “You know about what happened with Tennyson last night?”

  She nodded. “Of course I do. Tennyson told me this morning.”

  Why did he make it sound like she wouldn’t know? She fully expected Tennyson to keep her in the loop about what was going on.

  “The news station is secure,” Grant said quickly. “They’ve got their own guards at the door, metal detectors, et cetera. You won’t be out in public. But of course, ultimately, this is up to you. Mallory, what do you think?”

  Did she want to do this? To continue on like nothing had happened?

  Mallory finally nodded, knowing the issue was more complex than that. “I don’t want these guys to control me any longer. If I instantly go into hiding, they’ll win. That’s probably what they want.”

  Tennyson’s jaw flexed. He didn’t agree with her choice, she realized. But it was her decision, and she had to make it.

  “I’m going to go prep for the interview. I’ll let you two talk about the security detail, and I’ll be back out in an hour so I can meet with Jason before the interview.”

  Tennyson had only been around Logan for five minutes, and he already didn’t like him. He had to try to give the man the benefit of the doubt, but he wished that Grant had let him at least help pick out who else would be working with them. He wanted to read his resume and not have to play this all by ear.

  But that hadn’t happened, so now he needed to make the best of things. For Mallory’s sake. He wasn’t usually a control freak. He just hated to see Grant trying to manipulate every situation. He hated to see Mallory in the crosshairs.

  But he could be a team player. He would be a team player. Again, for Mallory’s sake.

  “I assure you, I’m experienced. I was navy for four years, and then went on to work for the Baltimore PD,” Logan said, as if he could read Tennyson’s doubt.

  They were in the living room, reviewing the notes for the rest of the tour.

  “Why’d you leave?” Tennyson asked.

  “I got a job offer I couldn’t refuse for Steele Security.”

  Tennyson had heard of the firm before. They were su
pposed to be one of the best. But Tennyson was very careful about the trust he gave out.

  Logan crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch. “So, what’s your game plan?”

  “I have her tour schedule. We check out the layout of each building and hotel where we’ll be staying. We assess risks. We develop emergency plans in case things go south. I’ve made some notes.”

  “Why not just cancel this tour?”

  “It’s not a bad idea, but Mallory calls the shots here. We’re available to help her in whatever decisions she makes. That’s the game plan.”

  His eyebrows flickered upward. “That’s not what Grant made it sound like. He sounded like he was running this show.”

  Tennyson stood and grabbed a water bottle. “I’m not here for a power struggle. You shouldn’t be either. We answer to Mallory.”

  Logan nodded slowly. “A guy who’s not afraid to give up control. That’s got to be admired.”

  Tennyson felt himself bristle. “You must be new at this, because that’s one of the first rules: control belongs to the client in this line of work.”

  Logan’s smile faded, and he shifted. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”

  Tennyson reviewed everything with him. Until his phone rang. He recognized Stone’s number. “Excuse me a minute.”

  He stepped into the hallway to take the call. But just as he stepped out, Stone appeared.

  “I found out a few things you might want to know.”

  “I’d love to hear them.”

  “The first is about Walter Boyce.”

  “Who’s Walter Boyce?” The name sounded vaguely familiar.

  “He was a friend of the Baldwin family. He has a place in the Caribbean. It was his party the Baldwins went to the night they were killed.”

  It was starting to come back to Tennyson now. “Okay.”

  “He owns one of the largest shipping businesses in the world. The man’s filthy rich.”

  “What’s this have to do with anything?”

  “Some people believe that Boyce is helping to ship arms for Torres.”

  “What? No . . .” Could Mallory’s father have been involved with this after all? What if her family hadn’t just been randomly targeted?

  “There’s more,” Stone said. “Apparently, Baldwin was married before he married Mallory’s mom. Married twice, actually.”

  “That sounds right.”

  “His second wife had a daughter—”

  “Narnie.”

  Stone’s eyebrows flickered up. “You’ve met her?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  “Well, it’s going to get even more unfortunate. Rumor has it that Narnie is mad. She thought she was going to be able to stake claim to some of her former stepfather’s fortune since she was the only surviving heir.”

  “Okay . . .”

  “Mallory turning up alive really put a kink in her plans. Now, she claims to have some dirt on Mr. Baldwin—proof that he was working with Walter Boyce in order to transport these weapons.”

  “How did you hear that?”

  “I’ve been keeping my eye on good old Narnie for a while. As soon as the Baldwins disappeared, she went after their money. That’s always suspicious, if you ask me. People who are that desperate for money are also desperate in other ways. Apparently, she’s in a heap of debt.”

  Tennyson didn’t like where this was going. He’d met Narnie and wouldn’t put anything past the woman.

  “She says she has evidence to bring the family down. She threatened Walter Boyce.”

  Tennyson remembered Narnie’s threat to Mallory at the book signing. You’ll regret it. Was she acting on that threat now?

  “Anyway, this is what it boils down to: Narnie is missing.”

  “Missing?”

  Stone nodded. “She had a hotel room here in Atlanta. All of her things—including her purse—were found there. There was also a sign of struggle.”

  “Atlanta? Why was she here?”

  Stone shrugged. “That’s the question of the hour. We can only guess that she was following Mallory.”

  Tennyson sighed and glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get ready to take Mallory to lunch.”

  He didn’t want to take her anywhere right now. Not when the stakes had just risen so much. As soon as lunch and her interview were over, he wanted to whisk Mallory away, somewhere out of sight and safe.

  Humor crinkled Stone’s gaze. “Sounds cozy.”

  “She’s meeting someone else,” Tennyson told him. “We’re strictly professional.”

  “Sure you are.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Mallory wasn’t sure why Jason had wanted to meet her. What more could he have to say after the interview with Dana?

  She straightened her dress and looked around the upscale restaurant. At her request, Tennyson had taken a seat at the table beside her. He’d be close enough if trouble flared up, but far enough away to allow her privacy. Kori stood at one door and Logan at the other.

  Tennyson was quiet as they waited. Did he not approve? Why wouldn’t he? And why did she care?

  Mallory took a sip of her water and flinched. Drinking out of an open cup always made her cautious. She preferred bottles without the seal broken. It was probably because Dante had drugged her glasses of water when she was in captivity.

  She glanced across the dining area and spotted a familiar figure step inside. Jason.

  She rubbed her hands against the skirt of her dress before standing.

  He offered a nervous smile as he approached. It was strange. Jason had never been nervous before. Had he changed?

  “Thanks for agreeing to meet me—without any cameras.” He kissed her cheek before his gaze skittered behind her to Tennyson. His eyes darkened. Jason hadn’t been expecting her to have anyone with her, she realized. He was going to have to deal with that fact, especially in light of everything that had happened.

  Mallory glanced at Tennyson and saw that he was giving them the illusion of privacy by holding a newspaper. She’d bet he wasn’t reading a word of it and was subtly listening to everything going on instead.

  “Please, have a seat,” she told Jason, nodding to the chair across from her.

  Before he had the chance to help with her chair, Mallory quickly sat. He was the type who could be charming when he wanted to impress someone. Or he could be a total jerk. Mallory was tired of people who put up fronts so that things could work to their advantage. Authentic . . . that was who she wanted to be.

  He glanced around before seating himself. A server appeared, and Jason ordered a glass of red wine.

  “You sure you don’t want anything stronger than that?” Jason gestured toward her water.

  Mallory nodded. Truth was, she never wanted to take anything again that would inhibit her senses. “I’m sure.”

  “You look good.” He offered an approving glance.

  “Thank you.”

  Jason hadn’t aged well. She hadn’t noticed it as much during the interview because she’d been so distracted by the monumental task of speaking with him. But now that she was getting a good look at him, away from any media scrutiny, she noticed how his hair thinned on top. How his midsection had gotten softer. How his shoulders were thicker, but not necessarily with muscle. He was two years older than she, which would put him at twenty-nine. Did he have a real job yet? Or was he still living off of trust funds?

  “I’m glad there are no cameras this time,” he said.

  Was he really glad? He had always liked attention.

  He drew in a deep breath, as if about to launch into something heavy and deep. Before any words left his mouth, the server appeared again with Jason’s wine. They both ordered—and Mallory got something for Tennyson also.

  He looked over from his Queen’s Guard–like stance for long enough to offer a weary smile. But he said nothing.

  Jason’s eyes subtly narrowed, however. What was that about?

  As soon as the emotion appeared, it was
gone. “We used to have good times together, didn’t we?”

  Mallory cringed, not wanting to reminisce like old friends. They had too much history, too much water under the bridge.

  “Did we?” she finally said.

  A grin cracked his face. “You remember that time we took that yacht on a joyride on the bay? I thought my dad would never let me leave the house again.”

  “We were lucky we didn’t go to jail for that.” It had been irresponsible, at best. Criminal, at worst. The only reason they’d gotten off was because they had good lawyers.

  “Or that time we raced down that mountain road with your dad’s Viper? I thought we were going to crash.”

  Her cheeks burned. None of these memories were ones she wanted to hold onto. No, she’d rather forget them.

  “Someone else did get run off the road because of that,” she reminded him.

  “They didn’t get hurt, though. And they got a new car out of it. Thanks to your dad.”

  She straightened, smoothing her napkin in her lap. “Why’d you want to meet, Jason?”

  She got right to the point. She had little interest in rekindling their friendship. He’d proven his character when he’d left with Jasmine that fateful night. He’d proven it again when he’d avoided her while she was in rehab.

  He leaned closer. “I just want the chance to make things right.”

  “What do you mean, ‘make things right’?”

  “I’ve hardly been able to live with myself these years.”

  It was funny . . . Mallory had looked up news articles on Jason a few months ago as a matter of curiosity. He’d certainly seemed to have recovered well. He’d continued to party, to make stupid choices—and headlines.

  Nothing about those articles had indicated he was remorseful. That said, she also realized that different people handled trauma in various ways. Some covered their pain with substance abuse, with living hard and fast, by doing whatever they could to forget.

  Compassion, Mallory. Compassion and grace . . . with a good dose of wisdom.

  “There was a lot of trauma that night.” She swirled her water and eyeballed some of the bread that had been left at the center of the table. “For everyone involved.”