by Lori Foster
“You’ve kept a lot of late nights,” Justice observed.
Which meant he, too, had suffered the same.
Over the past three days, she’d checked in with Leese on the progress each of them had made in their research. It wasn’t easy to talk privately with him when he and Catalina shared such close quarters. Generally she’d wait until they were leaving the gym so she could catch him while Catalina showered.
At first she’d been mildly irked about the breach of professionalism. But alas, she was a romantic at heart. While neither of them had mentioned love to her, even a blind man could tell that their relationship was beyond casual.
Sahara was far from blind.
The way the two of them clicked was actually heartwarming to see, and though she might be a barracuda in the business world, she was still a woman, and she enjoyed witnessing true affection.
So it was taboo. So what?
She ran the business and she could break any rules she wanted. Since she didn’t want to lose Leese as her number one agent, and since Catalina clearly wouldn’t be issuing any complaints about the familiarity, what could it hurt?
Now if only Catalina would come clean on the rest of the details. But she remained too wary to openly trust.
So far, without Cat’s knowledge, Sahara and Leese had narrowed down Webb Nicholson’s most likely cohorts to three men, two of them in politics. Before either of them said anything to anyone else, they needed more facts. Any accusations that couldn’t be proven would result in disastrous lawsuits that could cripple the company.
She couldn’t risk that.
Her PI was one of only a handful of people she trusted. Leese and, amazingly, Justice, were two others.
“Have you minded being my bodyguard?” Sahara asked.
Because he’d been too quiet, his gaze going everywhere around the lot, her question took him by surprise. “Why would I mind?”
Casting a knowing look on him, Sahara smiled. “I’ve seriously cut into your free time.”
He rolled a massive shoulder. “Not a big deal. I like this shit. It’s interesting, I’m learning the ropes and you’re easy to talk to.”
“Thank you.” She patted his arm. “You’ll enjoy the next job more, I’m sure.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he admitted, then tugged at his ear in what she’d learned to recognize was a nervous gesture.
Justice was an attractive man. Not GQ gorgeous like Leese, but more rugged, earthy and real. He had that “from the streets” look, and all the authenticity of thickened ears and a few scars that proved him a real fighter.
“But...?” Sahara asked.
“Guess I’m kinda edgy about it too.”
“You’ll do a wonderful job. I have complete faith in you.” She liked Justice and saw great potential in him. “Look at it this way. An actor would only hire you to get the authentic experiences, yes? So you can completely be yourself, but maybe with a little understanding that he is the client and he’s paying. See what I mean?”
Without a lot of conviction, he said, “Sure.”
Smiling, she hugged his arm. “Just be the big, badass, cocky dude that you are, and I promise he’ll appreciate it.”
“I guess I can do that.”
“So, Justice.” She stepped around a patch of ice. “Do you have a regular girlfriend?”
He stalled, cleared his throat, frowned and then coughed. “Um, Ms. Silver...”
With the night so dark and the air so still, her laugh echoed everywhere. “I’m not hitting on you, Justice, I promise. Unlike our friend Leese, I never mix business with pleasure and besides, as much as I admire you, we’re hardly suited.”
Relieved, he flashed her a sinner’s smile. “No, ma’am.”
The awkward politeness from such a hulking, muscular guy tickled her. On Justice, even the Mohawk worked, adding to his unique persona. “I asked because this profession can be very demanding. There will be jobs that keep you away from home 24/7. It won’t be easy to carry on a committed relationship.”
“Works for me.”
So he enjoyed the singles scene? Given his appeal, that didn’t surprise her. “Well, if it ever does become an issue, I want you to know that you can come to me. I like to keep my agents happy. So if at some point you fall in love, talk to me and we’ll see if we can adjust the jobs to accommodate romance.” After all, she was being quite accommodating for Leese. She would do no less for Justice.
He skipped right past any possibility of romance and asked, “Does that mean you plan to keep me around?”
“Most definitely.” It fed her business-savvy soul to have male employees who were not only large, capable and sexy, but also possessed a certain cocky savoir faire.
They’d just reached the big SUV Justice preferred to drive. Ice encrusted the windows and door handles on the passenger side, which faced the open end of the lot. “You should have let me get you at the door,” he complained. “I could have had the ride heated up already.”
“I’m not a flower,” she promised. “I won’t shrivel in the cold.”
Suddenly, with no warning, Justice’s head snapped up and he took one big step in front of her. Being so massive, he completely shielded her, backing her into the car at the side of the door.
“Get in,” he told her, reaching back to hand her the keys.
That particular tone alarmed her as much as the possible threat. She took the keys, but given the ice, she didn’t think she’d get the door open without circling to the driver’s side—in the direction Justice stared. “I can’t. It’s frozen shut.”
He muttered a low curse word, took her arm, and—
“Please, Ms. Silver, don’t go running off.”
Immediately Justice put her behind him again. She tried to peek around, but he didn’t let her. With a hand on the gun in his holster, he ordered, “Get in on the driver’s side.”
The intruder said, “I’m here to talk to you, Ms. Silver.”
Making a guess, she asked, “Is that you, Mr. Tesh?”
The heavy pause gave away his surprise at being so easily identified. “Just Tesh, and yes.”
“Justice,” she said with authority, “you will let me handle this.”
Conflicted, he tugged at his ear again.
“Justice,” she warned.
Reluctantly, he took one step to the side of her. He still protected her with his body, but he’d allowed her to see the men.
She knew right away which one was Tesh, though two others accompanied him but definitely not anyone powerful. Powerful people stayed hidden and sent others to do their dirty work, like cleanup.
“It’s a dreadful night, and I’m sure none of us prefer to stay in the weather any longer than necessary. So tell me, Tesh, how can I help you?”
Her amiable tone confused him further. Apparently deciding Justice wasn’t an issue, Tesh stepped forward. “You can stop fucking around.”
“Language,” Justice snarled.
Incredulous, Tesh barked a laugh.
Even Sahara was surprised by the defense. “It’s fine,” she told Justice, patting his tensed arm. But because she didn’t like his humor at Justice’s expense, she tacked on, “Some men have a very limited vocabulary and vulgarities are all they can manage. We certainly don’t want to tax Mr. Tesh’s abilities, now do we?”
Justice grinned. “Guess not, ma’am.”
Taking the bait, Tesh narrowed his black eyes. “You’re a mouthy bitch, aren’t you?”
Sensing she’d hit a nerve, Sahara stilled Justice’s automatic reaction. “There are security cameras everywhere,” she said as much for the intruders as for Justice’s benefit. “I don’t want to have to defend a murder over something as childish as foul language and insults.”
“
If he doesn’t censor his mouth, it’s happening anyway.”
Oh my. Justice truly was heroic. Best to move on quickly. “In answer to your question, yes, I can be quite ‘mouthy,’ if by that you mean I trump your insults with ease.”
The men behind Tesh shifted impatiently. Tesh just pulled off a stocking cap, ran a hand over his shaved head, then, presumably with his rancor controlled, announced, “I want the girl.”
“So many people do.” Stepping farther away from the protective wall of flesh and bone Justice provided, Sahara tapped a gloved finger to her lips. Playing a dangerous guessing game, she said, “Webb Nicholson isn’t the only man who’d like to recover Catalina, is he?”
“Others want her,” Tesh said. “You already knew that. It’s why you were hired.”
Hardly the motivation, but she let it go. “Ah, yes, but I meant another good, well-meaning man. Someone who cares for her and only wants to protect her. Someone she’s accused, but who surely is innocent.” She held his gaze without blinking. “You work for that man as well, don’t you?”
Going more lethal, Tesh asked, “Where did you hear that?”
“Oh, please.” She laughed as if not afraid, as if she didn’t have a clue why she and Justice had been stopped. “I’m good. Better than good. And I do my homework. So I assume this other man is involved?”
He tightened his mouth and stayed mum.
“Is Webb aware that you have divided loyalties?”
More silence, more dead staring.
That was admission enough for her. “If you can meet me halfway, Tesh, I’d like to set an appointment with him.”
Justice tensed in disapproval, but she ignored him.
“I’ve spoken with Catalina several times now—”
“So you have her in your building?” Eyes hard with expectation, Tesh took an aggressive step forward. “You have her here?”
Justice snarled again, so Sahara put a hand on him, restraining him with just a touch.
“Now, Tesh.” She gave him such a pitying look that he ground his teeth. “Did you really think it’d be that easy? Even a man of your meager accomplishments should know better than that.”
Tendons strained in his neck and his temples pulsed. Through his teeth, he rasped, “You’re pushing your luck, lady.”
That proved too much for Justice. “She’ll say whatever she wants to say, however she wishes to say it and you’ll damn well shut up and listen.”
Tesh’s jaw flexed with more teeth-grinding until he finally appeared to get a handle on his unruly temper. “Why the hell can you curse, but I shouldn’t?”
“I work for her.” Justice shifted his massive shoulders. “And you don’t.”
Good Lord, Sahara thought. It’s like trying hold back an enraged bull. Justice now chose to take everything as offensive. “Before we all freeze to death, I’d like to get to the point.”
“Yeah,” Tesh said. “Why don’t you?”
“Catalina Nicholson has been under our protection. Given you butted heads with the agent assigned to her, I’m sure you’re aware of that much.”
Voice clipped, he said, “Yes.”
Making her words as effective as possible, Sahara said, “Perhaps you’re not aware of how delusional the poor thing is.”
Tesh’s brows went up in cautious surprise. “Delusional, you say?”
“Clearly. The convoluted stories she’s told, the stretch of her imagination...they are not the ramblings of a girl based in reality.”
Edgier than ever, Justice whispered, “Sahara—”
Hedging off his protest, she snapped, “Know your place, Justice.” Turning her back to Tesh, she stared directly into Justice’s eyes, doing her best to convey the need for trust. “You’ve interrupted quite enough.”
After a moment, he grudgingly relented, so perhaps he did understand.
Facing Tesh with a bright smile, she said, “I don’t know if anyone she’s mentioned is associated with Webb Nicholson, but surely you do.”
“I know everything there is to know about the Nicholson family.”
Bragging? Excellent.
“Who has she mentioned?”
“She’s yet to give me a specific name, but I do believe I can convince her. And once I do, it’d be wonderful if you could help to facilitate a meeting, sort of provide neutral ground so that Catalina doesn’t panic too much.” In a conspiratorial whisper, she confided, “She is entirely too dramatic and prone to great exaggeration.”
Tesh looked like a dog salivating over a meaty bone. “Not usually. More often than not she’s stubborn and determined to do things her own way.”
Was Tesh insulted for Catalina? It did look that way. Odd. Just how attached was he to her?
Rather than try to convince him that Catalina had undergone a complete personality change, Sahara said, “Oh, believe me, she’s still quite stubborn, and very determined to make us believe that otherwise-reputable men would do her harm.” She flapped a hand for good measure. “It’s beyond silly.”
“I know who she’s accusing.”
“You do?” Heart tripping, Sahara asked with feigned disinterest, “Who?”
Tesh stared at her, his expression carefully blank while his eyes burned with rage. “It’s better if I don’t say. No reason to further the tales. Just get her to me.”
“I see your point.” Such a dangerous game to play, but Sahara had to believe it’d be helpful in the end. “I would suggest giving her to her father, but she’s so terrified of him, she’d bolt the second she saw him.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “She would.”
“These other men, though...perhaps we could meet someplace neutral? A park or—”
“I know just the place. Once I have everything arranged, I’ll let you know.”
“That would be grand.” Sahara shifted her purse off her shoulder and brought it around in front of her.
Just as quickly, Tesh’s men reached for their guns, halting only when he lifted a hand.
Good Lord. Did they think she’d go for a weapon? That she hoped to shoot it out with them? Murder Tesh outright with witnesses?
With Justice bristling beside her, Sahara cleared her throat. “I was going to give you my card.”
“I have your contact info.”
With her hand still half in her purse, she asked, “My private number? I’d like to give you that as well.”
His eyes narrowed, but he nodded consent, watching her closely as she withdrew the card case and opened it to get a linen business card.
As if he wasn’t a scumball cretin with questionable intentions, she approached him and handed it over, then covered his hand with her own before he could withdraw. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” She stared into his eyes too—and saw soulless evil. “Just let me know when you have something arranged and I guarantee, I’ll get her to you.”
He pulled away and stuck the card in his coat pocket. “What about the bull watching over her?”
“My agent?” A very real laugh slipped out. “Oh yes, of course he’ll come along. She wouldn’t go anywhere without him.” And Leese would never let her out of his sight. “But he, too, understands that she needs help. I’m sure he’ll thank you himself.”
Tesh gestured to his cohorts and they began to back away. “I’ll be in touch very soon.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.”
He paused once more. “You should know, Ms. Silver. If you’re jacking me around, spinning a trap, you’re going to regret it.” His black gaze crawled down her body. “And you know what? I almost hope you are.”
With that last implied threat, he turned and strode away.
Furious, Justice said, “What the hell—”
“Shush.” After a telling glance,
she squeezed Justice’s hand. “Let’s get out of the cold before we talk. Even my bones are starting to shiver.” Of course, that could be pure reaction to Tesh. In every way, on every level, he repulsed her.
Catalina was smart to run from him. But she couldn’t run forever.
Justice reached for the back passenger door, where she usually sat.
“I’ll ride up front tonight.”
He didn’t question her on that. He got her door open with a little effort, thanks to the ice, then waited for her to get in before going around to the driver’s side. Once he started the vehicle, he cranked up the thermostat and flipped the switch for the heated seats.
“I need to scrape the windows, but keep an eye out, okay?”
“Of course.” Not that she could see much through the ice.
Justice worked with quick efficiency, clearing each window with a scraper while also continually checking the area. Normally the car would have been protected in the covered lot, but he’d parked close enough to the opening that the ice had blown in everywhere. As she’d said, it was a miserable night. Hopefully they wouldn’t lose power.
Once back in the car, Justice put it in gear and pulled away. As soon as they were on the main roads, he said, “Leese is going to be severely pissed.”
“On the contrary, he will be thrilled, because now, Justice, we have a way to get to them.”
The light of realization dawned in his eyes. “You aren’t handing her over?”
“Of course not. I’ll forgive you, just this once, for doubting me. Just don’t let it happen again.”
Justice slowly unleashed an enormous grin. “Yes, ma’am.” He waited a moment more before laughing. “You’re scary, you know that, right?”
Flattered, Sahara smiled at him. “Why thank you, Justice.”
“Welcome.” He shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know what you have planned, and neither did Tesh. That makes him even more dangerous.”
“Yes, it does.” And somehow they had to keep Catalina safe. She drew out her cell and dialed Leese.
After she explained, she found out that Justice was right, after all.
Leese was pissed.
