“Mia?”
“Yeah. You know what? Grant is actually in town one day early… I think I’ll meet him for a drink tonight.”
Nick blinked. “Grant?”
“Yeah. The guy I worked with in Hong Kong, when I was there researching sex trafficking in Asia.”
“Oh, right. Yeah. I forgot he was coming.”
“He managed to get an earlier flight to the States, so he’s here now. He called and asked to meet up, but I said no because you were supposed to come over.”
“I am coming over, Mia,” Nick said. “Just late.”
“Well, it’s OK. I know you’ll want to take a shower and stuff, and by the time you get here, it’ll be after eight and dinner is ruined anyway. So just go home, OK? I’ll see you this weekend, maybe.”
“Maybe?” Nick didn’t like the way this conversation was going at all. “What’s going on, Mia? You OK?”
“Oh, I’m fine. I’ve been sitting here for an hour waiting for you, but I’m fine. So you finish doing whatever it is you’re up to, and I’ll meet Grant and do some sightseeing with him over the next few days. Let me know if you want to come over at the weekend.”
“Mia…”
“Goodnight, Nick.” She hung up.
He was standing there, feeling like he should rush over to her place, when he heard a noise. He looked up to see Adam standing there, his blue eyes hard and knowing.
“You forget about meeting her again?”
“I didn’t forget,” Nick protested. “I was just running late.”
“Uh-huh.” Adam narrowed his eyes at his friend. “What the fuck are you doing, man?”
“About what?”
“About Mia.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, don’t you? Try this on for size then: you’re always ‘running late’ on nights when you’re supposed to meet up. You won’t move in with her. You won’t commit to anything more, even though you know that’s what she wants.”
“Adam…”
“No, shut the hell up. When I think how you were when you thought you’d lost her, after she was beaten up and caught you kissing that woman? You were a fucking wreck, man. Like, a total walking disaster. And now you’ve got her, and you’re treating the relationship like it’s casual. Is it casual?”
“No.” Nick’s gray eyes were angry. “It’s the farthest thing in the world from casual.”
“Then what’s the deal?”
“No deal, man.” Nick turned his back on Adam. “Things here have been really busy, as you know, and I just lost track of time. That’s all.”
“Nick…”
“No. Leave it. I’m wiped out.” Nick shrugged on his jean jacket. “I’m going home.”
“Not to Mia’s?”
“Nope. Seems she’s going to meet some guy named Grant for a drink.”
That made Adam stop. “What, like a date?”
“No, they’re just friends.” Nick tried to act like he didn’t give a crap, but Adam had known him for over a decade, and nothing got past the guy. “From her time in Hong Kong.”
“Oh, Nick,” Adam said quietly. “No, man. Don’t let this start to happen.”
“What?” Nick said, even though he knew damn good and well what Adam was talking about.
“Don’t blow her off and then watch her go for drinks with other guys.”
“You saying Mia’s going to cheat on me?”
“No way. Never. But if some other guy starts paying attention to her and making time for her, and you’re MIA all the time? Don’t be surprised if she decides that the other guy wants her more.”
“Nobody could ever want Mia more than I do.”
“Then act like it, you asshole.”
“OK, coach, good talk. Thanks.” Nick shook his dark head. “Mia and I are fine, Adam, I promise. Don’t worry about it.”
“Well, I kind of feel like one of us should worry about it, man.”
“Look, you’re not wrong. I’ve been… wrapped up in some things lately. I get that. I’ll talk to her about it. Clear the air.”
Adam studied his friend, saw him limping again. He’d already asked Nick about what had happened, and Nick had given him some vague story about a new karate student hauling back and kicking him by accident.
But something about Nick’s face when he’d said that – Adam hadn’t believed him, and it was one more thing that Adam was sure his friend wasn’t being totally honest about.
“Yeah?” Adam said. “You’re really going to talk to Mia?”
“Yeah.” Nick turned off his office lights. “I’ll make it right. Soon.”
**
Mia stared at Grant, her glass of wine frozen in mid-air. “Really?”
“Yep.” Grant Bishop grinned at her, his green eyes bright. “A sweet offer, huh?”
“God, yeah.” Mia took a big gulp of wine. “But how long would I be in Thailand?”
“Four months at least, collecting the material.”
She coughed. “Four months?”
“Yeah. It’s full-on and in-depth, Mia. It’s a series of three books about sex trafficking in the country, and all your research would have to be first-hand and current.”
“But… that’s a long time.”
“Well, sure. I guess so. Do you have something holding you here?”
“Someone.”
“Ah.” Grant looked at her. “And you don’t want to leave him. It’s that serious?”
“Yeah. I mean – yeah.”
Grant both heard and saw her hesitation. “You’re not sure?”
Mia squirmed. “We’re just… we’re going through something right now.”
“Bad?”
“No. I don’t think so. We just need to talk a few things through.”
“Maybe he’d come with you?” Grant suggested.
“Oh, no. Nick’s got a business here in Denver. He and his friend run a gym and training centre called The Rock. Since they started to sponsor Mitch Corrigan and he’s been doing their PR and promotion, the gym is becoming more and more popular, and Nick’s schedule and workload are getting increasingly insane. No way he can leave Adam alone to run the whole business even for a few months. Not right now.”
“So your answer’s no?” Grant drank his beer. “You won’t take the job?”
“My answer’s no, Grant. But thank you…it’s an incredible offer.”
“That’s OK, Mia. When it came up, you were the first person I thought of. The only person, actually.”
Mia smiled, and changed the subject. But the idea was planted in her mind now… and like a seed, it started to grow.
Chapter Thirteen
The next evening, Maggie stepped in to the restaurant, trying to keep calm.
OK, finalize the sketch for the second apsara as fast as possible, then get to Mom. A few minutes isn’t going to change anything… just hang in there.
Joe glanced up to see her standing at the top of the stairs. She looked nervous and nervy, like she was both worried and frightened. He blinked.
“You OK?” he asked her.
“Yeah.” She walked over to him. “Let’s make this fast, OK? I have to be somewhere.”
“Sure,” he said. “I don’t want to make any changes to the original sketch you did.”
She stared at him. “So I’m here… why?”
“Because I wanted to give this to you in person.” He handed her a piece of paper. “You can take it away and have your lawyer look it over, if you want. Get it back to me in the next couple of days.”
“What is it?” she said, then read the title and her eyes widened. “An addendum? About what?”
“Read it.”
She did, her face wrinkling in confusion. She looked up at him again. “You’re – you’re giving me an e
xtra four weeks to get the job done? Without any kind of penalty or other change to our original agreement?”
Joe nodded. “That’s right. Everything in the agreements stands… except for the completion date. That moves thirty days. No loss of fee, no percentage deducted for late delivery.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re doing an awesome job, Maggie, and I’m really happy with the apsara that you’ve already done. I want the rest of them all to be equally amazing… and for that, I think you need more time.”
Her beautiful green eyes searched his blue ones. “There’s more to this.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know. Just – just something. What else?”
Joe sighed. “OK, you’re right. The truth is that I’m worried about you. After what happened last night at your studio, I feel like you’re pushing yourself way too hard, and I don’t want you to get hurt. I think if you had a bit more breathing room on the deadline, maybe you’d be able to take care of yourself a bit better.” He grinned. “You know. Get some rest, eat regular meals.”
“I don’t want your pity or charity.” Her face was hard. “I’ll manage just fine on the current deadline.”
He rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Maggie! It’s not fucking pity or charity, OK? It’s just – concern. Also, a smart business decision. I want your best work, and I have a better chance of getting it if I ease up a bit on the deadline. No big deal from my side, but it’ll make a huge difference to you and the final product, I think.”
“What about the restaurant opening date? You can’t change that, can you?”
Joe shrugged. “I can have a soft opening on the scheduled date, then do the hard opening one month later. I’ll invite the press and my investors to the second opening. Gives me a month to work out the kinks with staff and the menu, anyway, and wait for you to be done.”
Maggie stared at him.
“So,” he said. “What do you think?”
She was mortified when tears welled up in her eyes and she looked down quickly, trying to hide them. No fucking way she was going to look weak in front of him.
Joe saw her eyes brighten suddenly, and he knew what was happening. Gently, he reached for her arm. “Hey. You OK?”
Maggie pulled away, turned away. “Yeah. Thanks for this. It looks fine to me, but I’ll have my lawyer look it over in the morning. If she says it’s OK, I’ll have it couriered over in the afternoon.”
“Sure.”
She nodded and started towards the door. Joe watched her go, wondering why it felt like she was always leaving him. Maggie had just reached the stairs when the restaurant door burst open and a police officer stood there, gun drawn and a tense expression on his face.
Maggie shrieked in surprise and Joe rushed over to stand by her side.
“Anyone else in here?” The cop was looking around. “Anyone in the back?”
“No,” Joe said. “What’s going on?”
“How many other ways in and out of this place?” the cop asked.
“Four.” Joe cocked his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Those four ways locked up?”
“Yes. And they all have alarms that sound when opened.” Joe didn’t like any of this. “Hey, you going to tell us what’s happening? Or are you just going to carry on freaking us out?”
“Yeah.” The man put the gun away. “We’re looking for a suspect in a bank robbery, and he may be hidden in a building in this area.”
Maggie gasped. “Bank robbery suspect?”
“Uh-huh. We’re sweeping all the buildings along this section of the street, so we’ll need you two to stay in here, OK? We’ll let you know when it’s safe to leave.”
“Wait,” Maggie said. “Shouldn’t we be evacuated if there’s a dangerous criminal?”
“No. This area is full of apartments and businesses, and the evacuation would just waste time and tip him off. We don’t need a hostage situation, but we do need you to stay put, alright? Stick together, don’t take eyes off each other.”
“OK, whoa.” Maggie felt panic rising in her. “How long is this going to take?”
“About three hours, I figure.”
“Three hours! I – I can’t be here for three hours!”
“How come?”
“Because… because I have to be somewhere.” Maggie was twisting her hands together. “It’s an emergency. Please.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“Family.” She swallowed. “I need to get to the hospital.”
“Hospital?” Joe said. “What’s going on?”
“None of your damn business,” she said, then turned to the police officer. “Please… just let me go, OK?”
“I’m really sorry, ma’am.” He did actually look pretty regretful. “The streets are already being blocked off now, and they won’t let you past the barricades. You’ll just have to wait.”
“But –”
“Look,” he said. “As soon as I hear that the coast is clear, I’ll come and get you first. OK? I’ll get you out of here personally. That’s the best I can really do, though.”
“Please,” she said again. “I can’t stay here… I need to go.”
The police officer really looked at her now, really took in her panic. “Hey,” he said gently. “I’ll get you as soon as this building is cleared, OK? I’ll get you past the barricades. Give me an hour or two. Alright?”
She sighed. “OK. OK, thanks.”
“Remember,” he said. “Stay together, alright? If anything happens, it’s best if you’re with someone else.” He headed back out the door. “Lock this behind me and don't open it again, unless the person on the other side shows you a badge. This guy is considered armed and dangerous, so don’t do anything dumb. Got it?”
They nodded and watched him leave. Joe locked the door and set the alarm, then turned to look at Maggie. She was very pale, her whole body shaking. She looked to be seconds away from bursting in to tears.
“Maggie?”
“Dammit,” she said and pulled her cell out of her purse. “I’d better call the hospital.” She walked across the room and he followed. She spun and pinned him with a glare. “Um. What the hell are you doing?”
“Didn’t you hear the man?” Joe said. “We have to stick together.”
“I’ll be in the kitchen with the door open, if it makes you happy… I’m pretty sure you’ll still be able to see me.”
He shook his head. “No way. You stay right here, within reach.”
She stared at him. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Completely.” Calmly, he crossed his arms. “So go ahead and make your call.”
She glared harder. “Fine. But don’t listen."
“Fine.”
For no reason that made any sense – since he was less than two feet away from her and could hear everything – Maggie turned her back on him for privacy. She dialed the nurse’s station on her Mom’s floor and waited. Joe stood and looked at her tense shoulders as she spoke.
“Hi,” she said. “This is Maggie Branson, Rita’s daughter. I know I said I’d be right there, but something’s come up, and I won’t be able to get there for about two hours. Maybe a bit more.” She paused. “Any change?” Another pause. “OK, well, that’s good. I’ll call when I’m on my way. Who’s on duty tonight?” Pause. “Yes. Yes, she’s well aware of Mom’s wishes. I trust her to do what Mom requested if things take a turn for the worse.”
Joe stared, starting to get an inkling of what was going on.
My God… is Rita sick? Maybe her kidney finally failed? What the fuck – is she on life support? What else can ‘wishes’ at a hospital mean but ‘final wishes’? Shit, Maggie.
She hung up and took a long time to turn around to face him again. When she did, he was taken aback at the v
acant look in her eyes. “Not one fucking word. I’m serious.” She pushed her hair off her tired face. “I’m not going to tell you anything.”
“OK,” he said quietly.
The silence stretched out between them.
“You hungry?’ he finally asked.
Maggie opened her mouth to say no, and then her stomach gave a loud grumble. She blushed and Joe laughed.
“Is that a yes?” he asked teasingly.
“Ummm. Maybe.”
“So let’s go.” He gestured at the kitchen. “I’ve got lots of food here. Let me make us something, alright?”
She hesitated.
“Come on, Maggie.” His blue eyes were warm and watched her closely. “What else are we going to do stuck in here for hours, especially since you’ll barely speak to me? Let’s eat.”
Her stomach rumbled again. “Well… OK. I haven’t really eaten today.”
“No?”
“Nuh-uh.” She bit her lip. “I had – I had some personal things to take care of, and I just didn’t have time.”
“Well.” He was gentle. “We have time now, right? So, let’s go. Yeah?”
“OK.” She remembered all of those amazing meals Joe had made for her when they were together, and her mouth started to water. “OK. Yeah.”
**
Ten minutes later, Maggie was relaxing with a glass of white wine and watching Joe stir something that smelled delicious. He’d brought her some vegetable wraps from the fridge and she was inhaling them at roughly the speed of light as she sat and waited.
Joe joined her at the table now. “OK, so. That’ll be another ten minutes, then I’ll stick it in the oven for twenty minutes. Can you hang on that long?”
“Sure.”
“Good.” He sat and took a sip of his own wine. “So how are you doing now?”
She stiffened. “Fine.”
“OK.” He studied her. “You going to want dessert, too?”
“You got some?”
“Yeah. I was just fooling around with some ideas for the menu today, and I made a few things. I was planning to take them to a soup kitchen near my place, but we can sample them, I guess. You interested?”
“Sure.” Despite herself, Maggie smiled at him. “I love sweet stuff.”
Fighting History (Fighting For Love Book 4) Page 8
