Killer Assignment

by Black, Maggie K.

  His body ached to reach out and wrap his arms around her. Instead, he stepped back. The more he acted on impulse, the greater the chance someone was going to get hurt. And right now, knowing she was okay was one of the few things still holding him together.

  “I need to think.” He slid the GPS medallion off his hand. Then taking her hands gently, he tied the GPS medallion onto her wrist. “Don’t worry. You’re safe here.”

  But her forehead wrinkled, and he watched as that courageous light that had lit up her eyes slowly dimmed to a shadow. Would he have even seen that light in her eyes or realized the extraordinary person she was if their lives hadn’t been in danger? Now, there was a sobering thought. If it hadn’t been for the unknown threat that’d been nipping at their heels since the moment they’d met, would he have ever given her a chance to get to know him? Or would he have just brushed her off, convinced she would never be able understand?

  She shook her head. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”

  He hugged her as quickly as he dared. Then he walked away without letting himself look back.

  * * *

  Katie twisted her hair into a bun and then grabbed a handful of bobby pins off the dresser so quickly she scratched herself. Tears rushed to her eyes. She blinked them back. No, she couldn’t afford to let herself cry or she’d risk falling apart.

  He had promised that he wouldn’t shut her out again. But the moment stress hit, he had resorted to his default way of coping. Leaving. Pushing everyone else away. Trying to fix everything all on his own. Would someone like that ever be able to see her as an actual partner?

  Whatever else Mark, Shields’s security and the police were doing, she wasn’t going to let herself get caught unprepared again. She stepped back and ran a critical eye over her outfit. She’d chosen a simple brown-and-white silk sundress and matched it with a pale cream blazer. The final effect was crisp, clean and professional enough for a brunch. But the skirt was full enough that she’d managed to hide a pair of hiking shorts underneath just in case something went terribly wrong and she needed to run.

  For a moment, her eyes were drawn to a delicate pair of white strappy sandals. But instead, she chose a pair of wedge-heeled ankle boots with sturdy laces and good soles.

  She slipped a small pair of scissors, a nail file, the remains of her phone and Mark’s wrist GPS into the blazer’s inside pocket. Not much in terms of weaponry, but if he had taught her anything, it was to not underestimate the little things. It never hurt to be prepared. A slight smile crossed her lips. She really was beginning to sound like him.

  There was a flurry of knocking at the front door. Hard. Insistent. Please let it be Mark—

  She hurried into the living room as the knocking grew louder. She grabbed the handle. The door flew open.

  “Hello, gorgeous. Don’t just stand there. Gimme a hug.”

  Katie felt her mouth fall open. It was Ethan.

  “Surprise!” His grin was manic. He saw the look of shock on her face and practically rubbed his hands together. “So no one tipped you off I was coming. Awesome-sauce.” The boyish mop of hair seemed even messier than usual, and there were dark circles under his pale eyes. He was wearing a rumpled designer suit with a garish turquoise tie. “You gonna let me in?”

  She pulled back the lock and opened the door. “Hey.” She forced a smile so tight she could feel the pinch in her cheeks. “What are you doing here? How did you even get past security?”

  “I just showed them my press credentials and a printout of the press invitation-thingy they sent us.” He shot her a withering glance. “I am your boss, after all, and the editor of a pretty important publication.”

  She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Calling Impact important was a bit of a stretch. He walked past her into the living room, dumping a large black duffel bag just inside the doorway, like he was expecting someone to put it away for him. Right, well as soon as brunch was over she’d ask Albright to direct him to find a suitable hotel.

  “Figured you could use some company for the party tonight.” He collapsed sideways into a chair. “Should be epic.”

  Huh. Judging by what she’d seen of Jonah, it was hardly going to be the kind of wild party Ethan would be after. She’d have an easier time believing the “Mark Armor Is Jonah Shields Junior” story was getting a lot of media attention, and Ethan was there hoping to personally take credit for an exclusive. Then again, he might honestly be looking for a new crowd of people to charm because there wasn’t anything interesting going on in Toronto. You never could tell once he had an idea in his head.

  “Got anything to drink?”

  “The brunch is starting in about fifteen minutes. I’m sure there’ll have plenty of both juice and coffee.”

  He frowned. “I meant a real drink.”

  Oh, she knew exactly what he meant. “Why are you here, again?”

  “I flew up this morning. A friend of mine has a helicopter. This whole cat-and-mouse thing you’ve got going on is turning into the biggest story we’ve ever had. One of our own writers actually survived a kidnapping attempt—”

  He didn’t even know the half of it.

  “—and I couldn’t risk you mismanaging it any further.”

  Mismanaging it? She turned toward the window and closed her eyes for a moment. Remember, this is a man who only cares about himself. Don’t let yourself get dragged down to his level. “So does that mean you’re going to be writing this story now?”

  “No.” He chuckled. “I thought I’d leave that part up to your expertise.” His eyes scanned her in a way she guessed was meant to be flirtatious but instead was almost threatening. “You are very, very important to Impact News and to me. It’s about time we get this story back on track.”

  * * *

  About fifty journalists from various news outlets had shown up for the brunch, along with another thirty or so distinguished guests. According to the papers she’d received from Albright, they were expecting closer to five hundred people for the gala tonight. Apparently, if Jonah Shields was stepping down, he was doing so with style. His speech had been simple and given without notes. Jonah was thankful for all God had given him but was ready to step down, so he was splitting the company between his two children—Mark and Sunny. Katie was oddly surprised to hear him mention God and also thankful that he respected Mark enough not to call him Junior or mention TRUST.

  She’d caught sight of Mark hanging in the doorway when the speech began. But he’d slipped out the moment his father stepped away from the microphone. He hadn’t once looked her way or indicated he wanted to talk. She resisted the urge to follow.

  Jonah refused to take public questions and instead directed them to Albright. About thirty reporters charged toward the private secretary. The other twenty ran for Sunny. Katie stood in the back and tried to find the appetite to eat.

  Sunny was glad-handing everyone within sight, looking every bit the competent heiress ready to lead the company. “Oh, I don’t think anyone knows what my brother’s been doing honestly. Wandering around from resort to resort on some vanity project I imagine—”

  “Excuse me.” Katie stepped calmly but firmly between Sunny and the closest microphone.

  Sunny stopped and held up a hand. The media stepped back. Sunny gestured her away from the crowd.

  “What is your problem?” Sunny hissed. “If you’re after an interview, I promise that, considering your unique circumstances, I will be happy to give you an exclusive interview at a later time once my lawyer has drawn up a suitable confidentiality agreement on what you can and can’t—”

  “I don’t care about that,” Katie said, surprised to realize how true it really was. “I care about Mark.”

  Sunny opened her mouth, but Katie didn’t pause long enough to let her in.

  “Look. I know you and your brother
have a history, and I’m sure he’s made his fair share of mistakes. But please don’t undermine the work he’s done. Did you know he’s been giving everything he has to actually saving the lives of others?”

  Sunny’s eyes widened. She shook her head.

  “His company—TRUST—provides electricity to hospitals and clean drinking water to orphanages. The broadcast transmitter he created has the potential to save countless lives. I don’t blame you if you hate him, but please don’t hurt those whose lives he’s worked hard to save. Please.” She stepped back, her heart beating like a warrior’s drum in her chest.

  For a minute, Sunny just stood there, stunned, until a reporter approached and tapped her on the shoulder. Katie expected her to snap back into professional action, but instead, she shook her head, waved the reporter away and walked out of the tent.

  Just when she thought she had Mark’s sister figured out, Sunny threw her a curveball.

  “What did you say to her?”

  She turned, barely seeing the man beside her except for the large microphone he was shoving in her face.

  “Excuse me.” She followed Sunny’s lead and headed out of the tent. Thankfully, the reporter didn’t follow. The green was empty. Truth be told, she didn’t blame Sunny for being angry. Her mother had died when she was young. She’d survived a terrible kidnapping shortly after that and grown up with a father too preoccupied and distant to help her through it. No wonder she’d seen Mark’s leaving as a betrayal. It was amazing she hadn’t tried to disrupt her father’s event.

  She sat down on a bench. A dark thought crossed Katie’s mind. What if Sunny had? After all, she had more to gain than anyone by ruining both her father’s and brother’s reputations. But if so, why risk the kidnapping to a ragtag bunch of thugs? And why link it back to one of Shields Corp’s worst public relations disasters? Surely, Sunny was far too smart to try a scheme so far-fetched and ham-fisted.

  She heard someone call her name and sighed. Ethan was loping in her direction. Somehow his suit managed to look even more rumpled than before. His breath stank, and he was grinning. He seemed to have dropped his bag somewhere. She’d refused to let him leave it in her room.

  “I got us a helicopter tour of the area. Figured we could buzz around and get the aerial view.”

  “Actually, I did that yesterday. So, if it’s all the same to you I’ll sit this one out.”

  “Oh, come on.” He tugged on her arm. “One more spin around here isn’t going to hurt you any.”

  “I promised a friend that I wouldn’t go far.”

  He scowled. “Since when does someone other than me dictate what you do on an assignment? I’m really not liking this new side of you. I don’t know what’s changed, but it’s like you’re forgetting who’s your boss.” Then the smile was back again as quickly as it had gone. “Now, hurry up. We’re not leaving the area. We’re just flying around it.”

  Fair enough. Mark might be a while, and she did still have his GPS bracelet on her. She stood slowly, taking in a strong and sudden whiff of his breath. “You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”

  He shook his head, vigorously.

  Sure. “I’m not going anywhere with you if you’re not sober.”

  “I’m not drunk. And it’s not like I’m going to be the one flying the helicopter.”

  Right. She followed as he bounded his way down to the helipad. It could be hard to tell when he had actually been taking something or just was suffering the residual effects from years of substance abuse. The way his mood could rapidly shift was nerve-racking.

  She grit her teeth together. In just three months’ time she’d get her chance to convince the board that she should have his job. But the reminder of that left her feeling hollow. Writing all those articles to one day show the board had given her a sense of control, of power, like she was building something she could be proud of. But at what cost? Did she really want a job that had cost her the chance at a life? Once she’d sent her life hurtling down the path of long days and no sleep, always chasing after that next deadline, would it ever actually stop?

  A sudden grin crossed her face. Funny, the thought of losing her job had her practically paralyzed a few days ago. Now she was seriously considering quitting.

  * * *

  Mark held the phone to his ear and waited as Zack’s answering machine went through its recorded message. There was a beep. He paused.

  On the long walk he’d taken before heading back to the privacy of his own guest townhouse, he’d carefully rehearsed the message he intended to leave. The garage in Kapuskasing had given Zack’s motorcycle a clean bill of health. Mark had given them what little remained on his credit card. He would get it to Zack before heading to the airport. The plan was to keep the exchange brief and friendly—leaving out everything about the latest attempt on his life, not to mention his father’s overwhelming, unwanted gift and his sister’s threatened lawsuit.

  But somehow Katie’s plea not to shut people out had pricked at the edges of his mind. He was actually trying to protect his former bodyguard now—just like he was trying to protect his colleagues and Katie. For years, he’d tried to convince himself he was protecting his father from an unpleasant conversation by not returning his calls. He’d even thought he’d been protecting Sunny by hiding all his doubts and frustrations from her and choosing instead just to walk away.

  The machine cut off. He set the phone back down.

  * * *

  The small gray helicopter was about half the size of the one Katie had been rescued by the day before. The pilot barely nodded to them as they climbed in.

  “You hired this?”

  “Yup.” Ethan dropped into the seat. “I hire them all the time. Beats a limo hands down when you want to make an entrance. Of course, half the time you can’t find anywhere to land them. But even so, it’s still cool.”

  Ethan’s bragging about the various ways he liked to waste money was yet another one of those things that she’d just gotten used to in the office. But here, his bravado seemed almost laughable. Despite the problems Mark, Sunny and their father had about the division of the company, at least you couldn’t accuse them of taking their troubles lightly.

  She slid the aircraft headset over her ears and then reached down to close the door.

  “Hey, Katie! Wait up.” Mark was sprinting toward them.

  She tapped the pilot on the shoulder. “Hang on.”

  “Who’s that?” Ethan glanced past her. “He can’t come. I’ve got something really special planned, and I don’t want him messing it up.”

  Special? Katie almost snorted. He’d better not have planned on doing anything inappropriate. She’d heard rumors of her boss tagging along on business trips with other female colleagues before.

  “Let’s go.” Ethan smacked the back of the pilot’s seat. “Leave him!”

  Mark ducked his head under the propellers. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving already.”

  “No. Nothing like that. Ethan, my boss, just showed up and wanted a tour.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ethan. I’m Mark.”

  Ethan sniffed and turned toward the window. Did he not recognize Mark? Or was he too drunk to care?

  Mark shrugged. “Okay then. Katie, I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “No, wait.” She grabbed his hand. “How about you come with us?” If she was going to be stuck in a small metal compartment with her drunken, lecherous boss, it was better not to have to do it alone.

  She tilted her head toward Ethan just enough to make sure Mark caught the gesture. “Please. We would enjoy the extra company.”

  “No, we would not.” Ethan turned back. His hand landed on her leg in a gesture that was both possessive and unpleasant. “Katie, this is a business trip, not a joyride.”

  Mark’s eyes moved seamlessly fro
m Ethan’s hand to Katie’s face. Then he stepped up into the helicopter. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid we got off on the wrong foot.” He extended his hand toward Ethan. Ethan took his hand off Katie and crossed his arms. “I am Jonah Shields’s son. I grew up here and know the area better than anyone. On behalf of the Shields Corporation, I’d be happy to give you a guided tour.”

  Thank you, God. How could Ethan possibly say no to that?

  He didn’t bother trying. Instead, Ethan looked Mark up and down like some horse he was considering buying. Then he nodded. “All right.” Ethan climbed into the front seat and shoved a headset over his ears.

  Mark slid onto the seat beside her and reached for a headset. She smiled at him gratefully. While Impact had already splashed his identity across their website, she couldn’t imagine introducing himself as Jonah’s son to a tabloid editor had been comfortable. They fastened their seat belts. Ethan didn’t even reach for his.

  She tapped him on his shoulder. “You’re going to want to buckle up.”

  No response. Oh, great, he was sulking.

  As the helicopter rose, the heavy strum of the propellers filled the small metal space. The soundproofing must have been heavy in the Shields helicopter for her and Sunny to have been able to talk in normal decibels without headsets.

  She turned to Mark, careful to remember that even though Ethan’s back was to them, the headsets meant he’d still be able to hear every word. “Make your calls?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet. Mostly walked and prayed.”

  The pilot seemed to be idly flying large loops around the forest, as if waiting for Ethan to tell him where to go. She almost laughed. Back in the office, they’d learned to worry whenever he was silent. Now, what was the worst he could do to her? Even if he fired her the moment they landed, she was fairly sure Sunny and Jonah would both still honor the promise of giving her an exclusive. If Mark was all right with her doing it, she could sell it as a freelancer. If not, then Ethan would’ve fired her anyway for honoring Mark’s feelings.