by Lexy Timms
“Are you going to send security to his hotel room?” she asked.
“Honestly, I’m starting to think I should just ask him to stay in my apartment building,” he answered. “And I know you want to give Finn his space, but maybe you should both come stay in my building for the time being. The security has gotten a significant upgrade and you’d be safer with me.”
She and Finn lived all alone at her house, and he hated the thought of them so vulnerable in a place like that.
“Let’s talk to security before we make any hasty decisions,” she said.
If Heather thought giving him such an evasive answer was going to get him to back down she was dead wrong. He didn’t care if she and his father ended up at each other’s throats. All that mattered was their safety, and if he had to drag Heather, Finn, and his father to his apartment to keep them safe, he was ready to risk the fallout.
SHE WATCHED AS JAKE Perry, Dover’s head of security, scrolled through her phone.
As she watched him from her seat at the small table in the tenth-floor break room, she adjusted the glasses that were perched on her nose. It was easier to fidget than to sit still and wait while the head of security gave the social media accounts a once-over.
Simon sat across from her, his arms crossed while he waited. The expression on his face was hard as granite. His jaw clenched, the telltale sign that he was agitated. Probably worse than agitated based on how utterly demanding he had become once he had read through the death threats. After he’d read the threats he had gone from concerned into full-on protective mode.
That shouldn’t have surprised her since Simon had always had an ultra-protective streak when the situation called for it, but she still thought he was focusing his attention in the wrong place. Those trolls hadn’t made any comments about her. They had made scary comments against Dover, Simon, and his father.
“This is some ugly stuff, here, folks,” Jake finally said. “We’re gonna have to get the legal team up to speed on this.”
“Do you think it’s that serious?” she asked in surprise.
“Most of the time this stuff is just some bored jag-offs in their mom’s basement,” he said.
“What’s different about this time?” Simon asked.
“The private messages are graphic,” the security head replied. “It looks like a coordinated attack. And they’re still sending death threats, by the way. It’s almost like they’ve been given orders to do this. It might just be internet trolls, but crazy people use computers, too.”
“Who the hell would instruct people to do something like this?” Simon demanded with a growl.
“Hard to say at this point.” Jake started to scroll again, his dark eyes narrowing as he continued to search through her phone. “A couple of these comments mention some nonsense about justice for Everett Eastman. Could be Everett orchestrating this to try to save himself from going to prison for decades.”
“It’s underhanded, which is exactly the sort of thing he would do,” Heather said bitterly. Everett’s position on the board had given him the opportunity to frame her and steal ideas from Simon. Maybe he had figured out a way to orchestrate this line of attack while he awaited his legal fate in jail.
“Even if it has been set up by Everett, why include threats against my dad?” Simon asked. “Everett doesn’t even know him.”
“Everett doesn’t have to. If his lawyer has seen photos of you with your dad, he might have passed that information on to Everett,” Jake answered. “Besides, there’s been increased media attention around you, Simon. Don’t just think about the traditional media. Someone on social media got a photo of you and your dad. That kind of attention sets the nutjobs off.”
Simon frowned. “They got a shot of my dad the same day that documentary producer came down here for a meeting.”
Heather’s stomach clenched at his words. “You don’t really think Theo would do something like this, do you?”
“You heard what he said when we went to his office,” Simon reminded her. “He’s looking to advance his career and wants the documentary to be dramatic. What better way to do that than to set off a firestorm on social media?”
Jake scratched his chin and nodded. “Pretty cheap and effective way to get publicity.”
“So, what do we do?” A wave of panic crashed through her. Even if the documentary producers turned out to be innocent in all of this, Simon was already souring on them. The entire project was in jeopardy now because of it, and the board was counting on her. Next week’s dinner was proof of how much faith the board had in her. She couldn’t screw this up so early on. “We can’t accuse Theo or the other producers without proof.”
“We can just cancel the production,” Simon said. “Pull the rug out from under them without making accusations that could end up being a legal headache.”
“No, Simon,” she pleaded. “I know you’re angry, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. Think of how the board would react if you went back on your word so soon after agreeing to do the documentary.”
“Fine. We can’t back out. At least, not yet,” Simon muttered. “What can we do?”
Her phone started ringing and Jake frowned before handing it over to her. “I’m guessing you want to take this.”
She didn’t recognize the number, but that wasn’t so unusual now that she was dealing with the media. Quickly she answered it with a flustered, “Hello?”
The other end of the phone line crackled and the sound of heavy breathing sent a chill of fear through her.
“Who is this?” she demanded, her voice wavering.
“Heather.” A deep, metallic voice she had never heard before intoned. “Put your boss on the phone.”
Her hands trembled as she moved the phone away from her ear and put the call on speaker. “You’re on speaker phone now,” she said, with more courage than she felt.
“Good. That works out better. Now you can both hear me,” the eerie voice said. “I’m sure you’ve already seen our warnings.”
“Who are you?” Simon barked. “What the hell is this all about?”
“You’ve flown just a little too close to the sun, Mr. Diesel,” the voice said. “It’s time someone clipped your wings.”
“Cut the crap,” Simon said, a dangerous edge in his tone. “Tell us who you are and we’ll go easy on you.”
A sardonic laugh was the response. “We know what your weakness is. Your father.”
“Leave my family out of this.” Simon balled his hands into fists, his face reddening with rage.
“He’s the one who would inherit all your wealth if something... unfortunate were to happen to you. Maybe it’s time you share that wealth with us instead, Mr. Diesel. Spare your father and share your wealth with us; otherwise, we’ll make an example out of him.”
Click.
Icy-cold fear crept down her spine again, chilling her down to the bone. “I don’t think this is a prank. Not if these people managed to get my cell number.”
“How many people have your number?” Jake asked.
“More than I can count,” she replied. “I’ve been giving my contact details to everyone who works with the media. It’s not like I have a choice.”
Simon surged to his feet. “Heather, we have to get you out of here. Now.”
Arguing with him was pointless. Especially when he got like this. The terrifying call might have been about his father, but the caller had known her name. Known exactly who she was. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she contemplated the severity of the situation. They had threatened Simon’s father. Had called her phone. They had even known about Simon’s financial situation. Suddenly nowhere sounded safe, Dover least of all.
“What they said about your father inheriting your money... is that true?” she asked.
He glanced at the security head, hesitating for a moment. “I haven’t updated my will in years. Which means my wealth would be transferred to my parents.”
“Who has that kin
d of information?” she asked.
“Not many people. Me, my lawyer, and my mother,” he said. “But it’s a pretty easy thing to figure out. I’m not married and I don’t have kids, so my parents are the only people left.”
“Whoever this is could be taking a stab in the dark,” Jake pointed out. “They specifically said Simon’s father was inheriting, so maybe these nuts were just making a guess.”
“They sounded like they really wanted to hurt your dad,” she said. “I really think we need to go make sure he’s okay.”
“Leave that to me,” Simon said firmly. “Right now, I want you safe at my apartment before I get my father. Are we clear on this, Heather?”
She nodded, trying to ignore her sudden tremor of anxiety. “Yes. Only, shouldn’t we tell Agnes and the rest of the board about this?”
The security head stood up and buttoned his jacket. “You leave all that to me. I’ll make all the security arrangements and update board members. I also need to take your phone.” He gave her an apologetic look.
Reluctantly she gave Jake her phone. “Well, I do have another phone that I can use as a replacement until I get this one back.”
Jake gave her a grim nod. “Thanks. The security team and I are going to see if can trace the origin of that call and pin down whoever sent those death threats on social media. My advice to you both is to lay low, don’t take unnecessary risks, and I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve informed the board of this.” He paused, eyes narrowing as he focused on her. “Your boss has your best interests in mind, okay? So, in addition to laying low I suggest you do exactly as Mr. Diesel tells you, ma’am.”
Chapter 10
She had never seen him drive so fast before. As Simon raced through the streets of Seattle, Heather braced herself in her seat. When he finally stopped the car in the underground parking lot of his building, she was more than glad to get out of the car even if her legs were shaky and nausea roiled her stomach.
Without a word, he took her hand and walked her to the front desk of his apartment building. Hank, the doorman, was sitting at the front desk, a warm smile appearing on his face when he spotted them.
“Hey, Simon. Hey, Heather.” Hank’s smile faded as they got closer to the desk. “Boy, you guys don’t look so good. You okay?”
“We’ve had a security scare at Dover,” Simon responded before quickly filling the doorman in on the day’s events.
“First thing I’m going to do is call my security company and figure out how to beef up security around here,” Hank said. “You two head upstairs and I’ll call you after I get things straightened out. How does that sound?”
“Thanks, Hank,” Simon said. “My father’ll probably come over later today.”
“I heard about the mishap with your father getting in during the weekend doorman’s watch,” Hank said with a frown. “I’m going to make sure we don’t have a breach like that again”
“Good. Thanks again.” Simon gave Hank a final nod before they headed into the elevator and stepped out when its doors opened at the top floor.
When he opened the front door of his apartment for her, she headed straight for the kitchen. She needed to drink something to calm her frayed nerves. “Do you want anything to drink?”
Simon followed her into the kitchen and shrugged off his jacket. “Water is fine, thanks. Do you want to call your parents? You can use my landline while I call my dad with my cell phone.”
She didn’t want to give her parents reason to panic, but it probably was best to call them. “They’re picking up Finn later today and then I’ll be picking him up from their house.”
“I think it’s best if you have them drop him directly over here,” he said.
“Simon...” Her voice trailed off. “Earlier you suggested we stay over at your place, but you can’t actually be serious.”
“I am serious.” He folded his arms and scowled. “You heard what the head of security said. You’re supposed to do what I tell you.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Which is why you’ll agree to stay here with me,” he said, cutting her off. “You’re a reasonable person and I know you realize how dangerous these people might be. You and Finn will be safe here until we catch these clowns.”
“We don’t have our stuff here,” she said.
“You’ll have a whole apartment building to yourself,” he told her. “Just pick one of the vacant apartments in the building and it’s yours. If you need clothes and stuff, I’ll get one of the executive assistants at Dover to handle it.”
“Your father and I are going to end up fighting.” It was a hard thing to admit to him, but so far nothing had showed her that sharing a space with his father would be anything other than an extremely turbulent experience.
“I’d rather you two argued in the safety of my apartment building.” His lips thinned as he studied her. “This isn’t just about my dad, is it? What’s wrong?”
Her mouth went dry. Telling him the real reason she was starting to hesitate would only hurt him, which was something he didn’t deserve. He was offering his home to her. Opening the doors to his private sanctuary, and all she had to offer in return were arguments and hurt. “I’m nervous about staying here because it’ll feel a little like us living together.”
“We’ve spent time under the same roof before.”
“I know. But this isn’t a vacation. This is going to be me and your father in the same building.” She swallowed hard, trying to stop her throat from closing. “You’re finally going to see what it’s like to spend all your time with me, and I’m worried that you’ll only get tired of me. You see me at work. Now you’re going to see me where you live. Aren’t you worried that’ll be too much for you?”
He gazed at her, his face impossible to read. The only movement she saw was his eyes darkening momentarily. As if her words were suddenly putting a damper on all his plans. Like he was starting to realize that his suggestion was a mistake he’d soon regret if they all went through with it.
The silence grew louder, until he reached his hand out to her and cupped her chin, tilting her head back in the process. “I will never, ever, get tired of you.”
Those words sent a rush of heat across her skin. A fire blazed in his eyes and she knew he meant every single word. It wasn’t some platitude. Some nice words to placate her. Simon had said those words like they were a fact. Like he was explaining gravity or the tides of the sea. A simple fact that nothing could change or challenge. No man had ever been certain about her.
Ever since they had started officially dating, Heather had known that Simon loved her. He proved it every single day. But this was so different. So much more. Simon was saying the kind of words you said when forever was on the horizon. Like her moving in with him was so natural that he expected it.
“I...” Tears stung the back of her eyes and she blinked rapidly. There was no use in falling apart now. A death threat shadowed over them and they needed to focus. Taking a major step in their relationship could wait. Besides, she didn’t even know if they were really on the same page about taking their relationship to the next level. “I’ll stay here with you until we solve this.”
He traced his thumb over her lips, the fire in his eyes intensifying. “I want us to be together for the rest of our lives. Please don’t tell me I’ve given you reason to think that I could ever get tired of seeing you. Of having you by my side. Because you are my life, Heather. Everything revolves around you. Always.”
Warmth filled her heart and then overflowed until her body heated all over again. “I think we need to make some phone calls.”
His thumb lingered on her lips for a moment and then he pulled away to silently retrieve his phone. She took that as a cue to make her own call and stepped into the living room to use Simon’s phone.
The call to her father wasn’t easy, though he seemed to understand that what she needed right now was support, so he agreed to drop Finn off at Simon’s apartment. When she finished u
p with her call she found Simon pouring two glasses of water in the kitchen.
“How did things go with your dad?” she asked.
He handed her the glass. “He’s still on the clock at work, so I was only able to text him some of the details. I’ve transferred money to the hotel, so he’ll be able to check out and come over here after he gets off work. I told the doorman to expect him, your parents, and Finn. Hope everything went well on your end.”
She nodded and took a refreshing sip of water before setting it down on one of the counters. “Dad will head home, pick up a few essentials, and then drop Finn off here in a few hours.” Apprehension settled over her. “I told him not to tell Finn the gory details.”
“That was the right choice.” Simon crossed over to her, taking her shoulders in a firm, but gentle grip. “Still, this sudden arrangement is probably a lot for Finn to take in. Do you want to choose an apartment now? That way things will be a little more stable when he arrives.”
“Yes. I think that would be best,” she said in a shaky voice.
He gave her an encouraging smile that sent her heart fluttering. Even though he had practically demanded that she stay here, she didn’t feel resentful or anything like it. She felt cherished and protected, despite his infuriating pushiness.
Once she slung her handbag over her shoulder, Simon clasped her hand to lead her out of the apartment and into the hall outside. “There’s the apartment next door. Or the one next to that one if you want more privacy.”
The fact that he owned the entire building and every apartment in it still amazed her. Nobody else lived in the building, which meant that Simon had the run of the place. Not having neighbors sounded a bit lonely to her, but it seemed to suit him.
“Where will your dad be staying?” She tried to keep the emotion out of her tone, but what she really wanted was for Onslow to stay out of her hair. They could try to get along later, when the crisis was resolved and they weren’t dealing with some shadowy group making threats.
