Latvis Security Services

by Lexie Ray

  “That’s because Mads keeps telling them not to. He tricks them with his fancy accent and pretty suits. He’s like a siren, luring people onto the rocks. The rocks are people ignoring my awesomeness.”

  “That’s a horrible metaphor,” Jamie noted.

  “It’s my first one. Back off.”

  “It doesn’t even make sense.”

  “What do you want from me?”

  Jamie shrugged. “Sense?”

  “You want a tattoo of a crown?” Andrea cut into the quickly spiraling conversation.

  “Yeah. I thought along my side or on the inside of my bicep.”

  “Because you need a reason to flex more,” Jamie said.

  “It’s for my fans.”

  “Andrea,” Jamie moaned, “can you please tell him this is a bad idea?”

  “Cupcake, can you please tell Jamie that he’s a stupid idiot with stupid idiot thoughts?”

  She didn’t look up. “I’m not going to say that.”

  The men looked at each other and asked in unison, “Which one?”

  “Mads,” Dwayne called out. “People aren’t doing what I want them to.”

  A look of surprise flickered across his face when Mads didn’t instantly reply. Instead, the man’s attention remained fixed on his mobile phone. It took two more attempts for him to even glance in their direction. It seemed like he was having a hard time keeping his expression schooled.

  “I’m sorry,” he said as he shook himself from his stupor. He moved like he was going to put the phone into his suit pocket, but at the last moment kept it in his hand. “Will you repeat the question?”

  “Something up?” Jamie asked.

  “I’m sure there’s no need for concern.”

  “He said with concern,” Dwayne chirped.

  Mads looked at him with both humor and annoyance. Tapping the phone against his thigh he tried to re-join the conversation, or at least to steer it to a different subject. Dwayne didn’t let him get a full sentence out before assuring Mads that he was willing to be as annoying as possible until the man shared. Andrea was sure she didn’t want to be stuck witnessing that level of irritation and was relieved when Mads released a long breath.

  “Willow isn’t responding to her texts.”

  Delight overtook Dwayne’s face. Not allowed to move, he struggled to point at Mads with the amount of energy he obviously wanted to. Bobbing on the spot, he made happy little noises like an overgrown child. As hard as she tried not to, Andrea laughed at the re-emergence of his over-enthusiasm.

  “You’re hung up because she’s not texting you back? Are you dating? How long have you been dating? Why wasn’t I told about this? But more importantly, how long have you been this needy?”

  Jamie remained subdued. “Are you worried for her safety?”

  “No, nothing like that. She just seemed upset yesterday, and I wanted to check on her.”

  “Upset about what?” Dwayne asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Mads dismissed. “I apologize for the distraction.”

  “Willow’s the florist I met yesterday?” Andrea asked as she made the final adjustments to the cuff.

  “Yep,” Dwayne said. “And following this point, just call the flower shop. She’s always there. It’s not like she has employees or anything.”

  “I have called,” Mads added with a hint of discomfort. “Three times. She’s not answering.”

  “Well, that’s more concerning,” Dwayne muttered. “Can you die by getting hit on the head with a potted plant?”

  “Why don’t you just go and check on her?” Andrea asked.

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Go on,” she urged. “If Jai and Daren are doing everything else, I don’t really need you here.”

  “Oh, cold,” Dwayne whispered.

  She had to resist the urge to stab him with a pin.

  “Look, I don’t understand this whole thing. But I get that you guys work a bit on instinct. If your instinct is telling you she needs some help, go.”

  Mads hesitated for a moment, biting his lips in his hesitation. He lifted his phone. “Call me. For anything.”

  Jamie’s head perked up, a hint of concern flashing through his eyes. Apparently, this decision meant a lot more than Andrea could understand.

  “Check in,” Jamie reminded.

  Mads nodded and made his farewells. It only took a few seconds for him to disappear out the door.

  Giving the pant leg one final perusal Andrea, she tapped the side of Dwayne’s leg. “Turn.”

  “Okie dokie.”

  “Slowly,” Andrea hurried to specify.

  She glanced up to find Dwayne looking at her like she had just ruined his very last chance for happiness. Still, he turned, nice and slow. As he did, his Spiderman watch passed by her face and she noticed the time. He had endured hours with only mild complaining. An odd sense of gratitude bubbled up in her stomach, along with a sense of pride that she didn’t quite understand.

  As he turned, it took a lot more than it should have to focus on the clothes and not just his body. She failed so miserably that she made him turn around a second time. Completing the next circle, he struck a superhero pose.

  “So, what do you think of my tattoo idea?”

  “Show me some sketches and we’ll talk,” she mumbled.

  Dwayne could only stand a few seconds of silence. “Do I look pretty yet?” he asked.

  “We’re doing clothes right now, not makeup.”

  “I get makeup?”

  “We need to make sure your skin looks good under the stage lights.” She met his eyes. “Is that a problem?”

  “Will it make my eyes pop?” Dwayne asked with a growing smile.

  “Like fireworks,” she assured him.

  He cheerfully clapped his hands.

  “How do you look masculine while doing that?”

  Dwayne hummed. “Probably because I can bench press a rhino.”

  “That, and you have a majestic beard,” Jamie added.

  “I do have a majestic beard,” Dwayne preened. “Maybe you should grow out your facial hair.”

  Jamie shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “It won’t look as good as mine, granted,” Dwayne continued as if Jamie hadn’t spoken, “but you could rock a golden mane.”

  “Not going to happen.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you would call it a golden mane.”

  “How about some stubble?”

  “Too itchy.”

  “You get used to it.”

  “Dwayne,” Andrea warned, “if you don’t stop moving, I’m going to stab you with a pin.”

  “Why does that sound more like a threat than a warning?”

  Andrea smiled up at him. “Because it is.”

  His eyes widened a little, and a smile brightened his face. “You are so hot when you get all bloodthirsty.”

  Andrea met his gaze with a smirk, issuing a silent challenge for him to legitimately try hitting on her and see what happens. Her smile wavered when a soft voice from the back of her mind whispered to her that this was it.

  This was why she had been feeling that lingering sense of annoyance. Dwayne had been flirting with other people. It had been harmless. Meaningless. Just a natural aspect of his playful nature. But she hadn’t liked it. She liked being the sole focus of his attention.

  He noticed the shift in her almost instantly. His brow furrowed, but before he could ask her anything, the screaming began.

  Chapter Seven

  The second Mads knocked on Willow’s apartment door, Brahms erupted into a frenzy of yelps. It made Mads’ lips twitch into a smile as he waited. He had gone to the office first, but it looked as if she hadn’t opened for the day. He knew relatively little of what Willow did in her free time, but it did seem like she was more in favor of staying around her home, so naturally he had made his way straight over.

  The sounds within the apartment mingled with the life beyo
nd the complex walls, making it hard to distinguish where each shuffle originated from. As he waited, Mads took in the buildings around him. The neighborhood was nice enough, just a short walk from their offices, and while the building was cheap, it was pleasant. From all appearances, it seemed to be as well maintained as one would expect.

  The walls were painted in a dull yellow-cream, the hallway runner just beginning to fray. An opening door drew Mads’ attention, and he looked down the hall to find a young couple shuffling out of their apartment. Their awkward movements were actually a well-choreographed dance to get a large baby stroller through the relatively narrow door. He nodded at them but didn’t say a word as they passed.

  Willow’s door still hadn’t opened by the time the couple disappeared onto the escalator. He leaned in closer and found no sound beyond Brahms’ bark.

  “Willow?” he called.

  Brahms’ barking increased in response to his voice. Beyond it, the apartment was still silent. Mads felt his stomach give a pained twist. Something wasn’t right. His resolve to wait broke when Brahms began to scratch wildly at the door.

  Checking the hallway again and finding it empty, Mads pulled a small envelope from inside of his breast pocket. It had taken him a while to learn how to properly pick a lock, and it wasn’t a skill he advertised, but it was useful.

  There were no cameras to worry about as he slipped the thin strips of metal into the lock. He would have to talk to Willow about that later. Even placing a fake one above her door could deter this kind of behavior. It took him a few moments to click the lock open. Brahms hadn’t settled down in that time. The small dog pushed into the emerging gap and was leaping against Mads’ leg before he had even fully opened the door.

  The apartment was unnaturally dark. He let his eyes adjust before he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. Shapes came into view, and he realized that someone had tucked a blanket over the window, effectively snuffing out all but the faintest light that slipped around the sides. The house hovered between neat and disarrayed, but there were no obvious signs of a struggle.

  Moving quietly, Mads edged into the living room. It was an open layout, with only a bench severing the kitchen from the living room. He moved to the short hallway on his right. As he approached, he could see through an open door into a small bedroom. The bed itself took up most of the space, the sheets were rumpled and crammed to the side.

  The bathroom was on the other side of the hall, only visible when he stood at the mouth of the hallway. Willow’s bare feet came into view, and he rushed toward her.

  “Willow, are you all right?”

  She groaned as Mads quickly took in the room. It was far too small to offer any hiding places. Willow’s body actually took up most of the tiled floor. He knelt down next to her and placed a hand on her side. She was breathing. There wasn’t any blood, at least none that he could see within the darkness. He rose again, reaching for the light switch when Willow croaked.

  “No light.”

  “Willow.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “What happened? Can you sit up?”

  “You try to make me move, and I’ll stab you in the eye.”

  He stilled at her hissed words and watched as she winced and curled more against the cool tiles. Each time she tried to speak, a pained whimper got out first.

  “Sorry. Migraine,” she said eventually.

  The second the words were out, Mads was moving to the medicine cabinet. In the years that he had known her, he had never once heard of Willow suffering from migraines. Had she had attacks before and he had just been too distracted to notice her discomfort?

  “Do you have any medicine?”

  “No.”

  The single word seemed to cost her. She panted heavily as Brahms slowly walked into the room. He cautiously sniffed at her hand before trying to get closer to her face. Mads grabbed the small dog and held him at bay. The few people he knew who had experienced migraines had spoken of a pain that nothing could help ease. Without the proper medication, any attempt he made to help Willow would only hurt her more. It was a sense of helplessness that he wasn’t accustomed to. He didn’t like it.

  “Can I do anything?”

  He had kept his voice to barely a whisper. She reacted as if he had hit her.

  “No,” she groaned, “I’ve just got to wait it out.”

  That statement wasn’t exactly true. There was something he could do, although he might have to deal with a few consequences later. Brahms yelped, and Willow almost screamed as she flopped a hand over her ears.

  “I’m going to take him for a walk.”

  At least it would get the small dog out of her way for a while. She moaned something he assumed was gratitude, but otherwise remained still. Mads brought her a glass of water from the kitchen and a fresh towel from the closet in case she felt like having a pillow. With Brahms still tucked under his arm, Mads headed back out of the apartment, taking a spare key with him so he could let himself in later.

  ***

  Dwayne lunged off the pedestal and ran for the door. At the same time, Jamie was trying to keep everyone somewhat contained and reassured. The odds that Andrea was following him weren’t likely, but Dwayne still slammed the door shut behind him.

  The hallway was in chaos. He followed the moving tide of people, hurrying to make it to the source before Jai or Daren had to respond. Their entire role in this was to work under the surface, and it was way too early for them to blow their cover.

  Jai was at the door where the screams had originated, but he didn’t go inside. Instead, he met Dwayne’s eyes and tilted his head, a silent indication of ‘you go first.’ It was a good sign. If it was life or death, Jai would already have someone pinned to the ground and re-evaluating their belief in a higher power.

  Dwayne slipped through the door and found Portia Dumas huffing and throwing stuff around while a growing crowd tried to calm her down. The woman towered over almost everyone. It seemed weird that even with her face twisted up with rage, she was still a striking woman.

  “What the hell?” he bellowed, loud enough for everyone to spin around to face him. “Should I be calling the cops? A therapist? A pizza guy?”

  Portia glared at him, her large eyes narrowed and thin chest heaving. “Who is he?”

  Dwayne instantly seized the opportunity. “King. I’m new.”

  “Well, King,” Portia huffed, “why are you naked?”

  It took all he had not to snap out a victorious sound when he heard Jai scoff behind.

  “I’m not. I’ve got these boxer briefs and all these strips of materials that will one day be a shirt and pants.” He looked down at the pinned together strips. “I think. I’m not sure how this works.”

  “And you’re a model?”

  “Will be soon.” Unable to let that cruel tone slip by, he grinned and added, “And what do you do?”

  Portia’s mouth twisted tighter and rage flushed over her pretty little face. It was actually kind of funny. Jai cleared his throat, and Dwayne smothered his sigh. A second later, Andrea slipped around from behind him.

  “Portia was screaming?” she whispered to him before she realized that Dwayne currently had everyone’s attention.

  “Yeah,” Dwayne said.

  He didn’t know if she would catch the subtlety in his voice. It was actually pretty hard to put a ‘we will be discussing this later’ tone in a single word. How did just about everyone he had ever interacted with pull it off? Maybe Mads could give him some tips.

  “You,” Portia snapped, her eyes blazing as they narrowed on Andrea.

  “What about me?” Andrea asked as she shifted to stand in front of Dwayne.

  Portia stormed through the crowd, giving Dwayne just enough time to duck down and whisper in Andrea’s ear, “Tag me in if you need me.”

  “Thanks, babe.”

  Dwayne jolted at the endearment. Since Andrea refused to look around and see the delight on his face, he settled for making a choked sound. Just a little
something for her to know. Once again, Jai scoffed. Once again, Dwayne ignored it.

  Portia emerged from the crowd and stood about a foot away from Andrea. It was close enough that Andrea had to tilt her head up to meet the model’s gaze.

  “You took me off the show.”

  “Days ago. You knew that. Don’t you remember throwing my stuff around?”

  “I’m not talking about that,” Portia said, and flipped her sleek hair. “Who cares about your pathetic little line?”

  “Then what are you talking about?”

  “Your lies poisoned the other designers against me.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Andrea laughed. “You understand you’re saying that I lied about you being more trouble then you’re worth, so, to prove me wrong, you threw a temper tantrum. Do you see how ridiculous this is?”

  Portia took a step closer, and Dwayne itched to get in the middle of them. Andrea didn’t look bothered at all, but he didn’t like how quickly Portia opted for a physical outlet. He held his ground but watched carefully as Andrea lifted her chin.

  “Portia, go home. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

  “I’m going to sue you.”

  Andrea laughed. “For what, exactly?”

  “Defamation.”

  “Ain’t defamation if it’s true,” Dwayne said. Both women glared at him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  Portia turned her rage back to Andrea. “Unfair dismissal. Loss of wages. Breach of contract.”

  “You never signed a contract,” Andrea cut in.

  “It’s called a verbal contract. Learn the law.”

  “Well, if you know the law, you know we didn’t even have that. You destroyed your own career. That’s not on me.”

  Portia took another step closer, and Dwayne couldn’t stop his hand from lifting slightly. He caught himself before he made contact, but Portia noticed.

  “Who is this guy? You’ve got a lapdog now?”

  “I’m too big to be a lapdog.” He shifted his gaze to Andrea. “Although, I am really open the idea.”

  Andrea rolled her eyes but answered Portia’s question. “Dwayne is in my show. And apparently, he’s protective.”

  “And you really seem crazy,” Dwayne added in a stage whisper to Portia, just to see her anger creep to a new level. Her face went a strange shade of red.