Latvis Security Services

by Lexie Ray

  Justin’s jaw clenched. A stillness came over and his gun moved to point directly between her eyes. She held his gaze, too afraid to look anywhere else. He cocked the gun. Her skin turned to ice at the sound, but the shot didn’t come. Instead, he threw the weapon to the side and charged at her like a rampaging bull.

  Andrea spun on her heel and bolted down the hallway. He seemed surprised that she didn’t stand her ground and fight. All she wanted, however, was to get as far away from his gun as possible. She raced through the wide hallways. Each time she neared a door, he was too close for her to slip through without him catching her.

  Screaming left her lightheaded. Her heels clacked against the ground as she pushed herself to run faster. Pain radiated from her spine as Justin slammed into her suddenly. They both tumbled to the ground, Justin’s hands clawing their way up her body. He locked onto her arm and hurled her onto her back. Instantly, her hands shot to his shoulders, and she locked her elbows. Just like with Dwayne, the position didn’t stop him from being able to reach her neck, but he couldn’t pin her down.

  Andrea squirmed under his grasp, her panic rising as his fingers tightened around her neck. Smaller than Justin, she had just enough room to pull her legs up. She pressed her feet against his thighs and, as she swung her fist into his face, she pushed with her legs. Her back slid across the concrete floor.

  The harsh surface scraped along her skin like a cheese grater, but it worked to put some distance between them. She managed to draw in a few deep breaths before Justin began to reposition them. He swatted her legs away, grabbed her hips, and pulled her back toward him. Andrea took full advantage of the extra room. Rearing back, she swung her fist into him with all of her strength. Pain exploded out along her knuckles as her hand cracked against his jaw.

  The blow forced Justin to the side but didn’t get him off of her. She readied herself to strike again when, suddenly, he was gone. Dwayne grabbed him by the back of the neck and hurled him off, tossing the man aside with barely any effort. With him standing between Andrea and Justin, she could only see the wide expanse of Dwayne’s back. It was still enough to know that every trace of his normal humor had fled him. There was a predatory sway in his movements as he stalked toward Justin.

  Justin had barely gotten to his feet when Dwayne was upon him. Far larger and brimming with strength, Dwayne grabbed Justin by his neck again and heaved him off his feet. The wall rattled as Dwayne pinned him to it. For the first time, Andrea saw the way his face it twisted with rage as he growled at Justin.

  “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t snap your neck right now.”

  “Dwayne,” Andrea croaked out of her abused throat and staggered toward him. She gripped his arm but couldn’t pull him away. “Dwayne, stop.”

  “He hurt you.”

  The complete lack of emotion in his voice scared her. It was as if the man she knew had been hollowed out, and all that remained was the husk of his being.

  “Dwayne, he’s turning blue.”

  His only reply was the tightening of his fingers.

  “Dwayne!”

  Still nothing. She pulled at his arm with all of her weight and her mounting desperation. Even with her foot planted against the wall, she didn’t have the strength to move him. Unable to come up with a better idea, she resorted to prodding at his now missing sense of humor.

  “I don’t do conjugal visits.”

  Dwayne staggered before he turned to face her. “Huh?”

  “You get arrested for killing him and you’re on your own.”

  A smirk twisted up the corner of his lips, and she felt her chest finally lighten. She heaved a sigh of relief and pulled at his arm again. Finally, he released his hand and let Justin slump to the ground.

  “If you move, I will hurt you. A lot,” he warned before turning to Andrea. His humor wavered as he reached out and touched her throat with a tenderness she had thought he had lost. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you.”

  Still, he placed his finger to his ear. “Perp is captured. I’ve got Andrea, too. She’s a little battered and bruised. Send Jai into the back walls.” He paused for a moment. “No, we can’t come to you. Don’t be lazy.” Then, a heartbeat later, “Because if I have to touch this jackass again I’m going to kill him. And I’d be totally cool with that, but someone doesn’t do conjugal visits!”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dwayne looked Andrea over once again but still couldn’t figure it out. Tucked safely under his arm, it wasn’t hard for her to notice the attention. Her adrenaline crash made her lean heavily against his side as she tilted her head back.

  “What?”

  “You were running from this idiot.”

  “Yes.” She cringed a little, his fingers curling in his shirt.

  He gave her a little squeeze, just enough to let her know that he was right there, and quickly followed through with his question.

  “How do you run in six inch heels?”

  She shrugged. “Do you want me to teach you?”

  He hummed. “Maybe.”

  At least it got the reaction he was going for. Andrea released a soft chuckle and brought her other arm up to give him a full hug. The cops had come and gone, taking with them not just Justin, but also Portia. When Daren had caught up with the woman, it didn’t take long for her to admit that she had been working with Justin. Apparently, she, too, had thought that Andrea was her arch nemesis. They had bonded and quickly developed a greater relationship. Together, they had decided it was time to take care of their mutual problem.

  Most of the direct contact with the police was taken care of by Mads. Jai had checked Andrea over before the ambulance arrived. When it did, there wasn’t much the paramedics could do that the ex-army doctor hadn’t.

  It left them alone for a while. Not able to leave the building, of course, but not pestered by anyone else.

  They decided on a spot along the wall and settled down to sit on the floor. Andrea let out a long sigh and rested her head against the side of Dwayne’s arm, too short to reach his shoulder. He liked having her close.

  “Well, I think the show went well.”

  She slapped his leg.

  “What? I was hot. And you’ll definitely be famous. In an odd way, they probably helped you by making it so public. Which brings me to my next question.”

  “Which is?”

  “Why didn’t they just shred the demo clothes?”

  She glanced up, her mouth open even as she remained silent.

  “I have no idea.”

  “That would have been a lot easier, right?”

  “Way easier.”

  “So why the Phantom of the Opera routine?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t speak crazy. I just want to get out of here.”

  “It will all be okay. Mads will smooth it over. He’s good at that kind of thing. I’ll even come back and model for your do-over.”

  “I never thought I’d say this,” she said, “but I just want to get the hell out of here.”

  “You want to know what I’m thinking?” Dwayne said.

  “I don’t think I can stop you.”

  He ignored her and continued on. “I’m thinking some Italian food, red wine, and a hot bubble bath.”

  “That’s a good thought.”

  “I can wash your hair.”

  “Wait, that all comes with you?” she teased.

  “And you can, too,” he added with a wink.

  “Do you have an off button?”

  “Come home with me and have a look.”

  Andrea pulled back enough so that she could look him in the eyes. “I thought we were clear.”

  “About what?”

  “That we were just having fun.”

  He tried to keep his face from betraying the hint of panic that began to bubble to the surface. He hadn’t really thought about it, but he’d also really never considered that this – whatever this was – would end. He didn’t want it to. A
ndrea was actually kind of perfect.

  Finding someone who was bright and driven wasn’t that hard if you knew where to look. But it was excruciatingly rate to find someone who could handle his personality while he could still tolerate being around them. She knew when to call him on it, when to play along, and when to just take his hand and run with it. She was exceptional, and losing her now was going to hurt a lot more than he was ready for.

  The thought that this might be the last time he would get to see her made his brain stammer. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Andrea sat up and pulled away. He was about to settle on going with whatever came out of his mouth when Mads stormed past them, practically buzzing with fury, his eyes set and cold. Andrea and Dwayne shared a confused glance before a loud scream brought their attention back to Mads.

  He had grabbed Rossi by the back of his shirt and hurled him into the nearest wall. The heavier man tried to stand back up, but Mads slammed his forearm across Rossi’s chest and pinned him in place. Dwayne couldn’t understand a single word that Mads forced out, but rage was pretty universal. So was the sound of a physical threat.

  Holding one hand up to try and keep Andrea from following him, he moved with the others to create a circle around Mads. While it looked like Mads’ attention was focused solely on Rossi, he quickly whipped out a hand and a few sharp words to anyone who came near.

  “Mads!” Dwayne said. “Remember that police are present.”

  Mads ignored him. He spoke to Rossi, repeating the few words over and over as he held up a photograph.

  “I don’t know what you’re saying!” Rossi bellowed over the other cries, all of which were variations of the same plea for Mads to step back.

  Mads pressed harder against Rossi’s throat and shoved the photo against his face. The words came again.

  An officer stepped forward, and Mads twisted around to snarl at him. Again, he spat the words that only he understood.

  “Do you know you’re not speaking English?” Dwayne said as he edged closer to the officer.

  He wasn’t one-hundred percent on tackling a man of the law, but for Mads it was kind of a given. Dwayne quickly found the other guys in the crowd. Each one gave him a swift nod. If they had to, they were down to fight their way out, and all began repositioning themselves in the crowd.

  In a last bid, he called out, “Switch to English, Mads.”

  It seemed to take a physical effort, but Mads finally managed it. In a hail of rage, he turned back to the officer that had taken another step toward him. “Not yet!”

  They had worked in this city long enough that most of the cops knew about Mads, either directly or through his reputation. It allowed him some leeway, but Dwayne wasn’t sure how much. Mads swallowed thickly, forcing himself to keep to English as he lifted the photograph.

  “This cannot exist.” He turned his eyes back to Rossi. “Why do you have a photograph of my mother?”

  “Mads,” one of the officers said.

  Mads spoke over him with a razor-sharp edge to his voice. It seemed to cause him physical pain to keep his anger in check. “My mother was stalked. The man took her. This photo was taken after that day.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Jai asked from across the room.

  A quick glance at each other confirmed pretty quickly that none of them had known.

  “This photo shouldn’t exist. Not unless that man took it. Rossi had it in his possession.” With that, he turned back to Rossi, his eyes narrowed and his chest heaving. “Why do you have this?”

  “You’re insane.” One solid shove from Mads was enough for Rossi to know that it was time to change tactics. “Your little friend had it in her purse.”

  “Willow?” Dwayne asked. “Oh, that’s not good.”

  Mads dropped Rossi and turned around, scanning the crowd for Willow. She pushed to the front and met his gaze with a lot more bravery than Dwayne would be feeling in her place.

  “I didn’t know she was your mother,” she said cautiously.

  “How do you have this?”

  “That’s what my ex keeps sending me.”

  “What ex?” Dwayne said.

  He shouldn’t have bothered. Whatever secrets they had been sharing back and forth, they clearly weren’t about to tell him. Mads had an expression Dwayne had never seen before, and it made his stomach twist up to try and name it. He just looked hopeless. Broken.

  He turned his head just enough for Rossi to know that Mads was talking to him and mumbled an apology. In perhaps the most intelligent move Dwayne had ever seen Rossi make, the billionaire kept silent.

  “Why would he send you pictures of my mother?”

  “I don’t know.” Willow closed the distance between them and carefully took his hand. “But I’m going to go ask him.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The second Andrea set foot into her apartment, she let her bag drop and kicked off her heels. At first, it had annoyed her that the police had asked them to leave after the incident with Mads. He had looked so completely lost that it just didn’t feel right to leave him. But Dwayne had insisted that they should. Given how emotionally open Dwayne was, she guessed that he wasn’t just trying to get out of an awkward situation.

  Now that she was home, however, all she wanted to do was go to sleep. Dwayne softly closed the door. She only noticed that he hadn’t moved when she slumped onto the couch. And so here they were, leaving one awkward situation for another. The case was closed. There was bound to be a mass of other people that needed his help.

  For a moment, she wondered if he did this often, but immediately decided it was a silly thought. Honestly, if this was the norm, he should be used to the break-up moment. Would they even classify it as a break-up? This was something that was going to hurt her head. With a deep sigh, she began to rub her aching feet.

  “I give good foot rubs,” he declared as he sat down next to her.

  It was the first time she had ever seen him nervous. She wouldn’t have pegged him as a fidgeting type.

  “I don’t mean to overstay my welcome,” Dwayne said at her silence, “but you did go through a lot, and I’m not all that comfortable with leaving you alone tonight. Please don’t make me act like a stalker. I don’t want to be breaking into your apartment all night to check that you’re still breathing.”

  “Let’s just start with the foot rub,” she said as she draped her legs across his lap.

  Instead of rubbing, he took a few moments to find every last ticklish spot. She was exhausted by the time he was satisfied and slumped against the sofa as he finally began to actually rub her feet.

  “I hope this doesn’t awaken a sexual kink in me,” he said conversationally.

  He kneaded his knuckles into the arch of her foot, enticing a long moan out of her throat.

  “And there it is,” he said.

  She lazily slapped a hand in his general direction and settled into a more comfortable position. “Just add it to the list,” she muttered.

  “She says it like she doesn’t have a massive beard kink.”

  “I didn’t before you.”

  Dwayne perked up. “Really?”

  She lifted her head to smirk at him. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  “Which one?”

  “Walked into that one.”

  “That, you did,” he chuckled.

  His fingers continued to create magic over her skin, relaxing her enough to melt against the sofa. Her eyelids slid closed, and she gave a soft sigh.

  “I vaguely remember something about a bubble bath.”

  “Well, there’s been a little hiccup with that plan.”

  “Which is?”

  “You don’t have a bathtub. I do.”

  “So?”

  “So, you’re at your apartment.”

  She purposefully kept her eyes closed and focused on keeping her voice casual.

  “We could go to your place.”

  The smooth motion of his fingers slipped for a moment but qui
ckly resumed. She couldn’t decide if that was a good sign or not.

  “We could. But how do you feel about tubs filled with potting soil?”

  “Why is your tub–” She cut herself off and waved a hand over her face. “Forget it. I don’t want to know.”

  “Solid call.” He was quiet for a moment before he turned his attention to her other foot. “You know how this is all about fun? Just casual. Going with the flow.”

  She was prepared for him to broach this conversation. What caught her off guard was the way her stomach plummeted at the thought. If this was something he normally did, then there was nothing she could say to get him to change his mind. All she could hope was to hold onto was her dignity.

  “I remember.”

  “Well, you know what would be really fun? There’s a Spiderman movie marathon on tonight. Want to order in and watch it?”

  “You can spend the night,” she laughed.

  He paused. “I still want to watch it.”

  “Fine. Remote’s on the coffee table.”

  There was some shuffling, and she wasn’t too pleased that he had to stop rubbing her feet for a moment, but eventually the TV was on and the movie was just starting. Andrea found Dwayne far more entertaining to watch than the movie itself. He watched with childlike glee, completely enthralled with the action on screen and rubbing her feet more and more like an afterthought. Every joke pulled a loud laugh out of him, and he even teared up when the uncle died. Commercials came on, and he leaned back against the sofa.

  “I’m hungry,” he noted.

  “You seriously didn’t hear me ordering the pizza?” she said.

  Blinking, he turned to her. “Not at all.”

  “You answered me when I asked you what you wanted.”

  “Yeah, but you’re not Mary Jane. Or Spiderman. Do you ever think about wearing spandex? Dying your hair?”

  She sacrificed her pillow and comfort to smack him. It didn’t stop him from laughing though. So, she hit him again, just for good measure. He snatched the pillow off of her and, after a moment of holding it up like a trophy, he put it under her feet.