Operation Midnight

by Sharon C. Cooper

  Wiz returned his attention to Keisha, saw her lips moving, but had tuned out to what she was saying. He still couldn’t believe she was standing in his office and the fact that she looked so much like Olivia was screwing with his brain.

  “I’ve been clean for over seven years and have stayed out of trouble.”

  “How did you find me?” Wiz asked, not missing the panic that showed in her eyes. “Speak or get out.”

  “I googled you. I saw that you were a P.I. and this address was listed. I took a chance and decided to stop by. The lady at the front desk thought I was Olivia.”

  That was probably the only honest thing Keisha had said since walking through the door. What he didn’t like was that she’d sought him out. He also didn’t like that she was at his place of business pretending to be his wife.

  “We had an agreement. I agreed not to turn your ass into the authorities for attempted murder that probably would have led to a host of other charges. And I let you live if you agreed to stay the hell away from my wife … forever.”

  “Olivia is not your wife!” she snarled, but must have remembered that she was there for his help. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean …”

  Keisha’s jealousy of her sister was one of her problems. She wanted the life Olivia had.

  Wiz stood slowly, gripping the edge of his desk tightly instead of reaching out and wrapping his hands around her scrawny little neck. It appeared this woman had really done her homework if she knew that he and Olivia weren’t officially married.

  Instead of addressing how she knew, he said, “Olivia will always be my wife and you need to understand that. You also need to understand that if you go anywhere near my wife, you’ll regret the day you every met me.”

  “I’m sorry.” Keisha lifted her hands out in front of her. “I didn’t come here to cause any trouble. I just need your help. If you help me get out of the country, I swear you will never see me again.”

  Wiz rolled his eyes. Memories of that night, the last time he’d seen Keisha, exploded through his mind. His fingers wrenched tighter around the edge of his desk. That was the night he had almost taken a knife to her throat. Olivia was the only reason he had spared her. Wiz knew he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if Olivia found out that he had killed her sister. As it was, he didn’t want her to find out that he’d orchestrated Keisha’s disappearance. The agreement was that she would never step foot on American soil again. Yet, here she was, standing in the middle of his office.

  “You’re already supposed to be out of the country!” Malik snapped, as if reading Wiz’s mind. “Why are you here? Why are you back in Chicago?”

  “I moved back a year ago … to New York to get married.”

  Wiz didn’t know why he bothered asking her anything seeing that he didn’t believe anything that came out of her mouth. But one thing he did know was that whatever mess she was involved in was more threatening to her than his wrath.

  “I’ve been living there and had no intention of coming to Chicago. Cameron, I promise, I didn’t come here to start any trouble. I just need your help.”

  “How long have you been in Chicago?” Wiz asked.

  “A few days.” She fidgeted and dropped her gaze.

  Wiz glanced at Malik. That might have been her at the jewelry store. Which means she’d been in town for a couple of weeks.

  “What do you want from me?”

  “I told you, I need you to help me get out of the country. I want to start a new life. I … I just don’t have enough money.”

  “If you came back to get married, why leave now? What about this fiancé of yours?”

  “I saw … I witnessed something.”

  “Witnessed what?”

  “A murder. I saw my fiancé kill a man and … and I ran. I left New York and didn’t know where else to go so I came here.”

  Unease ran through Wiz’s veins. He knew the type of people Keisha hung with. They were bad news. She might be clean. She wasn’t shaking and didn’t look to be having any withdrawals. Still, he didn’t trust her.

  He turned and stared out the window behind his desk. All he could think about was Olivia. Whenever Keisha was around, Olivia got hurt, either emotionally or physically. He couldn’t let that happen again. He couldn’t risk almost losing her again. On the other hand, Olivia didn’t ask him for much and she wanted to see her sister. Maybe he could arrange it and then make Keisha disappear for good.

  He needed to think about all of this. He turned and lifted the telephone receiver to his ear, hoping Victoria was back at her desk from a dentist appointment.

  “What’s up, Wiz?” she answered on the first ring.

  “Can you come into my office for a minute?”

  “Sure. Is Boss Man with you?” she asked of Malik.

  “Yeah, he’s here.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Seconds later the door swung open and all eyes went to Victoria. Seeming to ignore their stares, she said nothing as she eased farther into the office, her gaze taking in Keisha.

  “I didn’t know Olivia was a twin.”

  “How the hell…” Malik started but stopped.

  Wiz was shocked, too. As far as he knew, there were only two people who could tell the twins apart at first glance—him and Quinn. Now Wiz could add Victoria to the short list.

  “Yeah, this is the evil twin,” Malik grumbled and leaned against a far wall.

  “Fuck you,” Keisha said under her breath.

  “Never going to happen,” Malik added.

  “Vicky, can you take Keisha to conference room D? I’ll be there in a few.”

  He couldn’t stand to look at Keisha and wanted to ensure that no one else in the building saw her. They had lucked out that it was the end of the day, and most of the people on that floor should’ve be gone by now.

  “No problem.” Victoria must have sensed the tension in the room. She didn’t crack a smile, nor did she try to engage Keisha in conversation, which was something she normally would have done.

  “And don’t let her out of your sight,” Malik added just before Victoria closed the door. Then he turned to Wiz. “Like I said before, never leave fuckin’ loose ends! Do you see what type of shit happens when you fail to tie loose ends? This is what happens! Dammit, I knew we should have taken care of her back then.”

  His words were spoken vacant of emotion. More often than not, Wiz didn’t agree with his long-time friend who was more like a brother. But now he had to agree. The decision to let Keisha live hadn’t been an easy one to make, but he couldn’t do that to Olivia. He couldn’t take her sister’s life and had decided on the next best thing. He made her disappear. Or so he thought.

  “At least if she were dead,” Malik continued, “you could pretend to search for her. Ollie knows that you’re the best. If you can’t find someone, no one can.”

  “I can’t lie to Olivia. I never have and I never will.”

  “Omitting the truth is the same as lying.”

  “Not in my book,” Wiz countered.

  Wiz sat in his desk chair and closed his eyes. He didn’t believe in coincidences and Keisha making an appearance out of the blue after ten years, days after Olivia’s request, was too much of a coincidence. He’d heard that twins had some type of connection, but this was too much.

  His heart rate kicked up a notch. Who knew what Keisha was involved in, and the thought that she might have been watching Olivia from a distance scared Wiz to death. And worse, whatever she was involved in might have followed her to Chicago.

  “I might need to put someone on Olivia.” She would fight him if she knew, so he would have to do it without her knowing.

  “Hell, we need to put someone on Midnight. There’s no telling what she’s involved in. We have to get rid of her once and for all.”

  “I know, but—”

  “No buts. Her ass has to go. That shit she pulled the last time we saw her … that can’t happen again. Olivia is like a sister to me. If yo
u’re—”

  “I know, Tree. I know.” His friend’s nickname slipped out without much thought. The conversation felt similar to one they would have during their military days.

  “Tell me you don’t believe that crap about her changing. People like her don’t change.”

  “I agree. I need to ask her some more questions and do some digging, but right now, I have to wrap my brain around her being here.”

  “So how do you want to handle this?”

  “I want us to keep an eye on her until I get more facts about her story.” Wiz stood and shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Then I need to decide if I’m going to tell Olivia that her sister is here.”

  Chapter Nine

  Olivia stepped off the elevator and slowed once she was in the reception area. When Malik had first purchased the building, he commissioned her to do the artwork for the top two floors. It gave her pride to walk into a space knowing that all of the pieces displayed, paintings and photographs, she created.

  “Hi Olivia. You’re back,” the receptionist greeted. “I’m surprised to see you here so late.”

  “Hey, Cynthia. Yeah, I figured I’d bring Cameron some dinner otherwise he’d probably forget to eat.”

  “I wish I could forget to eat sometime, but I’m too greedy for that.” She patted her flat stomach.

  “Please. You look great. Oh, and welcome back. How was your trip?”

  Cynthia had been with the company for a year. Her warm personality and beautiful smile made her perfect for her position. One of the requirements of any position at the company was that you had to either be military, former military, or had some type of security background. Cynthia was army reserve and had just returned from her annual training.

  “Rigorous, long, and exhausting. Other than that, it was great.” They both laughed and talked for a few minutes longer.

  “Here, I can buzz you through.”

  “That’s okay, I’ll use my code.” Cameron had recently told her that it was best to use her code. It helped them keep a better handle on who was in the building and their arrival time, as well as the time they left.

  Olivia strolled down the hall to where Cameron and Malik’s offices were located. She slowed when she arrived in their area, surprised Victoria wasn’t at her desk. Like Malik and Cameron, she often stayed later on Mondays.

  Noticing the door to Cameron’s office was partially open, she knocked before pushing it farther open.

  He stood behind his desk, his head lowered as if in deep thought. So focused on the documents in front of him he hadn’t noticed her appearance which was unusual. His senses were as sharp as a butcher knife and his lack of awareness would definitely go down as another first.

  Olivia silently took in his appearance. The way the sage colored cashmere sweater stretched across his wide chest emphasizing his muscular biceps. The sleeves pushed up showed off his powerful forearms and no one filled a pair of jeans like he could. The way they emphasized his powerful thighs sent a shot of desire shooting to her core.

  A slight shudder forced her gaze back up his body and guilt speared Olivia in the chest. He seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders and it was her fault. If only she hadn’t asked him to search for Keisha.

  “Cameron?”

  His head snapped up. His reading glasses hung on the edge of his nose, giving him a nerdy, hunk-like appearance. He definitely had that Clark Kent thing going on that she absolutely loved and that always got her juices flowing.

  She gave him an easy smile, but it slipped from her lips when she really looked at him. His gaze swept over her body, a haunted look in his tired eyes. Those green, laser-like beams bore into her and she quivered under his penetrating stare.

  Maybe things were worse between them than she originally thought. He continued to stare wordlessly at her.

  “May I come in?”

  He removed his glasses and shook his head as if knocking away cobwebs. Lust-filled tingles skittered along her arms when his eyes softened and the love she always felt with him shone in them.

  “Of course. I’m sorry, sweetheart. C’mere. It’s been … it’s been a strange evening and I guess I’m more tired than I realized.”

  She barely had time to place her purse and the dinner bag in a nearby chair before he pulled her into a tight embrace.

  She wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes, and breathing him in. His fresh scent, a mixture of soap and citrusy aftershave, relaxed her. The comfort of his hug made her feel like all was well. She never wanted him to let her go.

  “I love you so damn much,” he growled into her hair, tightening his hold.

  She almost told him the feelings were mutual, but he knew. Just like she knew their disagreement was troubling him. He wasn’t the arguing type. Of his close friends, he was the peacemaker, the go-to guy. He took such good care of the people he loved, especially her.

  “I hate when there’s tension between us,” she said.

  He pulled back and cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Me too. I’m so sorry about what I said at the hotel. Making you uncomfortable ... I never want you to be afraid to ask me for anything. I know I messed that up, but I want you to know that you mean everything to me. Your happiness and safety is my top priority.” He kissed her sweetly. Had he not been holding her, she would have easily puddled to the floor at his heart felt words and the tenderness of his kiss.

  Olivia wasn’t quite sure what to make of his declaration. After the incident at the university, he had apologized for his behavior at the hotel and she thought they had moved on, but maybe not.

  He loosened his grip and closed his office door. His hand rested at the small of her back as he guided her farther into the office, sending a sweet thrill along her spine. She loved that after so many years, his touch still sent tingles through her body.

  “So what are you doing here?”

  “I’ve missed you. I wanted to see you since we haven’t seen much of each other in the last few days. Also, I brought you a peace offering. Dinner.” She handed him the bag of food and watched as he set it on the table and dug through it, pulling containers out.

  “Thank you.” He drew her in for another kiss. “I know we still need to talk about your sister, but right now—”

  “Wiz do …” Malik started when the door swung open, his words trailing off as he stared at Olivia.

  What the heck is going on?

  “Hey, Olivia. I’m surprised to see you.”

  Now she knew something was wrong. She couldn’t remember the last time Malik called her by her given name. She didn’t actually hate the nickname he’d given her, she just liked giving him a hard time when he used it, and now it was weird not hearing him say Ollie. And he claimed she was like a little sister he never had from the moment Cameron had introduced them, always greeting her with a hug. Yet, he hadn’t moved from the door and looked as if he were seeing a ghost.

  Studying them both, the tension was so thick she immediately went on alert.

  “What’s wrong? You guys are scaring me. Did something happen?”

  “I’m sorry, baby. It’s been a fu— messed up day.” Malik wrapped her in a hug and then told Cameron, “Come see me when you’re done here.” Placing a kiss on her cheek, Malik told her he would catch her later and left them standing in the same spot.

  “Please tell me if something’s wrong. You and Malik are acting strange.”

  “Everything is fine.” Wiz rubbed his hand over his head, something he did when he was tired or frustrated. “We just have a situation we have to take care of.”

  She searched his eyes for … for what she wasn’t sure. As far as she knew, he’d never lied to her, but she also knew that he never wanted her to worry. He would keep things from her if he felt she couldn’t handle it.

  “Does that mean you’re going to be home late tonight?”

  Wiz shook his head. “No. I should be there by the time you get home.”

  She stud
ied him for a while longer. “Are we okay?”

  “We will be.” When he pulled her back into his arms, she could have sworn she felt him shudder. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, trying to help ease the tension ricocheting off his body. A hug might not have been much, but she hoped he felt the love she had for him.

  Olivia placed a kiss on him just below his jaw, the light scruff on his face tickling her lips.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he whispered near her ear, his voice full of emotion.

  “Well, good thing you’ll never have to find out.”

  She placed her hand at the nape of his neck, just below his hairline, and stared into his amazing eyes. She loved the way they turned colors depending on his mood, and right now they were a deep green, radiating with desire. Seems they had the same thing on their mind.

  “I …” she started, but stopped and gazed at his luscious mouth. Instead of saying more, she pulled him in for a kiss, putting everything she had in the lip-lock. She needed him to know how much she loved him, how much she needed him, and how much she wanted him.

  After a brief hesitation on his part, he kissed her with a hunger that sent the pit of her stomach spiraling into a wild ride, leaving no doubt they wanted the same thing. He kissed and nipped at her neck causing goosebumps to raise up on her skin.

  “God I want you,” he growled and backed her to the door. Locking it. She gasped when he scooped her into his arms. Her legs went automatically around his narrow waist and her arms around his neck. “How much time do you have?” he asked—his voice a low rumble filled with longing—as he carried her to a nearby wall.

  “Forty-five minutes before I have to be standing in front of my class,” she mumbled against his lips, her inner core throbbing in anticipation.

  “More than enough time.” He propped her against the wall, lifting her skirt as he cradled her bottom. He ravished her mouth, her tongue tangling with his. The deep and thorough kiss along with the bumping and grinding was almost her undoing. They never had a problem in the bedroom, or against a wall for that matter. And she had to admit that she loved it when he got all hot, bothered, and out of control like he was now.