"Sounds like a plan. Let me know if you have something waiting for you."
Meg watched her walk out before she placed her empty lunch containers into her work tote. She glanced around the office. The offer letter from Triple Two had been competitive. She was taking the job, but she was going to wait to tell Rio until he came home. Visions of champagne, dark chocolate covered strawberries and candles floated in and out of her imagination as she finished her work for the day.
Meg floated through her drive home. She had to pull past her normal parking spot because a large black limo had parallel parked behind most of the spot for her building. Rude, to say the least, but hey if someone could afford a limo for an event, who was she to rain on their parade. Besides, the walk wasn't that far.
A man in uniform stood beside the back door of the long black car. Meghan smiled at the driver, but she almost stumbled when he asked, "Miss Williams?"
Meg looked over her shoulder. Why? She had no idea, yet it seemed like the thing to do. She pointed at herself. The man gave a slight dip of his head. "Are you Ms. Meghan Williams?"
She nodded. "I am."
"My employer would like a word with you."
"Who is your employer?"
"Mrs. North."
Rio's mom? She frowned. No, Rio's mom was overseas at some exotic beach. The driver opened the door, but Meghan shook her head. "Mrs. North is overseas and I refuse to get into a car of someone I don't know."
A strikingly beautiful blonde woman leaned forward, revealing herself from the interior of the vehicle. "Ms. Williams, I had hoped to do this privately. I'm Mrs. North. Mrs. Rio North."
"No." The immediate denial was out before Meghan could think about it.
"I assure you it is true." The woman extended her hand and the driver took it, helping her out of the vehicle.
"No, Rio isn't married."
"I have been married to Rio for the last thirteen years. During that time, he has had countless indiscretions. I hope you didn't think you were special? What lie did he use on you? That he was estranged? Divorced? No? Oh, of course, his favorite line lately was that he was serving his country as a SEAL and recently separated to do some epic public service with his alleged trust fund."
Meghan locked her trembling knees. She shook her head and clenched her fists. This wasn't true. This couldn't be happening. "I don't believe you."
"Darling you don't have to believe me. He's gone, isn't he? He left for business?"
Meghan only stared at the woman. Her words wound through her mind, but understanding spiraled into disbelief, denial and pain.
"Has he called you since he left? No? When we finish here, you go ahead and call him. Keep calling him. He won't answer. That is his M.O. He'll have his assistant get him a new phone number for the next piece of morally ambiguous trash he picks up."
"He is not married." Meghan crossed her arms over her stomach. She was going to be sick.
"Right. Please face the facts, would you? Did he ever invite you to meet his family? No? What about his apartment? I'm assuming he has one in this complex, too? He has no furniture or pictures or anything that resembles a home, does he? That's because he moves from woman to woman and pitches the same set of stories."
"I don't believe you." Her hands were trembling so violently she couldn't unclench them, or she would have called Rio on the spot. No, he hadn't called, but he warned her that he'd be in meetings until late every night.
An immaculately tweezed eyebrow rose before the woman laughed tiredly. "Oh please, what do need? Do you want to see my marriage certificate?" The woman held up her left hand, the diamond on her finger had to be at least three carats if not more. The band beneath the solitaire held countless flashing stones.
"You're lying." God, please let this be a joke. A horrible nightmare or a misunderstanding. She couldn't breathe. Her heart hurt. She felt as if someone was squeezing the life out of her. This wasn't happening.
"What reason would I have to lie? I'll tell you. Absolutely none. My husband is a serial cheater and I'm constantly cleaning up his messes and the reason I continue to sweep ugly random pieces of ass under the carpet is so I don't get pulled through the mire of society gossip. Believe me, I'm tired of putting his women on notice. So, tell me how much will it take to get you to leave quietly?"
"Leave?" This was her life. How could she leave? Why would she? No. She wasn't going to do anything until she talked to Rio. There was something so wrong about this woman. She couldn't picture Rio with her.
The brilliant red lips that matched her fingernails split in a snarl. The only mar of the woman's absolute pristine beauty. "You really are as dumb as you look. God, you think that he'd get tired of praying on fat, insecure, and mentally incompetent women. Why would anyone like Rio North spend a minute in your company? Look at you! You're fooling yourself if you think he's serious about you. He is with you because he is playing a part. He doesn't love you. He's using you."
Meghan gasped at the viciousness of the words. The woman opened her designer purse and extended a strip of paper. "This is a cashier's check for ten thousand dollars. I'm sure that amount will allow you to find a new place to live and salvage at least a modicum of your self-respect."
Meghan couldn't move, and she would never take the check. Rio cared for her. She knew he did. Yet, she couldn't refute anything the woman had said. There was truth in every word. No... Please, please don't let this be happening. Meg felt the first tear fall but still she couldn't move.
A thin, manicured hand extended forward dropped the check into her tote. Meghan flinched as small part of her soul died. After dropping the paper into Meghan's purse, she turned and moved to the still open limo door before she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. Her blonde hair fell in a cascade down her back. Not a hair was out of place. Why would Meghan notice that when she couldn't breathe?
"Let me put this in a language you can understand. Rio never a talked of a future with you because he's fucking around with you. There is no future for you with my husband. He could have any supermodel in the country. Why would he want to be with a frumpy, ugly thing like you? You're a joke. This whole thing is a joke, and you are the nasty butt end of that man's twisted humor. Stay away from my husband, Ms. Williams, or I will make your life very, very uncomfortable. Besides, you really wouldn't want to look any more pathetic than you already do, now would you?"
The driver shut the door behind the woman and hurried around the vehicle to get behind the wheel. As he did so, the rear passenger window rolled down. The blonde leaned forward. "Find a place to go, Ms. Williams. Make no mistake, if you speak of this unfortunate affair to anyone, I will ruin you, your mother, and your sister." An evil twist of her lips showed as the darkened window moved up.
The car moved forward, slowly navigating the speed bumps. A honk of a car horn startled her out of her paralysis. Meghan jumped out of the parking spot and ran to her apartment. It took far too long to open her door. Her tears kept clouding her eyes. Finally, she pushed the door open and let it slam behind her. She dumped her purse out on the floor, falling to her knees to find her cell phone. She woke it up and hit Rio's number in her favorites screen. It rang through to voicemail. Meghan drew a shaky, tear filled breath but left a message, "Rio, hey call me back? I… someone just came here and... Are you married? She said you were married? Rio, I don't understand what is going on. Please call me back no matter what time you get this message. Please. I'll be up."
Her back found the door and she wrapped her arms around her legs. None of what that woman said was true. None of it. Rio cared for her. She knew he did. There was a logical explanation. There had to be. Rio would call. He had to call.
Chapter 22
Rio leaned back in the leather chair across the desk from Guardian Security's new Chief of Human Resources. Kent Armstrong looked like he could dead lift a tank and he had a resting bitch face that was no doubt perfected deep in the trenches of whatever battles the man had fought.
&n
bsp; Rio had thought security at the FBI and CIA was impressive. Getting into the Guardian facility was more stringent, and from what Rio could see of the process, the people working security weren't playing games.
"Mr. North, thank you for taking your time to come see me. I was very interested in your business proposal. As this company is undergoing a massive transformation, we are looking for highly skilled, vetted, competent personnel."
"I talked to Jared King before I put in my papers. It was actually that talk that planted the seed for the company you're seeing on paper now. I know there are talented professionals with elite skillsets getting out of the service every day. My concern is getting them to a civilian job. As you know, retiring at the age of forty after twenty years of eating bullets and shedding blood for your country leaves the enlisted force with less than fifty percent of their active duty pay."
"And that usually isn't enough to make ends meet, especially if you have a family."
Rio nodded. It was a fact. "I'm looking to concentrate on the elite forces from all branches of the service, but for now I'm going to start with my people."
"You have an immaculate service record. We were ready to pursue you until we acquired the details of your trust and inheritance."
Rio cocked his head and inquired, "How did you do that? Gain the details?"
"We are that good, Mr. North." The man smiled at him, if you could call the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth an actual smile.
"Good to know." Rio leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Look, I think you and I speak the same language. I want this clearinghouse to work, but I want to make sure the people who use the services we are going to provide are given a fair shake, and I have to tell you after talking to the alphabet soup down the road, I'm not confident I'm getting anything but lip service."
Kent nodded and leaned forward, too. "Fantastic. I don't do the political cha-cha well, so let's strip this to bare bones. All bullshit aside, Guardian will only take the talent we need. We have exacting requirements, but each and every member you send us will get a fair shake and based on our needs, we will hire those who mesh with our structure and core values at a damn good wage."
"Perfect. I hope to be up and running by the first of December. Do you have a projection of slots available or, at a minimum, what specialties you are looking for?"
"We do. The company is expanding. Specifically, we are looking for highly trained team members specializing in urban warfare. Besides that, we will need investigators, logisticians, IT specialists, linguists and many other career fields. As a matter of internal security, we will never disclose how many of what career field we want to hire, but send all your applicants our way. If they pass the background check and meet our stringent requirements, we will evaluate them for employment."
"I believe that is the first thing I've understood all day. No offence, but human resources should be labeled, 'I'm not saying anything but I'm talking a lot.'"
Armstrong's laugh broke through the stoic facade he maintained. "No shit! I have no background in corporate human relations, as you probably guessed. My specialty is picking the right person for the right job. The back office is full of the legal beagles that keep my ass out of trouble, but no doubt about it, we are structured to get the job done."
"If you have eyes and half a brain, you can't miss that fact. I think we will work well together, Mr. Armstrong."
"Kent, Mr. Armstrong is my father and he's a mean SOB. I have no doubt two like-minded people working toward a common goal will make a positive impact. I'm sorry that Mr. King was unavailable. I'm sure he would have enjoyed seeing you again, especially now that we are going to be doing business together."
"After the red tape and run around I've received since I've been in this city, I can tell you that your honesty and directness is a breath of fresh air." Rio stood up and extended his hand.
"I'm afraid you'll never get anything but the stark truth from me. I've been told that is a character flaw." Kent reached across the desk and grabbed his hand. The man's grip was solid.
Rio snorted at that. "Not a flaw in my book."
"Mine either. Please call me if you have any questions or concerns." The man handed him an embossed card. "My personal cell phone is on the back of that card. Please use it if you need to reach me."
"Thank you. I'd like to return the favor, but my cell has gone missing. It was in my office the last time I saw it but when I looked for it as I was getting ready to leave, it was gone."
Kent's eyes narrowed. "We can locate it."
"I may take you up on that if I can't find it." Rio shrugged, trying to play it off, but he'd never lost or misplaced his phone before.
He was sure it had been on his desk before he went into that last meeting at Northern Nova. Positive, as a matter of fact. Thank God he'd put a screen lock on it, but not having that phone meant he couldn't call Meg. She'd entered her new number into his phone, and he hadn't memorized it. Fucking cell phones made not knowing important numbers a thing.
"Send me an email with your new number if that phone of yours took a long walk off a short pier." Kent walked with him to the office door.
"I will, and thank you for the straight talk and information. I look forward to doing business with Guardian."
Rio out-processed from the building and headed to his hotel room. He used his laptop to search for Meg's business telephone number. He found the website and the main telephone number that reached the central switchboard. He got the standard recording that the offices were closed and there was no option for leaving a message. His computer screen revealed it was almost eight. Well no wonder he didn't get a human. Most people at the company would be gone for the night.
He dropped an email to his assistant asking him to double check all the offices he'd floated through for his phone, but he knew he’d left it on his desk before the meeting. He remembered making the conscious decision to do so.
Just in case there was an emergency, he took the time to let his brother and parents know where he was and informed them he didn't have his cell phone with him. His assistant already had that information.
Rio ordered room service and pulled up his notes on Homeland and ICE's contacts within the Human Resources department. He could only hope they were half as beneficial as the Guardian meeting. Homeland HR was meeting him tomorrow, ICE the day after. The CIA would be his last stop. After that he would be on the first thing flying back to Savannah.
He wondered if sending his assistant to Meg's apartment would be considered wrong. Probably. He didn't have her email address. Shit, he was pathetic. Ha! He did have her apartment's address and her work address. Score. He hit the search engine and located a florist in Savannah. He'd send her a bouquet of flowers. To work. That was a romantic gesture, right? Right. He scrolled through the offerings and clicked on the largest bouquet of roses he could find. There was a space for a note on the card. He stared at the little box for a couple minutes. He couldn't tell her he loved her for the first time on a florist’s card. He was planning on doing that when he got home. He even had the same table they'd met at reserved at the Bistro. He wanted more, with her, and was going to tell her that.
He hit the spacebar a couple times, trying to think of what to say. Hey, I'm stupid and lost my phone, or I'm a moron and I love you. Neither seemed appropriate although they were both true. Missing you. Maybe. Thinking of you? Nah, fuck... Rio scrubbed his closely trimmed beard with his hand. Stop overthinking it, idiot. He tapped out a quick note and pushed confirm order before he could change his mind. When had he become this guy? He laughed out loud in the silence of his hotel room. Since he met Meg, that was when.
Meghan stood in front of the reception desk gawking at a massive piece of red gold art that dominated the foyer of Northern Nova. She concentrated on the art to distract herself from the heartache that was ripping through her chest.
The receptionist disconnected her call and turned a wide smile at her. "Thank you for waiting, how m
ay I help you?"
"Mason North, please?"
"Do you have an appointment with Mr. North?"
"No, I don't. But I know his brother, Rio, and I really need to talk to Mason. It's urgent."
The helpful light ebbed from the receptionist's eyes. A fake smile appeared with a cool, "On moment, please?"
The receptionist twisted and her hands flew over the keyboard of her computer. "Sorry, Mr. North's calendar is blocked, he has no appointments available."
"Can I get a message to him?" Meghan knew the woman was a paid barrier; they had the same gate keepers at N.R.'s company. That didn't mean she wasn't going to try to get to Mason.
The receptionist lifted a small tablet and a pen.
Meghan took the pen and scratched a simple note. Please call. Urgent. RE: Rio. She printed her name and number under the message and tore it off the pad, handing everything back to the receptionist.
"Please, I need Mason to get this message. If you could ensure that he sees it?" Megan's eyes misted as she spoke.
The receptionist flashed a fake smile and nodded, dismissing her and her hopes that Mason would ever get the note.
She found herself in front of the elevator. She'd tried everything she could think of to find Rio, to reach out to him, to his brother. Her hopes dimmed, and her heart broke. This could not be happening. It couldn't be true.
"What?" Connie blinked up at her.
It was one minute after nine. Meghan sat down in the chair beside Connie's desk. She glanced over at the other desks in the large office. They were currently empty, but that would change before long. She leaned in and spoke softly, "I'm taking the Triple Two job and they need me the day after tomorrow, so here is my letter of resignation. N.R.'s office is up to speed. Any administrative assistant you can get should be able to hold down the fort until he comes back." Meg hadn't slept but a few minutes in the last two days. Her decision to leave had come when she hadn't heard from Rio or Mason in over forty-eight hours. She'd called Mason's office several times, rebuffed at each attempt. The last time she was politely told that Mr. North would return her call if he chose to do so. In other words, don't call back. That coupled with the fact that Rio hadn't answered her messages, which was so out of character for him, it lent credence to that woman's claim. There was no way she'd ever think of that vicious reptile as Rio's wife.
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