“You two go to the conference room and tell the boys to wait,” she called, halfway down the hall. Jackson shared a confused look with Kelli, who merely shrugged. They followed orders as the boss disappeared into her office.
“Is this normal?” Jackson asked the receptionist.
“No,” she whispered, “it’s not.”
He followed Kelli as she knocked quietly on the conference-room door before letting them in. Jonathan was sitting at the table, leaning over a file, while a man’s voice came through a phone speaker in front of him. The bodyguard looked up, curious at their intrusion.
“Hey, honey?” Kelli said out loud as she took a seat across from Jonathan. For a moment Jackson thought the nickname was directed at Jonathan, but then he realized it was directed at the man on speaker. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think something’s wrong.”
The man who must have been her husband, Orion Agent Mark Tranton, quickly took on an edge to his voice, alert.
“Are you okay? Are Grace and the baby okay?” he asked, clearly concerned about his daughter and pregnant wife.
“Oh, yeah, we’re fine,” she hurried, placing a protective hand over her stomach. “I meant something seems wrong with Nikki. She just told us to come in here and make sure you and Oliver were still on.”
Jonathan looked to Jackson, who gave a half shrug.
“Who’s ‘us’?” asked another man’s voice, which Jackson assumed belonged to Oliver Quinn.
“It’s the new recruit,” Jonathan added in.
“Jackson, right?” asked Oliver.
“That’s right,” Jackson answered.
“Nice to meet you,” Oliver continued. “Well, you know what I mean.”
Jackson was about to say he did when Nikki showed up. She walked into the room with such a fierce mask of concentration that for a moment all the other people in the room could do was stare wordlessly.
“Hello?” asked Mark into the silence.
“Mark, Oliver, it’s Nikki,” she greeted. She didn’t sit down and instead handed Jonathan a piece of paper. From Jackson’s post against the wall, he couldn’t tell what was on it. Apparently Jonathan didn’t understand it, either.
“I want to preface what I’m about to tell you with the fact that I think it’s no big deal,” Nikki said, “but this job has shown me the importance of being cautious, so I feel like I should bring you up to speed. You deserve at least that.”
Jackson didn’t understand the change in tone. Kelli looked at Nikki while Jonathan was focused on the paper. Why did she owe them anything? Wasn’t she the boss?
A thick silence blanketed the room. Nikki certainly had their collective attention.
Finally she spoke. “Last night I ran into Andrew Miller.”
* * *
LIKE SHE’D THOUGHT, Jonathan, Oliver and Mark had instantaneous reactions of anger. Nikki had half a mind to mute the speakerphone but knew she couldn’t do anything about the trainer in the room with them. So she let them all talk at the same time, words jumbling together. She was able to pick out three questions.
“Why?”
“Where?”
“What did he want?”
Nikki’s eyes traveled to Kelli, whose brows were pulled in together as she seemed to be trying to place the name, which she was sure sounded familiar to her new recruit. Jackson leaned against the wall, giving Nikki a stare she could only describe as puzzled. Like Kelli he was trying to put together pieces of information that he didn’t have.
Nikki wasn’t sure why she’d asked him to come into the conference room in the first place. Very few people knew about Andrew, even fewer knew why a visit from him was so startling. Kelli had probably heard the name from her husband, but Jackson? He was as new as they came. So, why had she let him in?
She tried to keep her eyes from moving across his bare arms, toned and strong, or any other part of his body highlighted in his gym clothes. She also tried not to feel a hot rush of attraction that pulsed through her when she locked eyes with him. Shifting her gaze back to the speakerphone, Nikki finally realized that maybe hiring Jackson Fields was a little more dangerous than she’d thought it would be.
“It was at a restaurant, not my home,” Nikki said when the men had quieted enough. “And I think he just wanted to blame someone for his mistakes in life.”
Cause—you destroyed me. Effect—now I’m going to destroy you. Nikki remembered his words clearly. So get ready, Nikki. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
But that didn’t mean she was going to repeat them. Andrew Miller had changed her life as well as Mark’s, Oliver’s and Jonathan’s in such a horrible and fantastic way that bringing up what the man really said, which she still believed to be an aggressive form of venting, would slice through the happiness they had all managed to find in the last few years. Andrew was a sore reminder of their collective tragic mistake. Nikki didn’t want them to fully revisit that by putting them up close and personal with the man. Which she knew would happen if she told her friends and employees about what he’d really said.
“And then he just left?” Oliver asked, voice noticeably deeper. Nikki fixed Jackson with a pointed stare as she answered.
“Yes,” she said. “No other incidents.”
Jackson’s eyes, some intangible coloring between gray and blue, stayed with her as his mouth remained shut. She also didn’t want the men to know about her car. There were other things to worry about now.
“But the real reason why I called,” Nikki said, swinging her attention back to Jonathan and the paper he held, “is what I received this morning attached to a box of chocolates.”
* * *
“A NOTE WITH three addresses on it,” Nikki started. Jackson pushed off the wall, standing at full attention. “Oliver, Mark, I sent you an email before I came in here with the information.” There was silence as the two seemed to be opening up their emails through their phones or laptops. Once they confirmed they were looking at the addresses, Nikki continued. “These addresses are the homes of one family. A mother in Colorado, her daughter in Wisconsin and her son in Arkansas.”
“A family?” Jonathan repeated. “Whose? And why would someone send this to you?”
Jackson watched as an already perfect-postured Nikki straightened even more so. Once again she started to form a fist but caught herself. She let her hand fall back to her side. Whoever the family was, she was invested in them. Nikki cleared her throat and when she answered she didn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Not even his.
“Morgan Avery’s.”
There was a lot of information passing around that Jackson’s lack of experience with the group was hindering him from understanding. However, he didn’t need to be “besties” with them to know that Morgan Avery meant something big to them. Even Kelli managed a gasp. He was sure that soon the trainer and the two on speakerphone would start their yelling at the same time, but Nikki found her voice before them.
“After what happened I kept tabs on her immediate family to make sure they were...” Nikki seemed at a loss for words for the first time since he’d met her. She shook her head slightly. “I contacted Elaine, Morgan’s mother, and asked if she’d been having trouble with anyone lately. She admitted to getting a few hang-up calls within the last month. Ones that didn’t show up on her caller ID. Her daughter, Melanie, and son, Jared, have also received similar calls in the last few weeks. Normally, I wouldn’t worry, but—”
“But someone sent you the addresses for a reason,” Jonathan interrupted.
Nikki nodded.
“It was Andrew,” Mark piped in. “It had to be him. Otherwise that’s a big heaping sack of coincidences.”
“I agree, Nik. The timing is too perfect,” Kelli piggybacked on her husband’s sentiment.
“But why would Andrew be sending you information
on the Avery family of all people?” Oliver asked.
“Maybe to remind me of what happened, maybe just to make me nervous, heck, maybe to show that he’s still crafty?” Nikki said, demeanor cracking slightly. She was clearly frustrated.
Jackson wanted to ask who this Andrew was and why the Averys were so important, but he kept his mouth shut. He resolved to ask in private, not wanting to stop what the Orion boss and employees were working through.
“Either way,” Nikki said. “I want to cover all my bases. Mark, I’m pulling you from your current contract and putting Robert in charge. Then I’d like you to go to Colorado to check on Elaine. Jonathan and Oliver, I know you aren’t bodyguards anymore, but I’d like you two to go keep an eye on Morgan’s brother and sister just until we see if the other shoe drops, so to speak.”
Jonathan nodded, surprising Jackson, since, like Nikki said, he wasn’t a bodyguard.
“You can take Jackson along as a training exercise,” Nikki added, further surprising him.
“But then you’d be alone here,” Jackson said without missing a beat. “That doesn’t seem smart.”
Nikki rounded on him, nostrils flared slightly.
“Listen—” she began, but was cut off by Mark.
“He’s right, Nikki. You need to keep at least one bodyguard at Orion.”
“May I remind you he’s a new recruit and hasn’t been trained yet?” Nikki ventured.
Jackson almost told them right then and there about her car, but Jonathan swooped in.
“I’m not going until you agree to let him stay,” he said, arms crossing over his chest to show he meant business. The two on speaker backed him up with the same demand. Their closeness, Nikki, Jonathan, Oliver and Mark’s, was starting to show. Jackson wondered what had created the bond. And then wondered if Nikki had ever been intimate with one of them. Jealousy sprang up again. He tried to ignore it as Nikki let out a long breath.
“Fine,” she agreed. “Now, Kelli and I are going to go make travel arrangements and then we’ll contact you with your information. Just remember, this isn’t a contract. This is a courtesy visit, so please try not to alarm them.” Nikki sobered. “We owe them at least that.”
Jackson couldn’t help it.
“Why?” he asked the room.
And the room promptly ignored him.
The meeting broke up as they all went about their separate tasks. Jackson returned to the gym, where he finished his workout, taking out some new frustration at being left with little to no information. His fists thrummed, his legs vibrated and his head was filled with made-up explanations of what was going on. Orion was shaping up to be more complicated than he would have guessed.
“Hey, can I grab a second?”
Jackson turned as Jonathan sidled into the gym, closing the door behind him. The way he looked back at the door tipped off Jackson that whatever the trainer was about to tell him would somehow tick off the boss. Which made him nearly lean in closer as the man spoke. “I know you signed up for this yesterday and don’t have any formal training or, really, even know what’s going on, but I’m going to tell you one indisputable fact that Nikki isn’t admitting out loud. Hate is a very powerful motivator, wouldn’t you say?”
Jackson nodded, instantly jumping into his own past before Jonathan continued.
“Andrew Miller has made no issue in the past of showing that he hates Nikki. So, while I’m gone I need you to do me a favor.”
Jackson leaned in, already knowing he’d say yes to whatever it was, since the trainer had stuck his neck out for him. Plus, he really didn’t like the sound of Andrew.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Protect Nikki,” Jonathan said. “No matter what it takes.”
Chapter Five
The weekend finished in a fairly uneventful way. Nikki came into work that Sunday and made sure all of her Orion ducks were in a row while Kelli kept track of the three men as they jetted off to the Avery family locations. By Monday everyone was in place. By Wednesday everyone was still waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen. While Nikki agreed to let Jackson stay to keep an eye out on things at Orion, she barely spoke to him. She certainly didn’t try to use him or his protection. The identity of Andrew Miller and the Avery family wasn’t offered up, either. Nikki was either too proud, too controlling or too far into denial that Andrew might be targeting her to clue Jackson in or use, or even want, his help.
So that was why he’d parked in secret across from her apartment complex every night since Saturday. Because something was obviously going on and Nikki was in the middle of it. On those nights he had spent his time searching the internet for Andrew Miller and Morgan Avery while during the day he’d worked out at Orion and read up on old case files. He’d found no mention of the former but found an obituary of the latter, dating back nearly six years. The young woman had been found in a ditch—murderer caught and put in prison—and was survived by her mother, Elaine, and her two siblings. Still, it didn’t explain who Andrew was, his hatred for Nikki or the connection that tied Orion to it all.
For the first time in a long while, Jackson wished he had someone to talk to about it all. Jonathan had left before he had a chance to bark up that tree and Nikki had kept Kelli busy enough that he’d never been able to catch her to ask. Jackson wondered if Nikki was doing it deliberately. If he hadn’t been afraid that she’d terminate him on the spot, he would have asked her and not moved until she answered.
It was Thursday night when Jackson wondered if the second shoe was figuratively ever going to drop at all. He was reclined back in his passenger’s seat with a bottle of beer he’d figured was okay to have in his hand. It was nearly nine at night and he fully expected to stay for a few more hours before heading home. The one perk to Nikki not really wanting him around was being told his services weren’t needed yet but he could come into Orion after lunch and work out until everything went back to normal. Again, Jackson wondered if this was a normal way to treat a recruit. He’d have to ask when an agent showed up. All active ones were currently spread out across the country working contracts.
Jackson was taking a pull from the bottle when he caught sight of a man on the sidewalk across the road. It wasn’t unusual for passersby at this time. Nestled closer to downtown, the apartment complex was two blocks from a bar and some restaurants. Others had walked to, from and past the apartments with no red flags flying up for Jackson.
But the way the man in the Rangers baseball cap tilted his head just enough so that his face was hard to make out and quickened his stride as he neared the front doors put Jackson on edge. A bad feeling began to expand in his gut as the man went into the apartment building. Jackson opened his door, dumped out the beer and tossed the bottle in the back.
Maybe the other shoe was about to drop.
* * *
THE WINE FILLED the glass effortlessly.
Nikki appreciated the lack of hassle. She spied her laptop and took a long, long drink of the pinot noir and decided work could, for once, spend the night alone.
She had a date with a bubble bath.
Switching out her phone for her iPod, Nikki let down her hair and trailed into the one bathroom in her small yet cozy apartment. She turned her iPod on shuffle and set it down on the counter next to the sink, turning up the volume so she could get lost in the sound. She didn’t often partake in relaxing in this way, but since she’d seen Andrew she couldn’t deny that her mind and body were on the tense side. Nikki might be hardheaded when it came to her workload, but even she realized she needed a break from time to time.
The claw-foot tub was old, needed to be painted all over again and was largely underused, but as Nikki undid her robe, put her wine glass down on the wooden table that hooked on each side and slid into the warmth, she couldn’t help thinking it was a gift from the gods. Her sens
es filled with the rosy aroma of expensive bath salts, a gift from her sister, and Nikki let out a small sigh of contentment.
It didn’t last long.
Her thoughts went from a mantra of just relax to the three addresses on the letter meant for her to Andrew’s rage at the speed dating event to the collective upset of her friends. Then to the new recruit whom she’d been avoiding. From there, her mind recalled his beautiful eyes as he had tried to glean the truth behind what was happening. The truth about Orion’s past and hers.
Nikki leaned her head back against the lip of the tub. She closed her eyes, her wine glass forgotten.
Telling Jackson about Andrew and the Averys wouldn’t be a bad thing to do. Oliver, Mark and Jonathan had in their own times come clean about what had happened to outsiders. For them it had drawn sympathy, empathy and understanding. They were men trying to move on. Men trying to redeem themselves. And in Nikki’s opinion, they had done that ten times over.
However, she wasn’t like the men.
Just as Morgan Avery could never grow old, Nikki could never forgive herself. She didn’t want redemption because she didn’t believe she deserved it. If she’d only spoken up. If she’d only stood up against Andrew.
If only.
Nikki kept her eyes closed and slid down until the water engulfed her. The song currently playing outside distorted. The noise of her worries dampened. Andrew was just ruffling her feathers, she reasoned. He was being dramatic. She nodded beneath the water, as if to doubly reassure herself, and came up for air. Water streamed down her face. She wiped at her eyes and felt the sting of leftover makeup seeping beneath the closed lids. Balling her hands, she began to knead at the pain, wiping away as much residual mess as she could. Nikki became so focused on clearing off her mascara that she realized a few moments too late that she’d heard something that didn’t fit with the apartment.
Her eyelids flew open, forgetting the sting of pain of soap and makeup. She didn’t even have time to scream.
One moment there was a man standing in the bathroom’s doorway holding a bat at his side. The next he was crossing the room toward her with startling speed. Nikki barely had time to duck out of the way, let alone time to scream, as he swung low. Water sloshed out of the tub and she felt the air off the bat as it passed an inch or so above her head.
Suspicious Activities Page 4
