“Savage did yesterday. He had a bad feeling about Ed.”
“Oh. God. So do I. And?”
“And not much yet, but his sudden need to make a deal doesn’t feel right.”
“No, it doesn’t. I tried to stop him.”
“I know and that was pretty freaking badass, sweetheart. I’m just going to help you finish the job.” I motion to the door. “Let’s make that happen.”
“How?”
“Trust me,” I say.
She considers me a moment and then nods, and I can almost feel her concerns about Ed solidify with action. She turns, opens Ed’s door, and enters.
“I hope this means you came to your senses,” Ed spouts off to her, but I’m on her heels, right there behind her, shutting Ed’s door.
His gaze rockets to me and he pops to his feet. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Adrian Mack, your star witness again Waters.”
Ed’s a good-looking guy who drips arrogance, and at some point, he had a backbone. But then Waters can scare the piss out of a rock. He glances between us, intelligent eyes reading the room before he narrows his stare on Pri. “You knew he was here and you didn’t tell me?”
Pri doesn’t even think about denial. She, as I expect of her, is right to the point. “He didn’t trust you,” she says. “Now, I’m not so sure that wasn’t without reason.”
By the time he turns his attention back to me, I’m in front of his desk. I lean over it, hands on the wooden surface, crowding him. He could back away, but he doesn’t. He plays the tough, stubborn guy role and well. “What is this?” he demands.
“If you make a deal with Waters, he’ll hunt me and anyone I love. And then I’ll hunt you down and you’ll be easier to find.”
“Is that a threat?” he demands.
My lips quirk. “It’s just me stating a fact.”
Now, he leans back just a bit, obviously fighting the urge to put space between me and him. “Twenty years is not an easy deal.”
“He won’t take that,” I say, straightening. “Obviously Savage wasn’t clear on the cost to you, so I will be. Waters will kill you before he signs the deal and uses everyone he offered up to you as a suspect that offers him cover. After all, he’s in jail.”
“You don’t know that,” he argues. “You’re jaded from your time with him.”
“You’re right. I am. But I know him. I know him well. Exactly why I’m your star witness. Are you willing to risk your life on me being wrong?”
His lip thin. “What do you want?”
“For him to go to trial.”
“Bodies are dropping,” he argues, his voice spiking. “I’m trying to stop the bloodshed.”
“Including your own?” Pri challenges. “Because if you think this deal saves you, Adrian already told you it doesn’t.”
“And we can solve that problem anyway. We’re going to catch the assassin. I’m going to go with Pri to see Waters. I’m going to tell him there will be no deal.” I glance at Pri. “I’d leave you out of this, Pri, but you’re already on Waters’ radar and I don’t trust Ed to face Waters and not wet himself.”
“That’s uncalled for,” Ed growls.
“I’m not here to bolster your ego,” I say. “I’m here to save your life, and most likely your career. You’re going to back-up our claim of no deal.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I disappear again. And you don’t want that to happen.”
“I’m not feeling convinced of that,” Ed snaps.
“Well then, let me change your mind. Without me, coming at you is his best chance of walking free. With me in the picture, it’s not enough to end the trial and you. Another DA might or might not take the case. I will always step up to testify or to kill him, whichever comes first. If I’m here, he has to focus on me, not you. Convinced you need me yet?”
His jaw tics. “What keeps him from going after both of us?”
“He could,” I say, “and will, but he’ll focus on me first. Savage will remain your keeper until this is over.” I lean back on the desk. “Let me be crystal clear. If I find out you made a dirty deal with Waters, I’ll come for you. And I will make you pay.”
“Are you threatening my life?”
“No,” I say. “I think you being in jail and enjoying the benefit of so many new, close friends, would be a better punishment.” I turn and motion Pri to the door, opening it for her before I turn back to Ed and say, “Waters told me a joke once, the only joke he ever told. How are an apple and a lawyer alike?”
“Are you serious?”
“How are an apple—”
“I have no idea,” he snaps. “How?”
“They both look good hanging from a tree. I’d sit tight if I were you until Savage gets here.” I pull the door shut and eye the text message on my Apple watch, grimacing as I do.
“What?” Pri asks urgently.
“Pitt left with Josh but came back. He just got off the elevator from the lobby. I don’t want to run into him and have to answer a million questions. Go to your office and get your things. You won’t be back today. There’s a black SUV waiting on us downstairs. Meet me there.” I start to turn and she grabs my arm.
“Be careful. Please be careful.”
I step into her and cup her neck. “I have a reason to stay alive now. You. I’ll see you in five minutes.” I lean and kiss her hard and fast before I force myself to release her. “Five minutes,” I promise again and then force myself to turn and walk away.
And I have no idea why it’s so insanely hard to leave her. It is just for five minutes.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
PRI
I cannot believe Adrian’s setting himself up as bait.
He matters to me. He really, really matters to me and I have this horrible feeling he’s going to get hurt and I don’t know what to do about it.
I’m all kinds of nervous as I enter the hallway outside of Ed’s office area, but nevertheless, my pace is slow—steady, even—as I start my walk back to my office, intentionally pacing myself when I could easily run. I need to talk Adrian into anything but this insane plan of his that doesn’t even make sense. What changed from this morning to now? It’s still just morning.
Fortunately, I manage to find my way back to my office without interference, but as I’m packing up, Cindy pokes her head in the door. “Well? And who was that hottie that walked through the offices and disappeared into Ed’s office area?”
The hottie must be Adrian because my God, he’s gorgeous and confident, and the way he controlled Ed, who controls everyone else, was powerful. But I’m not talking about Adrian to Cindy so I say, “No deal,” already thinking of ways to make my case for Adrian to go back into hiding, and my mind is on Waters’ ex-girlfriend. “Any luck reaching Zara Moore?”
“None. She didn’t just leave protective custody. She disappeared.”
I set my purse on the desk. “Why do I feel like she’s dead?”
“That’s my fear, too,” she says. “She tried to save herself by backing out of testifying and she never really had the chance. Speaking of which, Josh was just here. He and Pitt were trying to find out if you had already hired outside security for the witnesses. You didn’t, right?”
“If I did it wouldn’t be anyone connected to this office.”
“In other words, you did.”
I stand up and slide my purse to my shoulder. Grace pokes her head in the office. “Hey. Josh says he’s been talking to you about some work?”
Cindy laughs. “He’s working like he’s on the catwalk, baby.” She nudges Grace. “You two steaming up the sheets yet?”
My cellphone buzzes with a text and I glance down to read a message from Adrian: Where are you?
Trying, I reply back. On my way.
Meanwhile, Grace’s cheeks heat. “I’m not talking about that.”
“That’s a yes,” Cindy says. “And Pri already hired
someone else.”
Grace’s gaze shoots to me. “You did?”
“I told Josh I’d talk to him,” I say in complete avoidance mode. “And now, ladies, I need to go. I’m meeting with Waters and his attorney.”
“With Waters?” Grace says, the blood draining from her face. “Do you have to?”
“I do,” I say. “And it’s good practice. I’ll be in a courtroom with him for at least six weeks.”
I’m now in front of the door, which the two of them are blocking, when Grace says, “I’ve been reading up on him. There are people who say he gets obsessed with certain people and won’t let go. What if that’s you?”
“I’m sure it will be. I’m the one sending him to jail.”
“Are you really a prosecutor, Grace?” Cindy chides. “How do you operate when you’re this afraid?”
“Alive,” Grace primly replies. “You’re too cavalier for your own good, Cindy.”
“Ladies.” I motion for them to move.
Cindy backs out of the doorway and I glance at Grace. “I’ll be careful.” I squeeze her arm. “Thanks for worrying.”
She nods and hugs herself. I exit the office and start walking, while Cindy falls into step with me. “Sure I can’t come?”
“Positive.” I glance over at her. “And Grace handles white-collar criminals, has an IQ probably twenty percent higher than both of us, and a conviction rate higher than anyone in the department. You’d be smart to learn from her.” I pause at the glass door leading to the reception area. “Go find Zara. Tell Pitt to find her.”
She nods and I leave her there. I wave at Shari, our twenty-something super-efficient, feisty redheaded receptionist when a thought hits me. I halt at her desk. “Ed’s assistant, Lynn. Is she in?”
“She’s on a two-week leave.”
“Vacation?”
“Yes. She won a cruise or something like that.”
“Lucky her.”
“Yes. I’m not that lucky. You gone for the day?”
“Most likely. Thanks, Shari.”
About three minutes later, I step on the elevator, bothered by the cruise Lynn is on. I’m back to something just not feeling right, but I remind myself Savage is now Ed’s keeper. The elevator doors open to the lobby and to my displeasure, Logan is standing there. He, of course, looks like a Ken doll in a perfect blue suit, his jawline clean, his blond locks neat.
“I called you twice this morning,” he snaps, accusation and demand in his tone, and I wonder how I once thought I loved this man. I’m certain I was mistaken.
He backs up to allow my path out of the car, which I accept. “It didn’t hear it ring,” I say, walking past him without stopping, toward the double glass doors and my final escape from this building.
Logan, of course, does just what Cindy did. He falls into step beside me. “I heard you’re meeting with Waters today.”
In other words, I think, Waters’ people are running their mouths, but that doesn’t surprise me. It supports the theory that Waters is setting up a suspect list before he has Ed killed. Still, I play along. “Who told you that?”
“I have sources,” Logan says. “Step back from this before it’s too late.”
That statement’s telling in that it shows no concern for his client he believes to be one of the trades Waters wants to make. We reach the glass doors, and thank God, someone holds the door for me and I’m outside before Logan. Unfortunately, he’s fast and immediately in front of me, blocking my path. “Come back to the firm,” he says. “I talked to your father again. He’s all in on you running your own division.”
“Clearly you have cards in this game. What is really in this for you, Logan?”
“Your safety.” He lowers his voice. “I miss you. I’m worried about you.” His hand comes down on my arm and I step back, out of his grip.
“No,” I say. “And whatever deal you made with the King Devil, which it’s obvious you did, you better hide now. He’ll come for you when you let him down. And having Rocketman visit me was not cool Logan.”
His expression registers surprise, but he’s a master actor, and I am not fooled when he asks, “Rocketman visited you?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know you know. He sounded just like you.”
“I told you, there’s buzz out there that you’re in danger. And I didn’t make a deal with Waters. A lot of bad people fear they’re going down if Waters goes down.”
“Your people, right?”
“That’s not the point. You’re in danger,” he repeats.
“You mean you’re in danger if you don’t make me listen.”
“We’re connected. I go down. You go down. Your parents go down.”
I don’t want to be affected by his words, but I’m concerned for my parents. I’m also all too aware of the way Adrian is setting himself up as a target, refocusing the danger on him. It’s brave. He’s brave. And there are things going on here I need to talk to him about now.
I refocus on Logan. “I need to go.” I step around him and start walking, my lips parting in surprise at what I find: Adrian, out in the open, leaning on the black SUV he’d promised awaited me. And my God, he’s gorgeous. Dark and ravishing in jeans and a T-shirt, his inked arms, his goatee. He’s dangerous, I know, but while he claims to be dirty, the only dirty I’ve known him to be, I liked.
“Who the fuck is that?” Logan demands as he figures out I’m walking right to Adrian.
Adrian pushes off the vehicle and steps into me, his hand possessively settling at my hip. “Ready?” he asks, his eyes warm, even gentle, when they meet mine, but his energy is sharp, almost threatening. He is not pleased about Logan.
“Who the fuck are you?” Logan demands.
Adrian’s lips quirk and his eyes meet Logan’s. “Your worst nightmare,” Adrian replies, “if you do anything to hurt her. Any questions?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
ADRIAN
There are men and there are boys in men’s bodies. Logan’s a boy in a man’s body.
He stares me down, a fool who thinks he’s a big fish, but what he doesn’t understand is when a fish swims among the sharks long enough, eventually a shark catches him. I’ll be that shark if he’s not careful.
“I never hurt her,” he claims, but he cuts his stare for the briefest of moments, a liar’s tell. He not only hurt her—he knows he hurt her.
“We both know you did,” I say.
“Who are you?” Logan demands again.
“No one you can call friend.”
Pri tugs my arm, trying to garner my attention. “We need to go. Now.”
I don’t look at her, my gaze remaining on Logan. “You heard the lady,” I say, my lips twitching. “We need to go.”
I turn away from him and help Pri into the backseat, while Logan calls out, “Pri, damn it. We need to talk. Think about your parents. Think about keeping them safe.”
Attention-hungry bastard. Now he has mine. I turn back to him. “Play this game cautiously, Logan. It’s a dangerous one.” With that, I follow Pri into the vehicle, and pull the door shut.
Adam is behind the wheel and I motion him forward. We’re already moving when I rotate to face Pri to find her angled in my direction, waiting on me. “What are you thinking?” she demands. “What was that? What are you doing?”
I scowl, bristling at her attack. “Are you protecting him?”
Her brows dip. “Who? Waters? I’m protecting Waters? What are you talking about?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You,” she says. “Who else? I’m talking about you putting yourself out there for bait. Why? Why is that necessary? You don’t get to come into my life and make me care about you and then just die.” She pokes my chest. “You don’t get to do it, Adrian.”
She’s talking about me, not Logan. She’s protecting me. My temper burns out in about two seconds, and in that moment, I recognize how alone she’s been since
Logan burned her. And yet, she let me in.
“Did you go along with this, Adam?” she demands, tapping his seat from behind.
Adam eyes her in the rear-view mirror. “I plead the fifth.”
“That’s a yes,” she says. “He’s your friend.”
I slide closer to her and catch her waist, my hand settling on her lower back, molding her close. “I’m going to be fine. And I’m not going anywhere. I’m here.”
“Until this is over or you’re dead. You made yourself bait.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I repeat. “And I have resources and a team, friends like Adam to protect me. And you and your family. Blake had the foresight to send a few men from our Dallas office to Austin at dawn. They just got here and they’re already in place.”
“How many?”
“Four men, good men. We now have full-time attention on your parents in doubles, without them knowing. They’re protected. You’re protected. I’m protected.”
“But Deleon—”
“Will come for me and not anyone else,” I say. “I have a plan, but we need to talk through pieces of that puzzle. Overall, you’ll feel better about all of this when you meet our team. Which is why,” I add, “now that we have more men and coverage, and I’m out in the open, you can meet them. Unless you object, we’re on our way to meet Jacob, Savage, and Lucifer for lunch.”
Her eyes go wide. “In public?”
“Yes, Pri,” I laugh. “In public.” I motion to Adam. “Though Adam and I can tell you, taking Savage out in public is not always a good idea. You’ll figure out why over lunch.”
“He’s not kidding,” Adam calls out. “Savage is Godzilla smashing through every place he enters.”
“And he’s guarding Ed?”
My lips curve. “Seemed a good match.”
“Really?” she says. “Is it?”
“Savage is a killer and a protector,” I say. “You want to be his friend, not his enemy.”
“Truth,” Adam chimes in.
“You okay with lunch?” I ask.
“Aside from now being intimidated by the idea of Savage, yes, but surely you’re being watched. And as much as I hate you making yourself bait, won’t all your men scare off Deleon?”
When He's Dirty (Walker Security: Adrian’s Trilogy Book 1) Page 14
