“Oh, sure,” she said, trying to collect herself a bit. “I’ll start lunch. Just slicing and boiling… I’ll leave the heavy lifting for you.”
He grinned and went to his office. Liv turned away, resolutely, and focused on chopping the garlic. As she did, she tried very hard not to think about how Dallas’ lips would feel on her own. She failed miserably.
Chapter Four
On Monday morning, Olivia sat in the Solid Security offices, sipping a coffee and feeling very impressed. Dallas had chosen to set up his business in a former factory, and the space was massive. High ceilings and lots of open-plan areas, several private offices and two conference rooms. There was even an interrogation space – quite forbidding in its starkness – with an observation room behind the two-way, bullet-proof glass.
She looked up as Dallas entered his office now; two large men followed him and Liv blinked. They were scary as hell, no doubt about it, and they gazed at her coolly, looking her up and down. She was used to being assessed by strangers – usually by clothing designers and companies looking to book her – but this was a totally new experience. She was sure these men weren’t mentally sticking her in a bustier or bikini, trying to figure out if her breasts were big enough and her ass small enough. She got the feeling that they were seeing something totally different about her, but hell if she knew what that might be.
“Olivia, hon,” Dallas said, “I’d like you to meet Mark Hayden, my second-in-command, and Hunter Sullivan. They’re going to be your main protective detail.”
She was startled. “So… you won’t be on my detail anymore?”
His blue eyes were gentle. “Of course I will. But I can’t do it all alone, right? Mark and Sully are with me. OK?”
She nodded and held out her hand to Mark. “I’m so glad to meet you.”
He smiled now, and she relaxed a bit. His mint-green eyes were amazing against his café-au-lait skin and his grin was almost boyish. “You too, Ms. Jameson.”
“Liv, please.”
Sully smiled too, but didn’t say anything as he shook her hand. He was older than Mark, she guessed, and somehow less approachable with his hard black eyes. She figured he’d be the strong, silent type, the kind to simply step forward without a word and act as a human shield if need be.
As she stood there staring back at these three men now tasked with keeping her safe, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. In just thirty seconds with these guys, she felt safer and more secure than she’d felt in almost six months of being under the protection of Greg and the Blue Star group. Somehow, instinctively, Liv knew that Dallas and his team were the real deal.
Sully held out a chair. “Sit please, Liv.”
“Thank you.”
The men sat too and she suddenly felt alert. The mood in the room had just sharpened and tightened, somehow. Like shit had just got real.
“OK, Olivia,” Dallas said. “Mark and Sully have gone over all the documentation from Greg Wallace, and of course, you and I went through it all repeatedly over the weekend.”
She nodded. They had indeed. Dallas had asked every single question at least seven different ways, and if he noticed any discrepancy whatsoever in her answers or in the time line, he had jumped on it and clarified until he totally understood. She had been in awe of his memory for detail and her respect for him as a professional bodyguard was now officially through the roof.
“I gave you the copies of the contract yesterday – have you got any questions?”
“No.” She took it out of her purse. “They’re all signed.”
Dallas took the papers and signed the three copies himself. He slid one across the table back to Liv and said, “One copy I’ll keep in my home office, under lock and key. The other stays here in the HQ.”
“OK.”
“So. I want you to go with Sully and Mark now… they’re going to take you home.”
She froze. Her last memory of being in her own house was the terrified knowledge that her stalker had stood in her living room. Maybe in her bedroom. Maybe right outside the bathroom, where she’d been cowering in the tub.
Mark saw her face. “Hey,” he said gently. “I spent the whole weekend there with our tech team and we swept your entire home for bugs and any other kind of unauthorized surveillance. It’s clean, Liv. And of course, we won’t leave you alone there. Someone will always be with you, no matter where you go.”
“Someone will sleep in my house?”
“Yeah, we’ll set up a sleep area, but there will always be someone awake and on patrol. We’ll explain all of this when we get back to your place. OK?”
She nodded.
“So, let’s go,” Sully said. “We’ll talk about all the rules and roles, and then we’ll figure out how to work within your schedule for the next few days.”
“You mean my work schedule?”
Sully shrugged. “Your life schedule. We work around what we can, and we ask you to rethink or even cancel some things that may seem especially dangerous or risky. We also have to go over some things we need you to do, and not do, to make it possible for us to do our jobs effectively.”
“OK,” she said and turned to Dallas. “Are you coming?”
“No.” He checked his watch. “I’m interviewing someone for a job in about fifteen minutes. I’ll come to your home later today, make sure everything’s set up and in order. And I’ll be staying with you overnight until we identify this guy and he’s in police custody.”
“You will?”
He nodded. “Yep. I’ll be inside with you, and the night team will be outside, guarding the perimeter.”
“Night team?”
“Yeah, two more members of my staff.” Dallas grinned. “They’re sleeping right now, so you’ll meet them tonight. Griff and Selena. They’ll take the night shifts, me and these guys will handle days. Alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Any questions, darlin’?”
She thought for a few seconds then shook her head. “Not right now.”
“OK, then. Off you go. I’ll see you later.” Dallas held the door for her. “And just take it easy today, alright? We’ve got this, Olivia… it’s under control. I promise you.”
And as she looked at the three men standing in front of her, she totally believed him.
**
Nigel’s Monday morning had taken an unexpected turn, and he wasn’t as happy about it as he could have been. Normally, he’d be thrilled and delighted to have two large, handsome men in dark suits come strolling up to him as he was opening the office door, kindly requesting that he come with them right away. He’d stood there, staring up at their hard eyes, startled and even a bit afraid.
They’d told him that Dallas Foreman had asked for Nigel to be brought to the Solid Security office for a conversation about Liv’s stalker. He’d agreed, of course, and then the two gorgeous men had hustled him to a black SUV, bundled him in to the back seat, and off they’d gone.
Nigel sat there, looking at the men’s broad shoulders and large hands, and realized that this was a kind of fantasy-come-true. He had a serious thing for bodyguards, and he always thought he’d find this kind of scenario hot. But worry for Liv and the men’s cool professionalism worried him.
After a few minutes of silence, Nigel spoke up. “Ummm. Has something happened? Is Liv OK?”
The dark-haired one stared at Nigel in the rear view mirror. “We’re not authorized to give you any details. Mr. Ramirez. I’m sorry.”
“Details about what?”
“I can’t say.”
“But something must have happened, or else there’d be no details for you to stay quiet about. Am I right?”
Silence.
“Please,” Nigel said. “Just let me know if Liv is OK.”
“Ms. Jameson is fine,” the blond one who was driving said. “That’s all we’ll say, though.�
�
Nigel nodded. “Thank you.”
They pulled up to a large building and the men escorted Nigel inside. He looked around, amazed at the size of Dallas’ operation. Nigel saw at least ten staff in the main area, plus he saw several private offices.
“Sit here, please,” said the blond one. “Mr. Foreman will be right out to talk to you.”
Nigel nodded again and sank on to the sofa near the reception desk. He found that he was very nervous at the thought of speaking to Dallas alone, in a professional setting. He’d only met the man for the first time at Emma’s party on Friday night, and he’d found Dallas formidable in a sexy-yet-intimidating way.
A door opened and Dallas emerged with a dark-haired, dark-eyed woman. They shook hands and she smiled. Dallas watched her leave, then he scanned the entire office in mere seconds.
Nigel sat up straight and watched those hard blue eyes turn to him. Even from across the room, he felt the other man’s entire body and mind focus right on him. He felt like he was in the crosshairs, somehow. Then Dallas was standing in front of him, extending his large hand, and Nigel got to his feet.
“Mr. Ramirez,” Dallas said. “My apologies for my men having to ambush you at work. I don’t normally like to do things that way, but time is of the essence in this case.”
Nigel blinked at the formality. On Friday night at the party, he’d been Nigel.
“It’s OK,” Nigel said cautiously.
“Let’s go sit in the conference room,” Dallas said. “Coffee?”
“Um, yes, please. With just milk.”
“OK, you go in and sit down. I’ll be right there. Give me two minutes.”
Nigel sat, feeling more and more worried. Why was time of the essence? What was ‘in this case’? Where was Liv? And why was Dallas’ firm handling anything that might have happened, and not Greg and Blue Star? Nigel got the very strong feeling that something had happened, and that it had been bad enough to be a total game-changer.
Dallas came in with a thick folder in his hands. He sat down, and another huge man followed him in with Nigel’s coffee.
“Thank you,” Nigel murmured.
“You’re welcome.”
The man closed the door behind him and now Nigel found himself being stared at very intensely by a large, muscular, tattooed ex-sniper. His breath caught and he found that his hands were shaking.
“Mr. Ramirez,” Dallas said. “Why did you disable the cameras at Olivia Jameson’s house on the night of her party?”
Nigel put his coffee cup down on the table so quickly, it was a shock that it didn’t crack. “What? I didn’t do that!”
“Then how were the cameras disabled?”
“I – I have no idea.”
Dallas glanced down at his notes. “According to my IT team’s research, the cameras were active and fully-operational until just before four o’clock. You entered the house a few minutes before that. Within five minutes of your arrival, everything was offline.” He looked up. “How do you explain that?”
“I – I can’t. I mean, I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t do it…”
“So who could have?”
“I don’t know.”
“The party began at eight o’clock, so what were you doing in Ms. Jameson’s house for four hours?”
Nigel ran his hands through his hair. “Getting things ready… moving the furniture, hanging the banner, lighting the fire, organizing the food and drink.”
“Alone?”
“Yes. Yes, I was alone.”
“The whole time?”
“Uh. Well, no.” Nigel blushed. “My boyfriend Abe came over around seven-thirty, out-of-the-blue. He brought some flowers for Emma.”
“How long did Mr. Castell stay?”
Nigel blinked. He knows Abe’s last name? “Uh, probably about ten minutes.”
“And what did you two do?”
Nigel blushed again. “Ummm. Well, we… he kissed me. And I responded.”
“And you saw him leave the house?”
“Yes.” Nigel paused. “Actually… no.”
Dallas cocked his head. “Which one is it?”
Nigel was thinking hard. “Well… I saw him walk down the stairs from the living room to the front door, and I heard the door open and close. But – but…”
“But you never actually saw him walk out the front door,” Dallas finished. “Is that correct?”
Nigel nodded.
“And did you go down the stairs at any time and lock the door behind him?”
“No,” Nigel said slowly. “It locks automatically when shut.”
The two men stared at each other. Nigel looked almost frightened.
“OK,” Dallas said. “So what did you do after watching Mr. Castell walk down the stairs?”
“Nothing, really. I finished getting a few things ready – I chose some music, and I fiddled a bit with the banner – and then Liv and Emma came in through the elevator from the garage.”
“Who was buzzing people in and out of the party?”
Nigel paused. “Well, I was.”
“You know Ms. Jameson’s security codes?”
“Yes.”
Dallas leaned back. “All of them?”
“Yes,” Nigel said. “The garage code, the main door, the side doors. I have full access to Liv’s home.”
“You know all her computer passwords?”
“Well, the professional ones. She has some personal accounts that I can’t access.”
“Who can?”
Nigel paused again. “I – I don’t know. I imagine just Liv.”
“Who did you give her new cell number to without her knowledge or permission?”
“Nobody!” Nigel was getting angry now. “I’d never do that, especially since this stalker came in to the picture!” He glared at Dallas. “Now, I want to know what’s going on here, if you please. Where’s Liv?”
“At home,” Dallas said, watching Nigel closely.
“OK,” Nigel said. “And why am I here? Where’s Greg Wallace?”
“Blue Star no longer protects Olivia. We do now.”
Nigel heaved a gigantic sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God.”
Dallas narrowed his eyes. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I never trusted them to take care of her. They seemed… unprofessional and lazy. Uninterested. I’d send them information and never get confirmation that it had even been received. I’d tell them about some texts or pictures she’d been sent, and Greg never seemed all that worried.”
“Were you worried?”
“Of course!” Nigel exclaimed. “And I know you were, too. Liv told me about your talk at the hospital. That was the first moment I thought that maybe I wasn’t crazy – that maybe I was right to be as freaked out as I was. You were the first person who reacted in what I thought was an appropriate way.”
Dallas smiled. “You must know that you were originally our strongest suspect as her stalker.”
Nigel sighed. “Yes. I can see that.”
“Where were you on Friday night after the party?”
“I went home.”
“Alone?”
“Yes. I was exhausted and Liv told me to go. She walked me out, and I assume she set the door code. I went straight out to my car and went home. I showered and fell in to bed.”
“Did you see Mr. Castell that night?”
“No. We were supposed to meet up, but he had to cancel, he said.”
“And where was he after the party?”
“I don’t know,” Nigel said. “I guess at work. He’s a security guard, so he sometimes works weird hours and gets called in on short notice.”
Hmmmm. A security guard. Interesting.
“And did you leave your building again that night?” Dallas asked.
“No.”
Dallas regarded Nigel and finally took it down a notch. “Yes, we have the security footage from your apartment building. We know what time you came home, and that you stayed all night. You weren’t the one.”
“The one what?”
“The one who sent Olivia threatening texts from her own living room after the party.”
Nigel stared. “What?”
Dallas explained fully, and by the time he’d finished, Nigel was the color of parchment.
“Is she OK?” he whispered.
“Yeah. She’s fine.”
Nigel was quiet for a few seconds. “What do you need me to do?”
Dallas studied him, and his cool tone and body language completely disappeared. “I need you to give me and my staff full access to your life.”
“Why?”
“Because even though you’re not her stalker, the person who is may be gaining access through you.”
“How?”
“You know everything about Olivia, Nigel.” Dallas’ eyes were gentle. “You know her schedule, her life, her friends. You’re her right hand. Who do you talk to about your job?”
“Well, Abe, of course. Some friends. My Mom, occasionally.”
“How much detail do you go in to?”
“Oh, not much at all. It’s part of my contract: I have a few clauses that clearly outline what I can't discuss with anybody. They include specifics about Liv’s schedule. Things like which hotel she’ll be staying in when she travels, flight information, the address of the shoot. Stuff like that, things that make it easy to find and follow her.”
“OK.” Dallas thought for a second. “Tell me about Abe.”
“Abe? Well, we met about six months ago.”
That caught Dallas’ attention.
Six months ago. The time that Olivia’s stalker showed up in her life.
“Has he met Olivia?” Dallas said.
“Yes, just briefly.”
“Does he ask lots of questions about her? Show any interest in her whereabouts?”
Nigel shook his head. “No, he’s ever asked anything, really. And never asks where she is.” He shrugged. “He respects the terms of my contract.”
Enemy Outside (Unseen Enemy Book 2) Page 5
