“I’ll be right outside.”
Dallas went back to the living room and his eyes met Selena’s.
“Goddamn, Dallas,” she said softly. “You really think this guy’s been hiding out in her house all this time?”
He was silent for a few seconds. “Yeah. I do.”
She sighed. “What’s that going to do to Liv’s head?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “I have no fucking idea. Whatever it is, I’ll help her through.”
She studied him, then grinned. “So. You two? Last night? Finally?”
His blue eyes snapped back to her face.
“Come on, Dallas. It was always a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’ with you two. We all saw it.”
“You did?” he asked, genuinely unnerved.
“Jesus Christ,” she said. “You’re surrounded by bodyguards on constant high-alert and highly-trained and observant military types. You really think we don’t know love when we see it right in front of our faces?”
He blushed and she laughed, delighted.
“Never thought I’d see the day that I made Dallas Foreman shuffle around like a high-school boy with a crush.” She cocked her dark head. “Looks good on you, boss. And Olivia’s amazing.”
“Yeah. Yeah, she is.”
“So, let’s go and make sure this asshole is far, far away from her once and for all. Then you and Liv can just get on with your happily-ever-after, yeah?”
He heard the bedroom door open. “Sounds good.” He took a breath, felt his body and mind click firmly in to place: up a level, cool and clear and totally in his control. “Sounds very good.”
Chapter Eight
Selena glanced over at Dallas. He was totally silent and still in the passenger seat, and he'd been that way since they’d sent Liv with Sully. She’d seen him like this before, and she knew that his amazingly sharp mind was processing something, putting puzzle pieces together, connecting dots. In her whole life, she’d never met anyone with Dallas’ ability to see patterns where nobody else could.
He was troubled, she saw. Whatever he was turning over and over in that gorgeous head just wasn’t adding up – not yet. Selena stayed quiet, let him think. When he finished contemplating whatever it was, he’d share, ask for feedback, make a call. So she left him for now, let him work through whatever it was.
Dallas couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something… something fucking massive. Something crucial, and if he didn’t grasp it soon, he had the terrible sense that this whole thing was going to end in disaster.
OK, man, enough with the melodrama, yeah? Maybe you’re just unhappy about letting Olivia out of your sight… at least when she’s with you, you’re totally sure she’s safe. Is that all it is?
He thought about that and then firmly rejected it. No, this wasn’t just some weird or twisted possessiveness or protectiveness. Olivia was with Hunter Sullivan, and that made her as safe as she could be; almost as safe as if she were next to Dallas right now.
Something about that thought snagged in his mind. Something about it caught, twigged, pulled on him.
What? What am I missing? For fuck sake, man. Think.
The truth was that he was struggling with the idea that Abraham Castell was Olivia’s stalker. Yeah, he knew all the evidence pointed that way, and he had access to her through Nigel, and he’d appeared in Nigel’s life at the right time and, he was missing now. Plus, Sully had found that fucking psychotic shrine to Olivia in the man’s house.
Still, still. He feels too… obvious. Too pat; too perfect. Almost textbook stalker.
They pulled up to Olivia’s house now, and Dallas took in the scene at a glance. Mark and Griff were there, both looking exhausted after their all-nighter, but tough and focused. There were five other vehicles parked next to the black SUV’s: two police cruisers, two SWAT vans and one unmarked van. He knew that the scanner would be inside the unmarked one and he strode over to it right away, rapped on the door.
It swung open and he nodded at Captain Peter Anderson, his most trusted and reliable contact at the Denver PD. Dallas jumped in and looked at the screens.
“Anything?” he asked without preamble.
Pete pointed. “Thermal images just came up now. Look there.”
Dallas actually felt his heart rate accelerate slightly as he took in the concentrated group of vibrant colors clearly visible in Olivia’s house. “That’s him, huh?”
“Yep.”
“And what’s all that stuff around him? With the fainter thermal coloring?”
“Yeah, that’s the really worrying part.”
“More worrying than a fucking stalker living in a woman’s house without her knowing?”
“Yeah. SWAT figures those are bombs.”
That gave Dallas pause. “How can you tell?”
“Because of their heat signature. Looks like he’s got about a dozen of the things.”
“Goddamn.” Dallas stared at the screen. “So – what? He’s holed up in there with a fucking minefield surrounding him?”
“Yeah. The SWAT boys want to go in hot.”
Dallas ran his hands through his hair. “Surgical fire through the wall? No negotiation or trying to talk to him at all?”
“Yeah. That’s protocol when dealing with this kind of nutbar in close quarters and who can quite probably blow us all sky-high unless SWAT takes care of him first.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Of course you do, Foreman. You’ve dealt with us before. You know how we work.”
Dallas nodded. “Thanks, man.” He climbed out of the van, started over to his people. And stopped dead.
That’s protocol – and I know that because I’ve worked with them before. Anybody who works in security would know that in this specific situation, SWAT will go in looking to kill.
The original floor plans of Olivia’s house were switched out for the ones I have now… the ones that her protective details work from.
The answer that he’d been looking for since yesterday floated at him, retreated, swam back and he grasped it, hard. Suddenly, he knew exactly who was stalking Olivia – and it wasn’t Abraham Castell, and it wasn’t whoever the hell was in her house right now, and the certainty of it took his breath away.
As part of Olivia’s protective detail, he’d have full access to her house. Her bedroom. The door and window codes and security systems. Everything.
As part of her detail, he’d enjoy complete trust. Hers, the teams’, the cops’. Everyone’s.
Shit.
Dallas fumbled in his pocket for his cell. Mark saw the look on Dallas’ face and came over, alarmed.
“What?”
Dallas glanced up. “It’s not Castell, Mark. He’s the fall guy.” He looked at the SWAT team suiting up. “Don’t let them go in, man. If they barge in shooting, we’re going to lose our only witness.”
Mark stared. “So who is it?”
But Dallas was on the phone now, holding it to his ear. He gazed at the mountains in the distance as he listened to the phone ringing at the other end.
Come on, come on. Pick up.
**
Hunter Sullivan glanced over at Olivia as he drove her away from Dallas’ house. He didn’t like how frightened she looked; she was going to be just fine with him, and he wished she’d trust that.
“You OK, sweetheart?” he asked softly.
Liv started and looked over at him. She tried to smile and he smiled back.
“Yeah, I will be. Thanks, Sully.”
“Sure.” He turned his attention back to the road. “We’ll be at the office in a few minutes, OK? Just try to relax.”
She nodded and stared back out the window.
Dallas said it’ll all be over soon, and so it will be. He’ll get the guy in my house, and he’ll come get me and t
ake me to his place. Then I’ll let him make me forget this whole nightmare. Many, many times.
**
Dallas disconnected the call. “No answer.”
“Who are you calling, man?” Griff asked.
“Sully.”
They all blinked.
“Sully?” Selena said. “Why?”
He was already hurrying towards the SUV. “Because Olivia’s in terrible danger.”
They followed him, scattering to their various vehicles. Dallas got in the driver’s seat, turned the key, hit the gas. He put in his earpiece and tried to call Sully again.
Still nothing. Fuck.
He drove like hell to the offices, cursing himself for having missed it so completely, for so long.
If anything happens to her? It’s your fault, man. Nobody’s but yours.
**
Sully pulled up to the Solid Security offices and Olivia climbed out of the SUV, feeling slow and tired. Sully looked around before taking her arm and leading her in to the reception area. She heaved a sigh of relief as the door closed behind her. She felt completely safe now, knowing that she was surrounded by Dallas’ people.
“Olivia?”
She jumped, and she and Sully both turned to the speaker.
“I was just leaving you a note asking you to call me,” Greg Wallace said. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but could I please speak to you alone?”
**
“Greg Wallace?” Mark asked, totally disbelieving. “How the fuck can it be Wallace?”
Dallas took a corner so fast the SUV almost went up on two wheels. Mark held on, thanking God that Dallas had the skills of a NASCAR driver, otherwise he’d be in mortal terror for his life right now. The man was driving like hell, and was trying to place a call at the same time.
“Think about it, man.” Dallas shot through an amber light. “The biggest piece of the puzzle is the floor plans.”
“You got them from Greg,” Mark said slowly. “He gave them to you with all the other documentation.”
“Right.” Dallas slammed on the brakes, swerved around some ice, hit the gas again. “And he knew all her security codes. He’d be able to get total access to her, no problem. Every time she changed her cell number, he’d know the new one. Wherever she was, he’d know. When she wasn’t home, he’d know. He probably cloned her cell, set up spyware on her laptop. He probably listened to every fucking conversation she had, read every text and e-mail.” He swerved around a slower vehicle. “He’d know all about what a good suspect Abe Castell is, too. Access to Nigel, the timing works, a security guard. The perfect patsy… and we almost fucking fell for it.”
“So Castell is in Olivia’s house?”
Dallas nodded. “Probably drugged and kidnapped three days ago, when he just mysteriously disappeared. Wallace was hoping SWAT would go in and blow him away through the walls. Who’d ask questions after we found the man in Olivia’s hidden room, surrounded by bombs, with a fucking stalker shrine in his house?”
Mark cursed. “Why the fuck isn’t Sully answering?”
“I don’t know.” Dallas gunned it again. “But I don’t like it.”
**
“What’s up, Wallace?” Sully asked gruffly. He’d never liked the man, and had never bothered to conceal that fact even a little bit.
“Well, I was just double-checking a few things at the office this morning, and I noticed that we overcharged you on your last invoice, Olivia.” Greg smiled at her. “I’m really sorry. I was passing by on my way to a meeting, and just thought I’d drop off the corrected one for you here and a note asking you to call so I could explain the situation more clearly. We’ll issue a refund for the difference, of course, since you already paid.”
Olivia was staring up at him, her brow furrowed. “I’m sure the invoice was OK, Greg…”
He shook his blond head. “No, you overpaid.”
“By how much?” she said.
He paused. “Look… I have all the information here on my laptop. Maybe we can borrow one of the conference rooms for ten minutes?” He glanced over at Sully. “We can go over it there?”
Sully shrugged. “Sure. Go ahead.”
“Thanks,” Greg said. “I really appreciate it.”
**
Cordelia Patton was happier than she’d been in years. She had given her notice at Blue Star within an hour of her interview with Dallas the week before, and she was now at Solid Security, signing the final papers for her son’s medical insurance. Dallas had promised to make sure she had what she needed to get Sean all the treatment that he required, and Dallas was as good as his word. Cordelia walked out of the HR office, relieved and excited to start work the next week.
She looked around the offices, liking the energy, the open space. That was when she saw Greg Wallace walking with Olivia Jameson, headed in to the same conference room where Cordelia’s interview had taken place.
Urgh. I had hoped to never see his horrible face ever again.
She put on her winter coat and started to wrap her scarf around her neck. Then she paused. Something was bothering her, and she stood still, wondering what was wrong. Her mind turned to Greg and Olivia, and she blinked. Then it hit her.
Wait a minute. Why the hell is Greg here? He’s supposed to be at that security conference in Colorado Springs…
She tugged on her hat slowly, located her mittens in her coat pocket, her mind still whirring about Greg being in Denver. Maybe he came back early? Maybe it was dull and useless? Maybe he had never gone to the conference at all, and just used it as an excuse to play hooky from work for a few days?
Cordelia dug her car keys out of her purse, and headed for the exit. She was almost outside, almost on her way out the door, when her whole body and mind told her to turn around again. She froze. The last time her intuition had screamed at her like this, it was when Sean’s doctor had told her that his dizzy spells and seizures were epilepsy, and the dramatic changes in his personality were just normal childhood temper tantrums. Her whole body had reacted to the man’s words – rejected them, known on a cellular level that he was wrong. And right now, right at this moment, her whole body knew that Greg being here with Olivia was wrong.
She saw a large man standing by the door, looking at the conference room, a frown on his face. Cordelia approached him.
“Excuse me?” she said hesitantly.
The man turned ferocious black eyes on her. “Yes?”
She swallowed. “I’m very sorry to bother you… I just wanted to ask about Mr. Wallace being here.”
The man stared at her in surprise.
“Why?”
“Because I worked for him… still do, actually, until the end of this week. Then I start here, you see, and I know I’m being presumptuous asking about clients like Liv when I don’t officially work here yet, and I apologize again… but what is Greg doing here?” She quaked under that increasingly-fierce glare. “He’s supposed to be in Colorado Springs, you see.”
“He said that he was at the office this morning and he found that Olivia had been overcharged on her last invoice. They’re going over the details now and he’ll issue a refund.”
Cordelia blinked. “But that’s all impossible.”
“Why?” The man looked completely alert.
“Because first, I prepared that invoice personally, and it was perfect. Second, he’s accidentally overcharged clients before and has never issued a refund when I informed him of that fact – not once, not ever. And third, he wasn’t at the office this morning.” She gulped as the man’s face hardened even more. “He hasn’t been at the office for the past three days.”
Sully stared at the woman in front of him, her words hitting him like punches. He turned to look at the closed conference room door, his whole body telling him to get Olivia the hell out of there.
Goddammit.
He reached for his phone, realized that in his tiredness, he’d left it in his coat pocket… and his coat was in the SUV. The dark-haired woman watched, amazed and a bit afraid, as Sully shot out the door, back to the vehicle. When he saw that he’d missed nineteen calls from Dallas, his worst fears were realized and he closed his eyes.
In less than two seconds, Sully had slowed down his heartbeat and cleared his mind. He opened the office door and quietly signalled for everyone to evacuate right away. The staff blinked but asked no questions as they filed out silently.
Sully approached the conference room with his gun drawn, listening intently for any noise at all. His back flat against the wall, he peered through the long vertical pane of glass, drew back, looked again. What he saw froze his blood.
Oh, fuck. Fuck, no.
Chapter Nine
Dallas skidded to a stop in the parking lot. His stomach jumped when he saw his entire staff outside without coats, looking confused.
“Oh, Christ,” Mark said.
Without a word, Dallas headed for the door and stepped back when it opened. Sully emerged, gun drawn, looking grim.
“Wallace has her, doesn’t he?” Dallas said.
Sully didn’t ask how his boss knew that. “In the large conference room.”
“You saw them?”
Sully nodded. “Through the window.”
“Tell me.”
The others gathered around to listen.
“He’s got a knife,” Sully said. “She was sitting in a chair, unrestrained, conscious and alert. No blood, no bruises. He was calm and talking to her.”
“Her clothes?” Selena asked.
“Fine. No rips, no damage.”
They all nodded.
“He saw me and shouted for everyone to stay away from the outside-facing window,” Sully said. “Said that if he sees so much as a shadow on the ground, he’ll gut her without a second thought.”
“What do you want to do, Dallas?” Griff said.
“I’m going to call him.”
Enemy Outside (Unseen Enemy Book 2) Page 12
