He waved her off while maintaining his grin. “Timon cleaned everyone out and gloated about it all evening,” Davis replied. “Although we did nearly have a floor show. Jacey broke up with Maxwell.”
“Well, everyone saw that coming,” Roxy remarked.
“Apparently Maxwell didn’t,” Davis muttered while sorting through the mail. “He was particularly put off and tried to involve Asher in their argument.”
“Not very smart for a guy with a PhD,” Roxy casually replied.
“I don’t know what’s up with those two,” Davis remarked. “They act like they want to kill each other.”
“A little jealousy, if you ask me,” she replied.
Davis cast a glance at her and appeared surprised. “Maxwell? Jealous of Asher?”
“No, the other way around,” she remarked. “Apparently, the two stallions are fighting over the same mare.”
Davis stared at her with his mouth hanging open. “Asher?” he suddenly bellowed then grinned and shook his head. “He doesn’t see Jacey as a conquest. He’s more like a father figure.”
Roxy shrugged while smirking. “I dated Brian for two months,” she announced. “You hear things.”
Her father snorted a soft laugh and waved her off, returning to the stack of mail. His expression suddenly faded as he stared at an envelope in his hand. It was marked ‘confidential’ and contained only the city, state, and zip code as a return address. Roxy eyed her father and sat forward in her chair.
“Is something wrong?” she asked with a puzzled look.
He hesitated then looked at her and forced a smile. “No, honey, I just wasn’t expecting this letter this early in the month.” Davis reached into his pocket, removed his wallet, and handed her his credit card. “Why don’t you go pick up that order I told you about in town? I need to get on this right away.”
Roxy uncertainly stood while holding the credit card. “Oh, uh, okay.”
He handed her his car keys and herded her toward the door. The door opened before she reached it. Nathan and Carl entered in a whirlwind of fury with envelopes in their hands.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Nathan demanded.
“We’ll talk in my office,” Davis announced in a calmer tone as he escorted Roxy out the door. He then focused his attention on his daughter. “We’ll talk later, honey.”
Despite her protests, Davis shut the door behind her. Roxy stood outside the reception office door and stared at the frosted glass. She considered entering, but the raised voices on the other side indicated it wasn’t a good time. Roxy frowned then turned and walked away.
†
After her lunch with Asher, Jacey decided to hide out in the basement file room and organize boxes for Roxy. It would give the young woman something to do after she returned from lunch with her father. Roxy was already twenty minutes late, but since her father was the boss, she doubted an extended lunch would get her into any trouble. Jacey heard the familiar creak of someone on the steps at the far end of the file room. She looked toward the end of the aisle and listened for the sound of Roxy’s high heels on the hardwood floor. She didn’t hear any sound.
“Roxy?”
There was no response. Jacey was certain she heard someone on the steps, and she wasn’t in the mood for games after her run-in with Jeannette’s killer the other day. She slowly walked to the end of the aisle and poked her head out to look toward the stairs. The lights suddenly went out and left her in complete darkness. Jacey stood motionless at the end of the aisle while feeling her heart pounding. That couldn’t have been an accident. Although there was a light switch at the top of the steps as well as at the bottom, no one would simply turn out the lights in the file room without calling down first. She slowly removed her shoes, to avoid making any sound, and left them on the floor by the end of the aisle. She crept out of the aisle while keeping low and close to the shelves. She then heard someone moving around within the file room. Jacey felt her way to the wall and slid along it cautiously and quietly. She heard a clunk from another aisle, possibly someone tripping over an improperly stowed file box.
Jacey knew exactly where she was despite the darkness and darted for the nearby stairs. She reached for the light switch at the bottom of the stairs and turned on the lights. The room brightened but revealed only rows of file shelves. Jacey uncertainly took a step toward the nearby shelves to see who was sneaking around in the file room in the dark. She suddenly stopped and changed her mind. If she ran into another situation like at Jeannette’s house, it could be a fatal mistake. Jacey quickly turned and ran up the stairs. She ran along the back hall, hurried into the reception office, and nearly slammed the door behind her. She hurried to her desk and grabbed a metal letter opener. Someone appeared outside the frosted reception door. Jacey snatched the phone from its cradle and was about to dial for security when she heard a clunk behind her. Jacey turned with her letter opener raised and nearly collided with Roxy. Both women screamed in response. The office door was suddenly thrown open. Both women spun toward the door and screamed again. Asher stood in the doorway with a concerned look on his face.
“What’s wrong? I heard screaming,” he demanded.
Both women relaxed.
“I may have to reconsider a career change,” Roxy announced while holding her chest. “This place is just too creepy.”
Roxy collected her purse and attempted a smile. “I have to run to town for my father. I’ll be back in an hour.” She then left with a wave.
Jacey tossed the letter opener onto her desk and eyed Asher as he approached. She was still breathing heavily and held her head with a trembling hand.
“What’s going on?” he asked with concern while watching her.
“Oh, nothing,” she replied while attempting to control her breathing. “Just a little on edge.” She eyed him suspiciously. “I thought you went home after lunch.”
“I found a secluded spot out back to finish my cigar and watched the golf instructor get friendly with one of the member’s wives. Who knew learning to golf involved so much bumping and grinding.” Asher then glanced at her bare feet and gently tilted his head in question. “If nothing is wrong, what happened to your shoes?”
Jacey glanced at her bare feet then met Asher’s stern gaze. She fidgeted slightly.
†
Jacey followed Asher across the nearly silent, brightly lit file room. He casually looked into each aisle as they passed then scanned the room while she recovered her shoes from the back aisle. When he was satisfied no one was downstairs, he joined her in the last aisle.
“Whomever turned out the lights obviously knew you were down here,” he remarked. “Why else would they be sneaking around in the dark?”
“Or it could just be someone wanting to play a joke on me,” she replied.
“Who’d possibly be that stupid?” Asher demanded.
Jacey shrugged and casually replied, “Brian.”
Asher sank into thought, considered the comment, and then nodded in agreement. “It’s possible. That boy doesn’t handle rejection well.”
She stared at him with surprise. “How do you know he asked me out?”
“It stands to reason with Maxwell officially out of your life, that Brian would make a clumsy attempt to take advantage of you in your vulnerable state.”
“I’m the one who broke up with Maxell,” she reminded him. “I wouldn’t exactly consider myself vulnerable.” She folded her arms across her chest while staring at him. “How are you able to read people so well?”
Asher shrugged. “Years working for the CIA,” he replied. “Nothing gets past me.” Asher then grinned teasingly. “He may have mentioned he was going to make a play for you when he saw you in the smoking lounge.”
Jacey held back her laugh as she slipped into one of her shoes. They heard movement from across the room not far from the stairs. Asher immediately followed the sound without fear or hesitation. Jacey gasped and hurried after him, carrying her other shoe. She hated when he was in attac
k dog mode. It frightened her. Maybe he assumed he was the more frightening person in any situation. Maybe he was right. Asher walked quietly past several shelves of files, heard a sound before the first row of shelves, and then leaped into the aisle. He grabbed Carl by the shirt collar and slammed him against the shelving, causing the large metal shelves to vibrate from the hard hit. Carl cried out with surprise. It was uncertain whether he was surprised to find anyone in the file room or the fear of coming face-to-face with Asher. Jacey quickly approached with only one shoe on while struggling to slip into the other. Asher released Carl and took a step back while glaring at him. Carl held his chest while looking from Jacey to Asher then back to Jacey.
“What’s going on down here?” Carl asked then saw Jacey slipping into her other shoe. He looked back at Asher and grinned cheaply. “Oh, I see. Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.” He chuckled deviously. “You two just get back to what you were doing.”
Jacey rolled her eyes and hurried past them up the stairs. Asher glared at Carl then followed her. Jacey hurried from the stairwell with Asher only a few feet behind her. She quickly turned in the hallway to face him, causing him to stop abruptly, and gave him an annoyed look. Asher appeared bewildered at the look he’d received. She pulled his jacket away from his side to reveal a black leather shoulder holster containing a semiautomatic. It was his personal weapon unlike his officially issued gun she’d found in the box in his closet. Jacey would be foolish to think Asher only owned a gun or two, but she was starting to wonder how many he had hidden around his house. She released his jacket, covering the gun, and glared at him.
“When did you start wearing your gun again?”
“When your co-worker was butchered,” he casually replied. “It seemed as good a time as any to start.”
“That’s all this town needs,” she huffed and shook her head. “You’re going to get them started again.”
Asher smiled pleasantly and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t worry about my reputation, darling. It’s been tarnished for years.”
Jacey didn’t appear convinced but forced a weak smile anyway, patted his chest, and then sighed. “I sometimes think you enjoy your reputation a little too much.”
He shrugged. “It ensures I never have to wait in line at the grocery store.”
She groaned and shook her head. Once she had a chance to recover from his ‘shock and awe’ on Carl in the file room, she managed a smile.
“Are you sure you want Professor and Timon to come over for dinner tonight?” she asked.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” Asher suddenly remarked. “Unless you’d rather be alone tonight and mourn Dr. Maxwell’s departure for Denver.”
“No, I’m okay with that,” she informed him. “I’m happy with my decision.” She hesitated and grimaced at the thoughts crossing her mind. “Actually, I feel pretty good about it. Almost relieved.” She glanced at him with concern. “Does that make me a bad person?”
“No, of course not,” he replied simply. “It just means you’ve made the right decision.” He then hesitated and considered the comment. “That I feel good about it, though, does make me a bad person.”
Chapter Nineteen
Later that evening, Professor, Timon, and Jacey had joined Asher at his house for dinner. While Asher prepared dinner, the three sat in the sunroom sipping wine. Jacey shook her head while talking quietly with the two men.
“I don’t know if it’s Jeannette’s murder or that I came face-to-face with the killer, but Asher’s been acting off lately,” she gently informed them.
“Define ‘off’,” Professor remarked with a curious stare.
“Like he’s ready to start a war with anyone who looks at me funny,” she replied.
“You’re just noticing this now?” Timon teased while chuckling in his throat.
“He’s always been, well, protective,” she remarked while deep in thought. “But this goes beyond protective. I just feel like there’s something going on, but he’s not sharing it with me.” She looked at Professor and pleaded with her eyes. “Maybe you could talk to him.”
“Me?” Professor announced as his eyes widened dramatically. He reacted as if she’d asked him to walk on hot coals. “Do you think he’ll open up to me?” He then threw it back at her. “You’re his best friend. You talk to him.”
“And say what?” she protested.
“Say, hey, Asher, are you feeling a little stressed?” Timon announced in a jovial tone as his eyes lit up. “Feel like killing anyone lately?”
“Yeah,” Asher announced from the sunroom archway, “but it usually passes.”
All three jumped and looked at Asher standing in the archway with a mocking smile on his face and his hands casually placed in his pockets.
“If you insist on talking about me, please speak up,” he announced with little emotion. “It’s tough to hear all the good details from the kitchen.” Asher eyed Jacey and gave her a stern but pleasant smile. “Jacey, could I speak to you alone in the woodshed? Bring my ax.”
Asher motioned her to the kitchen with his eyes. Jacey sheepishly walked past Timon and Professor. Timon watched her and jokingly dabbed his eye while pretending to sniff sadly.
“Too bad,” Timon muttered to Professor loud enough so Jacey would hear. “I actually kind of liked her.”
Jacey smacked Timon on the arm as she passed. Asher filed in behind her as she entered the kitchen. Asher shut the kitchen door and leaned against the frame. His look was skeptical.
“What was that all about?” he demanded.
Jacey could feel the color rise to her cheeks as she stared back at his intimidating look. “You were pretty tense today at the club,” she informed him.
“With good reason,” he announced boldly. “Your co-worker was stabbed to death just two days ago, and her attacker nearly killed you as well.”
“He didn’t nearly kill me,” she insisted firmly. “I went all Asher on his ass and he took off.”
Asher straightened and approached her while staring into her eyes. Her heart was pounding at his closeness. It was possibly the first time his presence made her uncomfortable, although she wasn’t even sure why.
“I’ve earned the right to have moments of paranoia and episodes of over protectiveness,” he gently informed her. His look was demanding. “I don’t think I should have to remind you why either.”
She firmly stood her ground and stared into his blue eyes not far from hers while maintaining a stance almost as intimidating as his. At least she thought so.
“And I’m entitled to worry about your paranoia and episodes of over protectiveness,” she countered.
He groaned softly and appeared to relax. “There’s no reason to worry about my mental health,” Asher informed her. “I’m perfectly sound. If I were a danger to myself or others, the CIA would have retired me permanently.”
Jacey didn’t appreciate the joke. “A lot has changed since you retired,” she informed him then indicated his home. “You’ve remodeled a different room in your house once a week for the last three months.”
“What’s wrong with that?” he suddenly demanded. “It was long overdue.”
She held her breath while staring into his eyes. “For years you hadn’t changed a thing. Now, you’ve changed everything,” Jacey gently informed him then gave him a stern look. “You removed all Katie’s photos.”
There was an awkward silence as he stared at her. He didn’t even flinch at the comment. “She’s gone, Jacey,” he remarked simply. “I’ve accepted the fact that she’s not coming back. There’s nothing wrong with letting go.”
Jacey fidgeted while studying him. “I’m just concerned that you’re having some sort of emotional breakdown.”
“If I am, you’ll be the first to know,” he teased and grinned. He smiled affectionately, gently touched her shoulders, and moved closer to her. “My demons no longer haunt me, Jacey. You’ve frightened them all away.”
Jacey smiled at th
e comment then moved into his arms, circling her arms around his waist. He held her close to him for a long embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder, inhaled his wonderful scent, and once more felt at ease, even if she probably shouldn’t have.
“What would I ever do without you?” she whispered softly, although more to herself.
“Probably marry Dr. Maxwell and live happily ever after in Denver,” he teased lightly as his cheek brushed past the top of her head.
Jacey pulled back just far enough to glare into his eyes. He had a unique way of ruining a moment. He caught her glare and chuckled softly at her expense.
“Just teasing, my dear.”
“Everyone’s entitled to one bad habit.” Jacey smiled warmly and playfully kissed him on the lips then patted his chest. “You’re mine, Konrad Asher.”
He cocked his head with arrogance and grinned, almost pleased with the comment. His arms tightened around her waist, refusing to let her go.
“I’m a bad habit, huh?” he teased.
Jacey laughed and attempted to pull away before she got him started. He enjoyed poking fun at his bad reputation and liked it even more when she did it. Despite her effort to escape, Asher didn’t release her. She did her best to avoid looking at him while keeping him at bay, bracing her hands against his chest, and avoided laughing so she wouldn’t encourage him.
“You know damned well you are,” she teased while playfully holding him back.
“Oh, no, you’re not getting away that easily,” he announced, attempting to keep a serious face while trying not to laugh as he held her. “I’ve been offended, and I demand an apology.”
She finally met his gaze and stared into his eyes, determined to beat him at his own game. Her smile mocked him.
“You’re not nearly as scary as you’d have everyone in town think you are,” she announced with conviction.
Asher allowed a throaty chuckle to escape, humored by the comment. “Actually, I am,” he replied. “Just not where you’re concerned.”
Jacey stopped fighting his attempt to hold her, stood up on her toes to increase eye contact with him, and smirked. “You don’t frighten me, Konrad Asher,” she teased boldly.
The Deadliest Institution Collection Page 33
