Page 32 of Danger and Dominance (Black Fox Security Doms #1)

David

“Well, that was a bust,” David said disgustedly, tossing the file on their most recent interviewee on Lincoln’s desk. They needed to hire more people, but it was just as important—if not more—to hire the right people. Jason D. Vince had not been the right person.

“It was,” Lincoln agreed, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. “Definitely not what I’d hoped for.”

Underqualified, overconfident, and far too easily swayed to say whatever he thought the boss would agree with, Vince was not the kind of candidate they were hoping for. David was surprised he’d gotten as far as an interview, to be honest.

“Who recommended him again?”

“No one.” Lincoln grimaced. “Unfortunately, Marshall has been poaching the best candidates before we can even get to them.”

Fucking Marshall. David scowled. “Well, if they’re going to work for Marshall, they’re probably not the best candidates, anyway.”

His boss shot him a look.

“You know as well as I do that Marshall is good at putting on a front. They probably won’t realize what an unethical bastard he is until it’s too late.

Like me.” Lincoln made a face. Considering Marshall had both stolen from the company and slept with Lincoln’s now ex-wife, that was putting it lightly.

David felt a smidgeon of guilt because he knew that Lincoln and Marshall had been good friends for years before Marshall finally crossed too many lines. But David had never liked him.

He was too smart to say ‘I told you so’ about the man, even though he’d wanted to.

“So what are we going to do?” he asked. Better to discuss a solution than all the ways in which Marshall Devlin sucked. That could go on for hours without them getting anywhere.

“I’m not sure.” Lincoln picked up one of his pens, holding it between two of his fingers and tapping each end of the pen against the desk as he moved his fingers up and down. He stared into space while he thought. “I don’t want to stoop to Marshall’s level.”

“It wouldn’t be stooping to his level to start letting it leak more broadly about why he’s no longer with Black Fox,” David countered. Something that he’d said before.

Lincoln had quietly let their contemporaries know that Marshall had been embezzling, but it hadn’t made the papers, and nothing had been said to any of their clients.

All of whom would have been likely to spread the word to their friends, depriving Marshall of contacts… which would have been for the best.

To be fair, David didn’t think Lincoln had expected Marshall to start his own competing security firm in Pittsburgh.

He’d expected Marshall to have enough shame to flee the city and start over elsewhere.

But, as far as David could tell, Marshall never felt any shame.

He was convinced he was the one who’d been wronged.

Which just went to show how fucked up his moral compass was.

“I’ll think about it.” Lincoln was frowning, though, which meant he wasn’t going to do it. Not yet. Saying that he’d think about it was already a more open-minded answer than the last time David had suggested it, so maybe one day.

David understood. Lincoln wanted to take the high road.

Unfortunately, too many people were all too willing to believe the shit Marshall was shoveling.

Lincoln also didn’t want Black Fox’s reputation to be affected by people knowing that one of the partners had been embezzling from them…

and they hadn’t noticed right away. Lincoln didn’t think admitting that would engender trust from the clients.

But Marshall was already doing his best to shit on Black Fox’s reputation; telling the truth was hardly going to hurt them more at this point.

It meant that Marshall had gotten off with basically no consequences other than being removed from Black Fox, and no one outside of the firm knew why he’d been ousted. He was a smooth enough talker that he’d managed to allay people’s suspicions.

Which was frustrating as hell.

It really grated that they, the people who were trying to do the right thing and not be shitty, were the ones losing out to someone who was willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get whatever he wanted.

Yet people didn’t seem to look deeper than the surface or question why he was offering so much money for them to get on his side.

David didn’t really blame anyone who took Marshall’s very generous job offer. Marshall had already made it clear he’d be happy to poach Black Fox employees with a shit ton of money. Thankfully, they knew better than to drink from the poisoned chalice.

Others, who hadn’t had personal experience with him, didn’t.

But it still grated.

“How are things going with Cassidy?” Lincoln asked. “You said you pulled some of the daytime protection from her?”

“We don’t have enough people to cover her full-time,” David replied, trying to ignore the trickle of unease that went through him at the admission.

Strangely, it did make David feel better that Cassidy was with his grandmother, knowing they were taking care of each other.

He didn’t estimate the danger to his grandmother to be very high, but even if Don did show up, they were well protected.

Lincoln knew David would drop everything to go running if his grandmother’s alarm went off.

The whole team would.

“There hasn’t seemed to be a reason to keep someone on her every day, all day,” David continued.

“She and my grandmother only go to the retirement center, my grandmother’s house, and here for self-defense lessons.

Which Claudia said they’ve both been very dedicated and progressing nicely.

So far, her ex hasn’t shown his face anywhere.

He’s practically disappeared off the face of the planet as far as we can tell. ”

“Kind of like what we did to her,” Lincoln mused, rubbing his hand across his chin.

“Yes. And so far, no sign of him.”

“Hopefully, he’s gone for good, though I would like to know where he is.” Lincoln shook his head. “Stalking cases are never easy.”

That was an understatement. If Don never resurfaced, Cassidy would have to spend her entire life wondering if he would suddenly appear out of nowhere. Not exactly a fun way to live. David wouldn’t be able to relax, either. Just in case.

Cassidy

Driving home from Brenda’s, Cassidy couldn’t help but smile when a call came through from Yasmine. She missed her friends from Stronghold, but she was really enjoying the new friends she was making.

Tapping the button on the dash to answer the call, she cheerfully answered, “Hello!”

“Hey Cassidy, how are you?” Yasmine’s warm voice filled the car.

“Pretty good. On my way home from work.”

Behind her, a grey car moved into her lane, closer than she would have liked. Her shoulders tensed, and she shook them out. Some people were jerks, riding others’ bumpers. It didn’t mean anything.

“Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Sure.”

She wasn’t doing anything except driving. Well, and now trying to get a look at the jerk who was riding her bumper.

It was a man, she was pretty sure of that, but he was wearing a red baseball cap and a pair of big sunglasses, which obscured the upper half of his face. The lower half was covered by a light-colored mustache and beard.

Don could have grown a mustache and beard.

Oh. My. God. Paranoid much?

“So, my parents have come to me with a proposal, and I’m thinking about doing it, but part of me thinks I must be crazy for even considering it. I’m looking for a completely unbiased third-party opinion, and I feel like you might be the closest I have to that who also won’t judge me.”

“Okay.” Well, Yasmine officially had her attention, which was good because she didn’t need to be making up scenarios in her head about the random jerk in the car behind her. Because that’s exactly what he was—a random jerk. Not Don in disguise.

Unless he is.

Stop it. Focus on Yasmine.

Yasmine sighed, long and deep, like she was reluctant to get started talking. While she did that, Cassidy switched lanes to see if the grey car would follow. A moment later… it did. Still riding her ass.

Cassidy tensed up even more. Should she get off the phone and call David? Should she ask Yasmine to call David?

“Okay, so you know I said I was the queen of bad dates, and that’s why I don’t date?

Or get involved? Well, my parents think they have a solution to that.

They want to arrange my marriage.” She said the last sentence so fast, the words blended together, and Cassidy jerked her attention back to the conversation.

“They want to what?”

“Oh… crap. It’s crazy, isn’t it? I knew it was crazy, and it sounds even crazier when I say it out loud.”

“I mean, not necessarily. I just… what do you mean? Like, to a stranger?” With her attention divided between Yasmine’s announcement and the man in the grey car behind her, she was feeling frazzled, but she didn’t want to let her new friend down.

And she was also interested. Plus, she wasn’t convinced the guy behind her was actually a threat.

He was just riding her bumper like a jerk.

That didn’t mean he was Don.

“Well, I’d meet him beforehand. Apparently, my parents know a guy, who is local, who has asked his parents to arrange his marriage.

My great-aunt and great-uncle’s marriage was arranged, and they’re very happy forty-some years later, but I don’t know anyone of my generation who has done it.

But that would break my bad date curse, right?

No dating, no getting involved, just… straight to the planning the wedding. No opportunity to fuck it up.”

“Other than meeting him beforehand.”

“Yeah, but that won’t be an official date. Just a meet and greet.” There was a yearning in Yasmine’s voice that made Cassidy’s heart ache a little. It sounded to her like Yasmine wanted to do this; she just needed someone else to tell her that it was okay.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, Cassidy breathed out a quiet sigh of relief as the grey car turned off. He must have gotten over into this lane with her because he was making the turn soon. He was just a tailgating jerk who didn’t use turn signals. Figured.

“I think it doesn’t hurt to at least meet him. See if you think this might be a good alternative. Would your parents set you up with someone they didn’t think would be a good match?”

“No. Not that I would have trusted them with my romantic life in the past, but I’ve proven that I don’t have a good picker.

Maybe that’s the trick—I need someone else to pick for me.

” Yasmine laughed, though there was a touch of bitterness to the sound.

“So, you don’t think it’s nuts to let my parents pick out my possible groom? ”

“No more nuts than other ways people meet and get married.” Cassidy shrugged, even though Yasmine couldn’t see her. “Right now, most people trust a computer or app algorithm. That doesn’t seem any less weird than trusting your parents, as long as they’re good parents.”

She wondered who her parents would have picked for her if they’d been alive. Someone better than Don, probably. They would have been horrified to know how he’d treated her.

“You’ve got a point. Okay.” Yasmine took a deep breath. “Okay, I can do this. Just the meet and greet, at least. I don’t have to make a decision until after that. Maybe I’ll meet him, and it’ll be an immediate no. Or maybe he’ll end up being the man of my dreams.”

“That’s the spirit,” Cassidy teased. “Who knows, maybe you’ll start a trend.”

That made Yasmine laugh.

“Doubtful, but who knows? At least I feel a little better now. Thanks, Cassidy.”

“Any time.” She was pleased she’d been able to help, though she didn’t feel like she’d done much.

“Anything going on with you this week? Like with David?” Yasmine’s tone had turned slyly teasing. She’d been the first one to comment on the fact that Cassidy hadn’t scened with anyone last Friday when David wasn’t there.

“No, he’s been busy. I’ve seen more of you than I have of him. Which is fine because we’re not… you know.”

“Wildly attracted to each other and fighting it tooth and nail?” Yasmine laughed when Cassidy made a noise of rejection, though she couldn’t find the words to counteract what felt like the cold, hard truth. “We’re all thoroughly enjoying watching you two figure it out.”

“We can’t possibly be that interesting,” Cassidy complained. Apparently, the Outlands were just like Stronghold and Marquis when it came to the gossip. At least Yasmine hadn’t mentioned anyone placing bets like they often did back in D.C.

“Maybe we’re just bored.”

“You must be.” Cassidy couldn’t deny that she wanted to get to know David better and not just inside the club, but she also wasn’t going to throw herself at him if he wasn’t interested.

That would just make things even more awkward, especially since she was working for his grandmother.

Pulling in front of Jensen’s house, Cassidy parked the car, happy to find a space open so close.

“I just got home, so I will have to talk to you later.”

“You can run, but you can’t hide,” Yasmine teased. “We’ll talk later!”

Shaking her head, Cassidy got out of the car, casting a quick look up and down the street.

There was no sign of the grey car that had tailgated her.

Not that she should expect there to be one.

But it had occurred to her that if Don knew where she was, he could have been following her, then turned off to make her think it wasn’t him, only to come back around again once she was at Jensen’s.

Talk about paranoid. Thanks, brain.

Across the street, Mrs. Tulieman was out on her front porch. Seeing Cassidy looking in her direction, the older woman waved. Feeling a bit more reassured that the neighbor had her eye on things, Cassidy waved back and went into the house.

David had wanted to know if anything weird happened… Should she call him? Or tell Jensen?

No. Being tailgated wasn’t weird. It happened to people all the time.

She was just more paranoid about it than usual.

At best, she’d come off as an alarmist, especially since the guy hadn’t followed her for more than five minutes.

It was obviously a coincidence, not something to be reported to her security team.

Plus, she didn’t want David to think she was making up reasons to call him.

How embarrassing.

Shaking her head again, she made her way up the walk.

There was no reason to say anything to anyone.

No reason at all.