Page 51 of Forbidden Boss
“You didn’t need word,” I snap. “You needed eyes.”
Yuri’s phone buzzes. He opens the file and expands it on his screen so I can see. The parking-cam feed shows Marcus at the glass door with Mari at his side. His hand is light on her elbow. He looks like he’s walking her to a car. He glances once toward the booth. The guard isn’t there. He swipes a card and walks her through to the staff bay. The next camera shows a black SUV idling near a freight elevator. They vanish through the door. Two minutes later, another SUV leaves Level C. No plate on the frame.
“Who was in the booth?” I ask the nearest guard.
He swallows. “Reece was there, but he?—”
“Where’s Reece now?” I snap.
“On break,” he answers, his face going pale.
I stare at him until he looks away.
“Who was supposed to cover his break?” I ask, taking a deep breath.
“I don’t know.”
I step closer, my anger boiling to the surface. “I have given this team one very important job for the last few weeks,” I say, nearly growling. “You are supposed to have eyes on Mari at all times.”
“Sir, for all we know, she’s upstairs in his office safe and sound.”
He stops when he sees my hand move.
I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to. “Say that again.”
He tries to square up like he’s brave. He isn’t.
“She could be with him upstairs?—”
I put a round through his thigh before he can finish. The blast kicks off the concrete, bright and hot. He goes down hard, hands flying to his leg, sound tearing out of him. Blood spreads under him in a quick slick.
The other guards jump back, eyes wide, hands up. The driver flinches. I keep the gun at my side.
“Anyone else think I’m overreacting?”
No one speaks. Finally, they show some sense.
“Someone get Thom and Jareth down herenow,” I say, sliding my gun back into its holster.
Yuri is already on his phone, voice low and clipped. He rattles off addresses, plates, names.
“Townhome. Office. The Petrov boutique. The Newark yard. Hit them all,” he says. “Street teams rotate cars. No marked units. If you see him, you don’t chase alone. Don’t be a hero. You call it, you hold the door.”
He ends one call and makes another. I hear him tell Legal to lock Marcus’s credentials and freeze every account he can touch. He calls IT and has them kill Marcus’s device tokens. He calls the garage manager to hold every exit. Then he grabs my shoulder and shoves me hard enough to move me a step.
“Back in the car,” he orders. “Now.”
“I’m not done,” I say.
“You can’t shoot all of your people,” he says, voice flat. “Save rounds for someone who deserves them.” He jerks his head at the driver. “Get him in the car.”
The driver hovers, waiting for permission that isn’t his to ask. I force myself to breathe. The guard on the ground sobs quietly through his teeth. Blood keeps pooling, but he’ll live.
I climb into the SUV, slamming the door behind me. The driver takes off, and I look over at Yuri, who’s sitting opposite me.
He speaks without looking up. “I’ve got teams to Marcus’s townhome.”
“He won’t be there,” I say. “He’s not that stupid. I don’t know how long he’s been planning this, but it’s definitely long enough to cover his bases.”