Page 21 of James (Big Northwest #6)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

JAMES

P HILLIP WASN’T LYING when he said he had a lot to do. The entire office seemed busy, actually. And since it was way bigger than she’d expected, that was saying something.

She’d envisioned Phillip settled in a small, cute little space with a few guys working for him. Something simple, but efficient.

This was not that. It did appear efficient, but the place was anything but small and simple.

The business took up half a floor in a huge, soaring building along the river in downtown. There were at least five private offices similar to Phillip’s situated along the river side of the vast space. The people inside them all looked just as focused and determined as Phillip usually did, leading her to believe they were additional private investigators.

The open area she was currently wandering around had lots of work stations set up. There weren’t any cubicles separating people off, and they intermittently yelled questions to each other or threw files from one person to the next. It was coordinated chaos.

And she was loving it.

There was an intensity in the air that felt a lot like excitement. It sucked her in and pulled her close, leading her to listen in on conversations and peek over shoulders at computer screens.

The best part was, no one seemed to mind. They were all happy to dish on the drama and scandal they mined like gold. She got to hear all about how some dude from Toronto was cheating on his wife with her first cousin. The way a winery owner from Houston was trying to hide assets from his business partner while also forgetting to pay his taxes.

But the story she was the most interested in was about a kayaker who tipped over in West Virginia. He supposedly died, but they never found the body. The insurance company thought it was suspect, so they hired Phillip’s company to see if there was evidence the dude was still alive.

And there totally was.

“So Phillip just gets to fly to Europe on their dime to take pictures of the guy while he eats a croissant?” She’d only really thought of Phillip’s career in the way it applied to her. It hadn’t occurred to her that most of his jobs wouldn’t involve running from dangerous men.

“Yup.” Nathan had been spilling all the tea for the past hour and she was drinking that shit up like wine. Eager for any morsel he’d give her while Phillip made calls and had Zoom conferences. “Once he flew to Africa to investigate a suspicious death.”

“No way.” The words came out breathy with awe.

Phillip had been holding out on her. Big time.

“Way.” Theo was parked next to Nathan, helping him look through everything they could find on Enzo as the two men attempted to track him down. “But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve been a pretty exciting job yourself.” He downed the last of his coffee and started to get up. “I’ll be back. Need a refill.”

“I can get it.” She was itching to do something, and if she couldn’t dig into people’s business, she might as well help caffeinate the ones who could. She grabbed Theo’s cup from his hand and turned for the break room. “You want anything, Nathan?”

Nathan’s eyes stayed glued to the screen. “No thanks. I’m good.”

She might grab him a snack or something anyway. The man was like a freaking machine. Or maybe a dog with a bone. Whatever he was, she could see why Phillip relied on him so heavily. The guy got shit done.

Passing the main entry to the space, she made her way to the enclosed area that housed the coffee machines. Before he’d gotten pulled away, Phillip had given her a tour of the office and spent a couple minutes showing her the basics of how to use the fancy machine like the one at his house. It was a pretty simple process, but she still held her breath while loading in the metallic pod and setting it to run.

After adding in a little sugar and cream, she was feeling pretty damn accomplished. The concoction looked and smelled like it could have come from a coffee house, and she was eager to see if it tasted as good as it looked. Balancing the cup in her hand, she started making her way back to where Nathan and Theo worked. Just as she passed the main entrance, the door swung open and a trio of very tall, very good looking, very well-dressed men stepped inside.

She stopped in her tracks as terror gripped her insides and loosened her hand, sending Theo’s coffee dropping to the floor at her feet. Shock fused her soles to the floor even as panic told her to run.

The broadest of the men scanned the space, his hard eyes coming right to her.

Shit. Fuck. Son of a bitch.

She had nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

Enzo’s sharp jaw flexed as his gaze dragged down her frame.

Then he was coming for her, his long legs eating up the space between them before she could consider screaming. When his hands lifted, she was still too stunned to flinch. Too scared to brace for impact.

But there was no impact coming. Not in the sense she expected anyway.

Enzo’s warm palms were gentle as they cradled her face, his eyes taking her in. “You’re safe.” His touch skimmed over her jaw and down her neck. “When I heard you were taken, I came as soon as I could, but you were already gone.”

“Uhh…” Her brain tried to align what he was saying with the claims Phillip’s team had made. “You thought I was in danger?”

Enzo’s expression hardened. “Generally, when a woman is taken against her will, she’s in danger.” The weight of his hands passed over her shoulders and down her arms. “I wish I’d known it was Foster who had you. I might have been a little easier to deal with these past few days.”

One of the men with him cleared his throat, dragging her attention to where he stood. Her stomach turned at the sight of the guy who’d tried to grope her the last time their paths crossed.

Ass.

She refocused on Enzo, suddenly worried maybe this was all bullshit. “Why did you think I’d been taken against my will?”

“I’d heard there was someone looking for you. A man asking around about a blonde dancer with clear blue eyes.” His fingers laced with hers. “I tried to intercept you before they could find you, but I was too late.”

Technically, it was a sweet gesture, but the men who came to The Secret Garden to collect her could have been vetted a little better considering one of them was gross enough he got himself accidentally murdered. “I?—”

“ Enzo .” Phillip’s sharp voice cut through the office. “Get the fuck away from her before I put a bullet in your skull.”

The whole office went silent and she saw a few of the people stealthily sliding from their offices, hands at their waistbands.

If Enzo was bothered by Phillip’s threat, he didn’t show it. Instead, his attention stayed on where she stood. As if Phillip didn’t exist. “You should have called me. I would have protected you.”

She opened her mouth to reply. To explain he was actually the one everyone believed she needed protection from. But Phillip cut her off a second time.

“Enzo, I’m not fucking kidding.” Phillip was closer now, the edge of his voice harder. “I will fucking lay you out right here.”

Enzo took a deep breath, annoyance pinching his handsome features as he slowly turned to face Phillip. A hard smile lifted his lips. “And here I thought we were friendly, Foster.”

“You’re the one who changed that, not me.” Phillip closed in on them, looking fucking panty melting with a pistol gripped in his hands. Like lethal beauty embodied as the tailored lines of his suit flexed and shifted with each move he made.

“How exactly did I change that?” Enzo sounded more interested than offended as he released her hands, pose casual as he took Phillip in, like he wasn’t staring down the barrel of a gun. “Enlighten me.”

Phillip’s eyes flicked to her, lingering for a heartbeat. Like he needed reassurance she was okay. “You’ve been trying to get your hands on James.”

“I have.” Enzo sounded bored now. Like the conversation was already tedious. “I obtained information about a strange man asking about her around my territory and decided she’d be safest with me.” Enzo’s gaze was heated as it found her. “Which is where she should be regardless, so I sent a team to her work and one to her home.”

Oh.

Shit .

She’d struggled to believe Enzo was the one coming after her. Found it hard to imagine the man she knew would hunt her like an animal and chase her across the country.

This scenario… Might have made a little more sense.

“Umm…” What in the hell was she supposed to say? No thanks? Was that even an option with a man like him?

“Like hell.” Phillip’s gun dropped, but the murderous look on his face didn’t abate.

“I don’t think that choice is yours, Foster.” Enzo’s grin was cocky. Like he believed she would jump at the chance to go home with him.

Maybe at one point she might have. The man was fucking rich and definitely not hard on the eyes. But he had one big strike against him.

He wasn’t Phillip.

The problem was, choosing Phillip over a crime lord might put a great big target on his back. And she’d come too far to put another person she cared about in danger.

“Here’s the thing.” She stepped closer to Enzo, trying not to cringe as Phillip stiffened, his jaw clenching tight. “Phillip was hired by my sisters to find me. I moved away and things got complicated, but now I’m going back home.” She smiled, hoping to ease the sting of her rejection. “To them.”

Enzo stared at her, the seconds dragging out. The man wasn’t used to being turned down, so his brain was probably having problems processing what she said. His dark brows slowly began to pinch together. “Oh.”

It was almost funny, his complete befuddlement at hearing she wasn’t ready to jump right into his arms and let him carry her off into the sunset.

The flash of disappointment that moved over his face was gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by his normal, relaxed demeanor. “Fair enough.” He lifted her hand to his lips, brushing his full mouth across her knuckles. “Then tell your sisters I said hello, and know you can reach out to me at any time .” His eyes held hers on the last bit, making his meaning clear.

She smiled, genuinely. “Thank you.”

Enzo gently released her, stepping back in line with his men. He moved his attention to Phillip. “I’m sure I don’t need to say that if anything happens to her I’ll be very unhappy.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to her.” Phillip was still scowling, looking as pissed as she’d ever seen him. “I kept her away from you, didn’t I?”

He had a good point.

“Fair enough.” Enzo turned to the guy she hated, tipping his head James’s way. “Give her my private number.” His eyes flicked to Phillip before coming to rest on her, simmering with heat. “In case she’s ever in need of me.” The seductive tone in his voice dripped with promise.

The asshat she still wanted to kick in the nuts reached a gloved hand into his jacket to retrieve a card. He offered it to her, but it was Phillip who reached out to pluck it from his grip.

He tucked the card into his pocket, still looking sour as hell. “Thanks for stopping by.”

Enzo angled a brow, eyes narrowing on Phillip in a way that made her think maybe he was starting to figure out who was currently meeting her needs. The crime lord lifted his chin, looking over Phillip’s office. “Maybe I’ll stop by next time I’m in town, Foster. We can have lunch.”

“I’ll check my schedule.” Phillip continued to keep his eyes on Enzo, dragging out a staring contest that was making her want to peel her skin off. She’d witnessed posturing before, but this shit was ridiculous.

“We should get back to it.” She moved to where Phillip stood, looping one arm through his. “Got a lot of plans to make to get me back to Washington.” She started dragging him toward his office, putting as much distance between the two men as she could. “Thank you so much for looking out for me, Enzo. You’re the best.”

With a last heft, she shoved Phillip into his private space, slamming the door behind them. “What in the hell was that about?”

“What do you mean, what was that about?” Phillip shoved one arm in the direction of the entrance. “He wants to fuck you.”

“Of course he wants to fuck me. Lots of men want to fuck me.” If he thought she was going to deny his claim, Phillip was an idiot. “But I don’t want to fuck him .” She propped both hands on her hips. “ I want to fuck you , but you don’t want things to go too far .” She bobbed her head around, voice pitching as she threw his stupid claim back in his own damn face. “And for the record, I think most people would call pulling a gun on another man for wanting to sleep with the chick you’re refusing to fuck, taking things too far.”

Phillip’s nostrils flared, the murderous expression on his face disappearing for just a second as fear flickered in his eyes. This was probably one of the moments he’d spent years trying to avoid because he thought it would get him stabbed.

Again.

But she didn’t want to stab him right now. Not even a little.

Yes, he was being stupid. And yes, he was acting like a Neanderthal.

But disagreements happened. Arguing was natural when two people were passionate and opinionated and strong-willed.

“You’re an idiot.” She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she moved toward him. Lacing both arms around his neck, she pushed up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. “But you’re a cute idiot.” She met his wary gaze. “I’ve never wanted Enzo.” She tipped her head as she thought back. “Even though the thought of being swept away and taken care of was appealing, I never would have made it as a mafia wife.” A smile worked onto her lips. “Plus, I was sick of Vegas.”

“Because you want to go back to Washington.” Phillip said the words carefully, his eyes never leaving her face.

That was what she’d claimed. The reason she’d given Enzo for not wanting to go with him.

But it wasn’t true.

Washington was beautiful, but it would never be enough for her. She wanted excitement. Adventure. To travel and see the world. For real this time.

But wanting it and making it happen were two very different things. She’d already proven herself incapable of taking on the world alone. Going back out there would put her family at risk.

Again.

So she gave Phillip as much of a smile as she could muster up and offered the best answer she had. “I guess so.”