Stone
I slipped into my room and shut the door, needing some privacy to hear what Patrick, my security man at the Comet Club, had to say. “Hey Patrick, you got something for me?”
“Sure do. Remember that guy you threw out of the club the other night? The one bothering your girl?”
“Yes.” I didn’t correct him about Serenity being my girl. I liked it too much.
“Well, he was back last night, only he was with a woman, and they seemed pretty into each other.”
“Oh yeah? Did you happen to catch them on security?”
“You know it. I’ll send you a photo.”
“Thanks. How long did they stay?”
“They got here about nine and stayed until eleven- thirty or so.”
I shook my head. Serenity was not going to like this, but, since it was recorded, it would help her feel better about her decision. Plus, it could work out for her with her court case. “Do me a favor and take some time-stamped screen shots of them. Text them to me when you’re done.”
“Sure thing.”
We disconnected, and the screen shots came through a minute later. There was no mistaking Brandon, but I’d never seen the woman before. Maybe Serenity knew her?
I stepped out of my room to find Serenity finishing up a piece of toast. “That was Patrick. He runs security at The Comet Club.”
“Oh, right.” Her eyes brightened. “Did he see something?”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t about me. Brandon showed up there last night.”
“At the Comet Club? Was he with his friend again?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m afraid he was with a woman. Patrick sent me some pictures. Want to take a look? Maybe you know her?”
She blinked a couple of times. “What? Are you freaking kidding me? Let me see.” She held out her hand for my phone. I handed it over, and she quickly scanned through the photos, her brows growing tighter with each passing second.
“You know her?”
She shook her head and handed the phone back. “I can’t believe it. This was after he asked me for a second chance? What a conniving bastard.”
“Yeah. I guess he didn’t mean a word he said to you.” I shook my head. “But why the ruse to get back together? And why drag out the divorce, especially if he’s hooked up with someone else? ”
She pursed her lips. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. They looked pretty chummy, too. I wonder how long he’s been seeing her?”
“You want me to text you the photos?”
She nodded, her shoulders slumping and her eyes closed. A sudden desire to beat the shit out of Brandon came over me, but I tamped it down. “They’re date and time-stamped, if that helps.”
She took a deep, shuddering breath to get back under control. “Yes. It does. I might need to stop by my lawyer’s office today. I could show these to him. Is that all right?” I nodded, and she continued. “Good. If nothing else, it will help me feel better.”
I hated that he’d hurt her. Brandon was a piece of shit. What was he trying to prove? Was he just a sadistic bastard who got off on hurting Serenity? There had to be more to it. Serenity might not like it, but if I could confront him, I was sure I could beat it out of him. If he showed up at The Comet Club again, I could tell Patrick to let me know, and I’d gladly let him have it.
While she put the call through to her lawyer’s office, I made a quick call to Patrick and told him what I wanted. That done, I finished my coffee and put my mug on the counter next to Serenity’s. It looked good beside hers, like I belonged here, and a surge of satisfaction rolled over me.
“Okay.” Serenity put her phone away. “He’s got ten minutes at eleven. You can stay here. I think you’ll be safe enough while I’m gone.”
I raised a brow. “But what about sticking together twenty-four-seven? Isn’t that in your contract?”
“Well… yeah, but it’s different now.”
“How so?”
“Your stalker doesn’t know you’re here. ”
Being stuck here was not my idea of a good time. “Maybe… maybe not. You want to take that chance?”
“No. That’s not what I meant—” She huffed out a breath. “You’re right. I guess you’d better come with me.”
“Good.” I nodded, holding back a pleased grin. She couldn’t get rid of me that easily.
“What’s the plan for today?”
My morning routine usually included a workout, and I was itching to go to the gym, but that was out of the question, unless… “Do you have a home gym set-up or any exercise equipment?”
She raised a brow. “I have a small workout station downstairs. You want to see it?”
“That’s perfect. Yes.”
Her lips twisted, like she didn’t want to show me.
“Is there something wrong with it?”
“The basement’s kind of a mess, that’s all.”
“Oh. I don’t mind.”
She shrugged and led me to the basement staircase. Boxes were stacked in the main room, and she turned the corner to the room with the workout system. It wasn’t much, but it included an arm press, a high-and-low pulley system, and a four-roll leg developer. It was just enough to give me the workout I craved. “You use it much?”
“Yeah. I got it to help with my rehab after the accident. You’re welcome to use it if you want. I guess we have time.”
“I just need half an hour, and I can start right now.” I pulled off my t-shirt. “You can watch if you want.”
Her eyes widened, and her gaze flew to my bare chest. A flush spread up her neck, and her mouth dropped open. I held back a smile and began to change the settings on the pulley.
Her jaw snapped shut and she shook her head. “I’ll be upstairs. ”
She turned to leave, but I caught her looking over her shoulder, and smiled. I settled into a quick routine of weight lifting and used the time to think about my plan to draw my stalker out. By the time I got done, I had a rough idea, but I didn’t think Serenity would like it.
∞∞∞
An hour later, I had showered and dressed for the day. I found Serenity in her office and sat down in the chair opposite her desk. She hardly glanced at me. “Have a nice workout?”
“Yeah. It was great. What are you working on?”
She sighed. “Just paying the bills. What’s the plan for today, anyway?”
“Well, besides going with you to visit your lawyer, we have your niece’s birthday party. When is that?”
She raised her brow. “Uh… it’s at five. But what about finding your stalker? That comes first, especially after yesterday.”
“I think we’ll be okay for an hour.”
“But why would you want to go to my niece’s party?”
I crossed my arms. “Isn’t she counting on you? You really want to let her down?”
“Well, no, of course not. But why would you care?”
I glanced at a picture of her family on the wall above her desk. It had to be recent, since there was no sign of Brandon, and a small twist of pleasure rolled over me. “Family’s important. If you let work get in the way of that, you’ll regret it.”
Her gaze settled on mine. “You must be talking from experience.”
I shrugged. “My dad and I haven’t spoken in years. I don’t think I quite lived up to his expectations. ”
“What about your mom?”
“She died when I was in high school.” I swallowed. It had been a long time since I’d spoken about her. “I think that’s why I got into so much trouble back then. My dad was lost in his grief, and he didn’t want to deal with me.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Why had I opened up? I didn’t tell anyone my personal history, but I felt a connection with her that was undeniable. It dawned on me that being with her had opened a part of my heart that I’d always kept closed.
Her lips twisted. “Life has a way of grinding us up and spitting us out. We’re never put back together the same, and sometimes it feels like parts of us are missing.”
She gave me a wry smile. “I used to think that everything happened for a reason, but now I’m not so sure. Sometimes things just happen, and we’re left to pick up the pieces. We can always make up a reason, or find someone to blame if we want, but it never changes what happened. Like… why a bullet kills one person, and the person right next to them is fine. Most of the time it’s just dumb luck.”
At my raised brow, she took a deep breath and shook her head. “Sorry. I went off on a tangent. I didn’t mean to say all that.”
“No. It makes perfect sense. When I was deployed, you’ll never believe it, but my nickname was Lucky Stone.”
Her eyes widened. “Does it have anything to do with the stone I touched in your room?”
I snorted. “Yeah. That was the only thing I took with me from home. A stupid rock, but it reminded me of my mom, so I carried it in my pocket. Most people have pictures of their girlfriends, or their family, but not me. I carried a rock.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t long before my team noticed and figured it was because of my name. So I went with it, and called it my lucky stone.” I closed my eyes, seeing the army base in the desert sand. “But that was just at the beginning. After about six months in, the meaning got a little twisted. My platoon called me Lucky Stone because I always made it out alive. It got so that people didn’t want to go on missions with me because it meant they might die.”
Her brows dipped. “That seems counterintuitive. Wouldn’t they want to go with you because the odds of coming back were better for them as well?”
I huffed. “You’d think that. But there were plenty of times when I was the only survivor. My last mission… the one you saw in your vision?” She nodded. “I barely made it. I don’t pretend to understand it, but that’s what happened. I got out of the service right after that.”
I met her gaze. “And now it’s happening again. I should have died yesterday. Or in the bombing the day before, but you saved me. I’m starting to get a complex.”
“Well, at least cheating death isn’t making you reckless. If you really believed you couldn’t die, you’d put yourself in more dangerous positions.”
“And you don’t think I do?”
That made her pause. “Well. I guess that’s debatable. I mean… your job is kind of dangerous. And now Johnny is after you.”
“So, you think it’s Cash’s friend?”
She nodded. “Yes, I do, especially after hearing that Johnny Cash song, it’s the only thing that makes sense. He has to be tied to Razor and the snakes… even if it’s only a remote connection.”
“I think you’re right. We can use that tie to draw him out.” I shook my head. “You know, it’s crazy, but I’ve already come up with a plan that involves Razor.”
“Oh yeah? What is it?”
“We set a trap. With me as bait. ”
Her eyes widened. “You can’t be serious. That’s just asking for trouble.”
“Maybe. But nothing else has worked.”
She closed her eyes. “There has to be another way.”
“I can’t think of anything. Can you?”
She huffed out a breath. “Well… not right off the top of my head.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Fine. Then tell me what you have in mind.”
“I’m still working on it, but I think setting up a meeting at Razor’s place might do the trick. I could install a bunch of security cameras around his place before the meeting. I’d tell him to make sure all of his guys knew about it, and hopefully one of them would tell Johnny. Then he’d make plans to take me out at the meeting, and we’d catch him.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If you think someone else in the gang has connections to Johnny, then why not just talk to them?”
“Look what happened to Cash. He’d probably kill them, and we’d be right back where we started.”
“Okay… I get it. So, then what?”
“We’d watch for him on the security footage. When he showed up, we’d move in and catch him, long before he could plant a bomb or set a trap for me.”
“I guess that could work.”
I nodded. “As long as I get Razor to agree.”
She sniffed. “Good luck with that. After all the bombs, I doubt he’ll go for it.”
“I know. But it’s worth a try.” I twisted my lips. “If that doesn’t work, I’m hoping we can come up with another plan to draw Johnny out, and then you use your psychic powers to foresee if that plan will work.”
Her brows dipped. “What if my powers don’t tell us anything? ”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s worth a try.”
“I don’t know… I’ve barely kept you alive as it is.”
“I know. But we have to do something.” I started to pace back and forth in front of her desk. “Let’s start with this. What do we know about Johnny?”
“That he’s angry and wants you dead?”
I shook my head. “Besides that.” I held up my fingers to count them off. “He knows where I live. That I drive a Triumph. That I work for Vanetti. And that I go to the gym by the office. He also used my connection to the gang.”
“Yeah… and he knew Cash. Maybe we need to find out more about Cash, and that will lead us to him. He must be a friend or a relative, right?”
“Looks that way.”
“Okay. Let’s dig into this. When I took my private investigator course, I signed up for a few websites that have information like that.” She turned to her computer and opened the sites.
Grabbing my chair, I pulled it around her desk and settled next to her. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I had better resources at my office, mostly because I enjoyed being with her in the privacy of her house. Besides, the more I went back and forth to the office with her, the more likely it was for Johnny to find out where she lived. The thought sent shivers down my spine. I had to protect Serenity from him at all costs.
Watching her work, I liked how she chewed on her bottom lip, and how the angle of the sun hit her face just right, giving her an ethereal glow. She had one of the most expressive faces I’d ever seen.
Probably because she didn’t know how to be guarded. I knew instinctively that there wasn’t a devious bone in her body, and she was someone I could trust. That was rare. Most people I dealt with always had a hidden agenda .
“Okay. Here are my websites. Let’s put in Cash’s real name and see what the results are. What is it, anyway?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ll call Razor and see if he knows.” I pulled out my phone and put the call through. A few minutes later, I had a name. “It’s Steve Cashell.”
“Really? Okay.” She typed in the name, and several hits came up. We scrolled through the list before finally finding the right one. After perusing all the websites and records we could find, there wasn’t much to link him to Razor’s gang.
We cross-referenced him with the name Johnny, but didn’t find a lot there, either. Soon, it was time for her appointment, and Serenity shut off her computer.
“We can pick it up when we get back.” I assured her.
“I guess, but it feels like a dead-end. It’s so frustrating.” She pushed away from her desk. “I’ll get my things and we can go.”
It was a beautiful spring day, with the temperatures climbing into the lower seventies, and I hated being in a car. At least her lawyer’s office was closer to the south end of town, and nowhere near Vitality Ventures and my office.
We had to wait a few minutes before her lawyer was free. He came out to get Serenity, and I got up to go with her. She wasn’t expecting that, but I just shrugged. “Twenty-four-seven, remember?”
She shook her head before introducing me. “This is Nathan Stone. I’m working a sensitive PI case with him. He’s been there to witness Brandon’s behavior, so that’s why I want him here now.”
Ethan held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Come on back.”
The guy seemed nice enough, especially when Serenity showed him the photos of Brandon. “These are great. We can definitely use them if it goes to trial. Heck, we could even use them in mediation to avoid the trial completely. Even then, most judges can see through Brandon’s BS.”
Serenity glanced my way and took a breath. “Okay… but if it ends up going to trial, I want to counter-sue for mental cruelty against him. Let’s see how he likes that.”
Ethan pursed his lips and nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. “It might look better for you if you don’t. These photos might be enough to get him to back off and sign the papers without a trial.”
Her lips drew down, and she sighed. “I hope so. Is this ever going to end?”
“Yes.” Ethan leaned forward in his chair. “It will. I’ll reach out to his lawyer. If he’s still set on going to trial, it will take a few months to get a date, but if he’s with this other woman, he might not want to wait that long, and we can settle out of court. We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
Serenity shook her head. “That much longer? What a joke.”
“I know it’s not what you wanted to hear, but like I said. He might want to end it sooner.”
“Wait. I forgot to tell you that he stopped by my house last night. He said he didn’t want to go through with the divorce. Why would he say that and then go out with that woman later?”
Ethan’s brows rose. “I don’t know. Did he threaten you at all? We might be able to get a restraining order.”
“No. He might have, but Stone was there.” She motioned toward me.
Ethan’s brows rose and he nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Stone also suggested making a couple of changes to the decree.” She pulled out the first one and showed him the changes .
Ethan beamed. “This is so much better for you! I’m so glad your partner talked you into this. I’ll make the changes and send a copy to his lawyer today.”
Her eyes widened. “Okay. Thanks.”
He checked his watch and stood. “I don’t have more time right now, but I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Sounds good.”
Ethan ushered us to the door. “We’ll get this figured out.” He shook Serenity’s hand. She wasn’t wearing her gloves, and she froze for a split second before pulling away. He shook my hand next, and I followed her down the hall and outside to the parking lot.
Not looking at me, she unlocked the car doors and got in. After I settled into my seat, she turned toward me. “Where to, now?”
I raised a brow and gave her a smirk. “You know… I kind of liked how he called me your partner.” She rolled her eyes, and I grinned. “So, what happened when you touched him? Did you see something important?”
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. He was in a courtroom, standing in front of a jury and talking about a hit and run. He said he could prove that it wasn’t an accident.” She sighed. “That’s all I got. I didn’t see anyone there that I knew, so it must be about a case he’s working on.” She met my gaze. “Since it wasn’t life-threatening, I didn’t say anything. That’s my new motto. If it’s not life-threatening, keep my mouth shut.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“Yeah… well, I’m learning as I go. Should we head back to my house?”
My phone began to ring. I checked who was calling and frowned. “It’s Razor. I wonder what he wants?” I swiped to answer. “Razor. What’s up? ”
“We need to talk. Can you stop by my place sometime today?”
“I don’t know. What’s this about?”
“Cash is dead, and you were looking for him, so I need to know what happened.”
“Why? You think I did it?”
He hesitated. “That’s what I need to talk to you about. Some of the guys are upset. We just need to clear this up.” I didn’t answer right away, so he continued. “Don’t worry. It’s not an ambush. I’ve got your back.”
“Fine. I’ll be there soon.” I disconnected and put my phone away. “It looks like we need to talk to Razor about what happened to Cash. You okay to head over there?”
“I guess so. I mean… last time I shook his hand, I didn’t get anything, but I can’t say the same about everyone else.”
“I think we’ll be fine. I trust Razor, and I’m carrying.”
“Oh… well… that’s good. Give me your hand, just in case.”
She held her hand out to me, so I took it. I waited for her to gasp, and watched to see if her eyes went out-of-focus, but nothing happened.
She shrugged. “Um… I’ve got nothing, so it must be okay.”
I raised a brow. “Maybe a kiss would work better. Want to try it?” I knew she wouldn’t go for it, but I couldn’t resist teasing her.
“And if I said yes?”
I did not expect that, and she knew it, before she could say another word, I cupped her cheek and leaned in for a kiss. As our lips touched, a soft moan escaped her throat, and she began kissing me back, pulling and sucking on my lips like she was starving. All at once, she broke the kiss and sat back in her seat, her chest heaving. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
I shrugged, not about to agree. “Did it work? ”
She pursed her lips. “No.”
“Maybe we should try it again?”
“You wish.” She shook her head. “So where’s Razor’s shop from here?”
Knowing she was done, I let it go. “I can drive if you want.”
“No. I got this. Just remind me how to get there.”
I gave her the directions, and we arrived in short order. She pulled up in front and stopped. “I thought it would be safer to park out here instead of in the back like we did before.”
“Good idea. We might need to make a hasty exit, so keep your keys handy.”
I got out of the car and headed into the front office of the car shop, Serenity stuck close to my side, almost like she was protecting me. It would have been funny if she hadn’t actually saved my life already.
I wasn’t too worried about this visit, since I trusted Razor wouldn’t double-cross me, but there was always a first time. Inside, the guy at the front desk raised his brows, like we’d surprised him.
“Razor’s expecting us.”
“Uh… sure. Go on back.”
I stepped toward the doorway, and Serenity grabbed my hand. I glanced back at her, but she just shrugged, so I continued through the shop to Razor’s office. It felt nice to hold her hand, and, who knew? Maybe she’d get something for a change? A few of the guys stopped what they were doing to watch us pass, and it put me on edge.
Razor’s office door was open and I stepped inside, still holding Serenity’s hand. Joint stood beside Razor’s desk and straightened to see us. He chewed on a toothpick and crossed his arms, his face tight .
“Stone,” Razor said. “Thanks for coming. Have a seat. This shouldn’t take long.” As we sat down, he glanced at Serenity. “I don’t think we were introduced before.”
“Her name’s Sen,” Joint said. “She’s the one who told us we had to run.” He met her gaze, and his eyes narrowed. “So… do you know who the informant is?”
Her eyes widened, but she shrugged. “No.”
Joint moved to loom over her, and I rose to my feet, stepping in front of him and getting in his face. “Back off, Joint. She doesn’t know. So deal with it.”
He flinched but stood his ground.
“Joint.” Razor’s low voice held a hint of menace. With flaring nostrils, Joint stepped away from me. Razor shook his head and motioned to the door with his hand. “Get out.”
Joint’s brows rose. “What?”
“You heard me. Get. Out.”
Muttering under his breath, Joint left the room, slamming the door behind him. As Razor’s second in command, he’d just been humiliated, and I wasn’t sure Razor had done me any favors. Joint had a reputation for his brutality in the boxing ring, and could cause a lot of damage without breaking a sweat.
“Sorry about that.” Razor huffed out a breath. “He’s upset that Cash is dead. Not because he cares, but because Cash had some guns stored in his trailer, and now the police have them. He’s worried one of them might be traced back to a shooting he was involved in.”
“That’s too bad, but Cash’s death had nothing to do with us. The bomb was already set, probably for me.”
“So you think Cash’s friend double-crossed him?”
“Yes.”
“Makes sense. So have you got any clues about who this friend is? ”
“The only thing we have right now is the name Johnny. Do you know someone by that name?”
Razor’s brows rose. “Johnny? That’s interesting, because Joint mentioned that Cash met with someone named Johnny. But that’s all he said. Does this Johnny person go by a gang name?”
“If he does, I don’t know what it is, but maybe I’d better have a chat with Joint.”
Razor shrugged. “Maybe… but I’m sure he has nothing to do with your business… he’s loyal to me. In the meantime, is there anything you can tell us about the informant that’s got Joint so upset?”
I knew that was the real reason he wanted to talk to me. “My source in the police department doesn’t want me involved. But if I were you, I’d tell Joint and his drug dealers to take some time off and see what shakes out.”
Razor nodded. “I appreciate the info. But I’m afraid Joint won’t be too happy for you to leave without giving him a name. Maybe you could make a deal. The name of the informant for what Joint can tell you about Johnny. What do you say?”
I glanced at Serenity, and she pursed her lips. “We can’t give you a name, because we don’t have one.”
“That’s too bad.”
I shook my head. This was not going the way I wanted. “I might be able to find out, but I need a favor from you first.” Serenity jerked her head in my direction. I patted her knee and she relaxed.
Razor’s brows rose. “I can get behind that.”
“Good.” I sat forward in my chair. “I need to draw out Cash’s killer. If this Johnny person somehow found out that I would be here at a certain time, it’s possible he’d show up. ”
Razor’s brows rose. “You want me to spread the word, and then use my shop for a meeting? I don’t know. The last two places he knew about got blown up.”
“I’d make sure I caught him long before it went that far. We can figure out all the details later.”
Razor’s eyes narrowed. “And you’d give me the name in return?”
“If I can get it. But if not, I have something else you might like better.”
“Like what?”
“Mr. Vanetti has a deal he’d be willing to offer you. I can’t go into the details right now, but if I tell him what you’re doing for me, I’m sure he’d be happy to generously compensate you.”
Razor stared at me before dipping his head. “Fine. I agree.”
“Good. I’ll let you know later today.”
Razor rose to his feet, and I stood as well. I motioned for Serenity to go ahead of both of us. She stepped into the hall and hurried through the garage like her life depended on it. I had to hurry to keep up, and didn’t realize that the men were missing until we got outside.
Joint and three of his crew stood in front of her car, blocking our way. It surprised me that one of them was Grizzo. Serenity stopped short and backed into me. I stepped in front of her, moving her behind me.
Joint stepped closer. “I just need a name. Then you’re free to go.”
I glanced behind him at Grizzo, who had paled a bit and looked ready to bolt. I opened my mouth to respond, but Serenity stepped to my side.
“I never got a name. I just had a premonition that you were all in jail. That’s it. I don’t even know if there is an informant. All I know is what my vision told me. ”
Joint’s brows scrunched together. “A premonition? What the hell does that mean?”
“She’s a psychic,” I said. “Sometimes she gets visions. Now back off.”
Joint stepped back, but his eyes held suspicion. “If that’s the case, then you can tell me which of these guys—” He pointed to the men behind him. “—is loyal to me.”
My jaw clenched. Why had Serenity told him about her visions? “It doesn’t work that way.”
Serenity opened her mouth to explain, but I held my hand up. “Look, Joint, she doesn’t owe you a thing. You know why? Because, right now, she’s working for me and Vanetti, so like I said before. Back off.”
Joint glanced between the two of us and shook his head. “I think you’re both full of shit.” His gaze landed on Serenity. “So tell me this. If you’re the real deal, then you know the future, right? So you can stop something from happening, right? Well stop this.” He sent a powerful left jab to my chin.
I’d been expecting a move like that, and managed to pull my head back before he hit me. Gasping, Serenity jumped out of the way, and I locked gazes with Joint, my eyes narrowing and my lips twisting with a challenge. “She doesn’t need to see the future to know I’m gonna kick your ass.”
Anger sparked in Joint’s eyes, and he came at me. My training kicked in, and I relished the opportunity to use all my pent-up frustration on him. I’d sparred with him before, but I’d always held back. Not this time.
His specialty was boxing, but I had several years of martial arts and combat training that he couldn’t even dream of, and I let him have it.
He managed to get in a couple of solid punches, but I quickly got the best of him, and knocked him down. I pinned him with my knee in his back, twisting his arm in a painful grip. He refused to tap out, so I pulled just enough to hear his shoulder pop, along with his cry of pain.
I might have gone too far, but he needed to be put in his place. Standing over him, I released his arm, noticing that most of the gang had come out to watch, including Razor, who stood beside Serenity.
Joint moaned and rolled over, holding his dislocated shoulder to his side. Someone would have to put his shoulder back in the socket, but Joint had to know I could have done worse. I met Razor’s gaze, and he shrugged before telling everyone to get back to work. The men began to leave, and Razor hurried to Joint’s side.
I brushed the dirt off my clothes and followed Serenity to her car. She stepped to the driver’s side and got in. Starting the car, she wasted no time in pulling onto the street.
She spared me a glance, and I cocked my brow. “What?”
Shaking her head, she let out a breath. “You. I… I don’t know what to say. You’re like… those actors in the movies. Only you’re real. Those guys are just faking it.”
I snickered. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “It’s just… I’ve never met someone like you. I mean… you’re tough and all, but Joint is huge. I was a little worried, but you took him down so fast, it took me by surprise.”
“So… does that mean you’re even more impressed with me now?”
She huffed out a breath and glanced my way, shaking her head. “I’m just glad you didn’t mean it about giving Joint Grizzo’s name.”
“To be honest, I thought about it, but since I knew you’d be upset, I came up with a backup plan.”
Her brows rose. “What? Does Vanetti know? ”
“Of course. We came up with a deal yesterday while you were asleep.”
“Oh… good.” She glanced my way, her gaze focusing on my forehead. “We should head back to my place so you can clean up. You’ve got a cut above your eyebrow.” She pointed to the dashboard. “There’s a tissue in the glove box.”
I opened the box and grabbed a few tissues to dab at my forehead. My knuckles were scraped as well, but it was totally worth it to put Joint in his place. Of course, I hadn’t scored any points with him, since I’d taken him down in front of his gang. But at least the others would think twice about taking me on. Besides, he started it, and I had a reputation to keep up.
We arrived at Serenity’s house, and I took a quick shower to get all the grime off. At least the cut above my brow didn’t need stitches, and Serenity made me sit down on the edge of the tub while she used a butterfly bandage to pull it together.
She stood close, her chest even with my nose, and I wanted to bury my face against those perfect breasts. Her intoxicating scent made it hard to sit there without wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against me.
“There, that should do it.” She huffed out a breath. “I guess you can add that to the list.”
It would be easy to circle her waist with my hands and hold her captive. It might be worth it just to smell her amazing scent a little longer. “What list?”
“Of the things you owe me for. I think you’re still in my debt, even with the locks and the security camera.”
“Hmm… I didn’t know we were keeping track.”
She stepped away, and I gave in, circling her waist with my hands and tugging her back. Surprised, her palms came down on my shoulders. I glanced up to find her mouth open and her face suffused with a pink flush. “I can think of a way to pay you back. You’d enjoy it so much that you’d beg for more.”
Her breath caught and her eyes darkened. Then her brows drew down and she pulled away. “Is that all you think about?”
I let her go and sighed. “Not usually, but you—” I swallowed what I wanted to say and shook my head. “Never mind.”
She pivoted and hurried out the door like an escaping convict. I followed more slowly, glad to know she was just as attracted to me as I was to her. On the way to her office, she threw an irritated glance over her shoulder. “We need to figure out who this Johnny person is, remember?”
“Yeah… got it.” I waited while she sat down. As much as I wanted this to be over, I liked spending all my time with Serenity. Once we figured it out, she’d move on, and I wasn’t ready for that.
“Okay. So let’s think about it. Johnny’s been a step ahead of you. So that means he’s got to have a way to get information on your whereabouts. That means someone’s feeding him information, or he’s bugged you with a camera or tracking device. Did you check your car, or motorcycle for a tracker?”
My brows drew together. Could it be that simple? “I didn’t.”
Her eyes widened. “Well. We’ll have to do that when we get back to the office.”
I shook my head. “I think I would have noticed something like that on my bike… but not the car.” I closed my eyes. “I should have checked.”
“You know what? It could be a good thing. If there is a tracker, we can use it to set him up and draw him into that trap of yours. ”
Sitting in my chair, I leaned forward, resting my hands on my knees. “You’re right. I knew I was missing something. That must have been it. Let’s go back to the office and see.”
Her brow puckered. “You sure you want to do that? Why don’t we call Vanetti and have him take a look. Or Ricky… you trust him, right?”
“Yeah, but I’ll call Forrest Slater since he’s on my security team. He’ll know what to look for. He usually does sweeps for bugs once a week, but I’ll have him start doing them every day.”
“Sounds good. Make sure he looks for hidden cameras, too. Maybe in the parking garage, or by the elevators.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t need to tell me; I know what I’m doing.” I put the call through, and Slater agreed to take a look. I stayed on the phone with him while he checked things out. After directing him to every place I could think of, we disconnected. I gave Serenity the news. “No trackers or hidden cameras anywhere.”
“Dang! That would have been so helpful.” She huffed out a breath and met my gaze. “Could someone in your office be feeding Johnny information?”
“Not a chance.” At her raised brows, I rolled my eyes. “A move against me is a move against Vanetti. No one who works there would be that stupid.”
“You’re probably right. But what about the club? Does anyone there hold a grudge against you?”
“We’ve been over this before. It’s not an inside job. I think we need to go ahead and set something up at the car shop. I’ll call Vanetti and get Razor on board. I’ll see if tomorrow night will work.”
She huffed out a breath. “I don’t like it, but okay.”
I spent the next couple of hours working on the deal. It took a call from Vanetti to get Razor to commit to the plan, but Razor finally agreed to tell everyone that I would be there tomorrow night for a special meeting. “But don’t tell them until tomorrow.”
He agreed, and I told Serenity we had a deal. “That means I’ll have to stop by the shop sometime during the night tonight and set up a couple of cameras.”
“Does Razor know that?”
“Yes. He’ll meet me there. But don’t worry, he knows to keep quiet about it.”
She huffed out a breath. “I sure hope so. What about the cameras? Do you need to buy them?”
“I have the equipment at the office. We can stop there on our way to the shop and pick them up.” At her raised brows, I continued. “It will be in the middle of the night. We’ll be fine.” She still didn’t look convinced, so I pulled the psychic card. “Besides, I’ll let you touch me. Maybe you’ll get a vision?”
“Fine.” She checked her watch. “Oh, jeez, I’ve got to make my chip dip for the party.”
Leaving me behind, she scurried into the kitchen, so I called Vanetti to verify that Razor was good with the plan. I also told him I’d set up the cameras at Razor’s place tonight.
I had one last thing to ask, but I hesitated, knowing he wouldn’t like it. “One more thing. Just on the off chance, I’m wondering if someone at the office could be feeding Johnny information. I’m not saying someone is, but it could be a possibility.”
Vanetti huffed out a breath. “I hate to believe it, but if anyone knows, it would be Julia. I’ll get her to check it out.”
I hoped Julia was trustworthy, but since they were lovers I kept my mouth shut. “Sounds good. I’m going to a family thing with Serenity tonight, so let me know if Julia finds anything. Otherwise, I’ll get the cameras set up, and we’ll take it from there.” He agreed, and we disconnected .
With nothing left to do, I got ready for the party. Wanting to make a good impression, I ran my electric shaver over my face and changed into the one dress shirt I’d brought, just for the occasion. I didn’t usually give a damn about looking the part, but this was important to Serenity, so I made an exception.
Part of me looked forward to meeting her family. Not that I cared, but the last time I’d been to a family gathering had been a disaster. My dad had remarried while I’d been in the service. His wife had wanted to meet me, but since she was closer to my age than his, it hadn’t gone well. Last I’d heard, they even had a couple of kids, but I’d never been invited back.
I was curious to see what a family who actually cared about each other was like. A small part of me questioned why I bothered, but I shoved that thought away and tucked in my shirt. Grabbing my leather jacket, I headed into the living room to wait.