Authors: Regan Black
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said when they reached her building.
“Why don’t I call you when I’m ready?”
Because every moment she was out of his sight was more unbearable than the last. With the stalker in play again he refused to take chances. “Are you going in there to get names and cooperate with him?”
She leaned back as if he’d sprouted a second head. “Of course not.”
“Then I’ll pick you up at seven. I have a shift at Escape tonight.”
“And I have a career on the line,” she shot back. “I’ll order delivery and work through. You can pick me up after your shift.”
He shook his head. “We can’t keep going on this way.”
“What?” She tilted her head and opened her mouth, then clamped her lips shut. “I’m edgy,” she admitted with obvious reluctance. “What have I missed?”
She’d missed the part where he was caring about her as far more than a client. He was into every part of her routine and it should’ve been weird. Instead, he was increasingly content with the situation, despite the risky reasons behind their association.
Association
? He almost laughed. Her world, her scent, her patterns were seeping into his clothing, his skin, going deeper into his heart. “You can work your caseload from Grant’s office,” he suggested. “Or just take a night off.”
“I can’t get caught partying at the club again.”
“You didn’t last time. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “I do, or you wouldn’t be living with me.”
He ran a hand over his hair to keep from touching hers. His extended stay at her small place was wearing on her. On him, too, though the reasons probably differed. The more time he spent in her orbit, the more time he wanted. He’d had crushes and a serious relationship or two. What he felt for her was light-years from any previous experience.
Too soon
, he reminded himself.
“Julia, please.” His gaze roamed the people streaming by them. “After days of silence and searching, we’re no closer to guessing who this jerk is.”
Her lips parted on a frustrated sigh that mirrored his assessment.
“We owe Grant an update, in person.” He pushed the point.
“And?” Her eyebrows pulled together as she studied him closely. “You have something else on your mind. Just spit it out, Mitch.”
She was on his mind. Her safety, her happiness and her future monopolized his thoughts. He should tell her.
Not yet
. He gripped the lapels of her coat and tugged her in for a brisk kiss. Basic. Chaste. Yet his lips sizzled and her eyes were huge when he eased her back. “Seven,” he said, angling her toward the revolving door and giving her a nudge in that direction.
He sent Arthur a wave as Julia entered the lobby. Turning away, he headed up the block. Scanning the street, he sought out the one man he’d thought had been paying too much attention to them in the park. Mitch had until seven to make some serious progress on her behalf.
Patience had never been his thing, and the situation was testing him like nothing else. He had to figure out who would be so intent on using Julia’s access to the Falk case. Either everyone from the FBI on down the line had missed something—someone—obvious, or the stalker was protecting bigger interests than the car-theft ring.
Except all of the statements and arrest records pointed to Falk as the head of the operation. If he was, what could he offer the prosecution? Mitch swore. He had to get off this mental gerbil wheel. They had this conversation every damn night. Theories wouldn’t save Julia or restore the stable life and control she’d worked so hard to achieve.
Mitch put his head down and shoved his hands into his pockets, lengthening his stride to pass a man wearing a blue coat and a hockey team ball cap. This guy had been near the food truck when Mitch and Julia approached today, though he hadn’t had any food. He wore sunglasses despite the gray skies and had circled the park twice while Mitch and Julia were eating. And Mitch had seen him use his phone while Julia had been messaging the stalker.
All circumstantial pieces, and yet all worthy of a closer look in Mitch’s opinion.
He ducked into a coffee shop and waited for the man in the cap to pass by, hoping the move didn’t backfire. If he could get his hands on the man’s cell phone it would go a long way to confirming he was Julia’s stalker. With no experience as a pickpocket, Mitch had to take a different route. He pulled out his phone to dial the stalker’s number from memory. The man Mitch had in sight answered the call.
“Ah, Mr. Galway. To what do I owe the pleasure?” He turned a slow circle, forcing others on the sidewalk to move around him.
“Let Julia Cooper out of your wild-goose chase.”
“She’s free as a goose or any other bird as soon as she gives me what I need.”
So far, it didn’t appear that the bastard had spotted Mitch. He gave thanks for small favors. If he could keep the man on the line, maybe he could make him slip up. “She’s stronger than any of your threats.”
“Are you sure? I own her, Mr. Galway, and she knows it. Her career, her money, her life are all in my hands.”
“She has help now. She’s not alone.”
“You?” The man smirked. “You’ll be out of the picture soon enough.” He stared hard at the coffee shop.
Mitch angled back farther from the window. “Come after me,” Mitch dared him. “A real man would pick on someone his own size.”
The jerk’s short bark of laughter shot through the phone. “Julia is proving a worth adversary, I admit.”
“So quit while you’re ahead.” Mitch disconnected the call and joined the short line at the counter.
Closing his eyes, he committed every detail to memory. Maybe it was enough for a sketch artist to work with. Grant would know someone willing to draw it up, off the record. He sent him a text message. With any luck, a more comprehensive description of the stalker would match someone tied to the Falk case. Mitch eyed the distance between the line and the back door.
He glanced over his shoulder to see the jerk cross to this side of the street. Mitch pulled a dark knit cap out of his pocket and tugged it over his head. He shrugged out of his jacket, folding it over his arm as the bell over the shop door jingled.
It seemed the stalker had accepted the dare. Mitch placed his order and stepped aside, keeping his gaze away from the door. His blood ran high, eager for a fight. He wanted the jerk to storm in and throw the first punch. A public fight would cause problems with the PFD review board, but Julia was worth any speed bump on that road.
The waiting grated on his nerves. He took out his phone, pretending to be absorbed by the device as much as the customers around him. The tension snapped when the barista called out, “Cooper!” as he set a cup on the counter. Mitch didn’t move from his place near the back counter. He pressed the button on his camera app that would take a burst of pictures while he watched the room for reactions.
The stalker, hovering near the door, zeroed in on the pickup counter. To Mitch’s surprise, two other men went on alert, as well, looking to the stalker for a cue.
Progress at last
. Mitch stepped into the rear hallway, passed the restrooms and slipped out the back door. A cold drizzle hit his face as strolled away from the shop, prepared to run.
The lack of a chase didn’t improve his mood. He wanted to draw focus away from Julia. He’d feel better if she’d agree to sublet her place to his brother until this was over. It wasn’t about accommodations. He wanted her out of the stalker’s reach, away from the area he knew too well. Any unexpected move would buy them time to figure out how he factored into the case.
He hadn’t dismissed the idea of the reporter as easily as Julia had done. Experience within the fire department had taught him how sneaky reporters could be. After the coffee shop, seeing the stalker and the men with him, Mitch had all the confirmation he needed that they were dealing with a criminal.
Pleased with himself, he sent the pictures from the coffee shop on to Grant, along with a warning that Julia would be hanging out in the owner’s office at the club tonight. After his shift, hopefully she’d agree to move in with him until this was over.
If they were at his place...
He paused to savor the idea, imagining her there, her scent lingering in the air, on his sheets.
Take it slow
.
Grant’s terse reply interrupted his fantasy. He ordered Mitch to lay low, that he’d tempted the stalker enough for one day.
Mitch deferred to the older man’s expertise. He decided that tonight, in the safety of Grant’s office, was soon enough to bother Julia with the pictures of the man who’d turned her life upside down. He didn’t want to upset her at work any more than necessary. Just because she was holding up valiantly didn’t mean he had to pile on.
Julia wanted to hold on to her job. More than that, she wanted to advance. Mitch was determined to find a way to eliminate her stalker so she could get her life back on track.
With her best interests in mind, he picked up his car and headed to his house. He had arrangements to make before he picked up Julia on the way to his shift at Escape. Whether or not she got any work done, they needed a change of venue.
Chapter 6
T
he afternoon raced away from Julia at twice the speed of the morning. She pulled together the research Haywood needed and drafted a report while her mind put Mitch’s offer on a never-ending replay loop.
Sublet to my brother. Move in with me
.
Absurd or brilliant, her opinion of the idea changed on the hour. More space would be a definite bonus. Probably. What if more time in his environment unraveled the last of her resolve and she gave in to that sexy grin? The chemistry between them wasn’t the point. Her entire system and schedule would have to be adjusted if she moved.
Temporarily
, she reminded herself. It was all temporary so what did it matter where they stayed while trying to drop a net over the stalker? Mitch had a fair point about shaking things up on that front. Her apartment was close to the office as well as her gym and she knew most of the faces in her neighborhood, but Mitch didn’t. In his place, she’d be the one on edge, thinking everyone was the stalker ready to close in on her.
His brother couldn’t possibly have any use for her antique furniture, her only link to her father’s side of the family. Taking the time to put those items in storage wouldn’t go unnoticed and that would defeat any advantage.
Absurd or brilliant? She just could not decide.
Logic reared its ugly head again. With the black marks the stalker had put on her financial record, she couldn’t afford to be late with her rent, too. Somehow Mitch understood she wouldn’t ask for or accept assistance from work, friends. More likely he’d discovered her lack of personal connections during his nightly research sessions.
A chill raised the hair at the back of her neck. If he’d found the wreckage in her past, surely he would’ve asked. He was too direct not to. Hopefully, their swift determination that her stalker was only interested in the Falk case meant she’d dodged that embarrassing bullet. Bad enough she had to explain her brother’s trouble. If he found out the whole story about her mom...if his eyes ever filled with the same scorn and disgust she’d endured those last months at home...it would break her. She couldn’t risk it, couldn’t let her mind slip into that abyss.
Frustrated with herself and her persistent fear of how much she liked Mitch despite all common sense, she gathered up her notes and laptop and headed out of the library.
As she walked along the gallery that overlooked the stately marble lobby two stories below, she caught sight of a ball cap in that unmistakable bright orange. She stutter-stepped, torn between moving forward for a chance to snap a picture or backing into the dubious protection of the next available door.
Phone in hand, she inched closer to the railing and scanned the lobby for any sign of Mitch. He’d promised if her stalker entered Marburg, he’d be there to protect her. Mitch wasn’t anywhere to be seen. A check of her phone confirmed she hadn’t missed a warning text.
Deep breath
, she told herself. The man in the hat down there wasn’t her problem. She told herself she’d been silly and self-absorbed, willing herself to believe it. Tourists frequently came into the Marburg building and, while the bright orange cap stood out, plenty of people on any given block in Philly at any time of day, displayed their favorite sports team pride.
She shook off the residual anxiety and chose the stairs to get back upstairs to her desk. Her stalker would win by default if she let him interrupt the portions of her life within her control. Despite his current control of her finances, there were actions she could take if he didn’t relent.
One thing she could do right now was stop the direct deposits. Taking that first proactive step meant Mitch wouldn’t have to worry about her living with him indefinitely. Decided, she called Human Resources from her desk and put her request into action. She went a step further, arranging to pick up a paper check personally on paydays until further notice.
She waited, an eye on her cell phone, half-expecting something dreadful in response. When nothing happened, no nasty text messages or email, she felt a genuine smile tugging at her mouth. The modest act of defiance settled her, making a dent in the gray clouds of uncertainty.
Shortly after five, Julia pushed her chair back from the desk and headed for the break room at the end of her floor.
A moment later Bethany walked in. “Staying late again?”
“It’s that obvious?” Julia tried to smile. Her temper simmered, knowing her regimented lifestyle made the stalker’s job easier.
“You always brew a cup of coffee about this time when you’re working late,” Bethany explained.
“Creature of habit, that’s me,” Julia agreed. Mitch’s idea to move into his place sounded brilliant once more. “Only a couple more hours for me tonight,” she said, setting the machine to brew a single cup.
“Oh? Tell me you have plans with your new guy.” Bethany fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. “He is gorgeous. Any chance he has a single brother?”
Julia laughed. A picture flashed in her head of Bethany and Mitch as a couple. The receptionist was a much better fit for him. She was pretty, girl-next-door nice, and she worked steady hours in a respectable role.
“He’s a client,” she reminded Bethany with a mental disclaimer. She couldn’t help poking into the charges against him, just in case he needed legal advice. It was the least she could do in light of everything he was doing for her. “We’re not involved that way.”
Yet
, a wistful little voice in her head added.
“Please.” Bethany winked. “He kisses you hello and goodbye. Kudos for trying to keep it professional.” She paused at the doorway, a big smile on her face. “Everyone in the firm is sure you’re dating.”
Mitch would be so happy to hear it, she thought, picking up her full coffee mug. “See you in the morning, Bethany.”
With a muffled pop, the lights went out, plunging the windowless break room into darkness. Bethany squeaked in surprise. Startled, Julia spilled coffee over her hand. She muttered a curse.
“Are you okay?” Bethany asked. She stood at the doorway, under the weak glow of the emergency exit sign.
“Just mildly scalded,” Julia replied. “You?”
“Fine. Must be a power outage,” Bethany said. “Guess you’re leaving on time after all.”
“Don’t we have a generator or something?” The silence was eerie. No computers or appliances humming, no ringing phones, no air rushing through the vents. In all her late nights, she’d never heard Marburg this quiet.
“It should be on by now,” Bethany replied. She rummaged through her purse for her phone and turned on the flashlight. The bright light cut a swath through the break room, illuminating the splash of coffee at Julia’s feet.
“Let me clean this—”
An emergency siren interrupted her, followed by an annoyingly calm computerized voice that issued a situation number and ordered an immediate evacuation. The cycle repeated.
“We have to get out of here.” Bethany rushed forward and grabbed Julia’s arm, hauling her out of the break room. “We’ll take the stairs.”
“Let me grab my purse and coat.” Julia leaned in the opposite direction. “It’ll only take me a second.”
“No time,” Bethany insisted. “That’s the code for a bomb threat.”
“What?” She froze in disbelief.
“Come on!” Panic tightened Bethany’s grip.
A bright flash blazed near the lobby door. Glass splintered and smoke poured into the office space. Julia stopped arguing, rushing for the stairs with Bethany. Other employees flooded the stairwell, all of them wondering what was going on as they rushed for the exit.
Sirens sounded from every angle, and flashing emergency lights disoriented her as they poured into the side street. Police and firefighters guided everyone across the street. In the fading evening light Julia searched for Mitch, but she couldn’t spot him amid the growing crowds of onlookers.
She shivered, wrapping her arms around her middle as the brisk air seeped through her blouse and dread crept into her heart. From the moment the lights went out she’d told herself it was coincidence. Not about her. Not about Falk. This was the result of a glitch in the building’s wiring, a damaged transformer down the block or something equally innocuous. She couldn’t make herself believe it, recalling the damned orange ball cap she’d spotted and the shattered glass doors. How could one man wreak this much havoc?
Her teeth chattered, nerves getting the better of her as she asked to borrow Bethany’s phone. She clamped her lips together and sent a quick text to Mitch, willing him to stride down the street and escort her out of this chaos. He had to be close.
Had to be
.
She dialed his number, waited through the unanswered ringing and left a terse message at the voice mail prompt. Should she walk home or call her building and ask Mr. Capello to check her apartment? Neither. She returned the phone to Bethany before she did something so paranoid and clingy. She could manage a minor crisis. It wasn’t as if she was out here alone with the stalker bearing down on her.
“Do you want me to take you home?”
Yes!
Julia shook her head. “No, thank you.” She forced her lips into a tight smile. “I’ll wait until they let us back in. I need my purse.” She couldn’t leave without the last of her cash. Her keys, phone and identification were up there along with her laptop. Her stomach rolled. The locked doors were shattered. Anyone who’d stayed in the building could be going through her things right now.
“I’m sure this is all just a drill,” Bethany said. “Or a false alarm.”
Julia blew into her chilled hands. The receptionist hadn’t been so confident when they were upstairs. And the flash and smoke? “They’ll sort it out,” she said, hoping they’d do it quickly. She checked her watch. Mitch would be here by seven at the latest. She just had to stay with the crowd and keep thinking positive thoughts.
Apparently, she wasn’t up to the challenge. Chilled and increasingly edgy with every minute Mitch wasn’t there, Julia struggled against a tidal wave of imaginative and outrageous scenarios. His car had broken down, he was hurt, the stalker had kidnapped him after lunch. It didn’t matter that none of those were likely explanations for his absence. The crucial point was that he wasn’t
here.
Frustrated, she milled about with the rest of the firm’s employees, keeping an eye out for an orange ball cap. The bomb squad arrived in tactical black, complete with two trained dogs. Her head started to spin. The files were backed up regularly to secure cloud servers, but Marburg could hardly manage Falk’s acquittal in a timely manner if the building blew up.
The thought brought her up short. She and Mitch had assumed the man wanted to be sure Marburg would get Falk acquitted without jeopardizing the rest of the car-theft operation, but what if that wasn’t what the stalker wanted? Julia glanced at her watch again. The next scheduled check-in time with Mitch was only fifteen minutes away. When she didn’t answer, he’d come racing up the block.
Wouldn’t he?
With an effort, she thought good thoughts, imagined him striding onto the scene. He’d have that baffled expression he wore whenever she expressed the simplest concern for him. She let it roll like a classic, romantic movie in her mind. He’d walk up, she’d throw her arms around him, and he’d lead her away to a sweet and happy ending after a moment’s terror.
She was losing it. Clearly she’d grown too dependent on a man who’d only be with her until the danger was over. All she had to do was stay with the group until the building was cleared.
Catching a flash of orange in her peripheral, she noticed a man wearing his ball cap backward, loitering at the west end of the block. He raised his phone, presumably taking pictures of the scene. Her comforting delusion of happy-ever-after dissolved.
Was his phone aimed at her? She moved closer to the center of the crowd, nudging Bethany along with her, grateful her friend hadn’t left the scene. Julia didn’t care if Bethany stayed out of concern or curiosity or admiration for the first responders assessing the scene across the street, she just needed a friend.
“What do you think happened to the doors?” Julia asked quietly, her mind kicking into solution-and-survival mode.
“Probably just a malfunction with the electronic lock or something,” Bethany replied. “Do you think I should tell them what we saw?”
Julia nodded. She couldn’t imagine a lock malfunction would have shattered the glass. “It might give them a better starting point.” She suppressed a shudder. “I’ll go with you.”
While Bethany explained what they’d seen, Julia watched the emergency teams swarming around them. It was so easy to envision Mitch working among them, focused and calm despite the questions and anxious bystanders. Just as he’d behaved with her from the moment she’d walked up to the bar. He kept moving forward, intent on his assigned task of protecting her, levelheaded and kind at every turn.
Thinking about Mitch as a firefighter, working among those who’d responded, stemmed another surge of distress. She hadn’t known him long, but it was easy to see this was exactly where he was meant to be. His suspension, as she’d told him, was cut-and-dried and should be reversed without any trouble. Although she wasn’t familiar with the fire department’s internal policies or politics, it troubled her that they were taking so long to schedule the hearing to reinstate him.
They’d been guided back across the street. Julia’s mind was so absorbed with Mitch that the next officer to approach them startled her.
“Pardon me, ladies,” he said, and smiled. “We’d like to take you to the station for a few more questions.” He gestured toward the west end of the block, well away from the crowd of temporarily displaced employees.
“Anything to help,” Bethany replied.
Julia hesitated. “We can answer questions right here. Please,” she added belatedly.
“Station is warmer.” The cop’s smile disappeared. “This way.” He reached for Julia’s elbow.
She sidestepped out of his reach, pulling Bethany back, as well. “Why don’t you send someone down tomorrow? We’re overwhelmed right now.”
The officer muttered an insult to lawyers everywhere. “Come on, lady.” He glanced toward the corner. “I’m just trying to do my job.”