Nikki was distracted and it pissed her off. She should have been exhausted but instead was running at full tilt trying to focus on the job she needed to do. No matter how hard she tried though, there was no getting Keegan James out of her mind. She alternated between wanting to die of embarrassment for knocking him over and thanking every deity there was for the opportunity to be sprawled out on top of that perfect representation of a man. Then there was that little voice of reason that crept in and reminded her he might be smack in the middle of her case.

Her instincts told her that there was no way Keegan was involved. She had been on the job for a good ten years, met a lot of dirty people, and Keegan just didn't fit the type. She truly believed he had no idea what was happening at his property under the cover of darkness. Now she just had to prove it and then find a way to get back on top of Keegan in the sand.

She was so pathetic. And desperate. Don't forget desperate.

"Hey, Nik. There's someone here to see you." Henry stood in the door to her office. "Girl, you look like hell."

"Gee thanks, Henry. That pick-up line usually work for you?" She leaned back in her chair and studied her boss.

"Every time. Just ask my ex-wife. It's your piece of work ex-boyfriend. He has a huge bouquet of roses. I thought you hated roses?" Henry took a step into the office and leaned a hip against her desk.

"I do." Nikki sighed and tapped a finger against her knee.

"Shouldn’t he know that?" Henry stood up and smoothed out the front of his khakis.

"There's a lot of things he should know but like you said the man is a real piece of work."

"You want me to show him out?"

"Nope. I'll go out and get rid of him." She stood up and straightened her clothes. Nikki always felt like she was a little too wrinkled and a bit too disheveled.

"Take your gun. It'll be self-defense. I'll swear to that in court." Henry folded his arms across his chest and followed her to the door of her office.

Nikki patted Henry on the arm and offered him a smile. "You're a good man, Henry. I won't need the gun though. Troy is the biggest pansy you'll ever meet. All I have to do is raise my voice and pretend I'm going to hit him and he will wet himself."

"Hmpf. A lot of psychopaths and narcissists put up a good front. You watch your step around good ole' Troy. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot the bastard myself if I feared for your safety."

Once again, Henry reminded her of her father. She really needed to call her dad later. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d visited him. "I appreciate that Henry but I'll be fine."

Her boss stepped aside and Nikki headed to the front desk. Troy was standing there with a huge bouquet of roses all smiles like nothing had ever happened between them.

"What are you doing here, Troy?"

"Hey, babe, I thought I'd take you to lunch."

"I'm not having lunch with you. We broke up, remember?"

"I brought these for you." Troy shoved the ridiculous bouquet in her face.

"I hate roses. You'd know that if you ever paid attention to anything in our relationship."

Troy just kept smiling, probably not hearing a word she said, as usual. "Women love roses."

"Not all women. Now, I need you to leave. If I don't get back to my office soon, my boss might shoot you."

Troy laughed. "Why are you always so dramatic, Nikole?"

"I told you to never, ever call me that."

"It's your name."

"No. It's not. I've never been called Nikole by anyone but you. Leave, Troy." She turned her back and started walking away but Troy caught up with her and put a hand on her shoulder. Nikki whipped around, anger starting to simmer.

"Do you want my boss to bring his gun out here?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything."

"Fine. You're sorry. Now get the hell out." Troy was never really sorry about anything. He apologized like a politician. Just enough to sneak past and release his true agenda. She walked away without looking back.

"Do I need to shoot him?" Henry was still in her office when she returned.

"Nope. He's gone." Nikki walked over to her desk. She just happened to look out the window. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"What's wrong?"

"Look." She waved Henry over to where she stood.

"That son of a bitch! I told you to let me shoot him!"

Nikki's car sat in the parking lot directly below her office covered in rose petals. Broken glass littered the ground and bent flower stems spelled out the word B-I-T-C-H across the hood.

"I guess I should have accepted the roses."

"I'm calling security." Henry disappeared and Nikki dropped in to her chair. Lowering her head to arms she crossed on her desk, Nikki let out a long sigh.

Keegan James probably wouldn't stalk a woman or vandalize her car. Hell, he could stalk her anytime he wanted. There was no way he could be as flipping crazy as Troy.

Unless the problem was her. Maybe she was a magnet for psychos.

Yay.