CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Mia

Protect Mia at all costs.

Grayson’s words linger in the air as I step to his side and face the woman who’s in front of him, who I assume works for Blake Walker. “And I’d ask you to protect him over me at all costs,” I say, my hand going to Grayson’s arm, and just being able to touch him again is like heaven on earth. “I guess,” I add, “that’s called love, right?” I turn to Grayson, push to my toes and kiss him.

He pulls me to his hip and stares down at me. “Most definitely love,” he says, his voice low gravely, affected, and then without looking away he adds, “This is Kara, Blake’s wife, and an ex-FBI agent who will be undercover as a temp in Ri’s office today.”

“Kara,” I say, reluctantly pulling away from Grayson to turn and face her before offering her my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“A great pleasure to meet you, Mia. And right now, I need to get you wired.” She indicates a roller bag she’s grabbed on the heels of following me. “I have your clothes, as well. Hopefully, I chose well.” She looks at Grayson. “Can Mia and I have a few minutes?”

“As long as you don’t plan to corrupt her into doing something stupid,” he replies dryly.

I give Grayson a gentle nudge. “I’m not that corruptible,” I say.

“No,” he says, “that’s not the problem.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll just go on into the bedroom,” Kara says, “if that’s okay?”

“Of course,” I say, stepping aside to allow her to enter, and even as she disappears I step in front of Grayson. “What did that mean?”

His hands come down on my arms and he drags me to him. “You have nothing to prove, you having nothing to repent with me. Don’t go in there with Ri trying to make something up to me.”

The words hit a nerve that I didn’t know existed. He’s right. I do want to make up for leaving him. I left him after his father died. “I’ll be smart.”

“Woman,” he bites out. “That is not a reply I like. We had this conversation. You’re going to want to protect me. Resist.”

“You’re letting me go. That must mean that Blake satisfied your expectations this morning.”

“He brought up every concern I had and then some.”

“And then some?”

He caresses my cheek. “They know what they’re doing or I wouldn’t be letting you go. You know that.” He turns me to the door. “Go talk to Kara. I need you to know how to protect yourself while you’re there today and I want to talk to Blake about how they’re monitoring you while you’re there.” He smacks my backside and while that would normally send an erotic chill up my spine, it doesn’t.

I suddenly want this day over with more than ever.

That gets me moving and I hurry back into the bedroom to find Kara standing by the bed where she’s opened the suitcase she’s used for my things, that isn’t mine at all, and pulled out the three outfits she brought me. Grayson shuts the bedroom door for us behind me and I mentally choose the basic black skirt and royal blue blouse to wear today. I hate that I do it because Ri complimented me on that blouse, but today is all about making him feel that I’m team Ri without going overboard and raising suspicions.

“Let’s get you dressed and wired first,” Kara says, her hands settling at her hips. “I just need you right here in front of me and if you don’t mind, in only your bra and panties. Sorry, I know you don’t know me but I need to get this right and fast.”

I laugh. “If I had those things on, that would be fine,” I say, “but I don’t.”

She laughs. “Those are the best mornings. I brought you basic stuff, including those items, most of your bathroom toiletries, but not much else. I had to be discreet. I literally packed it in a duffle that I dropped out of your back window.”

“Talk about resourceful,” I say.

“But not early enough.” She glances at her watch. “We’re pushing it for both of us to get there.”

A few minutes later, Kara’s made the process quick and painless, and I’m fully dressed, working on makeup and hair in the bathroom with the supplies she’s brought me. “Okay,” she says, standing at the sink close to me while I work, “I need your phone. I’m going to put a collection of numbers in it. I’m first and Adam’s second because we’re closest in the building with you. I’m setting up a group message on your phone. Use it if you’re in trouble so we all know at once.”

They’re worried. I’m worried. “How likely is it that Ri knows I was with Grayson this weekend?” I ask, turning to face her with Grayson’s concerns on my mind.

“If he had you followed when you first split with Grayson I wouldn’t assume that would continue. You stayed away from Grayson too long for him to think that you’d suddenly return. However, he’s trying to take down Grayson. He could be paranoid.”

The part about me staying away from Grayson feels pretty crappy. God. Why did I stay away? “Let’s assume he knows and he confronts me. I don’t have a story or an excuse. I need one.” I press fingers to my temple. “Think, Mia.” I look at her. “I have nothing.”

“Tell him you invested money through Grayson but he wouldn’t pay you out without seeing you and it was a packaged deal with a set end date. That way he can’t check it. An agreement between you and Grayson. Be angry about it. That’s your chance to be on team Ri.”

“That’s brilliant.”

“We used it in another case so I’m not thinking on the fly. A group of us came up with it in a similar situation. That’s the benefit of experience. Last thing. If you end up in trouble, go to the most public place and wait on me. The reception area. The lobby. Even an elevator instead of the stairs, but the elevator can be unpredictable for a fast escape. If you need fast, take fast, but remember there are cameras in the elevator that we’ve tapped into. There are no cameras in the stairwells and that’s a hard area to place hidden cameras that matter. It’s too many spaces in one path.”

I take it all in and in a few minutes, I have my purse and briefcase on my shoulder as Kara and I walk out to the dining room where Eric, Blake, Adam, and Grayson wait. They all stand at our approach. “I’m headed to the building now,” Adam says. “I just wanted to make sure you know I’m there. I wanted to make contact with you before you leave.”

“Thank you,” I say, and he nods and takes off for the door.

“Asher and one of our other men are in a surveillance van by the building,” Blake says. “They’ll be tapped into every camera in the building and any recording device Kara places will feed to them.” He eyes Kara. “You need to go now.”

She turns to me and her hands go to my shoulders. “Be you. Try to tune out what’s going on. That’s the best thing you can do. If you would normally get mad at him, get mad. Don’t suddenly change with him. I’ll be close.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“I want to be in the surveillance van,” Grayson says.

“If you aren’t at work today,” Blake says, “that’s going to be a red flag if he had her followed.”

“If he had her followed, she’ll be in trouble,” Grayson says. “I need to be in that van.”

“We came up with a story,” I say. “You made me come visit you to get a payout on an investment. I’m angry about it. I’m team Ri.”

Grayson’s eyes narrow. He doesn’t like this answer. He looks at Blake. “You better fucking protect her or I don’t care how many skills you have. You will feel the pain.”

“Grayson,” I hiss. “Stop.”

Blake looks at me. “If it were me with Kara I’d say the same thing.” He looks at Grayson. “I’ll protect her with my life.”

“You better,” he says, looking at me. “Because I don’t have one without her. I can’t lose her again.”

It’s then, in his intensity, that I know he knows something I don’t know but there isn’t time for me to ask. I have to get to the office and into the snake’s den. I have to get to my meeting with Ri.