The Mogul And The Muscle

Cameron stayed silent while I took a winding route through the city. The SUV didn’t approach or make any aggressive moves. Just followed a short distance behind.

“Hold on.”

I took a hard right onto an empty street and accelerated. Cameron braced herself against the door as I whipped around another corner. The SUV didn’t make the turn.

But then I realized it wasn’t the only car.

A small dark sedan was right behind the SUV, and it took the corner easily.

Fuck. These guys were good. Scary good. That sedan had been tucked behind the SUV, out of my sight.

I needed to lose these guys.

Cameron’s phone rang but she declined the call. I headed for the freeway. The SUV was nowhere to be seen, but the sedan followed up the ramp. I took advantage of her car’s quick acceleration and darted through the slower moving traffic.

The sedan kept pace. I moved to the left lane and watched the cars ahead of me, mentally mapping my next move. Just before an exit, the opportunity came. A gap in the traffic. I cut across the lanes and flew down the off-ramp.

Without hesitating to see if the sedan would make the exit, I took a sharp left, then went around a white delivery truck. Using the truck as cover, I drove a few more blocks before making another turn.

No sign of the sedan. Or the SUV.

“They’re gone,” I said when I was sure.

Cameron took a deep breath and laid her hand on her chest. “My heart’s beating so hard. What was that?”

“They were tailing you. Two of them. I didn’t see the second one at first.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” I kept driving, taking a roundabout route to Cameron’s office. “Tracking your routine, maybe. Looking for an opportunity to make you pull over or force you off the road. Or just keeping eyes on you. It’s hard to say.”

“God, that was scarier than the hit and run.”

I reached over and took her hand. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

She squeezed back. “I know you do.”

I checked the mirrors again. Something still felt off, like the wind had shifted. The air buzzed with a heightened sense of danger.

Those had been professionals.

“You don’t happen to have secret dealings with a mafia group that you’ve been keeping from me, do you?”

She laughed softly. “No. Definitely nothing like that.”

I cracked a smile.

Her phone rang again. “Hi, Brandy, sorry, we were—what?”

The alarm in her voice sent another hit of adrenaline running through my veins.

“Oh my god,” she said, her eyes darting to me. “Someone broke into my office. We’ll be there soon. Be careful.”

Oh shit.

“What did she say?”

“Someone was in my office. The door was closed so she didn’t realize it right away, but she went in and it’s trashed.”

“Well, that escalated quickly,” I said, making another turn toward her office building.

“I can’t believe this is happening.”

I took her hand again and squeezed. “It’s going to be okay, Cameron. I swear.”

She nodded, but her eyes shone with fear.

27

CAMERON

M y office was a disaster. Papers strewn everywhere. Monitor on the floor, the screen cracked. Drawers emptied of their contents. My favorite lady boss coffee mug smashed.

IT had already taken my PC to examine it for signs of tampering. They’d locked down the network and sent a team to check all the computers on this floor.

Two police officers had already come and gone. I’d sent out a company email to keep everyone informed and sent most of the employees on this floor home early.

No one had seen anything. The intruders had tampered with the security cameras. Gotten in and out sometime overnight. Brandy had found the mess when she’d opened my office door, and called me while Jude and I were being followed.

It was early afternoon, and I’d already been tailed on the way to work and found my office trashed. But apparently that was my life now.

“This is fucked up,” I said, staring at the mess.

Jude picked through the debris, carefully inspecting everything. He’d already gone through the whole room with some kind of handheld scanner he’d produced from his backpack. “Fucked up, indeed.”