Facade

“Again, not my problem, and you’ve got thirteen minutes now to get me what I need.”

“You’re the one still talking in my ear. Ready to let me off the hook?”

“One last thing. If they don’t try anything in Vegas, it’ll imply that the threat is local, which is what I’m hoping for, to say the least,” I said.

“That it?”

“For me, yes. But I can tell you still want to talk.”

Silence fell onto the phone as Derek started shuffling things around.

“I’m sending out a few emails with urgent attachments. Once I have the information, I’ll forward it to your cell,” he said.

“Great. Now, can I tell you something that will help to calm your nerves?”

“Is that possible for you to do?” he asked.

“It is possible that someone is simply doing all of this to shake your nerves up. If someone had hired someone to take you out, or hired more than one person, this job would’ve already been done.”

“My already being dead is supposed to help me?” he asked.

“You’re not listening to what I’m saying.”

“You just said—”

“What I was saying was if the job was being done by professionals, they wouldn’t pussyfoot around like this. You would’ve already been dead.”

“Pussyfooting, huh?” he asked.

“Yep. But right now, someone’s wanting to scare you, which tells me no one’s hired anyone to kill you. This is personal. It’s why I’m convinced it’s someone close to you.”

“Why the hell didn’t you lead with that when you called?” he asked.

“Because you don’t listen anyway. I was trying not to waste my breath.”

“What? You trying to ration out your oxygen?”

“No. You’re exhausting to work with, and I’m trying to limit my time around you.”

“Funny, since you’re supposed to be saving my life.”

“You done?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. If a professional team had already gained access to your house, you’d be done. Which means I’m still researching the option that someone is only trying to scare you.”

“Interesting you should say that because that routes me back to why I’m not alerting anyone to the fact that this is all happening. I should be standing tall and brave right now, not hunkering down in fear,” he said. “Portraying to the media and my company that nothing is wrong so whoever is doing this gets the impression their shit isn’t working.”

“That could make them angry,” I said. “Make them more aggressive.”

“Hence why I hired you.”

I had to admit, I had a newfound respect for the man. He was taking a very ballsy approach. One I’d never known a client to take before. Clients I’d worked with before would’ve already turtled up on a private island somewhere, cashed in their shit, and handed their company over to save their own asses. They would’ve caved to whatever demands were asked of them just to get the threat to go away. He had a very serious issue looming over his shoulders, and his instinct was to stand above it all and keep it under wraps so he didn’t worry anyone and so he didn’t give off the scent of fear like someone wanted from him.

It was something I would do in this situation.

“Anything else, Miss Williams?”

“Get me that information so I can do my job,” I said.

“Already forwarding what I have.”

“See? That wasn’t that hard, was it?” I asked.

I heard a chuckle over the receiver as my phone lit up in my hand.

“Enjoy the information, Miss Williams.”

“Enjoy John, Mr. Steele.”

Chapter 11

Derek

THE AMOUNT OF WORK Sam kept dropping into my lap was annoying. She was acting as if I didn’t already have a company to run or something, but her effectiveness was impressive. She was quick to narrow things down, she was quick to shut down possible avenues, and she was even quicker to pinpoint suspects. But even though things were ramping up at the office and even though that letter was found on my bed, I still didn’t feel I needed her protection at night. If someone came into my room, I was prepared enough as it was. I had a gun in my bedside table and a knife underneath my pillow.