Illusion (Billionaire in Disguise 2)

I turned my gaze toward Sam, her smile fading as our eyes connected.

“We’ll catch him and soon,” she said. “I’ve got everyone from the FBI to Interpol actively searching for him.”

“And your criminal contacts,” I said with a grin.

“Them, too. It’s only a matter of time. It’ll happen. And when it does, this entire nightmare will be over.”

It was hard for me to believe that. I had gotten used to Sam following me around and to my life always being on the line with this threat looming over my head. I was learning to work under the pressure, and I was slowly beginning to forget what it felt like to work without the threat of my life being ripped from me at a moment’s notice.

Was this how Sam felt every day? On edge and yet, somehow settled?

I wasn’t sure if we were going to catch Jacob soon. According to Sam just after she was shot, Jacob should’ve never escaped the building. The mere fact that he could fly underneath the radar with me like he’d done told me he was capable of more than we thought.

I didn’t know if I trusted her words.

I didn’t know if I trusted her reassurance.

Hell, I didn’t know if I trusted anything anymore.

Chapter 6

Sam

THE MIDDLE OF JUNE had rolled around, and the heat of San Francisco was becoming apparent. My jeans were unbearable, and my leather jacket had been traded for nothing more than leather hand warmers. They cushioned my hands if I had to throw a punch, but if I had to continuously fight someone, they also delivered a stunning electrical force. I’d made them myself, taking apart the leather fabric and installing the wires necessary to make them into another concealed weapon. There was a switch in the palm of my hand that had to be flipped. Then it was only a matter of balling up my fist and throwing a punch.

The wires, once connected to the skin, did the rest.

If I wasn’t sleeping in Derek’s executive washroom suite, I was sleeping at his house. I had set myself up in a room with eyes on his property surveillance system. I spent very little time at my house, always poised and ready for action should someone attempt to breach his property again. It felt odd here at night when San Francisco went to sleep and the stars in the sky twinkled above. Derek would stare at me when he thought I wasn’t looking, raking his eyes up and down my form.

It made me unsettled, but it also made me happy.

I didn’t like t

hat. The fact that it made me happy.

“Sam? Sam, you there?”

“Huh? Yeah. Hey, John. What’s up?” I asked.

“The shift change is occurring. You want an update?” he asked.

“Let me guess. No perimeter breaches, no letters, no foul play.”

“Sounds about right,” he said with a grin.

“Who’s on this shift change? Still the same guys?” I asked.

“Sam, can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“Without sounding insubordinate, I think it would be good if we got Derek away for a while.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, like a vacation. He doesn’t have to stop working, but with the police and the FBI hot on Jacob’s tail, I figured he would let up a bit. But Mr. Steele is more wound up than ever. He’s gonna have a heart attack with all this stress.”

“In his defense, his best friend did try to kill him.”