Willow
Warmth. Comfort. Support. That’s what I felt as I woke in Ronan’s embrace.
I wriggled until his hold loosened, then rolled over and took in the sight of his early morning face. His features were softer in sleep, but no less handsome. Tenderness welled within me, and I kissed his cheek. His eyelids fluttered open, and his eyes took a moment to focus on mine. They were completely unguarded.
I kissed him again, this time on the lips. “Good morning.”
His mouth curved into a heartbreaking smile. “Morning.”
His rough voice slid over me like velvet.
“It’s Monday,” I said sadly. “Much as I’d love to stay here, we have to go to work.”
His gaze turned flinty. “I don’t want you to leave the penthouse.”
My eyes narrowed. “Will you be staying?”
He hesitated.
“That’s what I thought.” He wanted to leave me here while he went into the office to, among other things, fix my problems. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. “I want to come with you. Won’t I be safer surrounded by trained security staff than here by myself?”
He considered the question, and I could see that he wanted to argue, but he couldn’t deny the logic of what I’d said. “If you come in, I’ll expect you to check in with me every hour so I know you’re safe, and to not leave the premises without an armed guard. Preferably Kade.”
I rolled my eyes. “Kade owns a third of the company. I doubt he has time to run around after me.”
“Ask him.” His expression dared me to do just that. “He’ll make time. Kade has a thing about women in danger.”
It seemed he wasn’t the only one.
“Okay,” I conceded. “If I want to leave the office, I’ll ask Kade to accompany me.” The point was moot anyway because I didn’t plan to leave. I wasn’t a fool. If I set foot outside, it could be poaching season with me as an endangered species. “Do we have a deal?”
His lips twitched. “You drive a hard bargain.” He thrust his hips against me until I could feel his erection. I whimpered, and his pupils dilated in response. “But yes, I agree. Just please keep my sanity in mind before you do anything risky.” He smoothed my hair back from my face. “If you were hurt, I’d lose it.”
“I won’t do anything stupid,” I promised, pressing a kiss to the center of his palm. I broke away and rolled out of bed. “Let’s go.”
An hour later, we arrived at the office. I noticed several people glance at us as we walked past, and one openly stared. Before we went our separate ways, Ronan kissed my forehead.
“Be safe,” he murmured. “Don’t forget to check in with me in an hour. If you don’t, I’m coming to find you.”
“I will,” I promised. “I’ll be fine. Try not to worry.”
When I got to my desk, Imani leaped up and raced over.
“Are you okay?” she asked, running her hands up my arms as though to check for broken bones.
“Yes.” I frowned. “Why?”
She stepped back and scanned me from head to toe, lingering on my cheek, which was still bruised, and my forehead, where the cut was slowly healing. Her hand flew to her mouth. “What happened? Everyone is saying you’re in trouble, but no one seems to know why.” To my surprise, she hauled me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re in one piece. I was worried.”
Tentatively, I hugged her back, surprised by how nice it felt to know she cared. “I’m okay.” I eased away from her, although she kept a loose grip on me. “Some men trashed my place on Friday night, and then the same guys tried to snatch me off the street on Saturday morning. Fortunately, Ronan was there. If not for him, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Her eyes widened impossibly further. “Why are you even in the office today? You should be locked away in a safe house, or at least given paid sick leave. I mean, you were nearly freaking kidnapped. Surely no one expects you to work.”
I explained to her the same thing I did to Ronan. She didn’t look convinced, but nor did she argue.
“I’m here if you need anything,” she said.
“Thanks.” I smiled and squeezed her hand. “How was your weekend?”
“Nowhere near as exciting as yours, thank God. I had a blind date, which didn’t go well. The guy was a looker, but he was a little too sure of himself, if you know what I mean.” She sat and gestured for me to do the same. “Tell me more about what happened.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but a throat cleared to the left, and I flinched in surprise. I hated that someone had been able to approach without me noticing. I glanced up. It was the woman from reception, and she held a massive array of flowers bound in blood-red paper.
“Delivery for you.”
“For me?” I squeaked, ogling the bouquet. They must be from Ronan. Who else would do something like this? But he didn’t seem the type to be flamboyant in a professional setting.
The receptionist winked. “Aren’t you a lucky girl?”
She set the flowers on my desk but hovered while I read the card. The more I read, the colder my insides became.
My dearest Willow
Please do me the honor of joining me for dinner at The Sauvignon Steakhouse tonight at 8 pm to discuss our upcoming nuptials. I look forward to making you my bride.
If you need to call me, you can do so using the number below.
Adrian
At the bottom, he’d scrawled a number. Just looking at it made me feel sick. Even after I’d told Tom ‘no’ in no uncertain terms, he’d clearly called Petrov and given him the go-ahead. Tears prickled in my eyes, and one slipped down my cheek. My brother had gone completely crazy if he thought I’d let him do this to me. I didn’t even know who he was anymore.
I ripped the card off the flowers and spun away, halting when I realized that both Imani and the receptionist were still watching me.
“Excuse me,” I muttered and brushed past them.
I found an empty meeting room, shut myself inside, and dialed the number on the card.
Petrov answered on the first ring as though he’d been waiting for me. “Do you like the flowers?”
I didn’t respond. I was burning with anger because Tom must have also given him my phone number. There was no other way he could have known it was me. We hadn’t spoken over the phone before.
“I’m not marrying you,” I stated bluntly. “Tom lied. I’ve already told him it won’t be happening.”
Petrov laughed. “Yes, it will.”
“No.” My heart hammered forcefully against my rib cage. “My brother may have gotten himself into trouble, but I refuse to give up my freedom to get him out of it. We’re living in the twenty-first century. Women can’t be bought and paid for.”
“They can, and frequently are,” he replied as though bartering women were an everyday occurrence. What the hell was this man’s deal? “Let’s get something straight. I allowed you to speak to me disrespectfully because you’re clearly angry, but I won’t tolerate more of it. I will see you at the steakhouse tonight.”
I shook my head. “No, you damn well won’t. You won’t see me tonight at all. You won’t be marrying me. And if I have anything to say about it, you’ll never so much as set eyes on me again.”
He spat something in Russian. It sounded angry. “Tell your beloved brother that our deal is off.” His voice was dangerously low. “If there’s no wedding, I’ll take what I’m owed another way.”
The call ended before I could respond. I stared at my phone, breathing hard.
Oh my God. That was a threat.
What if Petrov was behind everything?
Ronan
“Our offices will house a number of high-end jewels.” The man opposite me steepled his hands and watched me over them. “They are worth millions of dollars, making them a tempting target for thieves. We need to be sure that nobody will be able to get to them.”
I nodded. “While I can’t make any guarantees, our systems are the best on the market. They’re sensitive, customizable, and we have professionals monitoring the alarms twenty-four-seven.”
He nodded, and his heavy brow furrowed in thought. “I’ve asked around about you, Mr. King, and everything I’ve heard is good. You were trained by Frank Lennox, is that correct?”
“Yes.” The door opened before I could say anything more, and Fiona stepped inside. I raised a brow. She knew better than to interrupt me unless there was an emergency.
“Mr. King, may I have a word with you?” She widened her eyes to communicate that it was important.
“Excuse me for a moment.” I stood and walked over to her. “What is it?” I asked quietly.
“Willow is waiting outside. She’s very pale. I thought you’d like to know.”
Fuck. Something must have gone wrong.
“Thank you, Fiona. I’ll be out in a moment.” I returned to my chair, and Fiona closed the door as she left. “Yes,” I repeated, picking up where I’d left off, “I was trained by Frank Lennox, but I left the company after he passed away to go into business on my own.”
He cocked his head. “Is it true that Tom Lennox fired you?”
I ground my teeth together. “Tom and I don’t see eye to eye. If that’s a deal breaker for you, then I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”
Sometimes connections meant more to people than quality of work. Disappointing, but an indisputable fact.
“Not at all.” My prospective client smiled. “I’m afraid Tom isn’t half the man his father was. The Lennox name doesn’t carry the same weight it used to.” He stood and extended a hand. I reached over to clasp it. “I’m looking forward to doing business with you. I’ll have my people get in touch.”
“Thank you.” I escorted him to the door, impatient for him to leave. “Have a good day.”
But before the man could go, his gaze alighted on something to the right of my door, and he beamed. “Willow, is that you?”
I turned to follow his gaze, and my gut clenched.
Willow stood with a bouquet of flowers clasped to her chest, practically vibrating. She was as pale as Fiona had said, but it wasn’t fear that burned in her eyes. It was fury.
“Roger.” She summoned a smile, but I could tell it was difficult for her. “It’s nice to see you.” Her eyes flickered from Roger to me, and I could see her realizing why the man was here. She blinked, silently taking the hit.
“What on earth are you doing here?” Roger asked jovially. “Scoping out the competition?”
She cleared her throat. “Actually, I work here.”
She didn’t mention the job was temporary, and that gave me hope. I liked having her around. Maybe she’d want to stay.
“Well, that’s perfect,” he exclaimed. “I can continue to support the Lennox child I actually respect while working with a better firm.”
“You’re signing on with King’s Security?”
“That’s right.” He had the decency to look chagrined. “I’m afraid Lennox just isn’t what it used to be. Times have changed. But you must know that or you wouldn’t be here.”
She nodded and flashed her teeth. “I’d hate to hold you up, Roger.” She glanced at me. “I know how busy you are. But it was nice to see you.”
“You too, Willow.” He took her cue and continued walking.
“Fiona,” I called. “Can you please see Roger out?”
“Of course.” She hurried after him.
I gave Willow my full attention. “Come inside.” She entered and set the flowers on the table. I shut the door behind her. “Who are they from?”
She thrust her hand out, and I noticed a card clasped tightly between her thumb and forefinger. I took it from her and scanned the text, growing angrier with each word.
I raised my eyes to hers and noticed that her cheeks were damp. She’d been crying.
“Fuck,” I cursed. “I’m going to blacken your brother’s eye when I get my hands on him.” He was trying to use his sister as a bartering piece, and I wouldn’t stand for it. “I’m sorry. He’s a user.”
I thought she might crumple, but instead her expression turned steely. “Every time I think he’s hit rock bottom, he finds a way to sink lower. When will it stop?”
“When we make it stop,” I tell her. “Did these arrive just now?”
“Maybe five or ten minutes ago.” She hesitated. “I called him.”
“Who, Tom?”
“No.” Her tone was bitter. “Petrov.”
Something knotted in my gut. “You should have come to me first. Talking to him could have put you at risk.”
She shrugged. “I’m used to taking care of myself. But as it happens, you might be right. He said something that got me thinking.”
My mind caught on the first part of her statement. It saddened me how much she’d grown accustomed to tackling things alone. It was difficult to believe I’d thought of her as a spoiled princess. But then the second part of what she’d said sank in. “What did he say?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “That the deal was off and he’d be taking what he was owed another way.”
Something clicked into place. “Is it possible that Petrov is behind everything?”
She cocked her head. “I wondered the same thing.”
My fingers curled into fists. If Petrov had been the one terrorizing her because Tom owed him money, and her brother was still trying to force her into marrying him, then Tom was going to wish he’d never been born.
“Perhaps Petrov thought that if he kept up for long enough, Tom would somehow conjure the money or beg for it from someone else,” I suggested.
“Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on in Tom’s head. It was bad enough that he raised the possibility of paying his debt with a bigger portion of the company…and me. But this?” She swiped at her eyes. “It feels like he’s a stranger. I don’t know him anymore.”
I gathered her in my arms. “I doubt he knows himself either.”
She made a disdainful sound. “He’s been growing more distant for years, but I figured it was normal to drift apart as we got older. I should have known something was seriously wrong. Perhaps I could have fixed things before it got this far.”
“There’s no point playing what-ifs.”
She wriggled free of my embrace. “You’re right. Have you found anything on Petrov?”
“Not that I’ve heard. I’ll check with Zeke.” I grabbed my phone from my desk and summoned my partner with a brief call.
He strode into the office a few moments later, the tails of a cape-like coat fluttering behind him. I eyed the strange outfit but didn’t comment. Questioning Zeke’s choices generally didn’t lead anywhere useful.
“So?” I asked. “Have you found anything on Petrov?”
He waved a hand in a so-so gesture. “Nothing conclusive, but a few things about his businesses don’t add up.” He perched on the edge of my desk and glanced at the massive array of flowers on the table. “Your buddy Petrov isn’t as legitimate as he first appears.”