I wander back into the kitchen, not sure of what to do with myself. I open the refrigerator and grab a bottle of water.
The house is uncomfortably quiet. I have no idea where Maggie is, or if she's still here. How long does she work? Is she here every day? And where are Jake and Thomas?
I take a plum from a bowl of fruit on the island in the center of the kitchen and wonder how long Alex will be on his business call. How much time does it take to buy dilapidated property, decide whether to renovate or level a building, and turn it into highly sought-after luxury apartments or fashionable strip malls?
I know how long it takes to prepare for a trial, and taking a day off at this late stage is dangerous. My first-degree murder trial is coming up fast, and I really need to get some work done. I wish I had my Jeep to run into the office and pick up some files.
Jake walks into the kitchen and refills his coffee cup, which looks permanently stained. I'm pretty sure Alex won't be happy with me going anywhere near my office, but maybe he'll be okay if Jake takes me.
Jake eyes me suspiciously. "What?"
"I need to go to my office."
Redness burns his cheeks and spreads to his neck.
"Just to pick up some files, so I can work from here." I hate having to ask permission like I'm a child.
"Thomas and I will take you. Let me know when you're ready to go."
He still doesn't look happy about this, but that's too bad. I stayed here today, but I never agreed to abandon all my responsibilities.
"I'm ready. I'll call my assistant on the way there and have her get together everything I need."
The drive into town is quiet. It ended up being harder to convince Alex to let me go to the office than I thought it would be, even with Jake and Thomas as my personal security detail. Following a series of deep cleansing breaths to resist the urge to remind him I didn't actually need his permission to go anywhere, I finally persuaded him that all the attorneys will be gone this late on a Friday afternoon in the summer.
A little more of my independence slips away, but in the end, it's not a big enough issue to fight over.
Ryan's voice rings in my ears. "Pick your battles, Kylie."
Loud cheers greet us as the elevator doors open. Everyone from the top floor, as well as some people from elsewhere in the building are packed into the conference room. I spot Lisa standing just inside the door and tell Jake I'll meet him in my office. He looks into the conference room, nods, and walks down the hall with Thomas close behind like a dutiful puppy.
Dread passes through me the closer I get to the conference room. Something screams at me to get the files and go. But I push down the urge and step next to Lisa.
"Hey, Kylie," she whispers.
I quickly scan the room for John, but I don't see him, and relax a bit. "What's going on?"
"Bob Shaw's case finally settled. Big bucks for the firm, yet they still buy crap champagne." She holds up her plastic flute filled with pink bubbly.
I laugh. "This case has been lingering since I started here. I never actually believed it would ever be resolved."
"I know, right?"
There are times I wish I wasn’t Lisa's boss. I think we'd be good friends.
Across the room, Jack lifts his glass. "Grab some bubbly and help me salute Bob."
A body slinks up beside me. "You don't have a drink, Kylie." John's hot breath is inches from my ear. My stomach churns, bile rising in my throat.
I step closer to Lisa and nearly cause her to spill her drink.
"Don't make a scene, Kylie." His voice is low and threatening. He hands me a glass and grabs another for himself from the tray. "Here. Have some champagne and take the edge off."
Jack's voice booms in the small space. "So, here's to Bob."
I down the champagne in one gulp, anxious to get out of the conference room and away from John. I hand my empty to Lisa. "Are the files ready?"
She squishes her eyebrows together, and glances behind me. Something flickers in her eyes as she looks at John. "Yes, they're on the chair in your office."
"Great. Thanks, Lisa. Have a good weekend."
I leave the conference room without a word to John. I rush down the hall to my office. As soon as I walk in, a headache swirls at the back of my skull, and my head feels like the ocean waves are rocking my brain around inside my skull. I curse Jack under my breath for the shitty champagne.
I glance at Jake. "John's here."
He looks past me toward the elevators. I follow his gaze, and see John. He smirks, but there's an edge of surprise, as if he's warning me, but he didn’t expect Alex's security team to be here. I turn away. I'm done giving him the satisfaction of scaring me. This game of control through fear he loves to play with me is over.
Jake looks at Thomas. "He's leaving."
Thomas nods. Another secret guy code I'm not privy to.
Thomas picks up a large stack of files from the chair.
I point to the table. "I need this pile, too. If you want to take those down, I'll go through these and see what else I need."
Jake looks over his shoulder. John's not there.
"Okay. Stay in here until I come back," he says.
I nod, rummage through the files, and grab what I need. There are only a few files, and I feel bad making Jake come all the way up for them.
John is gone. With the files secure under my arm, I head for the elevator. With any luck, I’ll catch Jake and Thomas before they head back for no reason. I press the button for the lobby, and the doors close.
A hand shoots through the opening, grasps the door, and forces it open. John steps inside and immediately presses the close door button. Fear washes over me. Dammit! He must have been waiting for an opportunity to get me alone.
He reaches across to the panel and presses the button for the garage. My heart pounds loudly in my ears. My headache is in full-throbbing mode. I need to come up with a plan to get off this elevator before it gets to the garage. Once he gets me down there, I'll be gone before anyone realizes anything is wrong.
Things are fuzzy. My thoughts scattered.
"You don't look well, Kylie. I think I should take you home," John says, but his voice is far from caring and concerned.
"I have a ride," I say flatly, not looking at him.
I see him shake his head in the reflection of the doors. "No, I'll take you."
My heart drops to my stomach. I know what this means. He'll finish his sadistic training session.
Images flash before my eyes—restraints, beatings, and so much blood. An acidic burn rages in the pit of my stomach.
The floors pass. I hold my breath the closer we get to the bottom. I should've stayed in my office and waited for Jake. But even Jake thought John had left, or I wouldn't have been left alone.
But John waited for me. Waited to see if he could capitalize on me being left alone. And I walked right into his trap.
A ding announces our arrival in the lobby. John's eyes are wild, and I'm guessing he didn't expect someone in the lobby would interrupt our private ride.
The doors slide apart. I rush toward the opening. John presses the button to close the doors. His free hand hits the center of my chest, and he slams me back against the wall. All the air rushes from my lungs. I lunge for the door before it closes, but I'm off-balance and I stumble. My head feels as if it's on a swivel stick, and my equilibrium is completely out of whack.
The gap between the doors is almost gone. My heart sinks. I can't escape.
A boot shoves between the doors and forces them to slide apart. Thomas storms in, throws John against the wall, and pins him there. Jake rushes in, grabs me by the arm, and pulls me out of the elevator.
Dizziness blinds me, and my knees buckle. Jake holds me up, and practically carries me to the SUV.
I slump against the backseat as Jake slides behind the steering wheel and turns to me. "Are you okay, Kylie?"
My head is pounding, on a countdown to detonate. "Yeah, I'm okay. Not hurt. I just feel really light-headed and dizzy." I'm confused. I don't react to stress this way. I don't completely fall apart in the face of danger. I'm stronger than this.
"Just sit back and relax. We'll get you back to Mr. Stone's."
I glance at the rearview mirror and catch Jake's eye. "Thanks...for everything."
"That's what I'm here for, Kylie."
I close my eyes and massage my temples. "How did you know John was on the elevator with me?"
"I didn't. Thomas and I were coming back to help you with the rest of the files. The doors opened and then started to close before anyone got off. It was a gut call."
The magnitude of what happened hits me. A cold wave passes through me, and I shiver when I consider what I narrowly avoided. Dumb luck and intuition—that's all that saved me from the hell John promises to put me through.
"I'm sorry, Jake. I should've waited for you, but I thought John left after seeing you and Thomas with me. Doesn't matter. I shouldn't've taken the chance."
The passenger door swings open, and Thomas jumps in, my files under his arm, grinning from ear to ear. Apparently, he enjoyed the little adrenaline rush my precarious situation provided. He has a baby face and is considerably younger than Jake, who is in his mid-thirties. I haven't taken much notice of him because he's so quiet and reserved most of the time. He is built, though. His muscles strain against his white dress shirt. I can see why Jake trusts him as back-up.
I lean my head against the back of the seat as we traverse the roads to Alex's house.
Jake's cell phone rings, and breaks the silence in the vehicle. "Yes, sir. We're about ten minutes out. There was an incident with Sysco, however. He cornered Miss Tate in the elevator. We were able to remove her without any injuries sustained...to her." There's a pause before Jake speaks again. "She has relayed that she's not feeling well."
We pull up to the front of the house, and Jake assists me up the steps and inside. Thomas carries my files in and disappears. I walk into Alex's study, a little unsteady on my feet, and grab hold of the chair to keep from falling. My head is so heavy. I'm dizzy and seeing spots.
Alex eyes me warily. "You okay?" He moves from behind the desk toward me.
"I'm really light-headed. I don't know what's wrong with me."
The room starts to spin. Closing in, as if I'm in an ever-decreasing hallway collapsing in on itself with each passing second. The world around me—and within me—slows way down. My arms and legs are numb, and I feel like I'm floating.
My head is a balloon at the end of a long string, bobbing up and down. Alex calls my name, but he's a thousand miles away. He rushes toward me, but the black hole finally closes off the light before he gets here.