Suspicious Activities

She was so distracting, he thought, trying to take it easy on himself. The way she had moved and talked was nothing but confidence and power. He’d dated many women before who had also held their own, but there was something different about the redhead.

Snap out of it, Jackson! You need this job, and that’s your boss.

He walked into his apartment and straight into the shower. The culmination of his workout and meeting the woman—with a bad first impression to boot—had created the need to cool off. He cleared his mind as much as he could while the water ran over him. It helped for the most part. Jackson got out, toweled off and managed to make it through two beers before any thoughts of the woman popped up again.

Jonathan had been honest with him at their meeting. The boss was made aware of his past before she decided to hire him. His criminal history—which wasn’t that bad in his opinion—would show up on the background check. There was no avoiding that...but did she know the rest?

Did she know about his father?

On cue, the echoes of the past shrieked across his memory.

He took a long pull of his drink and tried not to remember. It had been years. He’d grown up, moved away and survived it all.

Nikki Waters had, for whatever reason, given him a second chance. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste it.

* * *

ANDREW MILLER LOOKED no different than the last time she’d seen him. Chestnut hair, thick and falling at his chin, always tucked behind his ears. A jaw that was well defined and always cleanly shaven and lips plump yet not overly so. He had eyes that were brown, hooded by brows that were perfectly groomed. His clothes might have changed colors but not style. Even after everything he’d been through, he was still dressed as if he were going out to the opera when in actuality he was sitting at a restaurant that she knew for a fact hosted karaoke on Tuesdays. But Andrew wouldn’t care about a small detail like that. He knew he looked good and wanted others to know it, too.

The cold that had surrounded Nikki quickly melted.

Then heated up even more.

“What are you doing—” she’d started to hiss when he held up his hand.

“Nikki, why don’t you let me go first?”

Andrew leaned back a fraction in his chair to appear nonchalant. But there was nothing nonchalant about him being there. In Dallas. In the bar. Right in front of her.

No. This was wrong.

“On the outside you appear to be compassionate, thoughtful, driven. Traits that are hailed as a trinity that, together, can ultimately create a good person. What you exude is a persona that many would pay for, fight for. You inspire, you rally, you persevere.” His small smile started to drip down his chin. “But I know who and what you really are.”

“And what’s that?” she asked, no fear, just rising anger.

“You’re an opportunist. A vulture waiting, circling its prey in hopes of devouring everything it’s ever worked for—everything it’s accomplished.” His jaw muscles tightened. He was baring his teeth.

She wasn’t the only one warring with anger.

“Everything I’ve accomplished,” he snarled.

Nikki wanted to glance around at the surrounding tables to see if anyone was catching this non-speed-dating conversation, but there was something oddly transfixing about the man in front of her. Unlike Jackson, who had been intriguing with a good dose of some unknown pull, Andrew was an old face she had never thought she’d see again. And now she couldn’t look away.

“If you’re itching to place blame, just look in a mirror,” she said, fire so hot in her words that they came out cold. “Don’t blame me for what happened.”

Andrew slammed his fist against the tabletop with such force that Nikki pushed back in her chair.

“You are the only person to blame,” he roared.

The chatter around them died. For one long moment, all Nikki could hear were the soft sounds of the radio pumping through the wall speakers. She didn’t move, stunned.

Andrew’s heaving chest settled into a more socially suitable clip. His smile reformed. He seemed to know he’d just caused a scene. He nodded to the people around them, then focused on Nikki again.

“I’m not here to point fingers, Nikki,” he almost cooed. “I’m here to teach you a lesson about cause and effect. About consequences.” He leaned across the table.

Nikki, not one to back down, especially for Andrew Miller, couldn’t help feeling the desire to pull away.

“Cause—you destroyed me. Effect—now I’m going to destroy you.” His smile turned absolutely sincere. “So get ready, Nikki. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

Andrew left the table quickly and quietly, exiting onto the sidewalk and walking out of view from the windows. The bell went off, signaling for the men to switch again. The woman to the right of Nikki leaned over.

“Men like him make me think being single forever is not such a bad thing,” she whispered. Nikki’s eyes stayed on the door.

“Amen to that.”

Nikki collected her things and apologized to her next potential suitor. His eyes traveled to the voluptuous blonde two tables down as he said “No problem.”

Downtown Dallas was buzzing as she followed the sidewalk down toward the communal parking lot. The faux leather pants that had been a daring choice that morning when she picked out her potential date-night outfit now clung to her uncomfortably. The heels that were higher than any others she wore on a normal occasion now bit at her feet. Her hair, curled instead of straightened, hung heavy against her shoulders.

What was supposed to have been an attempt to have a life outside of Orion and her work had been shut down by the one man who had helped her create Orion in the first place.

Her thoughts slid to Oliver Quinn, Mark Tranton and Jonathan Carmichael. If Andrew was in town, her original three agents would want to know. She could picture their faces as she told them, all contorting in the anger she still felt burning when she thought of the man. What Andrew had done, or rather hadn’t done, had changed all of their lives. Nikki and the guys had come to Dallas seeking redemption. They’d spent the last several years trying to save as many people as they could, protecting them without worry of turning a profit.

Apparently Andrew hadn’t sought the same.

And now he was in Dallas.

Why? Was he really here to mess with her?

She thought about the man she used to know quite well. He was clever and brilliant and certainly selfish. Was he stupid enough, malicious enough, to try to hurt her?

No. He’s just blowing off steam.

He had been right. After what she’d done, she doubted everything in his life had gone back to the way it was before. Beautiful women hanging on his arms, an exuberant amount of money and a reputation built up on pillars of gold. Andrew Miller had been a rock star in Chicago.

Until...

Nikki shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. If Oliver, Mark and Jonathan could find happiness and balance, then she could, too. All work and no play had been her resounding motto for the last five years. It was time to step away from work after-hours. To think about things other than Orion Security Group.

Which seemed like a hard task when she finally got to her car.

Spray-painted in red across her light blue car were the words Orion Bitch in big bold letters. She walked up and ran her finger across the O. It was dry. Apparently Andrew’s steam hadn’t yet gone out. The anger reserved only for him began to flame up again. She fisted her hand and retraced the words with her eyes.

Slowly the flames abated.

She let out a long stream of air between her dark red lips and wondered if trying to find a suitable date would always be this hard.

* * *

JACKSON GOT HIS first chance to score some points with his new boss early the next morning. His phone belted out a series of rhythmic beeps until he woke up, alert and ready to throw a punch. It took him a few seconds to fight out of the disorientation of sleep to realize someone was calling.

The number was unknown but looked familiar. He answered it, cautious.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Jackson Fields?” a woman asked. He couldn’t place the voice.

“This is.”

“Good! This is Kelli Tranton, filling in as the Orion secretary.”

Jackson thought back to the name. It definitely sounded familiar. “Tranton...”

“My husband is Mark, one of the lead agents.”

Bingo.

“Jonathan mentioned him,” he said.

“Funny you should say that, because Jonathan is the one who told me to call you,” she said with a laugh.

That made Jackson pause. He’d had the job less than twenty-four hours and now he was getting called in already? Looked like this job’s pace was a bit quicker than he’d originally thought. “What’s up?”

“Nikki called with car trouble, which normally wouldn’t matter on the weekend, but we have a conference call with a potential client in about an hour. I was going to go get her, but Jonathan said that you might benefit from showing the boss you don’t mind working above and beyond what’s required.” She said the last part like she was repeating a direct quote.

Maybe Jackson wasn’t the only one who thought he needed to get back in Nikki’s good graces. “Yeah, I can go grab her.”

“Great,” she chimed. “And good luck!”

Jackson hoped he wouldn’t need luck for the simple task of taxiing his boss to work but, either way, he dressed with speed and headed out.

Half an hour later he was standing in front of apartment 203, knuckles rapping against the weathered door. To his surprise, the almighty boss woman didn’t live in a new construction but an older complex that didn’t even have a buzzer. It was interesting to find that a woman who had created a security organization didn’t live with an ample amount of, well, security. Anyone could simply walk through the shared front entrance and up the public stairs to her door.

It concerned him and he didn’t know why.

“Coming,” he heard on the other side of the door. Moments later the dead bolt slid open and the chain lock fell. Then it was just Nikki staring, obviously surprised, at him.

“You aren’t Kelli,” she stated, door not fully open. Instead of the not-so-work-appropriate outfit she had been sporting the night before, Nikki wore a pair of light blue jeans, a dark red blouse and black heels. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun, while her makeup was toned down, lips glossy instead of dark red. This was a casual look, he was sure. One she probably didn’t take on during the week.

Jackson was surprised that he still found her sexy as hell.

“I was sent instead,” he said, avoiding implicating Jonathan.

Nikki didn’t look disappointed, but she didn’t look pleased, either. She reached beside the door and grabbed a purse that made her casual outfit somehow more proper and began to shut the door. Her face was pinched, concentrated, and she looked like she’d not slept well at all.

“So, what’s wrong with your car?” he asked, trying to make conversation as they trailed down the stairs and into the lobby. “My uncle was a mechanic. Taught me some things. I could take a look really quick.”

Nikki tensed.

“I’m sure it’s nothing too serious,” she said, oddly dismissive. “I just didn’t have time to take it in this morning. I’ll do it later.”

Jackson looked at his watch.

“We have enough time to make your meeting,” he tried. “Come on, I don’t mind. It might just save you a trip to one of the price-gouging shops around here.”

As he was talking, he switched directions and started to walk out the back door toward the parking. He wasn’t a grade-A mechanic, but he had been taught enough. What better way to get on Nikki’s good side than by potentially fixing her car? Even taking the time to at least look at it should score him some more points, right?

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, walking the other way.

If he hadn’t been as eager as he was—a word he liked better than stubborn—he would have followed. Instead he swung open the back door and stepped outside, eyes already searching for a car that would just scream Nikki Waters. However, the question of what she drove died on his tongue. Less than a foot out, he spotted a blue four-door in the corner of the lot. The words Orion Bitch could be seen through the windows of the car next to it.

Chapter Three

Nikki sighed heavily behind him.

“Your car trouble is graffiti,” Jackson deadpanned.

“Yes. Now can we go?” Nikki placed her hands on her hips.

“Is there anything on the other side?”

He could tell she was holding back an eye roll when she answered.

“Yes. It says the same thing.”

Jackson raised his brow, but the woman was already retreating. He followed without a word to the temporary roadside parking. She didn’t have to ask what car was his. Nikki walked up to his Ford and waited for him to unlock it, quickly opening the door herself.

She was definitely a fan of control.

“So I guess you really did do your research on me,” Jackson said when he settled in. “You didn’t have to ask which car was mine.”

“We’re very thorough with our vetting process. We like to have all the facts.”

“We? But aren’t you the boss? Aren’t you the one who makes all the final decisions?”

Nikki smiled; the look wasn’t particularly kind.

“That may be true, but I’m a team player,” she said. “I never make big decisions without the input of my employees.”

Jackson pulled out into traffic and started on their way.

Did that mean she’d gotten consensus about him? He’d been hired so quickly she wouldn’t have had the time, would she? And did that mean that everyone within Orion knew about him? About his past? Instead of asking any of these questions, he asked a more pressing one.

“Do you know who did that to your car?”

Nikki tensed further. He didn’t miss her hand half fist before she caught herself and went about smoothing the wrinkle in her jeans. She did know who did it.

“No,” she lied. “Probably someone who just wanted to cause some trouble.”

“But it was oddly specific. Whoever did it knows you.”

Nikki shrugged.

“I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll have it taken care of later,” she said, eyes following the cars outside the windshield. “Not a big deal. Jackson—” she started, then stopped. She seemed to be rethinking what she had been about to say. “There’s no need to tell Kelli or the others,” she said. “They’d worry for no reason.”

Jackson gave her a knowing smirk. “So you do know who did it, then.”

Nikki gave a smile, but it was mocking. One that burned bright and then was doused. It was a telltale sign of annoyance. Nikki didn’t like him. Yet she had hired him. Before he could stop himself, he had to ask why.

“You’ve read all my files, and I’m betting you didn’t just stop at my criminal record,” he started. “Not trying to sound ungrateful, but why did you hire me? Not many people who know what happened give me the time of day.”

He didn’t look at her as he asked, keeping his eyes on the traffic, but from his peripheral he could almost see her harden. This time it wasn’t from tension.

It was something else.

“Because everyone deserves a second chance.”

They didn’t talk the rest of the way to Orion. Nikki brought out her phone and seemingly answered emails until he stopped the car outside the brick building. In large metal letters, ORION SECURITY GROUP hung like a beacon above the double front doors, sunlight reflecting from it onto the asphalt. The name meant little to him, but he hadn’t missed the reverence Jonathan had displayed while talking beneath it the day before. This place was a job, but Jackson was starting to see it meant more to a few of them than just that.

“Thank you for the ride,” Nikki said before opening her door. “If you want to use the gym during the call, feel free.”

Jackson raised his brow at her before glancing in the backseat at his duffel bag. He’d already planned on hitting the gym after he dropped her off. She opened the door and turned back, throwing out a wink. “What I lack in passion I make up for in keen observation skills.”

The way she said it, voice dipping low, coupled with her playful wink and matching smirk, momentarily kept Jackson still in his seat. He was starting to think that maybe having Nikki Waters as his boss might be harder than any client or case they threw his way.

Jackson grabbed his bag, taking her up on her offer, and followed her in. He wasn’t about to touch the jab about his jab about passion and how she might need more of it in her life. Somehow he thought it might be a harder task to apologize to the woman. If he didn’t do it the right way, then he’d do more damage than good.

A woman with short blond hair and a small baby bump met them in the lobby. When she saw Jackson, she gave him a big smile with a fun laugh tacked on.

“Jonathan wasn’t sure you’d get here in one piece,” she greeted, confirming it was Kelli. “Glad you survived.”

Nikki let out a particularly loud sigh.

“Of course it was Jonathan,” she muttered. “Where is he?”

“Already in the conference room, talking to Oliver on the phone. He said he has everything set up for the meeting.”

“Good.” Nikki turned to Jackson and motioned to Kelli. “Jackson, this is Kelli Tranton. Word to the wise, if you leave any food in the break room refrigerator, this one right here will most likely eat it.”

The two women laughed together while Kelli pointed to her stomach in defense.

“Blame Mark Tranton for that,” she said, motioning to her pregnant belly. “Just be grateful I’m not eating your chocolates.”

“My what?” Nikki asked, playful mood on pause.

Kelli’s face lit up and she moved behind the secretary’s desk.

“I almost forgot! These were on the doorstep in a box this morning with your name on them.” Kelli produced a heart-shaped box of chocolates with a ribbon tied around it. “There’s no name aside from yours on it. Must be a secret admirer. Just be thankful I got it before the heat did.”

Jealousy, swift and pungent, moved through Jackson. It caught him by surprise. Why should he care that his boss had an admirer? He’d only met the woman yesterday afternoon.

“Oh, and it came with this, too. I didn’t open it.” Kelli handed over what looked like a blank white envelope. It wasn’t even sealed. Jackson watched as Nikki uncertainly took out an equally plain sheet of printer paper and unfolded it.

And just like that, Nikki’s body language completely changed. Her good mood evaporated. The shift was so quick that it put Jackson on alert.

“What is it?” Kelli asked, not missing the change, either.

Nikki rescanned whatever was written on it before answering.

“It’s nothing,” she said, voice a little too harsh. She readjusted her mood, adding a smile to her lips and folding the paper back up. “Just some nonsense of a man trying too hard.”

Jackson might not have known the beautiful woman next to him, but he knew in that moment, without a doubt, that she was telling a lie.

A big one at that.

Nikki made a beeline for her office and was back out and into the conference room before Jackson had even walked into the bathroom to change. He threw on a pair of slick black athletic shorts that cut off at the tops of his knees and a loose tank top. It had the silhouette of a wolf drinking a beer as a logo superimposed against the blue cotton. He looked down at the obnoxious shirt and realized it might be time to buy new workout clothes. At the gym he frequented near his place, often he’d lose the shirt halfway through his routine, but Jackson thought that, considering how he’d started off with the boss, keeping said shirt on might be best.

His thoughts on his apparel drifted as he left the bathroom and headed to the gym. Starting with the weights lining the back wall, he tried to keep his mind away from his boss. Less than two days on the new job and he was already having to distract himself.

* * *

“WAS IT JUST me or did he talk way more than he needed to?”

Oliver Quinn’s voice floated up from the middle of the table on the conference phone’s speaker. He seemed to be picking up on exactly what Nikki was feeling. Jonathan nodded from the seat next to her.

“He sure seemed to like the sound of his voice,” Jonathan added. “We should have let him run the meeting.”

Oliver snorted.

“Nik is nice but not that nice,” he said.

“You best remember that,” she responded, pinching the bridge of her nose. A headache had planted itself between her eyes while their now confirmed client chattered on endlessly. “I’ll tell you, though, nice, professional or otherwise, I’m starting to get tired of the wealthier clients.” She looked down at her notes and the name that lined the top.

Oliver, ever the encouraging one, jumped in before she could continue. “Hey, remember, occasionally we need to work with the rich to help the not-so-rich. We’re like—”

“Robin Hood,” Nikki and Jonathan finished at the same time. Oliver laughed.

“I guess I say that a lot,” he ventured.

Nikki nodded to the phone. “Every time we don’t like one of the snobby clients.” But as she said it, she realized that it was something she liked to be reminded of from time to time. Orion worked on a mostly pro bono basis, giving security to those who really needed it despite their financial status. However, good intentions couldn’t always pay the bills for them to keep the business going. That meant that once in a while they had to take on a much wealthier client to keep Orion’s doors from closing. In a month she would dispatch a team to protect Grant Riley, something of a technology guru with little tact and a lot of attitude. Nikki sighed, already knowing that it would be an interesting contract.

“Well, boys, there’s something I need to take care of really quickly, so can you two give Mark a call and loop him into what’s going on?” Nikki looked down at her cell phone’s clock. “He should be on break now.”

Oliver said, “Aye aye, captain,” while Jonathan saluted. If her thoughts hadn’t already turned back to the chocolates and accompanying letter, she would have smiled or laughed. As it was, she left the conference room and swiftly went to reception.

There, she addressed Kelli with more force than she’d intended. “I need your car for a bit.”

* * *

JACKSON WATCHED THROUGH the Plexiglas windows of the gym as Nikki walked to the front of the building with the pinched expression of someone deep in thought. He stopped his workout and decided it was time to take a break, too. Getting some water from the cooler just outside the door, he waited for Jonathan to follow. When he didn’t come out, Jackson moved closer to the door.

He heard voices on the other side.

Jackson moved down the hall toward reception and peeked through the cracked door. Kelli was on the phone. He craned his head around without notice from the woman and scanned the rest of the room.

No Nikki.

Jackson downed the rest of his water and decided to make a bad decision.

Thirty seconds later his cup was in the trash and he was standing in Nikki’s office, the door closed behind him. He wasn’t surprised that it hadn’t been locked. Nikki seemed to trust everyone in Orion without issue. Well, maybe not him. Not yet anyway. And, well, maybe not if she caught him now.

But I’m trying to help, he reasoned with himself.

Something was definitely wrong with the woman and that letter she’d received. Not to mention the graffiti on her car. Jackson might not have known her well at all, but what he could bet of Nikki Waters was that she didn’t easily ask for help.

So he’d do it without her knowledge. It was the least he could do when she’d given him the job.

Jackson moved across the woman’s desk and the files on top without trying to pry. Next he went to the filing cabinet in the corner and slowly slid the top open. Folders with employee names filled it, even his. Temptation to see his file was great, but he didn’t want to push his luck any more than he already had done by staying longer in the office. He didn’t know when Nikki would be back and he had no idea when Jonathan would be done. He closed the cabinet and went back to the desk.