“Oh God.” I swallowed. That sounded bad. “Can’t Colt just withdraw from the deal? If he didn’t want to do it in the first place?”
“I’m sure he’s working on that. But it sounds like the cartel doesn’t just want your family’s company out of there. They want revenge.”
“Revenge?” That sounded terrifying. I took a sip of water, my hand shaking. “This doesn’t sound…” I knew we held a variety of investments, mainly real estate, but Colt had been branching out more and more into growth areas like biotech and alternative energy sources. “Columbian coffee? That just doesn’t make any sense.” I could feel my heart racing and I tried to take some deep breaths. “I can’t even believe Leonard would be that greedy. And how could Colt not know?”
“Your brother only found out about it recently. Leonard used his influence with the older board members to keep it off Colt’s radar. He’s had his hands full, stepping into your father’s role. It’s not hard for me to imagine he missed a sliver in the pie of investments that make up the portfolio, especially if his own COO was hiding it from him.”
“Oh God, is Colt safe? And Caroline?” I brought my hands to my mouth, fearing the worst. I had Dom to look after me, but what about them? They’d only just gotten married. Life was looking so sweet and good for them, and now this?
“Gigi, worry about yourself for a change. Your brother and his wife are fine. You’re the one they’re after.”
I rubbed my forehead, liking but not liking his answer. “Why me?”
“You’re an excellent bargaining chip.”
“Oh my God.” I brought my hand over my mouth and felt like I was going to get sick. I had a Columbian drug cartel after me? And they wanted to blackmail my brother? With what, kidnapping me? Torturing me? I’d seen movies. I’d read books. This was bad. I started to rise up so I could stand and, I don’t know, hide or scream or run.
Dom reached out and put his large hand on my shoulder. “Gigi. They thought you were a vulnerable target. But they were wrong.”
“They were?” I felt pretty fucking vulnerable. I’d taken a self-defense class my sophomore year of college. I’d learned to go for the eyes and the balls and yell “Fire!” as loud as I could. Somehow I didn’t think that would be enough up against these guys.
“Gigi, you are safe here. The system around this house is better than a maximum-security prison.”
“But we just walked right in. The side door was open.” My eyes darted over to it. Was it still open? What if a guy like that man in black Dom had shot last night was there right now? What if that guy in black had gotten there before Dom? What would have happened then?
“Gigi, listen to me.” He cupped his hand under my chin and drew my gaze up to his. His touch was strong and reassuring. “The side door was open when we arrived because I wanted it to be. It’s locked now. There are armed, trained men guarding this house from every angle. The windows are bulletproof. If all else fails, there is a panic room underground. Everything is going to be all right.”
I looked up into his eyes and felt rather than heard his meaning. Dom would keep me safe. I took a deep breath, letting my shoulders relax.
“Your brother is going to straighten things out. I’m assuming he’ll cut ties with the Columbian company and then work out a settlement with the cartel. Money like he has will take care of it. Until then, you’ll be safe here.”
“And you’ll stay with me?” It hadn’t occurred to me before, I’d been too angry with Dom for not telling me what was going on, but now it seemed like a terrifying outcome if he left me. I’d be here on my own, nothing but my fears and imagination to worry me day and night.
“I’ll stay with you.” His eyes held dark, intent promise.
“Why did Colt ask you?” I knew I had my reasons for wanting Dom with me. Reasons I’d spent the last several years trying to forget. But my brother employed all kinds of people, including security. He could have asked any of them.
“He knows he can trust me.”
At those words, Dom looked away and stood up, bringing his plate and glass to the sink. “I’ll go upstairs and figure out which bedrooms we can take. I want you in an adjoining room so I can keep an eye on you, but you can still have your privacy.”
I looked down at my plate, fighting a strange surge of disappointment. My emotions were raging all over the map. Earlier today I’d wanted to scream at him he was being so stubborn. But when I’d seen that huge bed in the master suite, I had to admit, it seemed meant for us to share. But apparently he didn’t feel the same way. Years had passed. It only made sense. He’d kissed me at the party, but maybe that had been an old-times’-sake kind of a good-bye kiss for him. It was my problem if it had moved heaven and earth.
“Hopefully we won’t be here too long.” He left the kitchen and headed upstairs.
Quietly, I cleaned my dishes in the sink. I poured a big glass of ice water and drank it slowly, looking out the window. Somehow I’d always pictured bulletproof glass as tinted, and maybe too thick to see out of clearly, but this window provided a lovely view of the courtyard in front of the home. Lots of light illuminated well-tended landscaping, with planters on multiple tiers featuring draught-tolerant vegetation. Every corner, every inch was lit, right up to the 14-foot wall which I now realized probably surrounded the entire property. I was inside a walled fortress. With Dominic Knox. A shiver of anticipation traveled down my spine.
As I came up the stairs, he called me toward one of the many doors off the hallway. “Tell me which room you want.”
I followed his voice and glanced into two adjoining bedrooms, both furnished identically with queen beds and dressers. “How many bedrooms does this place have?”
“A bunch, but these two are connected by a door so I want us here.”
Deciding it made no difference, I sat down on a bed. “I’ll take this one.” Down in the kitchen I hadn’t thought I was tired, but now I felt exhaustion set into my bones. I desperately needed to lie down.
“You need something to sleep in?” Dom called from the other room before my eyes had closed. He knocked and entered through the connecting door. “Here’s a T-shirt and shorts if you need them.” He set them on the dresser, then paused and looked at me stretched out on the bed. “Tired?”
I nodded.
“Change before you fall asleep. You’ll be more comfortable.”
And then, like a brother or a guy paid to watch over me, he left the room. He also left the door open a crack, the better to hear the bad guys.
I didn’t feel like standing up, but I knew he was right so I undressed and slipped into the T-shirt. The exercise shorts fell right off of me even though they had an elastic waistband. They were his clothes, I realized.
I climbed into bed. The sheets were soft, the mattress firm, and the T-shirt smelled like Dom. Closing my eyes, I felt way more content than I should have.
* * *
§
* * *
The next morning, I didn’t make it out of bed until near ten. I stretched and again felt far too comfortable for a woman targeted by a Columbian cartel. Sleepy and hungry, I made my way downstairs and started rummaging around in the refrigerator.
“What are you wearing?” Dom entered the kitchen behind me, and he sounded angry.
“What?” I looked down. He’d given me his T-shirt. Had he forgotten? “You gave it to me.”
“With shorts.” His gaze was glued to my thighs, right where the hemline of the T-shirt grazed them up high.
I bit my lip. I guessed I should have put on something more before I went downstairs. “The shorts fall off me.”
“Then put on something else.” He sounded frustrated and left the kitchen. Great, so that was how it was going to be between us? At this rate each day would pass like an eternity. Feeling embarrassed, I grabbed an apple and headed upstairs again. He made me feel like I’d been trying to seduce him or something.
Determined to find regular clothes to wear, I headed back
into the master bedroom and searched again. In the corner of a shelf above the closet, I found it, a little treasure trove of casual. All folded up in back were two outfits suited for a yoga class, capri tights and fitted tank tops plus a zip-up sweatshirt. Jackpot. Maybe whoever had worn it before me had dressed like that to workout, maybe to hang out. Whatever it was, I said a thank you to the safe house gods and changed. Comfortable, athletic, I didn’t have sneakers but other than that I was good to go.
I folded the T-shirt and shorts and left them in Dom’s bedroom. I didn’t know where he’d unpacked his bag. The room looked like no one had been there, let alone spent the night. The bed was made as crisp as it had been yesterday.
I wandered through the house, feeling so strangely aimless. I was supposed to meet with a client today, a friend of my mother’s who was redecorating her living room. Dom had taken away my phone and now I understood why. I suspected calls could be traced, and maybe even the phone, itself could be tracked. But I wished I could talk to my brother and hear his side of all this. Maybe I could give him a list of people to call, meetings to cancel. Penny must be panicked and I didn’t want to let anyone down or make them worry about me.
The house was huge. I wasn’t a great judge of space, but if I had to guess I’d say it was around 10,000 square feet. It had a movie room, a fully stocked bar and lounge area, and a workout facility to rival a high-end apartment complex like the one where I lived. Elliptical machines, weights, exercise balls—it was fully stocked. That was where I finally found Dom, going at it like a man possessed.
He was doing pull-ups on a bar. Shirtless, dripping with sweat and grunting, he heaved himself up again and again. I couldn’t help but watch his masculine display, his muscles straining and bulging, his back to me so broad and powerful. He’d gotten bigger than when I’d seen him last, more bulk, more brawn. Every inch of him was lean, muscular and hard.