“You should try and get closer to him.” Chris pulls up outside of my extended stay hotel. I’ve been living there for the past month. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I’m in this.” I swallow. I shouldn't be worried because there is no way I can get close to him. He’s banging some beautiful blonde and thinks I’m ugly. I don’t tell Chris that. He might pull me out and then where will I be? Nowhere with no purpose.
“This all could get messy, Leila. Are you prepared for something like that?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure that we should let Warren even live if we pull this deal off. He’ll poke around. It would only be a matter of time until he traced everything back to you.” I know he is gauging me for a reaction.
“I…” I try to respond but no words come out. “I can’t kill someone.”
“Everyone is capable of murder. Especially a young, pretty girl who is trying to ward off her boss who can’t take no for an answer.” My heart starts pounding harder. “But we don’t have to worry about that today. I only mentioned it because I thought you should know it’s on the table and to prepare yourself.”
I open the car door to get out. Chris grabs my arm, stopping me. “Your father would be so proud of you.”
“Thank you.” He slowly releases my arm
“This man is the reason my brother and your father are no longer with us. Warren forced his hand. Set him up. He deserves everything he gets, and you can make sure he never does what he did to our family to another soul.”
I have a feeling when this is all said and done, that I’ll be the one to have lost my own soul.
Chapter Six
Warren
“These tire slashes were done with a small knife, likely a switchblade. See here?” The security guard squats down and points to the barely visible line in the rubber. “It doesn’t take much to damage a tire, not if you’re intentional about it. These should be easy to patch so you can get home, but you’ll need to take it to a shop right away.”
“Let’s just call a tow from here.”
“You want me to stick around?” The older man takes one last poke at my back tire before straightening and dusting off the arms of his gray polyester jacket.
“No. Not necessary.” I text the auto service to request a tow and repair.
The man lifts his cap and scratches his head. “I don’t know, Mr. Holmes. It might not be safe for you out here.”
I peer over the top of my phone at the guard. “Why would you say that?”
“Because your tires.” He throws an arm toward the rear of my car. “Obviously someone has it out for you.”
“Can’t it just be some random vandalism?”
“Yours is the only car that was hit in the whole lot.”
I look around and realize that there are a handful of cars down here, including a very expensive Alfa Romeo Spyder which I know belongs to the president of the tech company who leases out the top floor.
“Have you looked at the CCTV footage?”
“Yeah. Couldn’t make much out though. The person was small enough, and then a black SUV pulled up and took the person away. License plate was covered too. Anyone got a problem with you, Mr. Holmes?”
“Too many.” I tap my phone against my leg.
“Let’s get some additional cameras and lights in here. If there’s some kind of gang running around, it won’t be me in danger but my staff.”
A chilling thought strikes me. What if Leila was attacked?
“Make it double.”
“Double what, sir?”
“Double up all the cameras. All the lights. I want it to look like a baseball stadium in this parking lot. The sun should be less bright.”
“Yessir. On it. Should I report this to the police?”
“Yes, and make sure that you give them the stills of the SUV. Maybe they can track it down by make and model.”
As the security guard contacts the authorities and I wait for the taxi, I call Connor. He answers even though it’s late.
“Is there a problem?”
“Yeah, someone slashed my tires.”
“Oh, fuck. I’ll call the police right now.”
“Already done. Also, I’m upping security right now and lighting this place up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.”
“That’s good, but why’d you call me then?”
“I need Leila’s address.”
“Who?”
“The new girl. The temp. I need her address.”
There’s a prolonged silence followed by a cautious question. “May I know why?”
“Sure. I don’t want her to get knifed by whoever slashed my tires.” Headlights bounce in front of me, signaling the taxi’s arrival.
“I mean, thanks for worrying about the rest of us,” grumbles my assistant.
“You are so competent that I figured it would be insulting to suggest you needed protection from me.” Leila, on the other hand, will enjoy my extra attention regardless. She’s not getting hurt on my watch.
“That was a nice save. As for her address, the temporary agency doesn’t provide it.”
“I know you have it.” Connor is nothing if not meticulous.
“Fine. I’ll text it to you, but I did not get this by legal means so please don’t ask and don’t tell, for God’s sake.”
“Who am I going to tell?” I climb into the taxi and give him the address to Leila’s. It turns out to be one of those extended stay motels and not a great one at that. I walk in and rent a room.
The next morning, I get up early, find a nearby café, and grab some breakfast while keeping an eye on the front doors of the motel. When Leila finally emerges, I throw cash on the table and book it down the street. She veers away from the parking lot and down the sidewalk toward the corner. Once there, she pulls out her phone and checks something. A cab pulls up to the curb, and I start sprinting, only to calm down when the vehicle takes off and Leila is still on the street. It’s not until I’m closer that I realize she’s at a bus stop.
“Leila.”
She startles at the sound of my voice. “Mr. Holmes?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you here for?” A hand flies to her neck.
“To make sure you get to work.”
Her eyes widen. “D-did something happen?”
“Yeah. Last night someone slashed my tires.” I take hold of her arm.
“Are you blaming me?” Her voice is high-pitched, almost hysterical.
“Why would I blame you?” I hail a taxi and push her inside the back when one stops. “It’s dangerous out there so I came to escort you to the office personally.”
“If you have something to say to me, just say it,” she demands. Her hazel eyes look particularly gold right now, and they’re sparking with some kind of internal fire. God, she’s hot. I want to haul her into my lap and kiss her until she’s breathless and wet.
I force my eyes forward. “I’m saying it. You’re not listening. There’s someone running around slashing tires near the office, and we have to beef up security. You’re new, so I’m here to make sure you get to work safe and aren’t stabbed on the way in. That’d be bad for my business, and the temp agency would probably stop sending me people.”