Guarding Autumn (Crimson Point Security #3)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

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“Hey, Barros!”

TJ stopped just before he reached the elevator and looked over his shoulder. Standing at the base of the stairs, his foreman waved him back. “Some folks here to see you.”

He hesitated, his gaze moving to the two people standing behind him. A tall guy around TJ’s age and a woman, both dressed in business attire.

What did they want with him? He didn’t recognize either of them from this distance. Didn’t feel like talking to them—or anyone else for that matter. He just wanted to get back to work and put in his hours, resume and maintain his low profile after the craziness of yesterday.

The foreman gave an insistent wave. TJ inwardly sighed and turned around, sizing up his visitors as he approached. When he got closer, a jolt of recognition hit.

It was the guy from yesterday. The one who had come for the little girl. TJ had surrendered her to him because it was clear from her reaction that she knew and trusted him.

Keeping his expression closed, he stopped near the base of the stairs and eyed them. Big guy, confident posture, auburn hair, green eyes. The woman was slender with a cap of short black hair, sunglasses hiding her eyes.

“Help you with something?” A lot more polite than the what the fuck do you want he was thinking.

“You already did,” the guy said, and something was off. Yesterday, his face had been bleeding and today he didn’t have a mark on him. “You’re TJ?”

He dipped his chin, suspicion taking hold. Why were they sniffing around? They weren’t cops. He didn’t think they were Feds either. “Who are you?”

“We’re with Crimson Point Security,” the woman said. “We wanted to talk to you about yesterday.”

He’d heard of CPS. Good rep within the industry, big list of rich clients. They’d probably been providing VIP security at the conference. “What about it?” He hadn’t done anything wrong.

“You saved a little girl yesterday,” the guy said.

He didn’t answer.

“You rescued her from a man using her as a shield against the cops,” the woman pressed, and the way they studied him made his spine tingle. It was like they were trying to place him.

“Was just in the right place at the right time.”

“You saved her life,” the man said.

“No. I just got her behind cover.”

“And then put your mask on her, exposing yourself to the gas to protect her. I wanted to thank you personally for everything you did.” He held out a hand.

TJ stared at it a second, then shook with him, still suspicious. They’d come all the way here to find him just to say thank you?

A tiny buzz of worry lit up the back of his brain. He was an expert at not standing out. At being unseen. A nobody.

Ordinarily he wouldn’t be concerned about anyone exposing his secrets. But they were with a respected security firm with lots of contacts and resources. If they dug long and deep enough...

The woman adjusted her sunglasses. “Were you involved in the protest?”

He shook his head. Her tone and body language weren’t hostile, and neither were the man’s. “I was in the area. Not involved.” He’d only caved and gone down there in the end because he’d been concerned that Dan would be tempted to do something stupid.

And he’d been right. But he’d gone too late. He hadn’t been able to keep Dan from being arrested, but at least he’d been able to get the little girl clear.

The man folded his arms across his chest, his expression calm. “The guy you rescued the girl from. You knew him. Who was he?”

TJ shrugged. “An acquaintance.”

A nod. “Daniel Rutherford, currently under arrest and awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges of rioting, arson, assault, assaulting police officers, and resisting arrest. Where do you know him from?”

“Around. We’ve worked some shifts together.” He seriously doubted Dan would have hurt the girl even while caught up in mob mentality, at least not intentionally. But when TJ had seen him grab her like that, he’d had no choice except to intervene.

“Anything else?”

He shook his head, kept his expression impassive. Hopefully, he’d answered enough that they wouldn’t keep sniffing around and let it drop so he could go back to anonymity. “I need to get back to work.” Time was money. He didn’t get paid for standing around shooting the shit, especially while his foreman was watching him.

“Yeah, of course. Thanks for your time.”

TJ nodded and walked away, that tingling sensation still crawling up and down his spine. Not a warning of danger exactly. He hadn’t got the sense that either of them posed a threat to him directly, and the man’s thanks had seemed genuine.

It was more a feeling about the woman. Something his subconscious didn’t like that he couldn’t put his finger on. A feeling that this might not be over.

TJ had learned long ago never to ignore a signal like that. Because out on the streets, a warning like that could be the difference between life and death.