Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Paige
I walked into Harrison’s bar, the place where my client meetings would take place, and found a woman sitting at a table clutching a glass of vodka. Walking over, I slid into the seat across from her.
“You must be Carla. I’m Paige.” I extended my hand.
“Thank you for meeting me.” Her eyes kept darting to the bar door.
“You’re going to draw attention if you keep doing that,” I said.
“Doing what?”
“Looking at the door like someone’s about to walk in and kill you.”
“I’m sorry,” Carla whispered, tipping her glass to her lips.
I studied her. She was in her late thirties, wearing a tailored designer suit, and fear was written all over her face.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” I said.
“My sister is missing. Three nights ago, she didn’t come home. No calls. No texts. Her phone is off. That’s not like her. They took her. I know they did.”
“Who?” My brows furrowed.
“I don’t know who they were. Two men. They were asking questions about her job.”
“What kind of job does your sister do?” I asked.
“She’s a financial analyst for Comp Ware Industries.”
“Can you describe the men who came to talk to her?” I asked.
“One was about six foot three with short blonde hair. He did most of the talking. The other guy was short, stocky, and bald. He didn’t say much.”
“What happened after the men left?”
“She was off. Totally distracted and scared, but she tried to hide it. Then three days later, she disappeared.”
“What is your sister’s name?” I asked.
“Emily.”
“Phone number?” I pulled out my phone.
She rattled it off as I typed the number into my notes.
“Do you know her last location before she didn’t come home?”
“She was supposedly at work,” she said. “We were supposed to meet for dinner that night, and then she sent me a text saying she was stuck at the office and wouldn’t be able to make it.”
I reached over and placed my hand on top of hers. “I will find your sister. But I need you to listen to me very carefully. Once I start, you don’t call me. You don’t ask for updates. You don’t go looking for answers on your own. Understand?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Okay. If I call you, it’s because I found her.” I pulled a small piece of paper from my purse and slid it across the table. “That is my fee.”
She picked up the paper and studied it. “That won’t be a problem.”
“Good.” I stood from the booth. “I’ll get started immediately.”
I walked out of the bar with a smile, feeling alive as I headed to my car. Not in the way of survival, but something different.
I went to The Hamilton Group and straight to Morgan’s office.
“Want to help a sister out?” I smiled, stepping inside.
“You bet I do.” She grinned.
“I need you to track Emily’s last location.” I rattled off the phone number. “She went missing three days ago, and her sister is worried.”
She typed away at her keyboard and looked up at the several monitors on the wall.
“Last location was pinged from a tower at 7th Street and Figueroa.”
“When?” I asked.
“Three days ago.” Morgan glanced at me. “I know you can do this yourself.”
“I figured you’d want in on the action.” I smiled.
“You figured right.” She grinned.
“I need you to pull up everything on Compu Ware Industries. I’m heading there now.”
“I’ll let you know what I find,” Morgan said.
Parker
I pulled into the driveway and didn’t see Paige’s car. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sent her a text.
Where are you? I just got home.
Can’t chat, babe. Working. See you later.
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the word ‘babe.’ It was the first time she had called me anything besides Parker or Hamilton.
Just as I climbed out of the car, a black SUV with dark-tinted windows pulled up to the curb. I stared at it, my pulse racing harder than I liked.
The back door opened, a ramp lowered, and a man in a wheelchair rolled onto my driveway.
“Parker Hamilton.” He smiled.
“Depends on who’s asking,” I said.
“Gabriel.” He rolled over to me and extended his hand.
“I was wondering when I was going to get to meet you. Paige didn’t tell me that—”
“I’m in a wheelchair? Not surprised. It’s not how she sees me.”
“Come into the house, and I’ll pour us a drink.”
He summoned the two men who were with him. Once Gabriel reached the porch, the two men lifted his wheelchair up and into the house.
“Beautiful home you have, Parker. I understand now why Paige loves it here.”
“Thank you. Scotch?”
“Double, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” I grinned. “Did Paige know you were coming?”
“No. I decided to surprise her. Plus, I wanted to meet the man who broke through to her in person. Where is she?”
“Working. I just texted her, and she basically told me to leave her alone.”
“Ha.” Gabriel chuckled. “That sounds like my girl. What is she working on?”
“She’s trying to find the sister of one of my mother’s friends. Apparently, she’s been missing for three days.”
“If anyone can find her, it’s Paige.”
“Paige told me you haven’t left your island in years,” I said.
“She’s right. But with Hearthstone out of the picture now, I figured it was time to explore some other options.”
The front door opened, and Paige walked in. I couldn’t help but notice the blood splatter stains on her shirt.
“Gabriel? Oh my God! What are you doing here?” She ran and hugged him.
“I wanted to see you and meet Parker in person. What happened?” He pointed to the blood.
“A couple of guys got in my way.”
“Did you find her?” I asked.
“I did. She’s safe at home with her sister.” She pulled her gun from her back and set it on the coffee table. “I still can’t believe you’re here, Gabriel.”
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said.
“Okay. What?”
“We need to talk about your next move.”
I didn’t like the way he said that. “Her next move isn’t any of—”
“It involves you, Parker.”
“Go on,” Paige said.
“You’ve already started taking jobs. Word spreads quickly when someone like you enters that space.
“What space?” I asked.
“The one where people pay to make their problems disappear.” Paige glanced at me.
“Exactly,” Gabriel said. “If you’re going to do this, you don’t do it halfway. You need to build it properly.”
“I already know that.” Paige’s brow raised.
“You need structure, Paige.”
“I’m not building a company, Gabriel.”
“And she’s not running some underground operation out of my—” I started to say.
“It won’t be here.” Gabriel put up his hand.
“Then where?” Paige asked.
“There’s an industrial space downtown that I can convert with an access-controlled entry. Your staff would be very minimal. Four people at the most, including you. A receptionist, a tech specialist, and a researcher.”
“You’ve thought this through,” Paige said.
“I always do. You know that.” He smiled. “You’d be dealing with high-level clients. Discreet and referred only. You don’t advertise, and you don’t chase work. The work comes to you.”
“Okay. I accept.” Paige smiled.
“Excellent.” Gabriel glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting with someone in an hour, so I need to get going. Traffic around here is a total bitch. I’ll be in touch. It was finally nice to meet you in person, Parker.”
As soon as Gabriel left, I placed my hands on my hips and stared at Paige.
“You’re actually considering this? I thought it was just going to be a job here or there?”
“I think that’s what you wanted to hear, Hamilton. I’m not going back to who I was.”
“I know that,” I said.
“And I’m not going to sit still pretending I’m someone I’m not either. We’ve had this discussion before. You made me a promise. Or was that you saying what I wanted to hear so I’d stay?” Her irritated tone frightened me.
“No. Of course not.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around her. “I love you so much.”
“And I love you.” She broke our embrace. “You told me to trust a little each day, and that’s what I’ve done. Now it’s your turn.”
She was right.
“You know what I’m capable of, and you know I can take care of myself,” she said.
“I know that all too well, sweetheart. But—”
“But what, Parker?” She folded her arms and tightened her jaw.
“You need to let me take care of you sometimes. That’s all I ask. Deal?”
Her face softened, and a small smile framed her beautiful lips.
“Deal. I really need to take a bath to wash the stench of the day off me. You can take care of me by joining me.” She smiled.
“Nothing would give me more pleasure.” I brushed my lips against hers.