Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
S he was expecting surprise, fear, even panic, but she got neither of those things. His expression darkened, and his eyes burned into her.
Surprised, she realized he was angry.
Why wasn’t he scared?
He should be. He was about to die—hypothetically speaking.
“Who are you, and what have you done with my men?” he demanded, in a deep growl. Thorn admired his stance—feet apart, leaning slightly forward, hands planted on his desk. It was the stance of a man used to control, a man who wasn’t ready to accept his fate. He was a fighter. That was good. He’d need to be.
“Your men are busy investigating a fake car bomb in the parking garage.” He winced, realizing how easily she’d outsmarted them. “And your assistant is locked in the restroom. I’m afraid help’s not coming.”
His eyes flicked to the gun again, then back to her, sizing her up. It wasn’t a look of appreciation, he was calculating whether he could take her down without getting shot.
“Don’t try it,” she warned.
The words hit home, and he sank back into his chair. She didn’t believe for a second that he’d given up. He knew this round was lost, but he was already planning his next move. Smart guy.
“What do you want?” he asked, studying her.
Thorn smiled, genuinely this time. The game was over. She’d made her point. She lowered the pistol and gestured to the chair opposite him. “Mind if I sit?”
He nodded, but his eyes stayed locked on her face. Grayish blue, like the sea on a stormy day. The chair she took was lower than his—maybe by design. A confidence booster for him, a subtle way to make those on the other side feel smaller, more intimidated. The Agency used the same tactic in interrogation rooms.
“Sorry for the subterfuge, Mr. Clayton.” She placed the gun on her lap. Now came the hard sell. Not her favorite part, but one she’d perfected in the field. Persuasion—an essential skill in undercover work. “My name’s Rose Wilde, and I work for Blackthorn Security.”
She gave him her real name, though most people called her Thorn. The nickname had started as a joke at the training academy because she could be prickly when rubbed the wrong way, and it had stuck. She didn’t make friends easily, but the ones she did were for life.
Recognition mixed with relief flickered in his eyes. Some of the anger dissipated. “You took out my men, distracted my assistant, and broke into my office to prove how vulnerable I am? Is that it?”
He was a quick study.
She spread her arms. “Pretty much. If I wanted you dead, you’d be cold by now.”
He clapped slowly, three times.
“Very impressive. So, this is the part where you tell me I should sign the private security contract with your firm?”
“I’d say your life depends on it, wouldn’t you?” Pat had pitched it to him last week after an FBI contact introduced them, but Clayton had turned him down, saying he had his own men. Thanks, but no thanks.
At that moment, the door handle rattled, followed by an urgent knock. A male voice called out, “Mr. Clayton? Are you all right?”
Clayton stood up. “Just a moment.”
Thorn nodded, watching as he crossed the office with long, confident strides. He unlocked the door. One of the security guards stood there, holding an alarm clock.
“I’m fine, thank you, Stephen. I see you’ve found the bomb?”
Stephen flushed.
“Could you please let Christine out of the restroom?”
He blinked. “The restroom?”
“Yes, I believe she’s locked in.”
“Uh, yes sir,” came the bewildered response.
Clayton closed the door but didn’t lock it. “So, Miss Wilde, what exactly are you offering?”
Thorn took a breath. “A close-protection team of four of our best operatives, all ex-U.S. military, highly trained for this kind of threat. Plus, a private bodyguard who won’t leave your side until the conference is over.”
He looked skeptical. “I’m a private person. The idea of someone glued to my side 24/7 doesn’t appeal to me.”
“Neither does being dead, I’d imagine.”
He tilted his head. “Touché. And who would be my personal bodyguard? You?” His stormy eyes studied her with an intensity that was unsettling.
She lifted her chin. “Do you have an issue with a woman guarding you?”
He smiled. “I can tell you’re very good at what you do, Miss Wilde, but I can’t have a bodyguard, male or female, trailing me everywhere. It’ll make my shareholders nervous. They’re already jittery over these ridiculous death threats.”
“Are they ridiculous?” she asked. Pat had warned her Clayton was in real danger, with half the criminal underworld wanting him dead. It was only a matter of time before another attempt was made on his life. “I heard you’ve already had several close calls.”
“If you call someone losing control of their car a close call, then yes.”
“You think the near hit-and-run was a coincidence?” According to Pat, Clayton had narrowly avoided being run down by a speeding driver the police never traced.
“Maybe.” Then his eyes hardened. “But the sliced brake line on my SUV wasn’t.”
“I heard you crashed into a tree.”
“Shrubbery, actually.” He winced. “Softer landing. Luckily I wasn’t hurt.”
Thorn nodded.
“Do you see my dilemma? The share price is volatile because of the upcoming conference and rumors about my announcement. I can’t afford to add to the panic.”
“We have a solution for that, sir.” She deliberately deferred to him. She wanted to restore his sense of control, to make him feel like the client with the final say. People were much more likely to agree when they felt they were calling the shots.
“I’m listening.” He leaned back in his chair, studying her. He looked relaxed, but the tension in his neck and jaw said otherwise.
“But first, I have to ask—do you have a girlfriend?” Pat’s background check hadn’t turned up anyone significant, but there was always the chance Clayton was keeping a relationship under wraps.
His eyes flicked to the closed door and back to her. “No one serious.”
Ha! She’d been right about Christine, but it sounded like whatever was going on wasn’t mutual. Unrequited feelings could complicate things. “Good. Then no one will question the appearance of a new woman in your life.”
“What?” He placed his hands on the desk. “Wait a minute?—”
“Oh, didn’t I mention? I’ll be posing as your wife.”
“Wife?” he blurted out, nearly spluttering. The shock on his face made her smile. Her reaction when Pat first suggested the plan had been exactly the same.
She raised a hand. “I know but hear me out.”
He fell silent, though the veins in his neck bulged, and his eyes shifted from stormy to outright furious. He wasn’t happy.
“As your wife, I’ll have a legitimate reason to be with you at all times. No one will question us being together, and it’ll explain away any increased security without raising suspicion.”
Clayton’s brow furrowed, but he was listening.
“It also simplifies logistics,” she continued. “We can secure your home, and I’ll be there round the clock without anyone questioning my presence.”
“This is a fake marriage, right?”
“Of course.” She suppressed a shiver. She wasn’t that crazy.
He leaned back, his eyes narrowed. “What about the media? They’ll have a field day with this.”
“Exactly.” A small smile played on her lips. “The media attention will be a distraction. It’ll shift focus away from the real reason I’m here—your protection. A high-profile relationship will divert attention from the threats. No one will bat an eye at us being seen together constantly. It’s the perfect cover.”
He sighed, rubbing his temples. “I suppose it makes sense, but how are we going to convince everyone we’re married? I’m a confirmed bachelor.” It was said without emotion. He didn’t look pleased or displeased by the fact.
“We’ll release some staged wedding photos to the press,” she replied confidently. “And we’ll make sure your inner circle knows first. It’s crucial they understand why this is necessary. It’ll also give us an excuse to stay home together until the conference, reducing your exposure to potential threats. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best way to ensure your safety.”
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I don’t know. I have meetings?—”
“Nothing that can’t be handled via video call.” In today’s world, that was a given. “You need to start taking these threats seriously, Mr. Clayton. If I could get to you, so can a trained hitman—and from what I’ve heard, there are plenty eager to take the job. The price on your head is high.”
He cleared his throat. “I see you’ve thought this through.”
She grinned. “Pretty much. Look, I know it’s not ideal. Trust me, I wasn’t a fan of this plan either, but it’s a good one. With your house surrounded and someone on the inside with you at all times, even when you’re asleep, no one will be able to get to you. You’ll have round-the-clock protection.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Just so we’re clear, we are not sleeping in the same room. The house is big enough for you to have your own, right next to mine.”
“If that’s the way you prefer it, sir.” She didn’t meet his gaze. Hawk, one of the other operatives at Blackthorn Security, had told her how a target had been kidnapped from under his nose in the same hotel just last year. But she got his need for privacy. She didn’t relish the idea of sleeping in the same room as this arrogant, bad boy billionaire either.
He sighed. “Okay, fine. I’m consenting, but only because this is so important. My new update will change the face of cryptocurrency forever. It’s essential it gets released. Even if something happens to me, the changes must be implemented. If you can guarantee me that, then I’ll take you on.”
She hesitated. If something happened to him, it would mean she had failed, but she didn’t want to think about that. “I’m not sure I can make that promise. No one on our team is qualified to do that.” She sure as hell wouldn’t know where to begin and she doubted anyone else in the unit would.
“You don’t need to know how to implement it,” Clayton reassured her. “It’s a piece of code that makes changes to the cryptocurrency’s default wallet where the privacy features are stored. You must locate the code and give it to James Holloway, the head of my development team. He’ll see that it’s implemented. I haven’t told him where it is for his own protection. It’s bad enough having a hit out on me, I don’t want to lose my head developer or any members of my team too.”
“Excuse me for asking.” Thorn tilted her head to the side. “Why don’t you just implement this upgrade now and get it out of the way? Wouldn’t that mitigate the threat against you?”
He gave a stiff nod. “It would, yeah, but the U.S. Government is pulling the strings here. They’ve asked me to wait until the global Crypto and Blockchain Summit in Miami. Something to do with setting up a sting operation. I agreed because it is perfect timing. The annual summit is where all new crypto updates are released. Global tech firms from all over the world will be there, reporters will be ready to pounce, shareholders will be poised to act, consumers will be waiting to buy. It’s where it all happens.”
“Miami?”
“Yeah. It’s somewhere different every year. This year it’s Florida’s turn.”
Thorn ground her jaw. Miami added another variable, which meant more potential for things to go wrong. But it wasn’t her call. There were forces bigger than her at play here.
“I’ll agree to your terms, if you tell me where the code is hidden. I can’t pass it on to your head developer if I don’t know where it is.”
As Clayton had said, only he knew where the update was hidden. Not even those in his inner circle were privy to the code that would peel back the layers of secrecy surrounding the cryptocurrency transactions so that users were less protected. That’s what made him such a hot target.
Get rid of Clayton, get rid of the upgrade. Problem solved.
Once the fix had been implemented and the open-source code was available for the world to see, no crypto network would ever be the same again. For many players that meant Game Over.