Chapter 12 Ramsay #2
Yet I could barely take in his words.
“Cell.” I thrust the pliers back at him. “Do you have a cell I can borrow?”
He frowned. “Have you forgotten yours?”
I shook my head. No, it was in the back pocket of my jeans. An unwitting traitor.
Ramsay pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket.
“I need to make an international call. I’ll pay you back.”
He impatiently waved off my offer, and I took the phone, fumbling for my own so I could find an email from Perri. At the bottom of the email was the number for the newspaper office. I dialed it on Ramsay’s phone and walked to the end of the garden for privacy.
Thankfully, Ramsay stayed put. I kept my back to him as I called the newspaper and asked to speak to Perri. They took my name and I waited until eventually I connected to Perri’s work phone.
“Tierney? What’s going on?”
“Our phones are tapped. They tapped our cell phones. Or at least they tapped mine. How?”
Perri let out a curse. “Are you sure?”
“Yesterday I said the words Nothing will stop me to you on the phone. Today I got another unaddressed envelope and inside is a pap shot of my best friend London, the only family I have left, and she has a big fucking target drawn around her head. On the back of that photo are the words Then maybe this will stop you.”
“Oh fuck,” Perri hissed. “Fucking, fuck, fuck.”
My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear over it. “What do we do?”
“Dump your phone and get a new one. New number, everything. I’ll send you a burner phone so we can safely stay in contact. That’s if you still want to do this?”
The thought of anyone hurting London caused panic to constrict my lungs. “I think it’s only fair she knows she’s been threatened and ask her if she wants me to back off.”
Perri sighed. “Tierney, we are so close to publishing this thing. If you tell her and she tells the wrong person …”
“I trust her.”
She sighed again. “Okay. Then let me know what you decide as soon as possible.”
“I’ll call her now. I’m using someone else’s phone.”
“Right. Talk soon.”
London and I hadn’t spoken on the phone in a few weeks. We had a video call about a month ago, but we’d been trading texts because every time I tried to video chat, she didn’t pick up. But I knew her job kept her crazy busy.
I dialed her number and prayed she’d pick up. A quick look over my shoulder revealed Ramsay watching me patiently, Akiva at his side. I turned away, wondering at his change in attitude. Unable to resist, I glanced back and suddenly the favor he’d asked of me appeared different.
Now I wondered if Annie really couldn’t watch Akiva today.
I wondered if Ramsay had only said that so he could leave his very large, very protective Alaskan Malamute with me.
Huh.
Turning around, I frowned out at the beautiful view ahead.
Even on a cloudy day, it was stunning here, especially with rays of champagne-gold sunlight piercing through the mauve clouds and hitting the water in bursts of sparkling light.
Sometimes remembering I lived here now was surreal.
Glenvulin’s tranquility was almost jarring against the current chaos of my life.
It was a shock when the line suddenly connected.
“Hello?”
“London, it’s me.”
“Nee?” London’s voice and use of my nickname was a balm to my soul. “Are you okay? It’s early.” She was home and she was alive. And she was probably exhausted from working late and long hours.
“I woke you.”
“It’s okay. What’s wrong?” she asked as I heard a male voice in the background asking something I couldn’t quite make out.
“It’s Tierney,” London replied. He said something else.
“It’s fine,” my friend said in return and then I heard what sounded like a door closing. “Okay, we’re alone. What’s happening?”
Taking a shuddering breath, I explained.
“Spoon …” I used the nickname I’d called her since we were kids.
“I can’t go into details, but I’m working with an investigative reporter because …
” Tears threatened. London had been at my side through everything, including my parents’ deaths.
She was the only person I’d let see how broken I was by the loss. “My parents … it wasn’t an accident.”
“Oh my God,” London said in a jagged breath. “What do you mean? What is going on?”
“It has to do with the company. That’s all I can say. But the person responsible knows that I’m working with a reporter and I’ve been threatened to stay quiet. But it’s my mom and dad.” I swiped at my freely falling tears.
“I know. Oh, babe, I know.” I heard London sniffle, crying with me because that’s the way it was. When I was in pain, she was in pain and vice versa.
“So I haven’t backed down.” I sucked in a breath, getting control of myself. “Until now. I got a threat against you.”
London’s voice was instantly hard and demanding. “What kind of threat?”
I told her about the photograph and the warning on the back.
“Well, fuck that,” she hissed. “Do not let that stop you. I will be fine, Nee. Everyone knows I’m dating Nick and Nick has more power in this city—fuck, in this country—than most. They won’t touch me and risk Nick’s wrath.”
For once, I might actually be grateful she was dating the prick. “So you’re okay? You’re okay for me to keep going?”
“Yes. If someone killed your parents, you have to bring them to justice. I know you. I know you better than I know anyone. And you won’t be able to live with yourself unless you do this.”
“I love you,” I whispered, sucking back more tears. “I miss you like crazy.”
Her voice turned husky. “You have no idea how much I miss you.”
Something in her voice sent a shiver of warning up my neck. “Spoon … are you okay?”
“You don’t worry about me,” was her reply. “I’m all good. Now go teach this asshole a lesson and tell me when it’s done.”
I still wasn’t convinced there wasn’t something going on with her, but just as she knew me, I knew London and she’d only feel cornered if I pushed. But I would fly out to New York as soon as it was possible to check in with my friend.
We hung up with another exchange of love and I turned to find Ramsay waiting. I strode across the garden as the drizzle began to turn to rain and handed him his phone. “Thanks.”
He nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but I walked past him to hop up onto the concrete patio.
Removing my phone from my pocket, I removed the SIM card first, then dropped both it and the phone onto the slab.
I picked up a nearby bit of rubble and got down on my knees to start smashing the fuck out of them.
“Silver?” Ramsay caught me by the elbow and pulled me to my feet. I realized he’d been calling my name for a while. He bent his head to peer into my face, his grip on my arm gentle but firm. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I tugged out of his hold. “Bill me for the phone calls.”
“Silver,” he pushed. “I can help.”
No, he couldn’t. No one could help. I wasn’t dragging more people into this only for them to become targets too. We were so close to the finish line. Ramsay, everyone, would understand soon enough.
“I need to run some errands. Do you still want me to watch Akiva?”
Ramsay’s expression was tight with dissatisfaction, but he nodded. “Aye, I do.”
And that’s when I knew for certain Ramsay McRae had assigned me a very beautiful, very furry bodyguard and had no intention of letting me out of Akiva’s sight.