CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The death threat scrawled on the back of Maggie’s door was a game-changer. Things had gone from bad to worse, and she finally let the tears fall. They knew where she lived and were threatening to kill her.
She longed to fall into Mitch’s arms, but because that would raise suspicion from Adam, she fell into his instead. He stroked her hair and calmed her down with soothing words. Catching Mitch’s eye for a moment, she could see the fury burning.
After the initial shock wore off, they spent the next several minutes trying to figure out what to do next. After going around and around, Adam finally put his foot down.
“Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but we’ve discussed it too long already.
We’ve got to get you out of here. You don’t want to go anywhere that will put people you love in danger, so it’s my place or Mitch’s,” he said, putting his arm around her.
“I don’t like the idea of you being left alone all day, and I have to work.
Also, my building has very little in the way of security.
Mitch’s place is the best option right now. You don’t really have a choice, hon.”
“This is not negotiable, Maggie. Grab a bag, and let’s get out of here,” Mitch said bluntly.
Feeling outnumbered, she quickly packed a suitcase, picked up Ollie, and followed them out.
They snuck out the back, using the service elevator in case anyone was watching.
Adam went first and made sure the alley was empty.
The car ride to Mitch’s was quiet. Adam dropped them at the service entrance and waited to get the all clear before leaving.
Mitch’s building was much more secure than hers, and that made her feel a little better. The only way to get to the penthouse was with an elevator key card that took you there. Not completely foolproof, but they would get warning of attempted unauthorized access.
He hadn’t wanted to take her in and had tried every excuse in the book to get out of it, but when Adam finally called Jenny, he knew he’d been beaten. He couldn’t say no to her tearful plea.
Maggie’s life was slowly spinning out of control, and now, somehow, she was about to be roommates with a man who was as infuriating as he was enticing. God help her.
***
“I don’t like this any more than you do. We’re just going to have to deal with it,” Mitch grumbled as he pushed open the door to his condo and tried to wrangle Maggie’s large suitcase through it. She followed glumly, her cat snuggled up under her jacket.
He was frustrated. It’s not that he didn’t want Maggie safe—he did. He just didn’t need the distraction right now. He needed to focus on finding Manuel and didn’t have time to babysit a witness. No matter how good-looking she was.
The death threat made it obvious Manuel was upping the ante. There was no telling how serious the threat was, but the fact that he knew where she lived and worked made her an easy target.
Someone had to protect her, and as Jenny had reminded him repeatedly, he had no job, no one depending on him, and nothing tying him down, so there was no reason he couldn’t do it. That conversation had hurt. Harold needed him.
Maggie let Ollie down as soon as the door shut behind them, and he set off to explore.
“He’s not going to pee all over, is he?” Mitch asked, taking a step back from the cat.
“I can’t guarantee anything.” Maggie smiled sweetly, and his eyebrows rose. “I’m kidding,” she said quickly. “He’s very well trained. I just need a box or something to put some litter in, and then he’ll be fine.”
He made a noise in his throat signaling his dismay.
She left him with the suitcase and wandered off.
The kitchen, living, and dining rooms were all connected in a vast open floor plan.
High ceilings made the area seem larger than it was, and the entire back wall was windows facing Central Park.
The view couldn’t be beat and was the main reason he’d bought the place.
He didn’t know the first thing about decorating, so he’d paid someone a crap ton of money to do the décor, which had been described to him as rustic minimalist. A dark brown, leather sectional surrounded a primitive wood coffee table. On the opposite wall, a seventy-two-inch TV hung majestically.
Maggie was staring out the windows with a pensive look on her face. He truly felt for her. After what she’d been through the last week, she must be terrified, but she was holding it together remarkably well. He respected her for that.
“Pay me, and get out!” screamed a high-pitched female voice. Maggie jumped.
“Oh, here we go,” Mitch muttered. “Shut up, you mannerless fiend. Can’t you just say hello?”
“Hello,” said Harold.
Mitch did a double take, and Maggie laughed. Harold sat perched in his cage, head held high. Oliver came over to investigate.
“If I let him out, will the cat eat him?”
She rolled her eyes and ignored him. “Don’t tell me, let me guess. You hired someone to decorate, you have a cleaning service, and you don’t spend much time in these rooms.”
“All of the above. Feel free to look around. Anywhere but the last door on the left. That’s my office. Stay out of there.”
“Yes, sir.” She gave a sarcastic salute. “Where can I put my stuff? And how long do you think this will be necessary?”
“Take it to the guest bedroom. It’s the first door on the right.
” He pointed in the general direction of the hallway.
“Adam says they’re making headway on the case and getting closer to finding Manuel.
They served a warrant on a pawnshop he was doing business with and confiscated a bunch of guns he was trafficking.
I’m sure that pissed him off good. Honestly, I don’t know how long it will take, but we—Adam and I—think you should stay out of sight until he’s in custody. ”
“What? No offense, but that could take forever! I’ve got to clean up my place. I’ve got a business to run, patients to see. I can’t just disappear for who knows how long!”
“Is all that more important than your life?” Mitch raised his voice.
“Manuel is not someone to fuck around with, Maggie. He’s dangerous and crazy and does not want to get caught.
And if he does get caught, he most certainly does not want to know there’s an eyewitness to his armed robbery standing by to testify against him.
He’d have no problem eliminating you. But I’m not going to let that happen. ”
There was a long pause while he let that sink in.
“What about you?” she asked softly.
“What about me?”
“You’re also an eyewitness he won’t want around. You’re in just as much danger as I am, even more.”
Mitch sighed. He and Adam had already had this discussion. She was right. The two of them were a threat Manuel would not take chances on. If—scratch that—when he was captured, Mitch had no doubt there were already contingency plans in place to have the two of them killed.
That was the irony. After they finally had Manuel in custody was when the danger to them would begin in earnest. The problem was, Mitch wasn’t confident he would wait until he was caught to make the kill order. It was entirely possible he’d already decided on a preemptive strike.
“I know. I’m going to work as hard as I can to catch this son of a bitch and then deal with anyone he sends after me. After us.” His tone softened, and the reality of what they were facing sank in. Her eyes filled with tears.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, Maggie. I promise you that.” He put his hands on her shoulders, and she straightened.
“I know. I trust you. I’m not afraid, just frustrated. This sucks!”
“Being stuck with me, you mean?” He smiled. “I’ll try to keep the asshole level down to a two or so.”
She laughed. “Ugh, I have no doubt putting up with you will be a pain, but I meant having to rearrange my whole life and having no freedom. Can I even go out running?”
“I have a treadmill.”
“I’ll take that as a no.” She walked over to her suitcase and, using both hands, began dragging it toward the hall.
It was stuffed to capacity, apparently holding everything but the kitchen sink.
In her defense, they had told her they didn’t know how long she’d be away. She appeared ready for anything.
“Here, let me get that.” He picked up the suitcase easily and headed down the hall.
“Show off,” she muttered.
He led her to a bedroom that matched the living room’s cream, white, and brown color scheme. Everything from the curtains to the comforter was brand new.
“Has anyone ever slept in here?”
He thought for a second. “Not that I can remember. It’s probably been a year or two since I’ve even been in this room,” he said, looking around. “You see anything missing?”
The queen-size bed took up most of the room. There was a nightstand on each side of the bed and a small chest of drawers. A comfy looking chair sat near the opposite wall.
“It looks fine, Mitch. Thanks.”
The tension in the room escalated.
“Sorry. My manners are as bad as Harold’s. Are you hungry? Or do you want something to drink?” He backed out of the room.
“I was looking forward to a bath and a glass of wine tonight. I’d settle for the wine if you have any.”
“I think I can manage that.” They returned to the kitchen, and he pointed to a fully stocked wine refrigerator. “Pick what you want, and I’ll open it.” He walked over to the huge, double-doored, stainless-steel refrigerator, opened it, and grabbed a beer.
“You don’t like wine?” she asked, holding out a bottle of white she’d picked out.
“On occasion.” It took him a couple of tries to find the right drawer, but he finally pulled out a fancy bottle opener.
“You don’t spend much time in here, do you?” Maggie chuckled.
“No. I don’t cook. I have a housekeeper that keeps the fridge stocked with beer and milk, and that’s about it.”
“Milk’s good for you.”
“I make smoothies with it in the morning. And I like cereal.” He opened a cupboard full of multi-colored boxes. “Help yourself in the morning.”
“You have any oatmeal? That’s better for you.”
He poured and handed her the glass, their eyes locking. “Sometimes, I like things that aren’t good for me.”
Her eyes went wide as he put his hands on her shoulders and leaned closer. “You aren’t good for me right now, Mags, but damned if I can get you out of my head. I need to focus on catching this asshole and keeping us safe. You get that, right?”
She nodded but didn’t look away.
He bent slowly and whispered into her neck, “Maybe just a taste, though.” She tipped her head back as he planted an open mouth kiss on her neck. She shivered.
He made his way slowly up her neck, and by the time he got to her lips, she had set the wine down and clasped her hands behind his head. He’d started slow, but she was impatient.
Taking charge, she stood on tiptoes and pulled him closer, pushing her tongue into his mouth.
Lifting her with ease, he set her on the granite countertop without breaking the kiss.
He moved between her legs and wrapped his hands up in her hair.
Strands of soft, chestnut-colored silk. Oh, how easily he could lose himself in her.
But not yet. Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had no choice. Catching Manuel and keeping Maggie alive were his top priorities now, and no matter how great it would be to get her into his bed, he’d have to wait.
“Mags.” Breaking the kiss, he placed his forehead on hers. They were both breathing hard.
She closed her eyes. “I know. Not now,” she said.
“I gotta go. Help yourself to whatever.”
***
When Maggie opened her eyes, he was closing the door on his way out.
Well, that went well. Regrouping, she grabbed her wine and set off to find the bathroom. Maybe she could get a bath in after all.
An hour later, her cell phone buzzed.
It was a text from Adam. Have you seen Mitch?
He left about an hour ago. Why? she replied.
I’ve been trying to reach him. Starting to worry. Any idea where he went?
He didn’t say…
Her phone rang this time. “We were only here for a minute before he left, and he didn’t say anything about where he was going.”
“How would you feel about poking around and seeing if you can figure it out?”
“Well, he did tell me specifically not to go into his office, but you know me…” She headed down to the last door on the left. “It’s open, so that’s good. I don’t have to break in.”
Opening the door, she saw another side of Mitch. “Holy Camoly,” she whispered.
“What?” Adam sounded alarmed. “Did you find something?”
“No, I just, oh, never mind. Hold on. Let me look around.” It was a war room.
Pinned on the walls were several dozen pictures.
Red string connected a few of the photos.
There were newspaper articles from the time of Jimmy’s shooting, as well as many that were much more recent.
An article about the bank robbery was next to a picture of her.
No red heart around my face. That’s a bummer.
She made her way to the desk. Right in the center of it was a yellow Post-it Note. “Maybe this is something. He wrote ‘Diego’ on one line and then ‘Lady Luck slash Candy’ on a line beneath it. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Shit. That’s what I was calling him about. He must’ve already figured it out. Did that idiot go without backup?” He was talking more to himself now, so Maggie just kept quiet.
“Thanks. If you hear from him or he comes home, call me immediately, okay? Gotta go.” And he was gone.
She left everything as she found it and closed the door behind her. The temptation to check out Mitch’s bedroom was killing her, but she’d already invaded his privacy and didn’t want to push her luck. Adam sounded pretty worried. Should she be too?