Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
A familiar hum permeated the police station. It was the energy before a storm, the buzz in the air during a concert when the lights went down before the band took the stage.
The chief had evidently called on neighboring police departments to come help, because the station was full of officers. Cormac listened to Detective Holden’s briefing, leaning against the back of the room. He’d worked alongside the Stirling Police frequently over the years he’d developed his business, either alerting them to attend scenes, debriefing them about incidents that happened while his team was in charge, or working as a consultant who helped plan security for large events.
The people in this room were good people, and he knew he was here because he’d built relationships with them over the years. Rick could have told him to get lost, and he would have been within his rights.
But Rick knew Cormac; he knew Cormac wouldn’t stay away when the woman he cared about was involved.
So, Cormac found himself admitted to the briefing and under strict orders to stay out of the way. He had been temporarily hired as a consultant who could observe and advise on security risks as they approached the hunting lodge, but he could not act.
As the briefing broke up, the detective made a beeline toward him. “You stay in the car, McKenna,” Rick said.
Cormac pinched his lips. “Heard you the first time, Detective. And the second and third.”
“I’m doing you a favor by letting you ride along, but I won’t have you messing up this case. We need to do this by the book to nail these guys.”
Cormac’s back teeth ached as he ground them together. “Understood.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
They drove through town, a convoy of police vehicles and unmarked cars that drew the attention of the handful of people who were awake and about this early in the morning. Cormac let the adrenaline coursing through him heighten his senses. He calmed himself, slowed his breathing, controlled his heartbeat.
He was doing this for Lucy. For their future. For the forever she’d promised him.
They turned off the freeway down the country road that would lead them to the cottage. Cormac checked his phone, where he had the live video from the cabin camera streaming.
“No movement,” he told the detective.
Rick nodded. “Good.”
Most of their convoy turned off a mile before the hunting cabin. They used a country road that circled around a big field to get as close as possible to the property without calling attention to themselves and then exited the vehicles. Two unmarked cruisers would park on either end of the road leading to the hunting lodge, in case things went south and someone made a run for it.
Cormac exited the detective’s car and took a deep breath. The air smelled of cow manure, grass, and pine needles. He stared at the tree line that separated him from the targets, wishing it was time to storm the property.
But they had to wait for Rhonda to show up once more. If they caught her in the act of trading with Phillipses’ gang, they could potentially find who she was buying the forgeries for. They could pull the weed out by the root.
So, Cormac found himself creeping through the forest once more. The officers around him fanned out, each knowing exactly what position to take. They’d surround the property and charge at the critical moment.
Cormac’s vision narrowed. As the roof of the hunting cabin came into view, his pulse began to hammer. He worked hard to keep himself calm, but all he could see was Lucy’s exploding car, the wide-eyed stare she’d given him when he’d dumped her in the van and told Sam to get her somewhere safe.
These people had put that look on her face. They’d terrorized her for years—and for what? They felt threatened based on an assumption that she was just as rotten as they were? They saw a competitor where there was simply a woman trying to build a life and business for herself?
It wasn’t right.
They didn’t get to hurt the woman Cormac loved and get away with it.
He hunkered down under the cover of some thick foliage, resolve draping over him like a blanket. The day brightened with every passing minute, the sun making its ascent across the clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day to rid the town of some scum.
With that thought soothing his nerves, Cormac settled in to wait. And wait. And wait.
Meanwhile, Lucy was making preparations of her own. Today would be life-changing in more ways than one. While Cormac dealt with the Phillips mess, she’d propel her business to the next level. She’d overcome her demons and prove that no conference room full of overconfident men in suits could keep her down. She was Lucy Barlow, of Invitations Etcetera. She was worthy of this deal, no matter what her previous failures might have said.
Her confidence lasted until Sam rang the buzzer and told her he was at Cormac’s front door. She let him in and gathered her computer and product samples. The two new designs she had worked on looked polished and perfect. She slipped them into her bag next to her laptop and turned to face Sam. When she nodded, her heart gave a nervous flutter. Her palms began to sweat as the elevator took them down to the basement parking lot, and her legs trembled as she walked to the car.
“You ready?” Sam asked as he started the car.
“No,” Lucy answered.
Sam grinned and headed for the exit. They emerged onto a sun-drenched street lined with flower baskets and fluttering green leaves. Spring was barreling toward summer, and the people of Stirling couldn’t get enough. Lucy watched a little girl in a sundress sprint toward her friend at the end of the street while her mother jogged behind and yelled. A little farther on, a group of women holding yoga mats under their arms stood outside a studio and chatted.
It was a wonderful place to live, and Lucy knew this was where she belonged.
They drove on, leaving the happy townspeople behind. Lucy let out a long sigh and tried to settle her jangling nerves.
“You’ll do great,” Sam said as he turned to enter the gates that opened onto the long drive to the hotel.
The Juniper and Sage team were staying in the Old Road Hotel, just outside of town. It was the fanciest venue in town, with a dramatic driveway lined with trees and flowers. The hotel’s stone walls were gray and solid, immovable, a permanent feature on the verdant landscape. It looked like a true fortress.
Lucy’s heart rattled. The car slowed as they traversed the hotel grounds, and the building loomed ahead.
Somewhere inside those walls, Lucy’s future would be decided. She’d either win a huge contract that would secure her future, or she’d have to keep fighting for every sale.
A deep breath, and Lucy settled herself enough to think. She could do this.
Sam parked in front of the doors and got out. He walked her inside, scanning the lobby, then nodded. “I’ll be right here when you’re done.”
She nodded, then went to the front desk to ask about her meeting. She was directed to the third floor, which held a few meeting rooms, a gym, and a spa. In the elevator, Lucy took off the bulletproof blazer and folded it over her arm. She wouldn’t need it where she was going.
The elevator jerked to a stop and spit her out in a narrow hallway. The carpet was dark brown with a pale pattern running through it, and the walls were a matching soft cream. Generic, upscale artwork dotted the walls. She glanced at the placard on the wall and followed its directions to turn left toward the meeting rooms.
Each step was harder to take than the last. She was walking to her execution, walking toward failure. The sound of conversation reached her ears from the far meeting room, and Lucy sucked in a hard breath.
She paused, leaning one palm against the wall, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Memories assaulted her. She remembered the sneering man who’d started her spiral, the way he’d scoffed when she’d given him her doomed pitch. She remembered the frozen feelings in her limbs, the way her brain turned sluggish and slow. It had been a horrible moment. An awful failure.
But this was different, Lucy reminded herself. She thought of Cormac, somewhere near that hunting lodge, putting himself in harm’s way for her. She thought of his grin which she loved to coax out of hiding. She thought of his face when he bit into the donut he stole from her, the challenge in his eyes.
She’d risen to that challenge, and she’d rise to this one.
With one more deep breath, Lucy straightened her shoulders and walked into the conference room. It was similar to most other conference rooms, only slightly nicer. There was the same long table and the same leather chairs, but one of the walls had wood paneling around the projector screen. The wall opposite the door was one large window looking out on the hotel grounds and the forest beyond.
Belinda stood when Lucy entered, smiling warmly. “Lucy. Did you find us okay?”
“No problem at all,” Lucy said, shaking the other woman’s hand. “This view is gorgeous!”
Words of agreement rang around the room, and Lucy’s shoulders relaxed. She smiled, putting her best extrovert disguise on, and began setting up her computer. She handed out samples while she introduced herself, and when the tech was set up, she turned on the projector screen and launched into her pitch.
It was a blur. She’d been careful to craft the pitch in terms of what she could offer Juniper and Sage as a designer, peppering in details about her own journey to build her brand. She focused on the mix of contemporary and classic, that specific blend she’d created over the years that set her apart from her competition. When she handed out her sample designs, her heart buzzed at the sight of all those executives studying them, turning them over, nodding to each other.
“Do you do anything other than weddings?” one of them asked, a serious, frowning man who sat at the far end of the table. Belinda had said his name was William Sage, one of the owners of the company. His hair was white, his face clean-shaven, and he leaned back in his chair like he was used to presiding over meetings like this. He’d been the first one to toss Lucy’s sample onto the table after she’d handed them out.
Lucy’s gut gave a pulse. He looked so much like the man who’d challenged her before that she had to blink away the double-vision that superimposed the past onto the present. Then she squared her shoulders and said, “I focus on wedding stationery in my own business, but I’m willing to work with you on different projects. I’d welcome the chance to expand my range.”
The man harrumphed, but Belinda gave Lucy a subtle wink. There were a few more questions from the team, and then it was all over.
Belinda got up and walked her to the elevator, grinning. “They loved you,” she said.
“They did?”
Belinda laughed. “Oh, yeah.”
“Even Mr. Sage?”
“He’s a tough old nut, but yes, he’s in. We’re going to talk details now, but I hope to have an offer in your inbox by the end of the day tomorrow.”
Lucy couldn’t have kept her smile hidden if she tried. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”
They shook hands again, and Lucy got into the elevator. She waited until the doors closed and the elevator started moving before jumping up and down and letting out a squeal of excitement. She’d done it. She’d done it!
Despite the fear, despite her history, Lucy had marched in there and made them see her value. She couldn’t wait to tell Cormac. She had to thank him—without his influence, she doubted whether she’d have found the confidence to come here at all. He was the one who’d seen what was inside her and coaxed it out. He was the one who’d believed in her when everyone else told her to use the safety net they stretched below her.
Her heart felt light, and her limbs were loose. She slipped the blazer back on, hugging it to her chest and sniffing the lapel, even though Cormac’s scent had long since faded. She couldn’t wait to tell him how her day had gone. He would be so proud! The soreness in her cheeks would only get worse, because Lucy knew she wouldn’t be able to stop smiling all day.
That is, until the elevator stopped and the doors opened, and Lucy saw Aaron Phillips standing on the other side. His hair fell in greasy hanks across his forehead, his clothes rumpled and dirty. He had that same feverish look in his eyes as when he’d confronted her at her apartment building, and it made the scream in Lucy’s throat die before it could be heard.
“Hello, Lucy,” he said, reaching into the elevator to grab her.