Twenty-One
Thor
I watch Clover slip around the corner, feeling as if my heart is walking out of the room without me. If it were anyone else with her but Edith, I’d worry. But I wasn’t lying when I told her Edith would take care of her.
Sighing, I step inside the conference room and sling my jacket over the back of a chair before plopping into the seat. I kick my feet up on the desk. Looking up, I find Rock glaring at me . . . again.
“Wow, Edith wasn’t joking. What’s going on?”
“Oh, I don’t know”—Rock’s words are dripping with sarcasm as everyone shifts uncomfortably in their chairs—“maybe it’s because I had to put one of our best guards on leave, or that Angie’s trail has gone cold, all while you’re out getting cozy with a client.”
My spine stiffens. “Getting cozy? I’ve been doing my job, Rock. Like you asked me to.”
Rock motions to Bex. Her cheeks flush as she shoots me an apologetic look, mouthing “sorry” before rotating her computer to face me .
My heart drops when I see the paused video and heat claws up my neck. Swallowing, I wave a dismissive hand. “And what’s this supposed to prove?”
Bex grimaces and hits the play button. I roll my eyes, but my pulse kicks up as I watch myself removing Clover’s helmet and then brushing her cheek with my thumb.
“I was calming her down to go into the bookstore,” I offer, the argument sounding weak even to me. One of my co-workers, Hunt, snorts but covers it up with a cough. I glare at him, but he simply shrugs.
“Huh,” is Rock’s only response as he dips his head toward Bex. She sighs, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she hits another button. “And what about this?” Rock turns his gaze to me, while a video of Clover and me outside the bookstore plays. I’m leaning close, whispering something to her.
“It was crowded. I wanted to make sure she heard what I was saying.” I relax back in my chair. In the next clip, Clover links her arm through mine.
I grimace. “She initiated it, and I thought it would draw attention if I pulled away.” Not that I wanted to.
Rock’s unsettling gaze hasn’t left mine as Bex hits the next clip. Clover and I are in the bookstore, which is by far the most innocent clip I’ve seen so far.
“I’m shadowing a client.” I shrug, attempting to keep my cool. “Isn’t that our jo—” the words die on my lips as I grasp Clover’s hand and pull her to the register. “That’s when she thought she saw Angie. ”
There’s no response and as the video continues, I swallow thickly. My hand comes up to the small of Clover’s back in a gentle, protective way. Yeah, this doesn’t look good.
I tug at the collar of my shirt. “I can explain.” I can’t, but . . . well, I need to come up with something. But not here. Not with all of my co-workers watching me. “Can we talk in your office?”
Rock scoffs and spreads his hands. “This is a team effort. Everything to do with a client should be discussed openly, as a team.”
Anger bubbles up inside. Leaning forward, I lock eyes with Rock. He’s intimidating, that’s how he manages this company, but he’s not a jerk. “No. I won’t reveal Clo—” his eyes narrow, and I correct myself “—Miss Mason’s personal life in front of everyone.” I sit back in my seat, crossing my arms and never breaking eye contact. “Besides, we have more important things to discuss, like if Miss Mason actually saw Angie, and if so, was she watching her? Where did she go after? Did you get any of that on your tapes, Rock?”
“You better watch the tone, Hammer. I can’t afford to be down another guard. So don’t force my hand.”
Scrubbing a hand down my face and beard, I dip my chin. “Yeah, sorry.”
Rock sighs and points a finger at me. “We’re coming back to this.” It’s a promise, but at least we’re focusing on what’s truly important—keeping Clover safe. Not questioning if I’m falling for a client. Which I am, for the record. Rock just can’t know that. Not yet, anyway. “Bex, show him what you found. ”
Bex inhales a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing. She hates tense situations, which is ironic considering the career path she’s chosen. Her slim fingers glide over the keys faster than I can blink. “Luckily, all the businesses in the area were super helpful and let me access their footage.”
“That was easy,” I comment.
Glancing up at me, Bex smirks. “I can be very persuasive.” Clicking a few buttons, she turns to the large screen hanging on the wall at the end of the room. Several videos pop up on the screen. “So, the video is a little grainy, but we’ve got enough from all the cameras to get a good picture. After running it through the facial recognition software, we have a ninety-percent match to the suspect.”
Stones settle in my stomach, and my jaw ticks. “So she was following us?”
Bex purses her lips. “I actually don’t think she was following you.” She presses a button on her computer and motions to the screen where new footage appears. “When I pulled the footage for today, I also grabbed it for the last week.”
Rock pinches the bridge of his nose. “Did you get their permission for a week’s worth of footage, Bex?”
She winces and lifts a shoulder, pasting on a bright smile. “Act first, get permission later, right?”
Groaning, Rock grabs the paper in front of him and jots something down. “Just because you’re one of the top hackers out there doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. We’ve talked about this. ”
Bex scoffs, crossing her arms. “Not one of the best. The best. I’ll call them as soon as we get done. They’ll never know I pulled it first.” She waves her hand back to the screen. “Besides, look what I found.”
Everyone’s eyes shift to the screen.
“Is that—”
“Angie,” Bex cuts me off. “I had the software run through the full week to see if there was anyone else matching her description. It’s still running, but so far, I’ve confirmed two other occurrences of Angie showing up at the bookstore since she’s been in Denver.”
Fear curls my stomach, but it’s what I suspected from my conversation with Clover earlier. “She’s going to the only places she knows Clover visits.” Frustration pulses through me, and I don’t even care that I slipped and used Clover’s first name.
Bex nods. “I believe so. The police presence at Miss Mason’s house probably scared her off from going there for a while, so she’s trying to find her at her favorite places.”
“After we left the bookstore, Clover told me she sent Angie books from there a couple months ago. That’s probably how she knew the name.” I tap my fingers against my thighs, trying to keep the rage from overtaking me.
“That makes sense,” Bex agrees. “But since Miss Mason doesn’t frequent many places, we may be able to put some security there, maybe even get the police involved and hopefully, catch Angie.”
A deep breath leaks out of me. “Yeah, the sooner the better. ”
Rock raps his knuckles against the table. “Good work, Bex. But before you call the police, call the stores again and make sure we can even use this footage.”
Bex nods. “Of course.”
Rock glances around the table. “Hunt, call Officer Livingston and follow up with him. See if they have any new leads.” Hunt dips his chin. “Okay, the rest of you have your assignments. Let’s get to work.”
Everyone stands, but before I can slink off, Rock says, “My office, Hammer. Now.”
I swallow. Yeah, this is going to go great.
Stepping into Rock’s office, I shut the door behind me before leaning against it and crossing my arms and ankles.
Rock glances up from where he’s shuffling papers on his desk and sighs. “Want to tell me exactly what is going on?”
“I already did.”
“No. You gave me some flimsy excuses for why you were caught on camera touching a client in such a familiar, dare I say, intimate way.”
Sighing, I scratch my jaw. “It’s not what it looked like.” It’s a partial lie, and we both know it based on the look Rock is giving me. “Rock, she trusts me. She doesn’t give that trust away easily—”
“And you’re taking advantage of it.”
Anger courses through me, and I push off the door, stepping toward his desk. Leaning forward, I reply in as calm of a manner as I can, “I would never take advantage of her. She needs a friend, Rock. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Rock’s dark eyes study me, seeing more than I want him to. “And I suppose you need one too, right?”
My brow furrows. “Listen, I’m simply trying to do my job and protect her. In order to do that, she has to trust me.”
“I don’t disagree with that part and you know it, so stop twisting my words. But those videos captured a lot more than simple trust from a hired bodyguard.” Crossing his arms, he narrows his eyes. “Tell me the truth, Thorin. What does Miss Mason mean to you?”
Sinking into the chair, I scrub a hand over my face and beard, letting out a heavy breath. “Everything,” I admit quietly.
Rock sighs as he sits in his chair. “This isn’t good. I’m going to need to reassign her to someone else.”
My heart seizes, my entire body protesting the idea. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Meeting my eyes, Rock levels me with a look. “Is that your training talking or your heart?”
“Both,” I answer immediately and honestly. “I am the best option for keeping Miss Mason safe.”
“Because of your training?”
I dip my head and lean forward, never breaking eye contact. “And because I will die before I let anything happen to her.” My tone drips with conviction.
Rock studies me for a minute. “Have you been getting any sleep, son? ”
Huffing, I sit back, shaking my head and clenching my fists. “That’s not what we’re talking about right now.”
“On the contrary, it’s exactly what we’re talking about. You may be my best guard, but if you aren’t getting the rest you need, then you not only put yourself in danger, but Miss Mason as well.”
My jaw ticks as I grit my teeth. “I’m fine, Rock.”
“Son, you’ve not been fine since I’ve known you.” His voice is softer. “If you truly want her safe, you’ll do what’s best for her.”
Turning sharply, I meet his eyes. “And what if that’s me?” There’s so much more buried beneath my words and Rock’s aware of it, but thankfully, he doesn’t comment.
“We could keep her here for a few days to see if the cops can locate the suspect.”
I shake my head. “No. She won’t want to stay here. It’d be too much for her.”
“So what? You take her back to her place? The cabin? I don’t think either are a good option. I think it’s better if she relocates here. I’ll stay tonight and tomorrow so you can get some rest—”
“I’ll take her to my place,” I interject.
Rock cocks an eyebrow. “Your place? And how is that helpful?”
“My place is just as secure as here.” I spread my hands as Rock scoffs. “Okay, almost as safe. And I’ll be able to rest better in my own bed. Plus, Mom will be there.”
“No disrespect to your mom, but she’s in her sixties—”
“And she’s a retired officer and still works for the police station. And is a better shot than half the officers on the force. ”
Rock steeples his fingers together, leaning forward on the desk. “This is my decision. Not yours. And I need to know you’re going to have my back with whatever I decide.”
Clamping my jaw shut, I inhale a deep breath through my nose. “Will you talk to her first?”
His brow furrows. “Your mom?”
“No. Clover.” Lifting my eyes, I continue. “I’ll do whatever she wants.”
After a few moments of scrutinizing me, Rock sighs again and shakes his head. “This girl has done a number on you, Hammer. Send her in.”
“Thanks, Rock.”
“Don’t thank me yet, son. You might not like what she decides.”
He’s right. I might not. But as I step out of his office, I pray that whatever choice Clover makes, it’s the one that will keep her safe. And selfishly, I hope it’s the one that keeps her with me.