Chapter 8 #2
“No, I was getting to know you, although I already knew I didn’t feel a spark.”
“So, you fucked him, instead.”
“Enough.” Ace shoved Chris toward the door. “You’re done, amigo .”
“I’m gone.” Chris stormed out.
Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Okay, gatinha ?”
“No. Why don’t you just brand your name on my forehead?”
He grinned. “Property of Ace Oliveira. Might look cute on your sexy ass.”
She bristled, ready to blast him.
But he kissed her.
And her brain short-circuited.
Damn him . He was so good at it, and all the anger leaked out of her and she kissed him back.
* * *
Sitting in his office at home, Ace rolled his chair back to peek through the doorway. Maggie was in the living room, music blaring. She was dancing like a crazy woman.
He grinned. She had some moves. He watched her swing her hips, and remembered them dancing together at the gala.
His phone rang, and he saw it was Vander.
“Hey,” Ace answered.
“How is she?”
“Hanging in there.”
“You find anything in your searches?”
“I have a shortlist. I’m running through all her customers.” Ace shook his head. “Broad list. Honeymooners, tourists, birthdays, corporate bigwigs, businesses, scientists. It’s taking longer than I thought.” There was a ping from his computer. “Wait a second.”
“What have you got?”
It was an image of a man. He stood in profile, but Ace could make out some of his features.
Ace smiled. “I got an image off CCTV a few blocks from Maggie’s apartment. I’ve been searching for our bomber’s clothes.”
“You got a hit,” Vander said.
“Yep, I’m good. Not his full face, he’s in profile, but it’s a start.”
“Send me a copy. Don’t stop digging.”
Ace didn’t intend to. “I won’t stop until she’s safe.”
In the living room, Maggie started singing. She’d never sign any record deals, but she sounded happy. He grinned.
“I won’t ask again how she is, since I can hear her singing,” Vander said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Take care of her, Ace.”
“I am, amigo .”
“Good.”
Ace ended the call, just as his computer pinged again. “Hmm.” Her last helicopter customer before the explosion was Biowave Science. It didn’t exist. There was a single page on a website with a logo, but it was a non-existent company.
Ace printed a picture of the bomber. He needed to see if Maggie recognized the guy. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t keen to trigger another nightmare.
He stared at the photo. This was the man who’d tried to kill Maggie. Ace ground his teeth together. He wasn’t going to fail her.
He headed into the living room. She was facing away from him, swinging those slim hips.
He turned off the music.
She spun and smiled. “Sorry. Too loud?”
He shook his head and dropped onto the couch. “We need to talk.”
She swallowed and sat.
“I got a picture of the bomber.”
She straightened. “The police found him?”
Ace shook his head. “No. Hunt told me that the guy didn’t leave any traces, and the bomb parts were all generic.” Ace held out the photo. “But I found this.”
She looked at the photo. “You can’t see much of him. I don’t recognize him.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Vander’s going to take a look and ask around. He’ll touch base with all his contacts.”
She rubbed her cheek and nodded again.
He cupped her face. “No one is getting to you.”
Her gaze traced over his face. “Okay.”
“Right, next item. Any clients tweak you? Acted strange?”
She cocked her head. “Not any that rings a bell. Some aren’t nice, a bit abrupt, but nothing that shouted ‘I want to kill you.’”
“A couple of customers have hit my radar. Alexis Lowe. She doesn’t exist.”
Maggie grinned. “That was an engaged couple. She got her fiancé a sunset joy flight, champagne included.” Maggie sighed. “They were so in love. Her name is Alexis Carol. She’ll be Lowe once they get married. She thought it was cute to book in his name.”
Okay, scratch the romantic bride-to-be. “Biowave Science.”
“The scientists?” Her eyebrows rose. “I took them out to the Muir Woods National Monument. They wanted to study the redwoods.”
Ace frowned. “Biowave doesn’t exist.”
“What?” Her brow creased. “There were three of them. I dealt with the main guy. Dr. Spiner.”
“Did he pay with a credit card?”
She stilled. “No, cash. I did think it was weird at the time. And he gave me the creeps a little.”
Ace straightened. “How?”
“He was rude. Cold. He stared at me. Not in a checking-me-out way, in a cold, creepy kind of way.”
“Did you see what they did at the park?”
She shook her head. “I put the drone up while Dr. Spiner and his guys headed into the trees. Actually, Spiner wasn’t happy I did. He got in my face about it after, but Vander arrived and Spiner left.”
A whisper flitted across Ace’s instincts. “You got his first name?”
“Um, I think it was Paul.”
Ace grabbed his tablet did a quick search.
“Dr. Paul Spiner, Head of Biology at the University of San Francisco.”
Maggie nodded. “That’s him.”
Ace swiveled the tablet. It showed a picture of an older professor, with snow-white hair.
Maggie blinked. “That’s not Dr. Spiner. He was late thirties. Early forties, tops. Brown hair and blue eyes.”
Yeah, Ace’s instincts were pinging. “There were two guys with him?”
“One muscular guy who was shorter, with brown hair.” She frowned. “The other guy was tall, with sandy-blond hair.”
“And?” Ace prompted. “I see you thinking of something.”
“I…just figured I hadn’t been paying attention. The blond, he seemed a bit out of shape. Had a dad bod.”
Ace paused. Shit, he was going to be a dad, would he get a dad bod?
“Ace?”
“Sorry, go on.”
“When we returned, the blond guy looked fitter, more toned.”
Ace cocked his head. “It was a different guy?”
“It can’t have been. He had the same color hair, was the same height. I just must’ve—” She gasped and swayed like she’d been hit.
“Maggie?” He grabbed her arm.
“Oh, God.” She pressed her hand to her mouth. “That news report of a dead body in Muir Woods. On the TV. He looked like that blond guy.”
Ace wasn’t sure how this all fit together, but he felt like they were onto something, and it stank to high heaven.
Pulling his tablet over, he typed in a quick search.
“Dead body was found in Muir Woods. Caucasian male. Blond-brown hair. Six feet two inches. Hadn’t been dead long before hikers found him. His name was Adrian Marks. He was a building inspector for the city.”
“Not a scientist.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “What the hell is going on? This is all just a confusing mess, and I still have no idea why someone would want to kill me.”
“Someone hacked your drone and stole your other one,” he said slowly.
She gasped. “You think I caught something on video that someone didn’t want anyone to see?”
“Maybe. And after they stole your drone, they must have realized you’d already downloaded a copy of the data.”
Her cheeks paled. “Then they tried to kill me.”
“You need to check your footage.”
“God.” She shivered.
Ace pulled her against him and she buried her face in his neck.
Damn, he liked her right there. Warm, trusting.
He froze. Rodrigo trusted him, too.
Ace stared at his fingers in her hair. “I’m going to sort this out, gatinha .” He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Just hold on.”
Her arms snaked around him. “Okay, Ace.”
So much trust. He hoped to hell he deserved it.