3. Ari
3
ARI
I didn’t usually bristle at getting a summons from my boss, because, after all, he was my boss. But his text sounded like a demand, not a request for a meeting.
My office. 2 p.m. Don’t be late.
I was especially annoyed at the implication I might be late. I was never late. That kind of text would leave anyone cranky. Not to mention I hadn’t slept a wink after tranquilizing Damon Hunt in the middle of my apartment. I considered calling the police half a dozen times. But I didn’t. Instead, I’d grabbed my gear and a change of clothes for today and gone to a hotel for the night.
Galen Trent, billionaire securities expert, owned GT Securities, one of the premier security-and-recovery companies on the East Coast. He was a great boss. He was also controlling, uptight, and strong-willed, but I respected him. He’d given me a shot when I needed it most. Right when I was looking for direction.
Dad had never been caught, but there had been rumors and whispers, and Galen had a past shrouded in shadows. I always wondered if he’d at least been aware of Dad. But he’d never said.
When I strode into his office at 1:45, I found Galen alone. I was dressed for a simulation in the vault later, so I had all my equipment strapped to me.
He lifted a brow and grinned. “I see you came to impress.”
I shrugged. “I’m planning to do a simulation for the field agents, and I want to run some timing scenarios. It’ll increase performance. What’s so urgent? Something wrong with my report on the Kellerman case?”
He shook his head. “Of course not. You were thorough as always. You found several weak spots in our process. Hell, I could use you in the field.”
I shook my head. “I’m never going in the field.” Unlike most agents, I had zero desire for fieldwork.
Hits close to home, doesn’t it?
Too close. All it took to keep me on the straight and narrow was remembering how Dad had died in my arms. Those little adrenaline shivers I felt when I opened a difficult safe or figured out the best way in and out of an impenetrable building were the temptation. The illusion.
I liked cold, hard reality. I’d worked hard to be where I was today. Dad had been right not to teach me, not to want a criminal life for me.
It was the best way to honor him. He’d tried to tell me a million times not to be like him, but it hadn’t sunk in until I tried desperately to keep him from bleeding out. I could still feel the slow, sluggish pump of his blood between my fingers.
Lack of desire for fieldwork notwithstanding, I still needed this job, and it was best not to irritate my boss. “What I mean is I can be of much better use in here.” And in here I got to be Ari Denton, security specialist. Not Ari Denton, daughter of a thief. I liked this Ari. My father would have been proud of this Ari.
Galen cocked his head, leaned forward, and met my gaze. A small shiver of awareness hit me. Bad news was coming. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood at attention, and I squared my shoulders against the dread trying to weigh me down. What was I going to do now?
“I appreciate what you’ve done for me, Galen, but if you’re going to fire me, just do it.”
His brows knitted. “What?”
“You’ve got your I don’t want to do this, and it’s going to hurt look on your face. So just do it.”
“Why do you think I’m going to fire you?”
Wasn’t it obvious? “Probably because one of your clients found out about me. Or knew who my father was. Likely, they’re demanding that you fire me, or you won’t get some big account. Am I close?”
His brows furrowed then, and he crossed his arms. “And you think I’d sell out my team? My people?”
I had no idea what he would do. “I make it a point not to ask people to choose. It’s a little bit easier that way. You don’t want to see the look on their faces when they let you down. And I understand that my name could come with baggage, especially in the security industry. If there are people who were aware of him.”
He shook his head. “Well, I will say that you are observant. Your name is what’s at play here.”
My palms went clammy, and my emotions churned until I slapped them back into submission. I loved my life.
Do you?
I’d worked too hard to have stability.
But does it excite you?
“Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do, Galen. I’m good at what I do. You know that. If you have to fire me, it’s obviously because someone is strong-arming you.”
He shook his head as he sighed. “Ari, you should have more faith in people.”
I cocked my head. “Wasn’t it you who told me not to trust anyone?”
He chuckled softly as he lifted a folder from his desk. “It was. But you trust family. Find a circle, Ari—people you trust. I don’t have to be in that circle, but I count you in mine. And I protect what’s mine.”
My nose tingled at that. It had been a long time since I’d been in anyone’s circle. Since anyone other than my aunt had cared enough to protect me. “If you’re not firing me, then what is this about?”
“I have a job for you.”
I ground my teeth together. “Before you say anything, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“You were specifically requested, Ari.”
That made my blood run cold. “No. Sorry.”
“Don’t you want to know by whom?”
I shook my head. “Nope. If someone asked for me by name, they ran in Dad’s circles.” I wasn’t part of that life. My life was stable, boring, predictable. And I had a feeling Damon Hunt was behind this meeting, attempting to mess that up. “Get someone else to do it.”
“I think the client would like to speak with you directly. Hear them out, then decide.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” It shouldn’t have, but it felt like an attack on my orderly life.
He exhaled. “Why won’t you hear them out?”
“Galen, you don’t understand.”
“All I promised them was a meeting. If you have the heebie-jeebies and don’t want to do the job, you don’t have to. But we do need to hear them out.”
“Is there a reason we need to hear them out?”
“Like you predicted, it’s a big client.”
I shook my head. “I don’t like this.”
“I figured as much.”
Taryn Mulroney, Galen’s PA and my best friend, strolled in at two o’clock, and Galen’s gaze flickered to her intently before skittering away. I grinned to myself. Taryn had worked for him for a year, and after all that time, he was still trying to pretend he wasn’t totally into her.
She smiled at me. “Hey, Ari. Galen, one of the clients is here.”
Wait, clients , plural? Had my suspicions been wrong? I’d just assumed Damon had come for me. My stomach twisted at the idea that it wasn’t him. Who else knew who I was?
Galen cleared his throat and dragged his gaze from Taryn again. When his eyes met mine, he frowned. I grinned at him, letting him know that I had seen the way he was looking at her. He ignored me. Shocker. “Show him in.”
When Taryn went to bring in the mysterious guests, Galen pinned me with a look. “I’m going to say this once, Ari: Keep an open mind, would you?”
I lifted my brows. I was always open-minded. I never once lost my cool, not even when a client was screaming their head off because they wanted something that couldn’t be done. I just had a firm understanding of what I was—and wasn’t—willing to do.
Instead of Damon, in walked a man I never thought I’d see in person. I’d seen his face splashed all over gossip rags. Lucas Newsome Winston, the new prince of the Winston Isles. Some long-lost royal or something. His brother, the king, was getting married soon. All the gossip sites talked about how the new prince was now the most eligible royal in the world.
He was undeniably handsome. Gorgeous eyes; a great, athletic body. He clearly worked out. He’d been blessed with a sharp jaw, a dimple that was quick to materialize, and what appeared to be perpetually sun-kissed skin. He had dark hair, dark eyes with a mischievous glint, and humor in his cheeky grin.
From what I’d seen, the rags hadn’t given much information on his life before the royal revelation... not that I read gossip.
Oh, sure you don’t.
Okay, fine. I’d been glued to my TMZ and DeuxMoi like the rest of the women in the city. A prince had been living under our noses, walking the streets for God knew how long, and no one had known. You’d be weird if you weren’t interested.
Galen pushed to his feet, stalked over to him, and shook his hand. The prince gave him a charismatic smile. I could see the appeal. I knew exactly why he was the most eligible royal in the world.
Galen introduced me. “Meet Ari Denton, the best safecracker I have. She’s a legend.”
Lucas gave me a wide smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, finally. I have heard a lot about you, Ms. Denton. Your reputation precedes you. I hear you were instrumental in the Phelps jewels recovery.”
I cocked my head. “I think my prowess has been exaggerated. You shouldn’t even know who I am.”
“Let’s just say I was aware of your father. And when I discovered that you worked for GT Securities, I knew you were the person I needed.”
I lifted my gaze to Galen’s as my stomach twisted. He’d known of my father? No one knew of my father. Unless they were in the business of taking things that didn’t belong to them.
Who the hell was Lucas exactly?
Right now, a client.
A client I was going to learn more about. But for now, I said, “Well, I’m sure I can figure out an action plan for whatever you want to recover.” Now that I was sure it wasn’t Damon trying to hire me, I relaxed, the tension flowing out of me in waves.
Abruptly, Lucas checked his watch. “I’m waiting for someone else to join us. Actually, he’s the reason I even found you.”
And there it was... the clunking sound of the other shoe dropping. No. No. Absolutely not. That sinking feeling escalated to free-falling. My brain buzzed with the same hyperawareness I had the night before. This couldn’t be happening.
Years with no contact. Then, suddenly, twice in twenty-four hours. What the fuck?
As if on cue, Damon walked in, his swagger on display. My breath caught, rendering me unable to breathe. I felt like someone was squeezing my heart in a vise. Why was he doing this to me? The moment his gaze met mine, he grinned. “What’s up, Ari Sari?”
Galen cleared his throat then. “Mr. Hunt, I can’t wait to hear how you know Ari.”
Damon had the nerve to keep grinning. “Now that is a very long story.”
Galen’s gaze on me was almost apologetic and definitely a little sympathetic.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I bit out.
I should probably have shown some sort of manner or decorum, followed some kind of protocol. After all, I was in the presence of royalty. But my eyes stayed on Damon.
His face was smooth. “Relax, I’m just here for a job. That’s it. No need to tranq me again.”
Galen lifted a brow. “Tranq you?”
Damon flashed a grin. “Just some fun between old friends.”
I turned my attention from him and focused on the two other men. “Your Highness, I’m so sorry you came all this way, but I’m not available.”
Galen interjected immediately. “What Miss Denton means is that we will hear the proposal, then make a decision.”
Lucas gave me a warm smile. “From what Damon tells me, you two have a history. And for this job, we’re going to need two safecrackers. The best of the best.”
“I don’t know what Mr. Hunt has said, but I work in recovery. I don’t steal things. Besides, I’m an analyst. I don’t work in the field.”
The prince glanced between me and Damon, back to me, then to Galen, and tried again. “This is a recovery job. Please, all I’m asking is for you to hear me out.”
I didn’t want to. I knew what Galen expected of me, but I just couldn’t. Tinnitus pierced my eardrum, and hazy vision had me blinking rapidly as my eyes started to fail me. I couldn’t work with Damon Hunt. What was he doing here? Why now? I didn’t want to hear anything. Especially not from the man who was responsible for my father’s death.