Chapter 9
Dane
I know Paige is nervous. I can’t blame her. I am, too. But we aren’t going to be operating in a vacuum. After we both call in sick, we’ll get ahold of her handler and arrange a video call. He needs to understand how I feel and what I will and won’t consent to. I know he won’t initially be pleased with my thinking, but I’ll make sure he comes around.
I lead Paige into the bathroom. It’s not big. It’s not meant to be luxurious. It doesn’t even have a tub. It’s got a small shower stall that we don’t fit in at the same time, but we’re going to anyway.
After reaching in to turn the water on, I pull Paige’s shirt over her head and remove my briefs. She grabs her toothbrush, so I follow suit. A minute later, we’re stepping into the confined space.
She giggles. “We could take turns. There’s not enough room to breathe in here.”
“Breathing is overrated. We’re not taking turns.” I position her head under the spray and then grab the shampoo I keep here. “You know what the worst part about this shower is?”
“Hmm?” The small sound comes from her while I rub her scalp.
“This is going to erase the scent you use. That burnt-vanilla one. I’ve missed that so much.”
“How the hell do you remember the shampoo I use?”
A few seconds tick by before I say, “I bought several brands of it after you…died. I wanted my pillows to smell like you. It was never quite right.”
She turns around and wraps her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, Dane.”
I hold her close. “I know, baby. It’s in the past now. We’re moving forward.” I kiss the top of her head and grab the conditioner. After washing her from head to toe, taking my time with her breasts and pussy, she grabs the soap out of my palm and returns the favor, starting with my shoulders.
By the time we’re clean, dry, fed, clothed, and caffeinated, it’s time to call in sick. Paige goes first. It’s painless. Her boss is understanding.
No one in my office is going to buy my story for long, plus I am the boss. I call the highest-level guy who works for me: JT Masterson. I lay it on thick, telling him I’ve been vomiting all night and I’m working from home. I won’t be able to put JT off for long or keep him out of the loop because he knows Paige. So does Brant.
I call my cleaning service next and put them on hold indefinitely.
Paige sits in the corner of the loveseat, knees pulled up to her chin, biting one of her nails, or at least holding it between her teeth. Her hair is such a strange color to me that I do a double-take every time I look at her. She hasn’t put her contacts in, so her brown eyes look right, but the blond is hard to get used to.
She’s wearing yoga pants and a tank top. Her breasts are larger than Faye’s, so she didn’t put on the sports bra Easton brought over. I’m not complaining. I like this look better.
Luckily, I have a laptop with me because I came straight here after work last night.
“Ready?” I ask after I open my laptop at the small table and connect to the internet.
She sighs. “No. He’s not going to like this.”
“It’s done, though. It’s no one’s fault. It happened. Now we have to deal with the consequences.”
She drops her legs to the floor and stands, shuffling toward me as if she’s eight and I’ve asked her to take out the trash during her favorite television show. It makes me chuckle.
When she’s close enough, I scoot my chair back and pull her between my legs. I kiss her lips and then lower my face to her breasts to nuzzle them. “Put on a sweatshirt before we get on the call. I’m not sharing your nipples with a US Marshal.”
She giggles. “So jealous.”
“Yep.” I reach over and snag one of the oversized sweatshirts Faye sent that’s now draped over the back of the other chair.
Paige is fighting laughter when I pull it over her head. “Maybe you could also knock out one of my front teeth and make me less attractive. I’m sure my sixty-year-old, gay handler has been jonesing for a piece of me for the past three years. I’m quite the catch, you know. I work for a florist and live in a small apartment. I’m like a lonely cat lady, except I don’t even have a cat.”
I laugh. “The sweatshirt stays.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “As long as I get to keep the Dom. I’ve missed you.”
I hug her so tightly it must hurt, but she doesn’t complain. “Place the call.”
She picks up her burner phone and taps the screen. She’s close enough to my ear that I can hear him answer on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Andrew, it’s Paige…I mean Shannon. There’s been an unexpected change in my life. Can you jump on a video chat? I’ll text you the secure link.”
His breath hitches. “How the hell do you have access to a secure link?”
“Trust me. I do.”
“Okay, but I don’t like it. Send me the deets.” He ends the call.
Paige hands me the phone so I can enter the link in the texting app.
I pull the second chair up next to mine so she can lean in close, keeping us both on the screen.
It takes a few minutes, and then the call comes in through the computer, and I answer it to see that Paige is correct. This is a sixty-something guy. Gay or not, I have no idea. Dark skin, brows deeply furrowed.
I start, “Andrew, this is Dane Levitt, Paige’s boyfriend.”
Andrew’s eyes narrow further. His mouth opens. I’m sure he’s wondering why the fuck Paige would tell anyone her real name or about the fact that she’s in witness protection.
I head him off with more information before he can speak a word. “From three years ago. Until last night, I thought she was dead. Your people are good.” I give him a slight grin. Hopefully, the compliment will endear the man to me somewhat. “We coincidentally ran into each other last night.”
Andrew blinks and then wipes a hand down his face and groans. I don’t blame him.
“Here’s the thing,” I continue. “I own a security company. Levitt Security, in fact. I’m well-respected in the industry right here in Seattle. I even work with some folks with the US Marshals. The problem is I want Paige in my care now.”
Andrew seemed to relax slightly during the first part of my speech, but now he stiffens. “It’s not that simple.”
“No. It’s not. But there are no other options.” I’m not asking permission.
Andrew closes his eyes for a moment. “Where are you now?”
“In a safe location. Two people know she’s with me. They were with me when I saw her last night. They know our story and can be trusted. They’re helping us stay out of sight today, but I need to move her to my penthouse. She’ll be safe there. No one will find her.”
Andrew groans. “She can’t just disappear and not show up for work or her apartment. That would cause people to call the police. Her boss, for one. Her landlord for another. Then she’d be a missing person with her face all over the media.”
I wince. He’s right. I’ve thought of that, but that’s why I’m calling. “I understand that. I’m hoping we can come up with a plan that will get her out of that situation and into my care without the fallout.”
Andrew leans back and rubs his chin. “Paige…”
She bites her lip.
“Is this what you want? You’d essentially be out of my protection if you go rogue like this. Do you understand the implications? It’s not like you can change your mind tomorrow and come back into the fold.”
Paige lifts one leg and sets her heel on the chair, hugging her knee against her chest. She leans her chin on her knee. “I don’t know what else to do. I can’t just walk out of here and pretend I never saw Dane.”
I slide my hand up her back and grip her neck before bending to kiss her cheek.
Andrew sighs as he picks up a pencil on the table and starts tapping it.
“People leave government protection all the time,” I point out. Andrew knows this; he just doesn’t like it. In most cases, I would agree with him. It would put the client at serious risk and, by default, the case itself if the criminal happens to find them.
Andrew leans forward, gripping the pencil hard. “Damion Tombeck is a very dangerous criminal.”
I’m grateful Andrew has provided me with the man’s name. I could have gotten it from Paige, but I have not yet.
“And he has no idea someone survived that day,” I retort. “I’m not suggesting Paige change her name or reclaim her identity. I’m not suggesting she get in touch with anyone else from her previous life. We’re clear across the country. I have the means to protect her. She won’t leave my penthouse for any reason until the threat is removed.”
Andrew shakes his head. “The authorities have been hunting Tombeck for three years. Every time someone gets close to him, he slips through their fingers. The man lives in the wind. What if no one ever finds him, or it’s twenty years from now? Paige can’t hide in your penthouse for her entire life.”
I smirk. “No offense, Andrew, but my security company can find that motherfucker far faster than anyone working for the US government. Paige won’t be hiding for long. I’ll make sure of it.”
Andrew tips his head back and groans. “Fuck.”
That’s about how I expected him to react. Fuck is right.
Fuck the system that left a single woman completely on her own for the rest of her life while not working hard enough to find the man who chased her into hiding.
We live in an imperfect world with a fucked-up level of bureaucracy. Luckily, there are private entities like mine that can do a job faster. Yes, it’s expensive. I’m not cheap. People who can afford my services use Levitt Security to find someone or keep themselves safe. I also take pro-bono cases when warranted because I can.
Andrew shifts his attention to Paige. “Is there anything I can say to change your mind?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t see how I have a choice here.”
Damn straight, she doesn’t have any alternative options.
“Okay. Here’s what has to happen. You have to get out of your current situation cleanly. That means you have to go back to your apartment, give notice to your boss, and end your lease. That is mandatory. Say you’ve decided to move somewhere warmer or you got tired of the rain. Whatever you want, but you can’t just disappear. That would be disastrous.”
I fist my hand on my thigh. I hate this part, but he’s right. It would be irresponsible otherwise. She has to go home. It’s going to kill me, but it has to happen.
She glances at me, and I nod. “It’s the only way.”
“Okay.” She deflates a bit, which pleases me. I’m glad she’s not anxious to part from me.
“I’ll need to bring two of my guys into the inner circle,” I tell Andrew. “I’m not leaving Paige unprotected while she ties up loose ends.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Andrew grumbles. “Keep me updated.”
“Will do.” I end the connection and pull Paige onto my lap.
She leans against me, wrapping her arms around me. “The thought of moving into your home and hiding there indefinitely makes me very nervous. The thought of walking out of here and going back to my apartment to pretend nothing is amiss makes me want to pull my hair out.”
I rub her back. “Trust me, baby. The last thing I want to do is send you home.” The idea makes me want to vomit. This wasn’t how I saw things going down today. I wanted to move her into my penthouse and my bed. Today . But that was wishful thinking on my part. I’ve had a one-track mind ever since I realized my dead girlfriend was not, in fact, dead. I’ve been blind to the reality of her situation. It would draw way too much attention for her to disappear without wrapping things up. The last thing we need is her face plastered on the television.
I tip her chin back, and say what needs to be said. “You’ll go home late tonight in an Uber. I’ll have two of my men on you at all times. Don’t ever look around for them. They will not be visible. I don’t want you trying to find them.”
She nods, but her heart rate picks up. I can feel it thrumming against me.
“Go back to work tomorrow. Tell your boss it was a twelve-hour flu. Give your notice. Say you feel like your health is suffering living in this climate. Say that you’re depressed and worry it’s the Seattle weather. Tell your apartment manager you’re moving out in two weeks.”
“I’ll be breaking my lease. I’ll lose my deposit.”
I kiss her. “Baby, I don’t give a fuck about your deposit.”
She nods slightly. “Of course.”
“I don’t want you going anywhere except work and home. Get groceries delivered if you need anything.”
“Okay.” She looks down. She’s stressed. I get it. This is huge.
I lift her up and carry her across the room before lowering her onto the bed. I climb over her to hover and look into her eyes. “I know you’re scared. I know this is a big deal. I’m asking you to give up your freedom and hide in my home indefinitely. But I want you to consider two things. One: I will find Damion Tombeck sooner rather than later and put an end to this.”
She winces. “I don’t want you to get in trouble. It won’t do me any good to have found you if you spend the rest of your life incarcerated for murder.”
I shake my head. “No one is going to prison, baby. I promise. I’m good at my job. That’s why I make the big bucks.”
She sighs. “Still…”
“Trust me.”
“I do. What’s the other thing you wanted me to consider?”
“The alternative. I know we haven’t seen each other in three years, but nothing has changed as far as I’m concerned. I still feel the same way about you as I did the day you died. It’s scary. Yes. You’re wondering, what if we don’t work out? What if we decide we’ve changed too much? What if we don’t have the chemistry we had then? What if we’re too different?”
She nods. “All of that.”
“Those things cause you to feel a certain level of risk. But if you let yourself be ruled by the possibility that we might not work out, then you have to walk away from me like you never saw me and return to your Shannon life indefinitely. Could you do that, Paige? Could you walk out this door tonight and never look back?”
She winces. “No. I already did that once. It nearly killed me. I can’t do it again.”
“Then the decision is already made. Second-guessing it won’t change anything. Wondering what if won’t change anything.” I bend and kiss her. “Picture yourself back at home, cutting me off and going on with your life as a florist.”
She shudders, her face scrunching up.
“Is that an option you can imagine?”
“No.” She reaches for my chest and flattens her palms on it. She cocks her head to one side. “Is taking all our clothes off and forgetting what we have to do tonight an option?”
I smile. “Definitely.”