Everywhere It's You Page 9

  “There you are,” he gasped. “I thought you’d gone.”

  She let her fists loosen by her sides. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  “You scared the hell out of me!” He stepped forward. “Leaving without telling me? Before we’ve even talked? What were you thinking?”

  Blood rushed to her face. “I was coming back,” she said. She dug into her pocket and held up the key she had stolen minutes earlier. “Obviously, seeing as I have this.”

  She looked down at her newly purchased comm device. The box was dented slightly, but it looked not too much the worse for wear. She bent down and picked it up, clutching the device to her chest again. “I just needed to buy a comm to call my brother and let him know I’m alive.”

  “You should have woken me up,” he said gruffly, though his breathing had slowed down. “I shouldn’t have fallen asleep, but you should have woken me up.”

  “I was only going to be gone twenty minutes or so. Hardly worth you getting up for.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  She squared up to him. “I know you’re used to running things, but you aren’t my boss. Back off.”

  “You don’t know what’s out there.”

  “I don’t think you do either!”

  He stepped forward, his back straight so that he stood to his full height. She was a good head shorter than him. “I have a better idea than you.”

  She took a step back and made to go around him. “Listen, however worried you just were, my brother Kevin is that times a thousand. Now do you mind?” She motioned back toward where she remembered the apartment being. “I’d really hate for whatever budding partnership you have planned to get off to a bad start.”

  He held her gaze for a moment, his dark eyes boring into her and sending a shiver through her body. Whatever attraction she’d had for him in The Velvet—and in her dream—it had carried over. She would need to get on top of that before she made an ass out of herself.

  Finally, he turned and led the way down the street. She hurried after to catch up.

  “You need to eat something,” he said as they walked. “There’s no way you’ve had anything since lunch.”

  They came to the main road. Kristina looked back at the glowing blue ad before answering. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “Nothing edible open at this hour anyway.”

  “There’s some food at the apartment. I’ll make you something while you call your brother.”

  She stopped and looked up at him, a smile on her face before she even knew it. Having the richest man in the city make her a meal was not how she’d expected to end this day. “If you insist,” she said, her earlier frustration thawing by the second.

  “I do. I’ll warn you, though, that the only meal I can do at all is breakfast. So it’s going to be an omelet.”

  She narrowed her eyes, though the smile wasn’t completely gone. “Why breakfast?” she asked, half-guessing the answer.

  They came to Washtenaw, the street they needed to turn down to get to the apartment. He put his hand on the small of her back firmly, seemingly to make sure she turned. “Perhaps you’ll find out.”

  The sensation of his touch sent a wave of heat through her, even with her jacket separating his fingers from her skin, but she stepped away and looked up at his handsome face. “I don’t think so,” she said, the thrill of his touch still lingering. “I don’t know what else you have in mind, but it’s not going to be like that.”

  His sharp brows shot up. “Like what, Kristina?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Tatum.”

  He smiled, his lips drawing back to expose perfect white teeth. “Call me Landon, please.”

  She sighed. “Okay, Landon. I just ran for my life a couple hours ago. Don’t play games with me now.”

  “Who said anything about games?” he asked. She opened her mouth, but he raised his hand up to cut her off before she could say anything else. “But your larger point is taken. We’ll talk at the apartment and I will fill you in on what I know there.”

  He turned and led the way without another word. Kristina followed closely down the dimly lit street, and soon they were in front of the apartment. It was a two story brick building that appeared to have four units. They walked up some stairs to their spot in the front second floor apartment.

  He turned to her at the door. “The key, please.”

  She complied wordlessly. After a brief battle with the lock, he opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter.

  Landon came in behind her and turned on the lights. For the first time, she got a good look at the apartment.

  It was like many of the places she and her friends had lived in as soon as they moved out. Beige, almost institutional walls. A horrendous dark blue carpet that probably hid stains well. Cheap light fixtures in the ceiling.

  The bones of the place were in stark contrast to how it had been furnished. The fine leather couch and oak coffee sat opposite from the huge vid screen looked like they belonged in another place. Tatum hadn’t been terribly creative, but he hadn’t been cheap either.

  She looked around for a place to sit, but there was just the couch in the living room and some stools beside the gray laminated counter-top. She went for a stool and began opening her box on the counter. Landon immediately went to the fridge and got to work on her omelet.

  “What are you going to tell him?” Landon asked, as he cracked some eggs into a bowl.

  She looked up at him, her jaw tense. His sharp cheek bones looked particularly pronounced in the kitchen light.

  “Just that I’m alive and okay,” she said noncommittally.

  He looked up from his work, his sharp, dark eyes flashing briefly. “Are you going to tell him you found me?”

  She took a deep breath. He had a point. Kevin was going to have follow-up questions.

  “I ask,” Landon started, “because if you decide not to work with me, I would very much prefer you not divulge that information.”

  Her back went straight and her cheeks warmed. She looked up at Landon with a hard gaze. “Is that a threat?”

  He waved his hand dismissively, defusing the situation, though his dark eyes had narrowed and pulled out a brand new cutting board. “Merely a request. Hear me out before you tell him you found me.”

  She considered. If she was Kevin, she would want the news he was okay absolutely as soon as possible. Strangers or near-strangers be damned.

  “Okay,” she said. “I’m going to call him. But I’ll cut him off when he asks questions and tell him I’ll be in touch again shortly. In between you can tell me whatever it is you’re planning.”

  He took some more ingredients out of the fridge. “Very well,” he said. “Though if you don’t mind, Kristina, I’d rather you have the conversation here.”

  “So you can eavesdrop?”

  “It doesn’t sound like a long conversation. And my life is at stake. Along with many, many more lives.” He put the ingredients for the omelet—cheese, ham, a red bell pepper, and an onion—on the counter. “Plus, I’m making you breakfast.”

  Not wanting to argue, she got back to the business of unpacking and then activating the comm device. Landon set to work cutting up the pepper without bothering her any further.

  By the time she had the device activated, Landon already had the omelet cooking. Toast had gone in the toaster. The smell intoxicated her senses, but she took a few steps away to get some privacy. She entered her brother’s device ID from memory and hit Call.

  He answered on the first ring. “Who is this?” he asked hoarsely.

  “Kevin!” Kristina cried, her heart racing. “It’s me.”

  “Kristina? Holy shit! Where are you?”

  “I’m safe,” she said. “Sorry it took me so long to get a comm device and call you. I ditched mine in the car like you said.”

  Silence on the other line.

  “Kevin?”

  “You found him, didn’t you?”

  It was amazing
how fast he was at deducing something like this. “Kevin, what are you talking about?” she lied, knowing he would spot her out even as she did it.

  “Tatum. You found him, somehow.”

  It was her turn to be silent. No need to lie any further.

  “Listen, I guess you probably can’t say, but just be careful around him. There’s a lot of chatter going both ways about him and the FBI. Something big happening, Kris. Not sure what side of it he’s on, but you might not want to be on it if you can help it. Might be best to go under and let this whole thing blow by.”

  She took a deep breath and looked over at Landon, who looked about ready to plate her food. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll call if I need anything. Stay safe.”

  “You too.”

  The call ended. She stared at the sleek, blue comm device as its screen went dark, then put it in her pocket and went over to investigate her omelet. Landon slid it on a bright white plate as she approached, pairing it with two slices of buttered toast. The smell made her stomach growl.

  “How was your call?” he asked, offering the plate to her.

  She took it hungrily. “My brother is very relieved.”

  “Good. Does he know you’re with me?”

  She shrugged and took her plate and a fork to the counter. “He might be suspicious, but I don’t know for sure.”

  It was at least mostly true.

  Landon’s eyes burrowed into her, but the moment passed and he looked away. “Eat up and we’ll talk.”

  She picked up her fork and took her first bite of the omelet. It was fluffy and perfect. She smiled and continued to eat, the gooey cheddar oozing in her mouth with every bite. The crunchy buttery toast provided a satisfying change of pace.

  Even though she hadn’t realized it, she’d been starving. Not caring what it looked like, she ate ravenously, finishing her food before Landon had even finished the washing the pan. It had been a hearty omelet; Landon might not cook much, but his specialty was damn good. He looked over at her from the sink and laughed.

  “Looks like I was a success,” he said.

  She nodded and took her plate over. “You were. Thank you.”

  He took the plate and wiped his hands on a dish towel. When had he had time to outfit this place? Outside of the cheap carpet and counters, it looked like an actual home.

  “So,” he said, once he was done. “You probably want to know what you’re doing here.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Or what I’m doing here, more accurately.” For the first time, his face softened slightly. “And why you’re involved.”

  She took a deep breath. “That sounds accurate.”

  “Good,” he said, leaning back. “We should move to the other room for this.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Roy paced back and forth in his hotel room, his heart pounding. He ran his hand over his buzzed head. The room’s beige walls felt like they were closing in, the matted red carpet reaching up to hold him still. It had been an absolutely, unequivocally terrible day.

  He looked over in front of the vid screen at the glass of whiskey he had poured moments earlier. By all rights, he should stay away from liquor and stay sharp. He turned away.

  Somehow, his men had missed the investigator after staking the building out all afternoon. She’d had a lot of help they weren’t counting on. More than they could deal with, somehow. She’d gotten away, and the trace they’d been doing on her comm led them to her car. Meaning she’d ditched it, probably on purpose.

  Boss has been furious. Told him to wait in the hotel room for a call. When he got it, it was his last chance. Either complete this mission successfully or make himself disappear. The time for blaming failure on others—even if they deserved it—had come to an end.

  He flopped down on the bed. Wherever the boss sent him next, he was going in hard and doing the job himself. Like he had with the stripper. That was the only thing that had gone right in over a month.

  His comm buzzed in his pocket. He sat up and dug the device out, then put it to his ear.

  “Hello?” he asked. He ground his teeth and waited for the response.

  “I’ve located her help,” the boss’s voice said, after a short delay. “This should have been done before. Her brother runs a private security company. Ex-military. Her first employer.”

  Roy swallowed and realized his mouth was dry. He eyed the glass of whiskey on the table, drawn to it almost by gravity. He pressed his lips together and stood up from the bed. “Understood. I’m sorry that got missed earlier.”

  “You missed it, Roy. Take responsibility. Recent failures have been your fault. And mine, for giving you these duties. I’m beginning to have real doubts about our future together.”

  Roy walked over to the table, took the whiskey in his hand, and swallowed a large mouthful. It burned deliciously in his throat. He’d needed that. “Understood,” he said. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Further failure will not be tolerated.”

  “Understood.”

  The boss’s voice hardened. “There will be nowhere for you to go. You will be hunted, and you will be killed.” A pause. Roy took another drink. “Or you can bail now. Last chance. Can you actually make this work, this time?”

  Roy swallowed hard. He knew that wasn’t a real option.

  “Yes,” he said gruffly. “Just tell me what to do and consider it done.”

  A deep breath on the other line. “I’m sending the details over now. Take him alive, and don’t fuck this up. I’m not in the mood to kill you today.”

  The call ended, Roy threw his comm on the bed and finished his whiskey. None of the boss’s tough talk had him particularly worried. He’d known this was the deal going in. It was how things were in the city. If you entered into the world of kill-or-be-killed, you didn’t get to leave.

  He put the glass down and resisted pouring another. Went to the comm on his bed. Swiped the screen on. Opened the most recently sent message. A ruddy, blonde face in a lab coat stared back at him. Bastard looked like some kind of scientist.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Kristina leaned back into the couch and gaped at Landon, who was seated on the other end. He looked back at her easily, his dark eyes alert yet relaxed, his t-shirt stretching around his broad shoulders when he sat up straight. Her eyes lingered on him longer than she wanted them to.

  She licked her lips. This was never going to work if she kept gawking at him like a zoo animal. “So you’re saying someone wants you dead because you’re friends with a senator?”

  “Because I support Senator Kekua. Through intermediaries.”

  “You pay him to do what you want.”

  Landon shrugged and ran his hand through his hair boyishly. “Not quite, but I do contribute to his campaign. And he listens to my opinions.”

  “And this Senator Kekua heads up the armed services committee, which means he can and plans to stop this...what was it again?”

  “Class of pharms that my enemies think don’t constitute war crimes. I do, at least until we do more thorough testing.”

  “And so does he?”

  “Right.”

  “Is one of those enemies Fordelli?”

  One brow shot up. “Why do you ask?”

  “I was doing some research earlier and saw Atlas has quite a few contracts with the government.”

  He nodded slowly. “Impressive. I’m not sure what Fordelli has to do with this. Maybe nothing, maybe a lot. He certainly has a lot of contacts in the government at this time, so if there’s something that big going on he would have an inkling.”

  She nodded. It made sense, she supposed, at least as much as anything in politics made sense. “Why don’t the people who want this thing passed through just go after Senator Kekua? Seeing as he’s the senator.”

  Landon pressed his thin lips together and looked to one side, considering. “Politicians come and go,” he said. “They go after him, he gets immediately exposed in the media throug
h a leak from someone like me, and they lose their leverage.”

  He took a sip of water from a glass he’d poured earlier. “But the money behind him lasts longer. They know if I switch my position then he or his successor will end up coming around.”

  “You don’t sound like you have a problem with this.”

  “With what? Politics?”

  She threw her hands up. “Fairness. Justice. I don’t know. This all sounds pretty cynical.”

  Landon’s jaw worked for a moment before he shrugged again. “It is, but it’s also how a lot of things get done.”

  She shook her head. The way he could casually dismiss this was something she would just have to get over if she wanted to play in the big kids pool. If she kept going he would probably find her naive.

  “So what are the effects of this drug you think is a war crime to deploy?” she asked.

  He took a deep breath, his flat stomach rising and falling beneath the fabric that clung to it. “There are some variations between what we’ve developed and what our competitors have, but in essence they control the desire of the person affected.”

  “The desire?” She sat up straighter. “Like love or anger or something?”

  He shook his head. “Even more intense than that. It’s a powerful pharm. Potentially a huge government contract, but I just can’t see it deployed on people without more testing to understand it better. It could just be an unmitigated chemical weapon.”

  She studied him carefully. His brown hair still showed signs of bedhead, and he still had scruff, but he looked more relaxed than he had before. More alive. Solving problems and talking through solutions seemed to enliven him.

  But still, the dismissive way he talked about love gave her pause. Did he know how out of control it could make even the most logical person feel? Or could he just compartmentalize in the way she had never been able to?

  “Kristina?”

  She jumped in her seat. His nearly black eyes were watching hers with interest. “Sorry,” she said, her cheeks hot. “I think I’m still a little out of it from that tranq dart.”

  Landon nodded slowly, brows arched up. “You can rest if you want. That dart had you out for longer than I thought you’d be.”