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But after I’d explained everything, Niko sank into one of the armchairs, the horrified expression giving way to something more pensive. The rest of us sat down around him. I folded my hands over my belly as if I could hold back the ache that’d formed in my stomach.
After a minute of silence, the normally cheerful man glanced up at me with a somber expression that only deepened the ache. “What do we do now? Should we leave the apartment?”
I grimaced. “It’d be hard to find another one on such short notice, especially furnished, and it’s not like we have the funds to set us all up in a hotel for days on end. If this asshole tracked me down here, I’m not sure moving would do us any good anyway.”
“We wouldn’t even need to think about that if he hadn’t gotten this far,” Jasper grumbled, and shot a dark look Rafael’s way. “Isn’t keeping psychos away from Lou supposed to beyourjob as bodyguard?”
Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “I took every possible step to keep our location under wraps. I’m not the weak link here.”
Jasper’s shoulders stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean? I didn’t tip anyone off. I don’t know anything about all the criminal stuff.”
“Exactly,” Rafael growled. “So you’d better shut up about it instead of mouthing off as if you’re in any position to point fingers.”
“When Lou’s safety is on the line, I think I—”
“Guys!” I pushed to my feet to stand between them, holding out my hands. “Arguing isn’t going to get us anywhere. We need to work together if we’re going to deal with this prick.”
The aggression deflated from both of their stances, though Rafael’s scowl lingered. I pressed onward before he could toss out any more cutting remarks.
“We need to figure out who the stalker is, exactly what he knows, and what he’s planning on doing with that info. Apparently he’s figured out my ties to the Deadly Rose, but if he’d informed my mom of my location, her people would already be here. So he’s up to something else.”
Jasper let out a ragged sigh. “Okay. Could we put up some kind of security cameras? If he comes back, catch him on video?”
Niko perked up. “There’s a camera in the lobby.”
Rafael shook his head. “I already checked the footage. There was a guy who came in during the right timeframe, who’s probably the right one, but he obviously knew he was being recorded. He had a cap on so the brim would hide his face, baggy clothes so I couldn’t even tell you what his build is like, nothing distinguishing.”
“But if we had a camera right in the apartment, he wouldn’t be expecting that,” Jasper said.
“Technology isn’t really my forte,” Rafael admitted reluctantly. “I wouldn’t know how to set up something that’d go unnoticed—especially since he’s already cased the place. If we stick a stuffed animal or a lamp or something like the typical hidden cameras, he’ll be suspicious.”
I frowned. “Well, we can try. It’s worth a shot. But if it doesn’t catch anything visible that we can use to ID him, it doesn’t help us much. We won’t even know he’s been in the apartment until afterward.”
Niko snapped his fingers. “You know, my sister’s good with technology like this. She helped out a friend of hers who had a persistent ex-boyfriend hanging around messing with her things. She might have some ideas.”
I shot Rafael a glare at his automatic skeptical expression and nodded at Niko. “Sure. It can’t hurt to check.”
“We don’t want people all around the world knowing our business,” my bodyguard muttered as Niko pulled out his phone.
“I won’t tell her why we’re asking. Just a general hypothetical situation.” Niko tapped on the screen. “Let’s just hope she’s not too annoyed at me for waking her up. It’s only eight am in Japan, and she likes to sleep in.”
His eyes brightened, and he spoke into the phone. “Ohayo, Emi! Warui warui.”
He launched into more animated Japanese that the rest of us couldn’t follow, gesturing with his free hand as if she’d see his body language as well. I could make out a female voice on the other end in his pauses, so faint I probably wouldn’t have been able to decipher the words even if they’d been in English.
I got the sense that she was offering some suggestions when his tone turned a bit serious again. He asked a few questions, I suspected in clarification, and turned cheerier with what I could tell was an expression of gratitude.
“Fine, go back to sleep, lazy bones,” he added in English in a teasing tone, and turned to the rest of us as he ended the call.
“Well?” Jasper said, on the edge of his seat.
Niko beamed at us. “She said we could set up a motion detector by the door. It can be programmed to send us all an alert on our phones if someone enters while it’s active. Then we’ll know as soon as an intruder arrives.”
Rafael leaned forward, his expression becoming more intense. “And I can get back here and catch the motherfucker.” His lips curled into a fierce smile.
Jasper cleared his throat. “Whoever’s closest and available should head back. Even if it’s Niko or me. We don’t want to risk losing our chance to nab the jerk.”
Rafael raised an eyebrow. “It should be the one who’d know how to take him down. Which would definitely be me.”
