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“Wouldn’t it just be easier to tell them about me and let them take over?”
Coop chuckled. “Trust me, Cerberus’ accommodations are much nicer than Chicago PD’s. We have a couple of friends on the force. We’ll reach out to them and smooth this over.”
“But I haven’t agreed…”
“But you will. You’re not stupid, Anabella—far from it. We can offer you better protection. Chicago has some of the best cops in the world, but trust me, they’re about as subtle as a bull in a china shop. If they go barging in, there’s no way you continue to be employed by Blackwood, and they will take whatever measures they need to get you blackballed. You had to have worked your tail off to get your master’s degree, and you’re gutsy as hell to have started your own firm. Do you really want to risk that when you know we can do a better job? I can talk to King and get him to assign someone else.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No. I want you.”
That surprised him on the one hand, given the way she’d stormed out of their meeting after refusing to sign the contract. On the other hand, she had offered him no resistance when he’d tackled her and rolled her out of harm’s way.
When the elevator door opened, Coop marched Anabella back into the small conference room, put a pen in her hand and pointed to the contract. “Sign it. For one thing it will give us some cover if you’re a client.” She scribbled her name. He looked at it and smiled. “That is worse than a doctor’s signature.”
“Thanks. I had to practice. I always got high marks in penmanship in grade school. But I learned it’s much harder for someone to forge a signature like that.”
He led her into the bullpen where people were already making calls and running down information from whatever sources they had.
“Listen up!” he said in a loud, authoritative voice. “This is Anabella Foster. She is our newest client. She has, she believes, something that could have a rather negative impact on Blackwood Industries.”
Some people waved as they continued with their work, and several others came over to shake her hand. Miley Stuart was one of the latter.
“Don’t let the testosterone in this place get to you. There are times it reaches toxic levels. But there is no one better than Cerberus at what we do. And this guy,” Miley said indicating Coop, “can be a real surly sonofabitch, but he’s one of the best. If he gives you too much shit, I can teach you how to deal with him.”
“Not funny, Miley.”
“Not meant to be, Coop. I’m going to assume we’re planning to stash her at one of the safehouses? If so, I can be part of the team that goes with her to her loft…”
“How do you know I have a loft?” asked Anabella.
Miley laughed. “Honey, at this point there’s very little about your life we don’t know. And before you get your feathers ruffled, it’s the same procedure with any new client. The more we know, the better we can help you, and with three attempts on your life—two of them fairly public—I think you can use all the help you can get.”
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
“Stop. Stop right there,” said Coop in a voice that commanded her attention. “You have done nothing wrong—except perhaps trusted people who didn’t have your best interest uppermost in their minds. Anything that happens is on Blackwood.”
“Not to worry, sugar,” said Seth, “we’ve gone up against Blackwood before and so far, we’re batting a thousand and they’re batting zip.” He looked at Miley, who was scowling. “Now what?”
“Are you and I going to have to go over the sensitivity training again?” she said with an arched brow.
Seth grinned. “No, ma’am, and Anabella, I apologize. Addressing women in a diminutive form is rude, and I’ll try hard not to do it again.” He turned to Miley. “We good?”
“For now,” she said. Miley shook her head as Seth left them. “He’s actually a really good guy and I suspect he does that just to get to me.” When Coop nodded, she swore under her breath and stalked off after him.
“Is she really one of the field people?” asked Anabella.
“Absolutely. No one I’d rather have at my back. She’s smart, adaptive, tough as nails, and I’ve never seen her miss a shot.”
“You sound like you like and admire her.”
“You sound surprised. I don’t object to women as operatives. What I object to are amateurs—of whatever gender—being put in situations for which they are unprepared and have no proper backup.”
Two hours later, King was finally able to rejoin the group. “I think we gave Chicago PD sufficient cover to chalk it up as some kind of follow-up to the previous bakery drama.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“A female attorney in her mid-forties stumbled and may have broken her ankle, knee, or both. She was the only one they took away in an ambulance. The rest were treated for minor scrapes and bruises as they dove for cover. All and all, it could have been a lot worse.” He turned to the room. “From here on out, everybody comes and goes through the underground parking lot. The building is on lock down, and I don’t want anyone left vulnerable.” The group groaned. “I know, but I think it’s safe to say Anabella is on to something and Blackwood knows she’s with us.”
“I was going to take a small team and head over to her place to let her get some of her things,” said Coop.
