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Guy nodded. "I'll get on that."
The detective looked at me, reading the stress on my face. "Why don't you head home for the day. Keep your phone on you but take a deep breath. If anything else happens, call us. I'm going to have to ask that you leave the bike so I can dust it for prints. We should be done by tomorrow."
"Of course," I replied, not loving that but anything that might help.
She went back to Carter as the ambulance pulled into the parking garage. I was feeling suffocated, so I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked out of the parking garage onto the sidewalk. The cool air calmed me, but I needed to get out of there. So I hailed a cab and headed to the bar early, needing more than one drink to get through the rest of the day.
The place was upscale, which was fine but didn't shock me at all considering who I was having a meeting with. I had to remind myself that Amber wasn't the enemy. I didn't want to take it out on Sicily's friend. I was angry, though. Really angry. Who did this person think they were? They were taunting me, terrorizing the people around me. And it wasn't just me. Daniel and Sicily, and her daughter had been targeted. Whoever it was, they were broadening their horizons.
I flipped through my call list, drinking my second whiskey, trying to find any name that might have something to do with the murder and kidnappings. The killer found Carter a threat, but he didn't sound worried on the phone. So maybe it was just a message to me. But how did he know Carter was my friend? Whoever this was, they were either very resourceful or knew me. Me and Daniel.
I took another sip of my drink and glanced up as the door swung open. Standing there with sun cascading in through the frosted door was Amber. At first glance, she stopped me in my tracks. There was no denying it. The woman was gorgeous from head to manicured toe. She seemed incredibly high maintenance, but she was beautiful. However, as the light dimmed, the look on her face was anything but happy. Instead, she looked like she had the kind of day I had just had.
A strange urge to go to her crossed my mind, but I shook it off. Whatever problems she had, I didn't care. I had far bigger ones facing me down the end of a carving knife. I just wanted to get through the meeting and get home.
Chapter Four
Amber
"Oh my God," I said quietly into the phone. "So the detective was in the garage?"
"Yeah," Sicily replied with a shaking tone. "I guess the killer had knocked him out, taped him up, and brought him there. They have no idea how he got into the garage. And he's working with some serious tech because he managed to black out the cameras for the time he was in there. I mean, you're talking about this guy who hacked a major technology company."
"Maybe he wants a job," I replied.
Sicily faintly chuckled. "Well, he's going to get one if they catch him. Only he'll wear an orange jumpsuit and make big rocks into smaller rocks."
"So, again, this guy calls Ryder, traced to a burner with no prints. He knocks out a cop in daylight, leaving no trace, and breaks into the building, leaving no trace. Who the fuck is this guy?"
Sicily sighed. "I don't know. Daniel put increased security on the house. And someone to go everywhere with me. His mom is flying out tomorrow to pick up Harper and take her back to a fun-filled, safe place for a week or two. We just don't even want her overhearing this stuff right now."
"I don't blame you at all. Look, I'm here. Text me if you need anything. I have a meeting with the board in ten minutes, so I have to run. I love you. I'll let you know how the meeting with Ryder goes. And yes, before you ask, I'll cut him some slack."
"Thank you," she replied. "Love you."
"You too."
I hung up the phone and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe that my best friend was living inside a horror movie. It was freaking me out, and I had nothing to do with it. I wasn't really sure how to handle the situation. Usually, I would handle it with jokes. But my jokes weren't really appropriate for the whole — there's a killer on the loose —scenario.
I tried to push it from my mind and headed to the conference room. Most of the board members were already there. My father smiled at me and kissed my cheek before we sat down. Then, he leaned over and whispered to me. "Everything okay? You look a little bewildered."
I nodded. "Fine. I'm fine."
He nodded and looked at the board. "Thank you, everyone, for meeting with us this afternoon. I know Fridays are coveted amongst us, so I'll just jump right into it. Everyone here except for you, Amber, is aware of what we are discussing today. We kept you in the dark because we wanted to have everything ironed out first."
I swallowed hard, hoping he wasn't about to announce the opening of an office in some far-off country, making me the head of it.
"After much discussion, my son, your brother, has decided to step down from the company."
"What?" I said, not understanding.
"He has some prospects for the future that will allow him to grow his own business. He has always gone his own way, and though he will always be a part of this company, and will join the Board of Directors at month's end. My son will not be working on the day-to-day activities after my retirement in three months."
He took a sip of his water. I could see his fingers pressing hard to the glass, and I knew he wasn't happy with my brother's decision.
"After long conversations with the board, we looked at all of the candidates that could fill his shoes, and the obvious frontrunner was you. You have shown exemplary character, you have gone toe to toe with some of the biggest guys in the industry, and you are family. We want this company to stay family owned and operated. You were born to do this, Amber."
My mouth dropped open, and I struggled to find the words. "Dad, board members, I am overwhelmed. This is such an honor. I would love to take that position."
