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She speared him with a glare as he entered. “It’s Agent Zenner.”
He raised his eyes from her breasts. “Yes, of course. Agent Zenner. Nice to see you again. I rode the elevator with Wulf and that big bouquet of roses with your name on it.” He placed his hand over his heart. “Are they an early Valentine’s gift from a lucky guy?”
“There is no guy.”Only a terrorist with a warped sense of humor, and certainly no Valentine.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
She stared down the blatant desire in his creepy gray gaze. “Hearing that the data has been restored would be even better news, don’t you think?”
“I was just heading to my office for a call with our cloud provider. Join me, Dr. Ford.” He nodded to Rosalie. “I hope you enjoy your flowers, Agent Zenner.”
Oh, she’d enjoy shredding them.
Cannon threw her a frustrated glance before he followed Schlitz out. Rosalie locked the door behind him. Heading to Cannon’s desk, she pulled her phone out of her backpack. Two missed calls from Bella. Instead of dialing her, she pulled up Devon’s number and scanned the scene outside the window. No floral delivery van sat at the stoplight. The strobe lights inside the Mountainview Inn were still swirling, which meant Malgor hadn’t harassed her family.
She hoped.
He hadn’t come after anyone she loved since the attack on her father, but the shift from a virtual rose to two dozen physical blooms signaled an escalation in a major way. With escalation came deviation from typical behaviors. Deviation created unknowns, and unknowns created the potential for danger.
Devon answered on the fourth ring. “What’s happened?”
His voice wasn’t a tipsy groom-to-be’s. She’d sensed his instincts, honed from his time in the military, perk up when she’d run from the party.
“Malgor’s here.”
“You mean he’s in town? How do you know?”
She recounted the events from the attack on the hospital to the disturbing rose delivery. “He knows my location, which means he knows yours. You and Bella need to get to a safe place as a precaution.”
“We’ve rented a cabin a few miles from here. We don’t plan to leave it for a week.”
“Great. Text me when you get there. I’ll let my office know what’s going on and request a security detail for you and Bella. Do you have your gun?”
Devon laughed. “Did Bella wear pink tonight?”
“Is the place you rented secure?”
“I checked it out myself yesterday and made some upgrades I’m sure the owner will appreciate. Haven’t I already proved that I can take care of my girl?”
“Yes, but I’m still requesting a security detail for you guys.”
“I appreciate that, but we both know that Malgor isn’t after me. You and your father messed up his operation. Besides, my knowledge isn’t valuable any longer. My intel is outdated since I went into the private sector. Malgor’s timing makes sense, though.”
“Agreed.”
“You said he sent two dozen roses?”
“Yup.” One for each month since he’d shot her father and stabbed her. Or had ordered the hits. The FBI had never discerned if Malgor did his own dirty work or if he had one of his associates do it.
“And the fourteenth is in a few days.”
Valentine’s Day.
The two-year anniversary of Malgor’s carnage. She couldn’t change the past, but she craved the opportunity to look their attacker in the eye. If Malgor was that person, it would make his arrest or his death even more satisfying.
Devon sighed. “Send me the name of the florist, and I’ll research it.”
“There was no name on the card. Or on the van. Just the damn rose.”
