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Chapter 3
Two hours later, as Billy sat in the high rise offices of SPC Advertising, he still hadn’t been able to slow his racing heartbeat. He was so amped with fear and stress that it was taking all of his focus to maintain an outwardly calm demeanor. Especially considering adrenaline was racing through his veins like a drug that he was overdosing on. The only upshot to his heightened emotional and physical state was that he was no longer tired. He could run a 10K and have energy to spare.
“No. Absolutely not.” Maxi’s head spun Linda-Blair-Exorcist style. Her possessed eyes were now pointed at Billy.
He did his damnedest to ignore the sweet floral scent that filled the air when her hair fanned out beside him, but he couldn’t help inhaling a little deeper and savoring the aroma. It was just one more piece of evidence that Maxi was here. She was okay.
Frustration and anger rolled off of her in waves as she whipped her head back towards her boss. “I did not agree to this.”
Pissed…but okay.
“He doesn’t need to be here.” The flowery fragrance invaded his senses again as she pointed her stare back at him. Through clenched teeth she spoke in a controlled tone, “You don’t need to be here.”
What was that saying about protesting too much?
Billy couldn’t remember the exact quote but he was pretty sure it applied here. He stared straight ahead and did what he did best in life: he brushed off Maxi’s statement. Although, he had to admit her adamant insistence was a little harder not to take personally than most things he let slide.
Jessie Sloan-Courtland, his best friend Zach’s wife and Maxi’s boss at SPC, lifted her left brow slightly, but her expression remained unreadable. “I can put in a call to Seth and ask if he has anyone else available. I know he’s stretched tight, but I will see what I can do. Until then, the arrangement stands as is.”
Heat crawled up the side of Billy’s neck and over his left cheek from Maxi’s piercing stare still boring into the side of his face, but his gaze remained locked straight ahead. He hadn’t made eye contact with the brunette beauty since he’d stepped into the spacious high rise office about ten minutes ago. He couldn’t. Not until he got himself under—or at least in the ballpark of—control.
That was proving to be an extremely difficult task since the incidents that he’d been briefed on were running through his head on a constant loop. His jaw tensed as his chest tightened painfully. He still couldn’t believe that all of this had been going on and she hadn’t said one word to him about it. He’d read the report, the first incident had been six weeks ago. Six weeks. Over that time he’d seen her a half dozen times at Sunday night at “family dinner,” plus a few times when he’d stopped by the gym to visit Charlie and she’d been on her way out.
Yes, she was independent. Yes, she was headstrong. Yes, she didn’t trust easily. But he’d never pegged her for being stupid. Even though they rarely spent any time together away from Charlie or the gym, up until today, until this morning, Billy had truly believed that if she’d ever been in trouble she would call him. She had in the past and he’d shown up, no questions asked.
So what was different now?
“There’s no need to bother Seth.” Maxi’s voice was strained. “This entire thing is totally unnecessary. No one needs to be assigned to me.”
“Like I said,” Jessie reiterated calmly. “I can see what Seth can do, but until then, you will not be alone and Billy is on your detail.”
Seth, who happened to be Jessie’s cousin, had started Elite Protection, a small division of Titan Security, a few years ago after receiving a medical discharge from the Marines. As word of mouth about the company spread the business had taken off faster than Seth could keep up with the demand. The small division had grown exponentially.
Billy had joined the Elite team a year and a half ago after walking away from the sport that had given him everything—before it took away his ability to walk, speak and function normally. In the time since he’d been with them they’d hired a dozen guys and were still overloaded. Truth be told, they needed more bodies but Seth only hired the best of the best, men he trusted implicitly. Billy couldn’t blame him for that.
Not that it mattered in this case. Even if Seth could shuffle things around and put someone else on Maxi, there was no way in hell that was going to happen. Billy was going to be the point person on this.
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Maxi’s tone was professional but curt. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her fingers curl around the arms of the chair she was sitting in and her knuckles turn white.
He almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Billy knew that she was working overtime to maintain her composure on the outside, but inside she was fuming. Maxine Rizzo’s personal anthem was “Independent Woman.” In the ten-plus years that he’d known her, he’d never witnessed her ask anyone for anything, and saying that she kept things close to the vest was as big of an understatement as describing New York City traffic as slightly congested. The running joke at the gym was that her private life was part of the witness protection program. No one ever knew who she was dating, how long she was dating them, or if it was serious.
It drove Billy crazy.
Jessie folded her hands on her desk. “This is not about you needing a babysitter. This is about your safety. Your security system has been upgraded and Billy will be with you all weekend.—”
“All weekend?!” Maxi’s voice raised several octaves.
Ignoring Maxi’s outburst, Jessie pressed on, “Then Ace will be here Monday. He’ll be at every Ricco Kingsley event as previously scheduled. The only change will be that he will now be working in tandem with Billy. They will be coordinating their efforts.”
Billy was happy that he’d have some back-up. He didn’t know Ace at all, other than the stats he’d heard through the grapevine. Andrew Charles Elliot IV, aka Ace. Age thirty-two. Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia. Decorated war hero. He served in the Special Forces for five years in Seth’s unit and just recently retired from the Marines. Seth had recruited him as soon as he heard that he was getting out. Seth trusted him, which meant Billy did too.
Maxi cleared her throat. “I know I sound like a broken record, but I don’t need anyone with me. The upgraded security system will be sufficient.”
“From this point on, you will have a security detail until the issue is resolved to the satisfaction of both the Chicago PD, and SPC,” Jessie stated firmly.
“No.” Maxi’s head shook back and forth, causing the intoxicatingly sensual scent that he’d forever associated with her to assault him once again. “That’s…insane. If you want someone following me around here, at work, or even at events that’s fine. But after hours, during my personal time? That’s unacceptable.”
“Your protection is not up for negotiation.” Jessie’s well-manicured fingers slid an employee handbook across her large mahogany desk. She flipped the cover open to an earmarked page. “Article C, paragraph three states that as an employee of SPC, you will comply with any and all safety procedures deemed necessary.”
