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The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, Anabella stepped off and made her way towards the large central staircase that led down to the foyer.
“Anabella,” Alicia called. “This is not a good idea.”
“Maybe; maybe not,” Anabella called over her shoulder, “but it’s my idea and I’m making the decisions.”
“Anabella!” she heard someone—Coop?—shout.
Anabella didn’t even look back, simply raised her fist and shot him her middle finger. As she stepped off the bottom stair, she heard the elevator door open to her left.
“Anabella! Stop!”
Could this guy not take a hint? She whirled around to confront him and make her wishes on the matter clear. Only it wasn’t Cooper, it was his boss, Kingston Coltraine.
“I’m not sure who is more pissed—you or Cooper. I don’t know what your issue is. He’s pissed because he believes you, and you seemed determined to thwart his every effort to protect you.”
“I apologize for flipping you off. I thought you were Cooper, but as no one but he or Seth believes me, I think I’m better off hiring someone else.”
King ran his hand along his strong, handsome jaw. “I’m not sure that I would characterize it as we don’t believe you. I think we believe that you believe, and we are all more than willing to believe that Blackwood is up to no good. Whether they’re defrauding the old man or the government remains to be seen, but we’ve had run-ins with them in the past so we’re more than willing to believe they’re up to something shady. I will tell you candidly, I would be surprised if the old man would agree or condone defrauding the U.S. government, but I sure as hell wouldn’t put it past Junior. To be barred from U.S. government contracts would make a huge hit on their bottom line. Junior might be willing to do it if he’s trying to take the old man down, but there’s no way Senior would.”
“But you think I’m seeing bogeymen in the shadows…”
“I think maybe you got frightened and you’re putting the facts you have into a worst-case scenario.”
“So, in other words, you don’t think I’m a liar; you think I’m an idiot who can’t take care of herself. You’re wrong on both counts. Again, I think it’s best if I hire someone else.”
“And now you’re putting words in my mouth. Hiring someone else is, of course, your choice, but if that’s the choice you make, and for the record I think it’s a bad one, then at least let us provide you with protection until you engage another firm to keep you safe.”
“As I told Mr. McCullough, I am quite capable of taking care of myself. Have a good day, Mr. Coltraine.”
From out of nowhere, Cooper McCullough raced across the foyer and slammed into Coltraine, knocking him to the floor. McCullough shouted “Guns,” as he crashed into Annabella like a wrecking ball demolishing a building. He wrapped his arms around her body, throwing her to the ground. Bullets began smashing into the bulletproof glass as McCullough rolled across the floor to safety.
CHAPTER6
COOPER
Cooper groaned as he absorbed the impact with both Anabella and the marble floor. He continued to roll with her, keeping her tight to his body as he rolled them out of harm’s way. The doors would withstand the bullets, but if someone was waiting to storm Cerberus, he needed to ensure Anabella was safe.
From behind the desk, he heard Alicia hit the electronic locks. The doors might be bulletproof, but you could hear the panic from outside the building. Chicago had its fair share of drive-by shootings, but not as many as some of the other major cities in the U.S. The shots had ended, but there were still people screaming and shouting and ducking for cover. More than likely the vehicle with its shooters was gone, but the sirens in the distance meant the incident was far from over.
Anabella had been, understandably, a bit stiff in his arms, but not hard to get out of harm’s way. He was certain—although there might be a bit of wishful thinking on his part—that somewhere deep inside, she was learning she was safe with him. That wasn’t a bad place to start. And she wasn’t falling apart like most women he knew. Most would be screaming and clamoring for the cops, but not Anabella. She was cool as a cucumber.
“Are you all right?” Anabella asked.
“Anyone hit?” called King.
“Anabella and I are fine, boss.”
“The minute I saw Coop tackle Anabella, I hit the locks and ducked down behind the desk,” said Alicia.
“Good girl,” said King. “Coop?”
“On it. Anabella, let’s get you upstairs. The more we can keep your name out of this, the better. Come on,” he stood and offered her his hand, which she took. He led her to the elevator door as the sirens got closer.
“Anabella?” called King.
Coop stopped with Anabella as the elevator door opened. “You are officially our client—like it or not—and any doubt anyone had about whether or not someone was trying to kill you just went out the window.”
They stepped into the elevator. “Come on. We’ll let King deal with the cops.”
