“This is...problematic,” she said.
“Really?” I interjected, cutting off just as she was going to say something else.
She lifted her eyebrows.
I glared at her, not feeling at all chastised.
She continued, unconcerned, “Problematic, but not particularly surprising. We’ve been...” She hesitated a moment, her eyes moving back and forth between Ash and me in a deliberate manner. “Aware of the relationship between the two of you for a while. It stands to reason that others would be as well.”
“Others?” Ash asked quietly.
“Surely you’ve suspected that you have somebody following you, or at the very least, watching you.”
She wasn’t even looking at me as she said it, her attention focused entirely on Ash now. A muscle pulsed in his jaw. He gave a short, quick nod, a vast ocean of violence somehow contained in that simple motion.
“We’ve been watching as well, but whoever's doing it is good. We haven't been able to actually see anybody. Equally concerning is the fact that if we haven’t seen them...” She grimaced. “We have to consider that somebody might have seen us. That's why I had one of our more skilled undercover agents bring you in.”
“You’re talking about...”
Marcum grinned at me. “Solokov. He’s one of our best. A piece of work, isn’t he?”
“What do we need to do?” Ash demanded, impatience clear in his voice.
Marcum sighed and looked down at the letter again. “There’s any number of answers to that, Mr. Lang. We already have fingerprints from both of you, so we can run for prints immediately. We’ll have to figure out the best way to get the video feed from the security cameras in your building without alerting anybody that we’re looking at it–”
“I own the building,” Ash interrupted calmly.
What the fuck? I stared at him. He owned my building?
He didn’t even glance at me.
Marcum leaned back in the chair, her dark eyes speculative. “You own her apartment building.”
“It was a Phenecie-Lang investment back in the eighties, along with hundreds of other properties.” He shrugged.
I actually felt a bit of relief at the explanation. At least he hadn't bought it after we'd met. That would've made things even more awkward between us than they already were.
“Technically, I should say my family’s company owns it. It amounts to the same thing.”
Marcum shook her head, chuckling. “Well, that would definitely simplify things if you could find a subtle way to get us the video feed without making anybody aware of why it’s being taken or who needs it.”
“I’ll get my top security man on it. He’s former NSA. If he can’t do subtle, I don’t know who can. What else?”
I sat there, listening to them talk on and on while my head spun.
This was so far beyond me at this point, I didn’t know what to do or think. Give me a study on the long-term psychological effects of bullying or how to counsel a victim of domestic abuse. Hell, I could even work with Isadora and her post traumatic stress issues. I wasn't prepared to deal with being a victim of stalking.
Maybe I had my own control issues to address.
“Toni.”
I jerked my head, feeling like I’d been in some weird sort of fugue.
Marcum was looking at me and I had a feeling she’d said my name more than once. Probably once times five. At least. “What?”
“You know you can’t go back home.”
No. Actually, I hadn’t figured that part out yet and I swore, feeling like an idiot. “Fine,” I muttered. “I’ll go back to my parents. I’ve got clothes and stuff there–”
“That’s not a good plan,” Ash said. “They know where your parents live.”
Narrowing my eyes, I glared at him. “Yeah. Thanks for that reminder.”
“Toni, you need to think now.” He leaned forward and covered my hands with his.
I pulled my hands away as the reality hit me hard and fast. They knew where my parents lived. My brothers...my nieces, my nephews.
Oh, shit.
My breath started to come in hard, fast pants and I clambered up out of the seat, unable to stay still. Before I could give in to the fear inside me and take off, Ash caught my arms.
“Breathe.”
“I am breathing!” I tried to shout it, but I couldn't get enough air in.
His voice was calm. “No. You’re panting and you’re freaking out. Take a deep breath.”
“Let me go!” I tried to wrench away and couldn’t.
“Sure. But you need to calm down first. I’ll let you go after you take...”
He let out a grunt of pain as I drove my fist into the meaty part of his chest. I wanted to hit him again, but I forced myself to focus on breathing. He'd been right. I really needed to breathe.
“For the record, I don't like being manhandled. Or told to calm down.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.” He rubbed at his shoulder, but I could see a hint of something in his eyes. A hint of something that said he was holding back a comment about manhandling me.
I looked down at my hand as it gave a throb, grateful for a reason to look away from him.
“Are you ready to listen now?”
Moving over to the window, I braced my hands on the broad window sill. Then I forced myself to breathe in – really breathe. With each slow, steady inhale and exhale, the fog cleared from my head. “Yeah.”
“You can’t go home. You know that.” He wasn't being patronizing, but he was talking succinctly.
“I also know that my family's in danger. My family, my brothers...Ash, I’ve got a two year-old niece. Her mom stays at home to take care of her. Who’s going to watch over them?”
“I am.”
At his calm pronouncement, I turned to look at him.
Marcum was shaking her head, but he held up a hand. “Look, I can hire private security, and I know the best. I’ll get teams watching everybody until we get this wrapped up.”
Shivering, I hugged myself, arms crossed over my middle. “And what if it takes years, Ash?”
“Then that’s how long they’ll watch.” He came to me, cupping my cheek in his hand. “You’re in this because of us. Because of me. I told you, I’m not going to let anything happen to you or your family.”
Slowly, I nodded. “Okay. Okay.” I could do this. I looked over at Marcum. “I can probably go to a hotel for a while. Will that–?”
“No hotels.”
I turned toward Ash.
His eyes gleamed as he met my gaze. “You’re coming home with me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that a fact?”
Chapter 4
Ash
“You’ll be comfortable in here.”
Out in the hall, I leaned back against the wall while I listened to my sister chattering on with Toni. Their voices dropped to a lower murmur, and while I knew they probably weren’t talking about me, I had little doubt I was the reason for the lower voices.
“Are you sure you’re okay with all of this? If you want, I can get you into a hotel. I’ll make sure there’s security and everything.” Isadora’s voice was low.
I ground my teeth together. Her offer made me want to storm into the room and tell her she was grounded. Granted, I didn’t exactly have any right to ground her any more. I hadn't had that option for years, unfortunately.
To be fair, I couldn’t really demand Toni stay here if she didn’t want to, but if she tried to leave, there was going to be one hell of a fight. I didn’t want her leaving. I wanted her here. Here where I could protect her and make sure she was safe.