Kitabı oku: «The Dangerous Bachelors Club»

1

ADDISON COBALT’S FATHER had made a living out of taking down bad guys, so she knew the world had an ugly underbelly. But knowing it and experiencing it were two different things. She smoothed her hands over the printed email that sat on her desk. Hateful words stared up at her.

“I don’t understand what’s going on here,” she said, furrowing her brow.

Rhys Glover, the IT manager for Cobalt & Dane Security, pursed his lips. “He’s threatening you.”

“Yes, I got that from the ‘I’m going to kill you’ section of this email. But I don’t know who could have sent it or why. I don’t have any enemies.”

“Clearly, you do.”

Raking a lacquered red nail down the neat rows of twelve-point print, she searched for a clue as to the identity of the anonymous email sender. “You’d think that if he was going to threaten my life, he could at least introduce himself first.”

Rhys narrowed his dark eyes. “You don’t seem to be taking this very seriously, Addi.”

One of Rhys’s staff members had come across the email that morning when she’d been combing through the spam filter on an unrelated assignment. She’d brought it directly to Rhys. The message had never made it to Addison’s email address because of its excessive profanity.

“I’m not sure how anyone could take an email seriously from someone who calls themselves ‘your worst nightmare.’ I mean, how clichéd is that?” She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for bringing this to me, but it’s probably a hoax. Just some guy who hates women and wants to get his jollies by sending a nasty email. I’m not too worried—”

“I think we should involve Logan.”

Addison bristled. “He has bigger things to worry about than some misogynistic idiot.”

Truth was, she didn’t want Logan getting involved. She tried to keep anything remotely personal as far away from him as possible. Their relationship was strictly business, and it had to stay that way. It was bad enough that she had to accept that everyone viewed him as the boss despite their being equal partners, and she’d rather stab herself in the eye with her own stiletto before admitting she needed his help.

Besides, there was the issue of her top secret plans to start her own business separate from Cobalt & Dane. Having Logan stick his nose into her personal life wasn’t something that she could allow at the moment.

“The safety and well-being of everyone in this company is his responsibility.” Rhys ran a hand over his cropped dark hair.

“Our responsibility,” she corrected. “Since my name is on the wall here, his responsibilities are also mine.”

“You know what I mean. This is Logan’s bread and butter, not yours.”

Like she needed the reminder. “That might be true, but I’m still your boss.”

“Are you telling me not to say anything to him?” Rhys shook his head. “I’m not comfortable—”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She scanned the email again. “Whoever this person is, they haven’t made a move. This email was sent two days ago and I haven’t had any strange phone calls or anyone stopping me in the street. It’s a load of crap.”

“The things he says are pretty specific.”

“Precisely my point. If he were planning to execute any of this, why wouldn’t he keep his mouth shut instead of leaving a happy little trail of evidence like some kind of deranged version of Hansel and Gretel?” She shrugged. “Now, security might not be my ‘bread and butter,’ but that seems a little odd to me.”

Rhys made a noncommittal noise. “Better safe than sorry.”

“I am safe. My apartment is totally secure, as are the offices here. I appreciate the concern, Rhys, but I’m fine.”

Addison drummed her nails against the surface of the desk. She wouldn’t admit it to Rhys—or anyone—but the email had shaken her a little. It was so angry. So vitriolic.

But if there was one thing she knew for certain, it was that people were much braver in front of a computer screen than they were in real life. Addison was an active participant in several women-in-business groups. She’d seen firsthand the kind of crap people posted online, but she’d bet her last dollar bill that none of them would have the guts to say those things to her face. So she didn’t put much stock in this email.

And she certainly wouldn’t subject herself to asking Logan freaking Dane for help.

“You’re not worried?”

She shook her head. “This is just some weak little person sitting high and mighty behind his keyboard trying to get his thrills by scaring a woman who dares to be in a position of power. I’m not falling for it.”

“I still think we should tell Logan.”

“Rhys, I promise if anything else seems out of the ordinary I’ll bring it up with him.” She folded the email in two and tucked it into her organizer. “But we’ve got the leadership retreat starting on Monday and I have a ton of stuff to do in preparation. And I want Logan’s eye on the prize with this strategy stuff. He’ll do anything to get out of it. Don’t give him the distraction.”

“I really don’t feel comfortable sitting on this,” Rhys said.

“I don’t care.” Addison stood and made a shooing motion with her hands. “Now, get out of here and don’t stay late. You should be spending the weekend with that lovely woman of yours. If she stops sending brownies into the office, the staff will have my hide.”

“Fine.” Rhys pushed up from the chair on the other side of her desk and went to leave. “But promise me you’ll let one of us know the second you see anything odd. Okay?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” she replied, making a cross over her chest with her finger. “Now get out of here.”

She smiled to herself as Rhys left. Her IT manager was a great guy, if a little too uptight in her opinion. But once he was gone, a feeling of unease developed in her chest. Surveying her office, she tried to shake it off.

It’s nerves about the retreat, that’s all.

The Cobalt & Dane management team would be spending three days in Addison’s cottage in upstate New York assessing their progress against the business strategy they’d developed six months ago. It was also an excuse to get the team together to socialize, which they were often too busy to do. But despite their crazy workload, the team was small and tight-knit. Addison’s father had always cultivated a close bond with his team back when he first started the company. She’d made it her mission to keep that legacy alive.

Except now she wanted to leave her father’s company and strike out on her own. Completely on her own...well, except for taking a few key staff members with her.

It wasn’t just that Logan was viewed as the boss over her, but in a company that dealt with security she was out of her element with the subject matter. The thing was, Addison took care of everything that wasn’t security. That included finances, human resources, payroll, training, business development, internal communications, etc. The list went on and on. At times her lack of security knowledge worked to her advantage because she was unbiased and could offer a fresh perspective that hadn’t been colored by bad assignments.

But despite her valuable input and the fact that she was the one who kept the lights on by ensuring the company paid its bills and its employees, she was still seen as the number two. That wasn’t going to change; she’d never be top dog here.

Worse still, she’d never command the respect her father did. And for a girl who was competitive to the bone...that hurt.

Shaking off the negative thoughts, she brought her attention back to the task at hand—preparing for the retreat. It had become her tradition to head up to the cottage the weekend before so that everything was ready to go for the Monday morning welcome session.

Her body relaxed in anticipation. A weekend alone at the cottage sounded like absolute bliss. She had a new book, a few bottles of her favorite wine and a swimsuit already packed. All she had to do was finish up at the office and then she could start the slow trudge out of Manhattan.

Scanning her list of things to bring from the office, she found the last item unchecked: the binder with all the notes from the last retreat, which sat neatly on the top shelf of her bookcase.

There were few things as precarious as trying to navigate a step stool in Louboutins, but Addison wasn’t about to let OH&S get in the way of her love for a good pair of high heels. She climbed to the top of the stool, her fingers reaching for the thick binder. Of course, the one thing she needed was on the highest shelf. Wasn’t that always the way?

“You know, I’m not sure I ever believed in heaven,” a deep voice said. “But my dad always told me I’d find the answer to my questions if I looked up to God.”

* * *

LOGAN DANE LEANED against the door frame to his partner’s office, a smirk tugging at his lips. Any chance to throw Addison off guard was not to be missed. Although truth be told, a chance to torture himself with the vision of her amazing legs was not to be missed, either.

“I’ve got good aim, Logan. Don’t make me throw something at you.”

Instead of coming down, she leaned farther forward, causing her fitted pencil skirt to ride higher up the backs of her legs. His breath caught in his throat when a sliver of lace revealed that her stockings stopped midthigh. Sweet mother of all things holy.

Between the tight skirt, the black lace and the candy-red soles on her shoes, it was a picture fit for a dirty dream.

Yeah, ’cause the thing you need right now is another image of Addison to avoid fantasizing over. Don’t you have enough guilt on your shoulders already?

“I’d like to see you try,” he said.

She retrieved a binder and climbed down, making a show of smoothing out the wrinkles on her skirt. Her red nails matched the underside of her heels.

“Did you want something, Logan? Or are you just here to ogle my legs?”

He cleared his throat. “I wasn’t—”

“Sure you weren’t.”

Busted. “I can’t help it. You’ve got some damn fine pins.”

Shaking her head, she bent down and picked up her bag from the floor. This time he kept his eyes away from her ass. Willpower, when he had it, was a wonderful thing.

“You all ready for the retreat on Monday?” she asked, ignoring his comment. “We’ve got an early start.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be on time.”

“No, be early.” She gathered up her organizer and slid it into her bag. “I’ll need help setting up for the first session.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything else you want me to do, Miss Bossy Boots?” He walked into her office and placed his palms on her desk. “As if it isn’t bad enough you’ll be talking numbers at me all through the retreat.”

“Just arrive in one piece.” Her eyes flickered over him, sending a trail of heat straight from his chest to his groin. “I’m not sure what your weekend plans are, but I don’t want you rolling up hungover and with lipstick on your collar.”

He’d done that once, and she’d never let him live it down, though he absolutely deserved the censure. He hadn’t been subtle when he’d started dating his ex. But he’d put a stop to that soon after—no more women, no more fooling around. Still, Addison had kept her distance ever since.

“I wouldn’t let the staff see me in that state.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “You know that.”

“Oh right, to them you’ve got to be the Big Bad Wolf.” She continued packing her bag without looking up, her long golden hair slipping over her shoulder to conceal her expression. “Lucky me, getting to see the real you.”

He detected the slightest waver in her voice, undercutting the otherwise frosty tone. The show with his ex had been partly for Addison’s benefit, though it was hard to keep reminding himself he’d done the right thing by them both. Knowing that he’d hurt her so badly made him feel like a bastard.

“You’re one of the lucky few, Addi.”

“I count my blessings,” she said drily. “Anyway, I’m heading off early. Got to make a head start down to the cottage before this traffic gets insane.”

“You sure you don’t want a weekend guest?”

“Absolutely positively one hundred percent sure.” A smile twitched on her lips, and his heartbeat kicked up a notch. “I’m going to sit in the hot tub until my hands turn to prunes. I’m going to drink wine and do yoga and be totally peaceful. No one is going to ruin that for me, especially not you.”

“Message received.”

Despite his best effort to keep his mind on the business retreat, a thought skittered through his brain like a pebble skipping over a pond. Was she the bikini type, or would she wear something more sophisticated in the hot tub? Black or white? Or something colorful?

Would it have one of those string tie-ups that could be easily loosened with a single—

“I said is there anything else you need before I go?” She hoisted her bag over one shoulder and picked up a box of supplies with retreat neatly printed on the side in black marker.

“Nope, I just came in here to wind you up.”

She shook her head. “Now that’s the first honest thing you’ve said to me all day.”

“I said you had great pins,” he corrected as he held the door for her. “I stand by that.”

She muttered something under her breath as she walked past him, but he caught a rueful smile on her lips.

They had an odd relationship. But he’d take their strange mix of teasing and power struggles over not having her around any day. Addison was one of the few people who meant something to him.

Just remember that next time you get tempted to take a closer look at those pins, Dane. She’s off-limits. One slip does not make it okay to go back for seconds.

Her tinkling laughter carried through the open-plan office as she stopped to say goodbye to her team. One of the young guys in accounts took the box from her hands and could barely keep his tongue in his mouth as he escorted her to the elevators. Logan’s fists clenched instinctively.

Sure, he knew she was off-limits, but that didn’t mean he could stand the thought of someone else touching her. Having her. He was all too familiar with how good she felt, how her body reacted to the barest touch. She was sensitive in the best way possible, and he’d given in to her all too easily once.

“Never again,” he muttered under his breath, turning away from the sight of her and the young staff member before he said something he would regret. “She’s not yours.”

A few minutes later, Logan was knee-deep in work. Running Cobalt & Dane kept him busy, and Friday afternoons were no exception. Besides, Addison would have the team on a tight leash during the retreat next week, which meant he needed to be on top of things before finishing up for the weekend. He’d never quite understood the necessity of taking time off to discuss boring stuff like financials and recruiting strategy—surely that was a job for all those bean counters he’d hired at Addison’s request.

A knock at his office door pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Logan?” Rhys leaned in, a wary expression on his face. “You got a second?”

“Sure.” Logan motioned for him to enter. “What’s going on?”

“I’m concerned about an email we received. I took it to Addison and she asked me not to bother you because of the retreat next week, but...”

Logan frowned. “But?”

“Here.” Rhys slid a piece of paper across the table. “I think we need to be worried about this.”

Logan scanned the email, his fingers gripping the paper tighter and tighter as he read until it crumpled under the pressure. His instinct was to lash out, to curse Addison and Rhys for not bringing this to him right away. But this was his fault. He knew why Addison didn’t want him involved—and it wasn’t because of the retreat. It was because he’d put distance between them and now she was teaching him a lesson.

“Have there been any other emails like this?” he asked, smoothing the paper down flat on his desk.

“Not that we’ve seen. I’ve put a flag on this email address so I’ll know if he tries to contact anyone in the company from this point on.” Rhys bobbed his head. “Addison isn’t worried about this guy, but I don’t think we can ignore him.”

“You should have come to me first.” Logan raked a hand through his hair.

The vile words glared up at him from the paper, the threats waving at him like giant red flags. How could Addison have thought this was nothing?

Because she’d rather prove herself to be independent than come to you for help.

“It’s addressed to her, Logan. What would she have done if I took it you first?” He threw his hands up in the air. “I get that you two have this weird tug-of-war thing going on, but I’m sick of walking on eggshells around you two instead of doing my job.”

“If you see anything else like this come in, you come to me. Got it?” He banged his fist down on the desk. “I don’t care if the email says ‘top fucking secret, for Addison’s eyes only’ in big bold letters.”

Rhys sighed. “Fine. But you’ll have to back me up when she flips out.”

“If she’s alive and well enough to be shouting, then I’m happy.”

He’d promised Addison’s father—the man who’d been his boss and his mentor—that he would always look out for her. That he would keep her safe from this crazy, screwed-up world they lived in. Only once had he broken that vow. One night two years ago, when his willpower had failed him and he’d given in to the desire he’d managed to keep at bay for almost a decade.

“I’ve got my team looking into the sender’s details,” Rhys said. “But I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to turn up from a webmail account. People don’t usually use their real details, especially if they’re planning to send emails like this.”

“Just find out whatever you can.”

Rhys nodded. “You know she’s going to be all by herself this weekend, right?”

“No, she’s not.” Logan folded the printed email up small enough to fit in his pocket. “Addison is going to have a guest at the cottage, whether she likes it or not.”