I didn’t dare pull out my phone and send an SOS to West. I shook my head. “Nope.”
Sullivan knew, or at least strongly suspected, that I was double-crossing him. He’d been following Saidy for a few weeks, hoping to trip me up. I’d hoped her lack of knowledge about my activities would protect her. Instead it had painted a big target on her back.
I hoped that whenever Sullivan made his move on me, that I would be able to protect Saidy. Or maybe West could. She was all that mattered.
“Oh, and Fletcher? I heard you were at The Bar the other night.”
I tipped my hat up an inch. He knew. Sullivan was looking at me with raised eyebrows. “Yes?”
“I mean, if you’re still with your girlfriend, I’ll stop asking her out.” The smirk on his face told me that was a lie. He would NOT stop asking her out. But I gave him the only answer I could.
“We’re not together anymore.”
Sullivan smiled. “Good.”
With that, he finally left the room. It was going to be a long, painfully long day.
What I wanted to do was text Saidy a warning, but I didn’t dare. I couldn’t. Any move on my part to warn anyone would end up with dire consequences. All I could do was continue to update all of Sullivan’s security feeds. With a small, teensy, teensy glitch, of course.
A glitch that would allow SWAT to be in place. A glitch that would allow me to transfer the money safely to a federal holding account.
Sullivan had been happy to hand me all the control of security. Both the camera system and all web related security. I’d managed to wow him with my extensive knowledge. Which was really the knowledge of multiple experts on the police force, but I’d been able to parrot their instructions well enough to earn my place on Sullivan’s payroll.
Basically I was faking it.
Yeah. What could go wrong?
“Why aren’t you sitting down?” Tweedledee asked. He studied me as though he had more intelligence than I gave him credit for.
Thinking quickly, I answered. “I was working on another small job last night and ended up staying up sitting in the world’s most uncomfortable chair. My back is still killing me.”
The man shook his head in disgust and muttered something beneath his breath that sounded like, “Weak.”
I worked standing up for another hour before Sullivan asked me to check his office cameras to make sure they were in top shape.
Then, at lunch time, the security feed displayed an image that made my heart stop beating.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Saidy
I glanced at the card in my hand. It had Sullivan’s address on it. Not that I needed it. I knew where he lived thanks to my confusing the east-with-west thing.
Fletcher’s behavior the day I’d showed up at Sullivan’s house had been agitated. Nervous. I’d assumed it was his anxiousness over seeing me and over our breakup.
The reality was he was in the middle of an operation.
Forget World’s Worst Boyfriend. Enter: World’s Most Unobservant Girlfriend.
I should have recognized the signs that he was struggling with something other than work. It had become progressively worse as we dated.
If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought it was my fault he was so stressed.
But now I realized I was his one escape from this world. And I’d kicked him to the curb. Because I wanted more attention. I was a selfish wretch.
A selfish wretch that was going to save his life.
I pushed the intercom button.
A gravelly voice answered, “Do you have an appointment?”
“I don’t know. Is this Sullivan’s address? He gave me his card and I—”
The wrought iron gate opened up automatically.
“He’s inside.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and wobbled forward on my usually steady feet. I tugged along the most annoying dog in history. He was not impressed.
When I reached the oversized front door, I rang the doorbell. It sounded like a gong echoing over the courtyard.
The door opened quickly, and for some reason I was surprised to see Sullivan there. I’d half expected some man to open the door and point a gun at me, telling me it was all over.
“Hi,” I said a little breathily.
“Hi,” Sullivan replied with a smile that I could have sworn was genuine.
“I’m sorry to just show up on your doorstep like this. But today was like an off day for me. I only had a couple of opinions. Er, I mean meetings. Consultings. Consultations?”
Sullivan smiled and swung the door wide. “Why don’t you come inside? If you’ve got time, I’d love to take you to lunch.”
“That sounds great,” I gestured to the runt cowering behind me. “But I have the dog with me. I don’t want to bring him inside if you’re not comfortable with animals.”
“Me not comfortable with animals?” Sullivan chuckled, but he did happen to shoot a glare at the devilish thing that thrived on making everyone around him miserable. “It’s welcome inside. Looks like your vet was able to help him.”
I glanced down at the perfectly healthy little dog. I hadn’t thought through that part. There was nothing to do but to brazen through. “Yeah, he’s a tough little one.”
I followed Sullivan inside and took a deep breath, trying to remind myself that I was doing this for Fletcher. The dog’s toenails clicked on the tile floor.
Sullivan closed the heavy door behind us, and Ambrosia, the turd muffin, tried to tug me farther into the house.
“Let me go get my wallet and keys, and then we’ll go get some lunch.” With a wink he disappeared around the corner and I was left in an ornate entryway that was the size of my living room. The ceilings had to be around fifteen-feet tall, and the view across the huge, open living room was directly out over a manicured garden, with large flowering shrubs.
The living room
