The Mogul and the Muscle - Claire Kingsley Page 0,73

good. It felt right. And a twinge of fear took root in the pit of my stomach. The fear of losing her.

That was decidedly uncomfortable. There weren’t many things that scared me. I was cool under pressure—an essential skill in my former line of work—but this wasn’t the kind of fear that made people hesitant to cross a bridge or swim in the ocean or walk into a meeting surrounded by armed men liable to shoot first and not ask questions in a foreign country where you didn’t have diplomatic immunity.

That last one was probably just me.

But this fear was different. Deeper.

“I guess we should get moving,” she said, her voice still sleepy.

“Yeah.”

Pushing that little knot of fear aside, I reluctantly let her go so we could get ready for the day. She met Inda for an early workout. I did some cardio and enjoyed the view—Cameron, not the sparkling waters of the bay. We showered, dressed, grabbed a quick breakfast, and headed to her office.

I drove her Tesla. The seat went back just far enough to accommodate my height. It was early enough that there wasn’t a lot of traffic, and an overnight rainstorm had left everything looking fresh.

Cameron was already working, flipping through emails on her phone. Her hair was up and her beige suit was tailored perfectly to her beautiful frame. She wore a pair of nude heels—subdued, but sleek and professional.

The back of my neck prickled, and I shifted my shoulders, rubbing my shirt collar against it.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

I checked the rear-view mirror. “Why?”

“You did the neck thing.”

“Neck thing?”

“Yeah. You move your shoulders and kind of stretch your neck a little. It usually means you’re concerned about something.”

My eyes kept darting to the mirrors. Something felt off. “I guess you’re figuring me out.”

She smiled. “I guess so.”

An SUV followed a few car lengths behind us. It had been there almost since we’d left Bluewater. Maybe that’s what was bothering me.

“It’s probably nothing, but a car back there looks like it might be following us.”

“What makes you think so?”

“Because if I was following someone, I’d do exactly what they’re doing.”

There was one way to find out.

I changed lanes and took the next exit, my eyes flicking to the mirrors to see if the SUV would take the same route.

They did.

Keeping an eye on the SUV, I changed lanes again and took a series of right turns, effectively driving us in a circle. The SUV did the same.

We were definitely being followed.

“Are they still back there?” Cameron asked.

I nodded, my mind shifting to evasion tactics. Instead of speeding or darting around other cars—standing out made it harder to lose a tail—I kept with the flow of traffic and looked for potential visual barriers.

Cameron stayed silent while I took a winding route through the city. The SUV didn’t approach or make any aggressive moves. Just followed a short distance behind.

“Hold on.”

I took a hard right onto an empty street and accelerated. Cameron braced herself against the door as I whipped around another corner. The SUV didn’t make the turn.

But then I realized it wasn’t the only car.

A small dark sedan was right behind the SUV, and it took the corner easily.

Fuck. These guys were good. Scary good. That sedan had been tucked behind the SUV, out of my sight.

I needed to lose these guys.

Cameron’s phone rang but she declined the call. I headed for the freeway. The SUV was nowhere to be seen, but the sedan followed up the ramp. I took advantage of her car’s quick acceleration and darted through the slower moving traffic.

The sedan kept pace. I moved to the left lane and watched the cars ahead of me, mentally mapping my next move. Just before an exit, the opportunity came. A gap in the traffic. I cut across the lanes and flew down the off-ramp.

Without hesitating to see if the sedan would make the exit, I took a sharp left, then went around a white delivery truck. Using the truck as cover, I drove a few more blocks before making another turn.

No sign of the sedan. Or the SUV.

“They’re gone,” I said when I was sure.

Cameron took a deep breath and laid her hand on her chest. “My heart’s beating so hard. What was that?”

“They were tailing you. Two of them. I didn’t see the second one at first.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” I kept driving, taking a roundabout route to Cameron’s office. “Tracking your routine, maybe. Looking for an opportunity to make you pull over or