The One Who Got Away (Wilde Ways #12) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,80
so that his thumb could slide along her palm. “You have my heart. Right here, baby. I know you’re tough. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, you’re brilliant. You handle security like a freaking boss, but I’m not quite sane where you are concerned.” A fair warning. “If something happens to you, I’d—”
“It’s a good thing nothing will happen to me. And nothing will happen to you, either. I’ll make sure of it.” Her hand turned so that she was now holding him. “How about we agree to watch out for each other? Always? That sound like a plan?”
He nodded. “Always.” He’d be watching over her until his dying day.
***
“I alerted Niesha and Jacob. Sent a text to Eric, too.” Niesha had been at the police station, and Ella wasn’t sure exactly where Eric had been. “I think we’re closer than they all are.” With the way Antony was driving, they’d make it to the new Shark building long before the others could arrive. “Can we go over the reasons again as to why you think Ross might be our mastermind here? You know, other than the fact that we both think he’s an ass.”
He took a hard right. “He had my schedule. He knew I’d be at Wilde the first day. Told him I had a meeting there when he was trying to make some lame-ass breakfast plan for us.”
So, yes, that gave him foreknowledge to set up the attack with Axel…
“He also has full access to the factory location. It’s no coincidence that Cal and Warren were there. Ross knows every inch of the place. He could have been there during the whole showdown scene, and we missed him. The jerk could be planning to cut town and run because he’s afraid that Warren will talk and reveal his identity.”
“Niesha said Warren hasn’t spoken a word yet.” But that silence might not last long. Especially once he saw the prison sentence he’d be facing. Warren might suddenly feel very cooperative with the police. Ella had to point out, “You used a whole lot of ‘coulds’ when you were talking about Ross. I didn’t hear any hard evidence.”
“That’s because we don’t have it. Yet. We will if we catch him in the act.”
That explained why they were racing across town. She’d dressed as quickly as she could, grabbed her bag and gun, and jumped into the SUV with Antony. Her mind was still blown by his confession—
I also just love you. Why do you think I raced after you? Why do you think I schemed and worked so hard to get you close to me again? It was never just about sex. It was always about you.
She wanted to talk to him about how she felt. They’d barely scratched the surface before. There was so much more she wanted to say to Antony, and that was why she was determined to watch his back. It wasn’t just about being a bodyguard. It was about protecting her man and making sure he came back home with her when the smoke cleared.
They braked in front of the tall, dark building. They both jumped from the SUV and ran for the entrance doors. Antony used his keycard to get them access. Right before the keycard was accepted, Jacob rushed up to join them.
“No way you’re going in without me,” he said.
Ella cast him a quick, grateful glance. She was glad to have the backup.
They hurried into the lobby and found Carson waiting for them. He stood next to a rather nervous-looking security guard, a young guy with short hair and darting eyes.
“Ross is in his office,” Carson told them. His shirt was untucked. His pants wrinkled. It looked as if he’d dressed in one hell of a hurry. “I don’t know exactly what is happening here.” His shoulders squared. “But I am coming up with you. If Ross is doing something dangerous or illegal, it’s my responsibility to stay at your side, boss.”
Antony glanced toward Jacob. “Fifth floor.”
A nod. “Stairs or elevator?” Jacob asked.
Carson frowned. He looked between the two men, seeming to not understand what was happening. “What?”
“We’ll take the elevator,” Antony said. “You take the stairs, Jacob. Here, take my keycard. Ella wanted everything upgraded here, and we got Wilde to work on the upgrades immediately after that dick pushed her down the stairs. All of the changes haven’t been made—Wilde isn’t that fast—but you’ll still need the keycard for access. The stairwell was a big priority for the upgrade.”