When Brody cleared his throat, it sounded suspiciously like a growl. ‘Enough of it.’
She rubbed her forehead. ‘Can we get it?’
‘Not legally. They took that as evidence for the B&E charge. Those reporters have to be pissing their pants right now. I should be able to handle them. Our bigger problem is the anonymous tip.’
Nina hadn’t missed that part. She just needed to focus on the most important things first. ‘I can take care of Genieve.’
‘I’ll do it.’
‘She’s my employee.’
‘And the senator is my problem.’ Haynes let out an uncharacteristic sigh. ‘Nina, this is my turf. I handle clean-up better than anyone, including you, and this is a crucial time in the campaign process. I’m not going to jeopardise the senator’s seat.’
She’d give him that, but she knew the lengths the man went to when he swept issues under the rug. ‘I won’t have Genieve hurt or thrown to the wolves.’
‘I’ll protect her.’ He paused again. ‘I promise.’
Nina slowly rested back against her pillow. For all his games, she’d never seen Brody Haynes outright lie. He spun things, twisted them or fluffed them up.
‘It would be best for everyone if we separated your attachment to her,’ he argued. ‘You’re simply her employer, like a waitress at a coffee shop or an account manager at a media firm.’
Good point. ‘Did the reporters use Luxxor’s name?’
‘No. It never came up.’ There was rustling on the other end of the line and then Genieve’s voice in the background. ‘What?’
Nina heard murmurs as the two talked, but the phone was too muffled for her to hear. When the voices cleared, Genieve had control of the phone again.
‘Nina, that’s the bad part.’
Nina let an eyebrow lift. They hadn’t gotten to the bad part yet?
‘Your detective was there. He recognised me.’
‘Morgan?’ Nina’s heart kicked into overdrive again. She was so surprised, she didn’t even argue that he was her detective. ‘What was he doing there?’
‘Working? It looked like he was in charge.’
Nina came right off the bed and started to pace. Of all the cases for him to catch. Nothing that Genieve had told her should have brought the authorities’ attention to Luxxor. They had plenty of other things to be concerned about. Luxxor should have flown right under the radar.
But with Morgan on the case?
A dog with a bone.
She rubbed her forehead as she turned to pace in the other direction. Her thoughts were flying low and fast. ‘Stay with Brody. You’ll be paid for your time. Do whatever he says.’
‘OK. But Nina? He was good to me. Morgan, that is.’
Yes, he had that sweet side that came out on occasion just to mess with a woman’s head.
Nina turned her back on the rumpled bed. She couldn’t look at it any more. ‘I’m glad you’re safe, Genieve. Call me if you need anything.’
‘I will. And Nina? I’m sorry.’
‘It’s not your fault. Be safe.’
Nina hung up from the call, and the silence in the room was heavy. Under the lamp on the bedside table, her blue butterfly glowed.
She turned on her heel and headed for the walk-in closet. She slipped her arms into the sleeves of her satin dressing robe and belted it tightly. From being so overheated, she suddenly had a chill.
He’d come for her soon.
He might not have any proof, but he’d come.
She had to be ready.
She swept up her phone again and hit speed dial for her security team. ‘Mr Howard, we have a situation.’
She moved through her penthouse apartment, turning on lights as she headed to the kitchen. She needed tea. She needed to remain calm. ‘Genieve ran into a bad spot with the press tonight. I don’t know if they’ve connected her to Luxxor yet, but you might have some unexpected visitors setting up shop outside. Do not engage, but make sure our people get home safely without being harassed.’
Hosts picked up and dropped off their escorts at the security office on the first floor of their building. It was a good safety procedure. Nobody ever knew where an escort lived. The only clients who might avoid that requirement were the ones with exclusive contracts – like the one Genieve had with Gunderson.
‘Wasn’t she out with the senator tonight?’ Mr Howard asked.
‘Yes.’
Her security man let out a grumble that reflected her opinion pretty accurately.
Nina looked at the clock over the stove. It really was late. Most of the escorts should be done with their engagements by now. She’d have to decide what to do about tomorrow. She hated to cancel appointments so late, and that would only arouse suspicion.
Her brain flipped through her options like a Vegas dealer shuffling a deck. She could change pick-up and drop-off to an alternate site. Rielle could handle that in the morning.
‘The police were also involved.’
Howard got over his disdain for the senator fast. ‘Understood, ma’am.’
She knew Howard was already going through their procedures. She’d trained her people well on the law. They knew when to ask for a search warrant. They knew their rights. ‘If Detective Morgan drops by, let him in, as usual.’
Brody was right. They needed to act as normally as possible. One of her employees had had a scare. She should be aware of it, but not overly involved.
She briefly closed her eyes. If she’d thought Morgan had watched her closely before, she was sure it was nothing compared to how he’d watch her now.
Why had he drawn the case? Was he still sore over the way she’d left him at the ballpark a few weeks ago? She remembered the angry, disappointed look that had been in his onyx eyes.
She flinched when the teapot started whistling.
She pulled the kettle off the burner and poured the hot water into a cup. Steam rose. She was in hot water, all right.
She braced her hands on the counter and hung her head. Everything inside her was screaming to run to the office and lock everything down, but she couldn’t. Everything was secure. They had procedures that they followed to make sure of it. Their records were clean. Their computers were protected – Rielle had made Darien guarantee that. The only thing dangerous was that contract. All of Luxxor’s exclusive contracts. They were in a different locale and, while it might make her feel better to destroy the senator’s right now, driving across town in the middle of the night would draw attention. Morgan might be watching.
She glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows of her penthouse. He knew where she lived. He’d been here.
What if he dropped by her home?
Instead of a shiver, heat flared inside her once again.
She picked up her cup of tea and turned all the lights back off, but she didn’t return to her bedroom. She couldn’t. Instead, she curled up in a recliner in her darkened living room. It was the dead of the night. The curtains were all closed, except for a slit that allowed a shard of light to sweep across the room. In the penthouse she had no neighbours, but she could feel the city sleeping all around her. There was no way she could rest.
She put the cup of tea aside and leaned back against the oversized leather cushions.
She