ALL OF THE EXTRApeople around me and the added safety measures seemed over-the-top to me. I really was taking the threat against me seriously, but some of the ideas from Vic and the gang, as I referred to them, seemed a bit much. Take the bulletproof vest as an example. It wasn’t the big thick vest that cops and soldiers wore, rather it was a fairly thin vest I wore beneath my jacket. It felt so lightweight that I doubted its ability to prevent a bullet from piercing my heart.
The questions from the previous night left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and made me take a really hard look at the decisions I had made. Yes, I had been a class A jerk at times, but I still didn’t see where anyone would want to kill me! Okay, there were many angry hotel CEOs out there who resented my success and growth, but that didn’t warrant a death sentence. Maybe I should’ve been more tactful in my sexual conquests, but I again doubted the notion that some guy felt jilted enough to want my blood.
The problem was that I thought like a rational man with a right mind. Whoever sent the text and left a mutilated critter on my doorstep was neither of those things. I had no experience dealing with that type of situation, which was why I gladly let Mark, Vic, and the gang take control. I saw in Mark’s eyes that he knew how hard it was for me to give over control to them and it reminded me of how deeply I felt connected to him in a relatively short period of time.
Mark might’ve worked for me for over a year, but he spent most of that time keeping a safe distance between us. The breaking point was the night he nearly beat that Damien Diamond guy to death. The intensity and anger I saw in his eyes that night made me shiver, both in fear and want. I wanted that intensity focused on me and my pleasure, but not the anger.
I refused to let the buzz I felt from our morning romp fade when I went through the motions to get ready to leave for the office. It was no longer grab a cup of coffee to go; instead, I was putting on bulletproof vests and watching as the team slid firearms in their holsters beneath their jackets and slipped in earpieces like the secret service uses. It was no longer just Richard driving me to work with Mark beside me in the back. We now had a fully armed man riding shotgun beside Richard. It was fucking surreal.
The reality of the situation didn’t truly sink in until I heard Vic’s voice through Mark’s earpiece say that my car was clear of bombs and we were good to go. Those were words I never expected to hear, so it made for a very quiet ride into work. Fortunately, I got to work without being shot at, but I was still shaken.
I felt Mark’s strong presence behind me as I entered the office. I never thought of myself as an overly chatty person, but seldom did I ride into work in complete silence either. I felt the war brewing inside him. The part of him that wanted to comfort me battled with the part that wanted to keep our personal and professional lives separate. The man who was falling for me won out over the soldier who would die for me.
“Mitch, it won’t be like this forever.” His large hand felt reassuring against the back of my neck. “We’re not just sitting around and waiting for this fucker to strike. We’re being proactive and I need you to trust me.”
I turned away from the wall of windows in my office that overlooked Los Angeles. Mark’s green eyes were soft like they were when we showered together. I found myself craving the softness just as much as I did the wanton lust I’d seen the night we spent in my bed.God, had it only been a day ago?
“I do trust you, Mark. I can honestly say that you’re one of only a few people I can say that about.” It was true. My mom, Mark, Howard, and Dorey were the only people in my life who I could count on. It took losing my mom to bring the others into my life.
Looking into his eyes, I wanted to tell him he could trust me too. There were parts of him that he kept to himself. I suspected they were really dark secrets because I could feel him tense up when I touched him at times. The desire to know everything about him warred with the fear that what he had to say might rip my heart in two. The thought of anyone hurting him killed me, but it was something I needed to know if we were going to have a real relationship. That wasn’t something we could avoid. I wouldn’t press him; I’d wait for him to open up to me because it would mean more if he did it on his own. It would tell me that he wanted more than casual sex with me. For the first time in my adult life I needed to mean something to another man beyond my wallet and my body.
“I know it’s not easy having your world turned upside down and every person in your life scrutinized and treated like a suspect,” Mark said sympathetically. “Honestly, Mitch, this feels really personal to me. I don’t want to believe it has anything to do with your family, I don’t, but this seems more intense than just a discarded lover.”
I refused to think it was my dad; I could not go there. He wasn’t a doting father, hell, he wasn’t even a good father. No kid wanted to think their parent capable of wanting them dead. There was no reason for my dad to want me dead. I had done nothing but make him wealthier. I didn’t take his job from him, he handed it to me. Mark was right though; the threat seemed intensely personal.
“Estelle has the means to hire someone to kill me,” I said out loud, but the words tasted wrong rolling off of my tongue. “She’s never liked me and that’s a fact. She made my life miserable when I was younger, which is more up her alley. She’d rather sting you with barbs and play mind games than kill a person dead. She takes pleasure from watching you lose confidence in yourself and those around you. She’s a sick, hateful woman, but a killer? I just don’t know.” My brain started to throb painfully in my skull and my day had barely started.
Mark placed his hands on both sides of my neck. His thumbs caressed the skin beneath my ears in calming circles. “You take care of your business at hand, while I worry about who is threatening you.” He kissed me with more gentleness than I would’ve thought he possessed.
“You and I are going on a vacation together when this is over. No security detail. No threats of harm against me. Just you, me, the sun, water, and sand.” I expected him to balk at my suggestion.
“Deal.”
One last kiss and Mark headed to his office to get to work while I sat down at my desk to do the same. I spent my morning talking with potential clients overseas and then had lunch sent up from the restaurant downstairs for Mark and me. It appeared that stolen lunches in my office was as close as we were going to get to dates until it was over.
“Mmmm, is that ricotta and spinach ravioli I smell?” Mark asked when he came into my office.
“Yes, along with a Caesar salad and breadsticks.” I didn’t know if food was the way to Mark’s heart, but it sure warmed mine to see the happy smile on his face.
“How’s your day going so far?” he asked once we were seated.
I started to reply while Mark dug into his ravioli as if he hadn’t devoured a Spanish omelet, hash browns, and toast that morning. “I might have to take a trip to Japan in a few weeks if this doesn’t get sorted out soon.” I knew that travel wasn’t high on the list of things that the team would want for me to do, but I had my own private jet and what was the likelihood that my troubles would follow me overseas?
Mark’s face screwed up in disapproval but his phone rang before he said anything. The way he greeted the caller was very formal and I suspected he was talking to one of the guys from the team. His eyes widened and locked on mine. “Were there any fatalities?”
Paralyzing fear wormed its way throughout my entire body as I waited for him to conclude his call. “What happened?”
“It’s your father, Mitch. He’s been shot.” Mark reached for my hand and held on tight, which was a good thing because it felt like I was about to slide out of my chair into a heap on the ground. “A motorcycle pulled up alongside his car on the freeway and opened fire on him.”
“Is he…” I couldn’t finish my question.
“All that I know is that he’s in surgery right now, Mitch.” Mark’s words lost the hard edge he’d had on the phone. “Vic is heading over to the hospital now and he’ll keep us posted.”
“What? No! That’s my father,” I said. I pulled my hand out of Mark’s grasp and rose to my feet. “I’m not just going to sit here and wait for news.”
Mark rose from his chair just as fast as I did and reached for me again. This time he gripped both of my arms up by my shoulders and held tight. “Listen to me.” His voice and his facial features had gone hard and I got a true look at the hardened veteran he’d become. “This might not just be a message to you, Mitch. This could be a trap to lull you out.”
“Good!” My shout echoed throughout my office. “Let’s get him out in the open and deal with him once and for all.” I closed my eyes briefly and pulled myself together. “He’s my father, Mark.”
