He shook his head, the bitter taste of failure coating his tongue. Less than thirty minutes into their time together and he’d almost gotten them killed. So much for being a good bodyguard. “It was a black SUV with tinted windows. The cars were so close together I didn’t get a good look at the front end to identify a make or model. Much less a license plate.” He risked a quick glance at Lauren, before turning his attention back to the street. He forced his Jeep into the next lane of traffic so that he could get off the main thoroughfare sooner rather than later.
No doubt Lauren would call Rex to let him know she wanted someone else assigned to her case. He honestly couldn’t blame her.
For now, he needed to get them to safety. Their plan of stopping for pizza was not happening. He felt bad for Lucy, who’d seemed enthusiastic about having pepperoni pizza for dinner.
It had been foolish of him to think he could do something so mundane as stopping for something to eat.
He took another right-hand turn, then wedged his Jeep across the next lane of traffic to turn left at the next intersection. More horns blared at his aggressive driving.
For a moment, he wished they were in Cody, Wyoming. He was more familiar with his hometown compared to the maze of skyscrapers and narrow side streets he navigated around now.
“Do you mind if I turn up the heat for Lucy?” Lauren’s soft-spoken question surprised him. He’d anticipated she’d be screaming at him for allowing this to happen. Maybe she was holding back until they were safe.
“Of course not.” He pressed a button to increase the heat blowing from the vents. “I’m sorry about this. We’ll be at your building soon.”
“I understand.” Her voice was strained. She turned in her seat to face her daughter. “I’m sorry, Lucy. We won’t get to have pizza tonight after all. But I’ll make sure we can order out for pizza tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Lucy’s small voice tugged at his heart. Grady hadn’t wanted this case, but handing Lauren and Lucy off to one of the other guys didn’t sit well with him.
Not that he would have much choice in the matter.
Taking side streets, he managed to get closer to the black skyscraper, Savion Enterprises. He searched for the entrance to the underground parking garage.
“It’s on the other side of the building,” Lauren said, reading his mind.
“Thanks.” He threaded his Jeep through traffic to circle the building. When he finally got to the entrance, he was stopped by the gate. The barrier was thick and heavy enough to prevent anyone from ramming through.
A man in his mid-fifties, bundled in a thick black coat and hat against the cold weather, stared at him through the window of an enclosed booth. Grady lowered his window, then leaned back so the guy could see Lauren.
“Hi, Trent, it’s me and Lucy. This is Grady McFarland, my fiancé. We just got into a fender-bender accident.” The explanation for the shattered rear window was weak, but Grady didn’t say anything to contradict her. “Please let us through.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Lauren.” If Trent was suspicious of the fender-bender story, he didn’t let on. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Grady, and congrats on your engagement.” Trent pressed a button to lift the heavy gate. Grady didn’t waste any time driving through.
“You shouldn’t have introduced me as your fiancé.” Grady glanced at Lauren as he drove through the parking garage. “That’s going to make it harder to replace me with someone else.”
She frowned. “Why would I replace you?”
He risked a glance at Lucy in the back seat. She looked calmer now that they were off the street. He kept his voice low. “Because I failed you. Which reminds me, we need to notify the police about the shooting attempt. That’s very different from kidnapping.”
Lauren shrugged, then gestured to the right. “We have preferred parking over there. See the Porsche? Pull into the spot beside it.”
Seeing the white Porsche, he pulled in beside it. The fact that Lauren hadn’t instantly fired him was a surprise. He’d expected her to be demanding and somewhat unreasonable.
She was proving to be neither.
He killed the engine and quickly pushed out of the car. He opened the back door for Lucy, then went around to the passenger side for Lauren. She had her oversized laptop bag slung over her shoulder, and since he had already underestimated the danger once, he decided to keep both his hands free in the event they stumbled across another threat.
Removing his gun from its holster, he carried it pointed down at the ground in his right hand, resting his left in the small of Lauren’s back. He scanned their surroundings, not liking the fact that there were so many cars parked on this level.
Too many places for a gunman to hide. Despite the security guard, Trent, Grady felt certain sneaking into the structure wouldn’t be that difficult.
“Stay close,” he murmured as he steered Lauren and Lucy to the elevator vestibule. The clear glass walls made it easy to see that the area was empty.
Once they were inside the glass enclosure, Lauren rummaged in her bag. She pulled out a small keycard that she used to summon the elevator.
Less than a minute later, they were inside. Lauren’s key card worked on the inside panel, too, and they headed straight up to the penthouse level without stopping.Thirty-six floors, he thought wryly. As security went, it was decent.
“Wait.” He held his arm out to keep Lauren and Lucy inside the elevator until he could look around. The penthouse apartment sported two white double doors. There were no other doorways in sight.
