“Yes, sir, you will.”
Victor disconnected the call and dialed another number. After the third ring, the call was answered. “Jack Storm.”
“Jack, it’s time.”
“Gotcha. Shoot me the details.”
“Done,” Victor agreed and ended the call. He sent over a quick text and slid his phone in his shirt pocket. He stood to leave his office, wondering how he was going to slip past, not only his wife, but his wife.
Victor stepped into the hall, slipped out of his shoes, and tipped down the hall. When he reached their bedroom, he peeped inside. Thankfully, it was dark and Taylor was in bed. Hopefully, she was in a deep sleep.
Victor crept inside and tipped quietly to his closet. He went inside and closed the door before turning on the light. After a quick search, he found some dark jogging pants and a black hoodie. After changing, he slipped on a pair of black Jordan’s that Taylor had bought him.
Victor turned, flicked off the closet light, and slinked out of the bedroom. He made his way down the hall, toward the back door. The service door was the only one not manned by the Secret Service. At least, he hoped. He opened the door andstepped out into the dark hall. Thankfully, there was no security. He walked down the hall and slipped into the service elevator. After pressing the button to go down to the garage, Victor prayed for an unobstructed path to Taylor’s motorcycle. He’d swiped the keys right after they got home.
To Victor’s total surprise, the coast was clear. He pulled his hood over his head and climbed on his wife’s Ducati. He cranked the engine, put on a pair of riding goggles, and took off for the south side.
After a few turns, Victor found himself on the expressway. He shifted to the last gear and sped eastbound on Interstate 94. When the warm wind kissed his skin, Victor understood why Taylor chose to travel by bike every chance she got.
CHAPTER 6
NIYAH
“As far as first dates go, this was great. We gotta do this again,” Xander joked.
Niyah laughed. “Date? Surely, you jest.”
Xander raised a brow. “I jest not. I got to spend time with you while enjoying a free dinner. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Niyah smiled. “I’m glad you had a good time.”
Xander’s expression turned serious. “You have a beautiful smile.”
Niyah turned away bashfully. “Stop, Xander.”
His warm hand covered hers. “I’m serious. I wanna see it again. I wanna make you smile all the time.”
Niyah’s cheeks warmed. In an instant, the conversation went from playful to heavy, and she was beginning to feel the pressure. It wasn’t that she didn’t find Xander attractive. Appearance-wise, he was a god among men. He was also thoughtful and extremely funny.
“Come on, Niyah. Give me a chance. Let me take you out,” he implored.
“Hey,” Bella interrupted, leaning over her shoulder. “We gotta go.”
Niyah looked up at Bella with a frown. “What?”
“We caught another case, same MO.”
“Oh, okay.” Niyah took the napkin from her lap and placed it on the table.
She grabbed her purse and stood to leave. “It was good to see you again,” she said to Xander.
“Um-mm,” Xander responded, grabbing her wrist. “Dinner?” he pressed.
Niyah was on the spot, and Xander wasn’t about to let her get away without a response. The voice of reason, yelling in the back of her mind, said to turn him down gently. But his hypnotic blue gaze elicited acquiescence. “Okay. We can do dinner.”
Xander gifted her with a smile that reached his eyes. “I’ll call on you soon.”
“Okay,” Niyah responded before walking away.
