A smile split his lips as he led her to the elevator and hit the button. “You’re the only person, besides Eve and my brother, that I’ve brought here.”
Harper stepped on the elevator and glanced up at the cameras in the corners. This guy had security on steroids. Even those steroids had steroids. Images of a movie she’d once seen drifted through her mind, where the woman was pinned to the elevator wall. Her grin grew wider, unable to shake the naughty thoughts of being with the dangerous man.
“I’m guessing you’ve never had sex on this elevator. Because you know, that would just be…naughty.” Bend her over and slap her ass kinky.
“Are you offering?” He reached for the emergency button.
Yes. “No.” She stepped off of the elevator into a foyer. A beautiful painting hung on the wall. The trees looked similar to the ones she’d drawn. Only these were in sharp, vivid colors of greens and brown, and hers were in ink blue. “You have a painting. I wouldn’t have ever guessed you had an eye for art.”
He ran his hand over the dried paint. “I don’t. Eve painted this for me.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her heart clenched in sadness. Pain reflected in his eyes as he stared at the trees.
“Behind the trees,” she whispered.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“The memory stick Grant was looking for. I’d said it was behind the trees.” She slipped the folded picture out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Similar to these, but different. Did Eve paint more?”
He unfolded the picture and smiled at her makeshift drawing. “This is what you drew today?”
“Yeah. I’m no artist, but I was trying to recall what I saw when I said behind the trees.”
He grabbed Harper and swung her around, the smile on his face ginormous.
“Whoa there, big fella. I want off this merry-go-round.”
“I could kiss you.” He slowed and sat her down. “The picture you drew is one of her paintings.” He pointed to the lone flower behind the clump of trees. “She must have hidden it behind the painting.”
Okayyyy. She walked farther into his place. “Before we run off, will you at least tell me why you brought me to your secret bat-cave.”
“I’m no hero,” he said, walking past her.
“Villain lair? Do villains have lairs, or are they called hideouts?”
He turned and lifted his brow.
“What? You look like a guy who would know.” She followed him, gazing around the room, one side livable and the otherlooked like a picture straight out of spy novel. There was a rack of guns and sharp, pointy things along one wall. “That’s an accident waiting to happen. Or fate.” She shrugged. “Haven’t you ever seen the movieFinal Destination?”
“No.”
“Not a big movie fan.” She pointed to the wall of monitors. The pictures on the screen were of inside her house and around her property. She felt violated and a little turned on. “You must be into reality TV. So, this is what you’ve been watching?”
“Don’t worry, you didn’t pick your nose.” He chuckled.
She shrugged. “Could be worse. I like to dance naked, and I have absolutely no rhythm.”
“I would have paid to see that.” He moved to the monitors and stroked a few more buttons, making the pictures on the screens change to the front of her office building. He sat in the chair and rewound the video to the point he saw Harper locking the office door and pulling her suitcase. He stopped and hit Play.
“That’s Grant,” she said, gesturing to the man talking to her on the street.
“No, it’s not.” He clicked a few more buttons, and a face appeared on another screen that looked nothing like the man she’d spoken to. “That’s Grant.”
“Well, who the hell is that?” she asked pointing to the man showing her Ryker’s picture.
“My brother,” he said, pushing away from the computer. He turned in the chair and rested his hands on her hips. “He’s more dangerous than I am, Harper. I need to know if you told him about me or about giving Grant my sister in law’s location.”
“I said I don’t know you, and that I wouldn’t recognize you if I passed you on the street.” Her eyes searched his as a sinking feeling rested in the pit of her stomach. “Why?”
