“He won’t,” I cut in. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Though I didn’t have any kind of personal connection with Declan or his huge family, I owed it to Ronan and Memphis to make sure this job didn’t go sideways. “I’ll find a way to get close to him without him being the wiser,” I murmured before glancing at Memphis and Ronan. Both men nodded and I knew that they were trusting me to figure out the best way to get into Elliot’s inner circle. I stood and held my hand out to Declan. “I’ll keep him safe,” I said.
Declan rose, nodded, then took my hand. “For Mac,” he whispered.
“For Mac,” I agreed, though I knew in my gut that it wasn’t just the obligation to the fallen officer that would have me keeping Elliot out of harm’s way.
It was a reality I didn’t want to deal with, so I tucked the folder under my arm before saying my goodbyes to Ronan and Memphis.
Time to figure out who exactly Elliot Wittier was and how to keep him from meeting his father’s fate.
Chapter 1
Elliot
“Keep it together, El,”I murmured to myself as I stepped into the ballroom. I wiped my sweaty palms on the scratchy surface of my costume and then cursed the fact that I even had to do it in the first place. I allowed myself a few seconds to focus on my breathing, which quelled the anxiety that was threatening to overtake me, then stepped farther into the room. On most days, the breathing technique helped, but the combination of startled looks sent my way and the quiet murmurs that followed as I began weaving my way through the small crowd had my nerves returning tenfold almost instantly.
I’d never been one for social gatherings of any kind, but they were a necessary evil in my line of work. When it came to managing the investment firm my dad had started and that I’d eventually taken over, I had no issue with delegating the public speaking events to the senior officers. But the foundation was different. It was my baby and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice it for the sake of my fear of social engagements.
So being the center of attention at a fundraiser such as this one should have been the norm, but between the bruises on my face andthe constant need to scan my surroundings to watch for an impending attack, I was on edge more than normal.
As I began greeting the patrons, ignoring their colorful and sometimes downright ridiculous Halloween costumes as I went, my mind drifted to the events of the night before. I hadn’t exactly been honest with the police when they’d questioned me about the incident. I’d told them I’d walked in on the vandals, but in reality, they’d followed me into the office, forcing their way inside as soon as I’d opened the door. I’d known as soon as the bigger of the two men had wrapped his fingers around my throat that they hadn’t been there to rough me up because they disagreed with my foundation’s mission.
It would have been better if they had been.
No, their motivation had been much less complicated than hatred and a hell of a lot more dangerous.
A shiver filtered through my body as I remembered the veiled threat that had been whispered in my ear right after the Good Samaritan’s voice had called through the front door that he was calling for help.
You have three days.
I hadn’t needed three days. At least not to figure out what they’d been after. They’d made that part pretty clear by casting one last parting shot my way right before a beefy fist had connected with my jaw for the final time.
Stealing from Mr. White was your first mistake, Wittier. Don’t make it your last.
Two days.
I had two days left to figure out how to fix the clusterfuck I’d been thrust into. And I had to do it while pretending life was trudging along as usual.
Which meant getting through the next few hours. Then I’d be back at my computer trying to track down Mr. White’s missing money.
I was so busy mentally planning my next steps that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. When my body ran right intoa hard wall, I let out an “oomph” at the same time the wall grabbed a hold of me.
Okay, so not a wall.
My already dry mouth went drier as I took in the man I was currently pressed up against in what would have been considered an intimate embrace in any other situation.
“You okay?” came the deep voice that held just the slightest rasp to it. The strong fingers that were currently wrapped around my upper arms burned right through the thin material of my costume and threatened to singe my skin. Pulse after pulse of energy flared up and down my arms.
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “Sorry,” I mumbled as I let my eyes rake over him. He was about my height and age, but that was pretty much where the similarities between us ended. Even within the folds of his costume, I could tell he had a ripped body.
Hell, I was practically still pressed up against it, so there was no doubting that the ridges I was feeling were miles and miles of well-defined muscles. His dark-as-night eyes matched the coal black of his hair. A slight five-o’clock shadow hugged the sharp lines of his jaw and I had the sudden urge to feel that stubble all over my body.
“No problem,” he said, a slight smile spreading across his beautiful mouth. God, even his teeth were perfect.
I knew I needed to step back, but even as I leaned back a little, he seemed reluctant to release me and I found myself unable to follow through on the move. The ballroom had disappeared completely, as had the dozens and dozens of partygoers. There were no hot lights raining down on me, no fear of the behemoth from the night before showing up to finish what he’d started, no worries about the speech I was expected to make tonight thanking people for donating so generously.
It was just me and the painfully beautiful man holding me.
