CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SIMONTOOKINGoodwin’s hard stare. He trusted nothing about the guy. Any loyalty Goodwin had for Marianna had just died a quick death in his office. But he was letting Marianna walk out of the building. Closer to his car. In sight of Derek’s team. With only William to deal with.
Simon studied William’s every move as he headed for the door. It was no wonder that Alex Ruiz liked this asshole. William showed no obvious signs of anger as he held the door open for Marianna. The door to the office closed behind them. Simon positioned himself between William and Marianna as they walked down the hall, her heels tapping in nervous staccatos.
Leaving the building put Marianna in more immediate danger. If William’s visit really was unexpected, Goodwin’s guards outside the door would have patted William down, just like they did to Simon and Marianna. Which meant that the only potentially armed person in the office was Goodwin.
But once they walked out of the warehouse, all bets were off. The chances that William had arrived at Goodwin Enterprises alone were about zero. As soon as they walked out the door, they would meet the assholes William brought along, head-on. Derek’s team was in place, but they were hidden in the stands of trees just beyond the parking lot, which meant William’s guys would be a hell of a lot closer.
And definitely armed.
Goddamn, he needed contact with Derek right now. He needed to know how many men to expect, where they’d be. But he couldn’t risk calling his team, and Goodwin’s guards would have stopped Simon at the door if he wore an earpiece, which meant Marianna would have walked into that office alone.
Marianna reached the outside door, and she pushed it open. The hot sun streamed through the doorway, and she stepped through it. Two guards waited on the other side, standing in the sweltering heat of the dusty parking lot. Three men to deal with so far. Plus whoever William brought with him.
William gestured for Marianna to follow him to his car.
“No,” Simon said. “Talk here.”
William raised his eyebrows.
“You’re the asshole from Miami,” he said, though there was no surprise in his voice. He turned toward the parking lot and motioned with his hand. Out of a large SUV stepped Donovan Lewis and another look-alike. Simon gritted his teeth. It brought him absolutely no pleasure to be right about that wanker.
Simon glanced down at Marianna. Her eyes were wide as her gaze flicked between Donovan and William.
“You had me followed.”
William’s smile was cold. “You’re trying to screw me over, sweetheart. Of course I did.”
The two men spread out behind William. Simon could take these two guys alone, and their backs were to the trees, where Derek’s crew hid, waiting. But the situation was complicated. Goodwin’s guards stood at Simon’s back, putting Marianna and him right in the middle of the action. And they were wild cards, making Plan A too risky. This was one of many scenarios that would move them to Plan B. Derek would be calling in the second crew, the distraction. But how long would that take?
William stepped closer, sneering at her. “You don’t think I could see what you’re doing from a mile away?”
“I can’t believe my father trusted you with this business,” she said. “My father worked his whole life to build Ruiz Imports, and you’re destroying it a year after he dies?”
Shit. Marianna was still looking for her answers. Simon would have admired her tenacity if it didn’t risk provoking William further.
But William raised his eyebrows and let out a laugh. “You really are naive, aren’t you, Marianna. I thought your father just didn’t want your sweet little hands dirty, but you had no idea, did you?”
Simon brushed his hand against her back, tugging her lightly in the direction of his car. The whole scene would be a lot less threatening if Marianna wasn’t standing in the middle of this goon squad.Just focus on getting the hell out of here.But she was hanging on to every one of William’s words.
“Your father’s the one who started this, darling. Why do you think Goodwin moved here in the first place?” William shook his head, disgusted. “No wonder he made me promise to keep you away from this part of the business.”
His words were making visible dents in Marianna’s polished exterior. This was hurting her badly. Simon gritted his teeth at the urge to comfort her, tugging at her instead. Time to move. Marianna glanced up at him again, the pain of this revelation clear on her face.
William started forward slowly, his gaze shifting to Simon. “And you’re the hired muscle. When my guy sent a photo of you two from the hotel, I remembered you from Miami. So I did some digging. Served in the military, top of your class in systems engineering, comfortable life here in Sydney. All that from the humble beginning as the son of Cuban refugees.
“But it was my secretary who found the connection. She’s the one who scanned all the records Alex Ruiz kept, even from the contractors who worked on his house eleven years ago. Just in case anyone tried to screw him over. I know exactly who you are.”
Now Marianna was ready to move. She stumbled a little, right into Simon’s chest.
“Don’t say anything, Mari.” His voice was barely there. “Just keep as far away as possible from him. I’ve got this.”
“You never told me about him,” said William, his voice colder. “I knew there was someone. Who was this son of your father’s contractor? Your pool boy? Your plaything?”
The anger rose up in Simon, and he tamped it down. Hell no. He wasn’t going to let those wounds from the past distract him, not this time. He wouldn’t put Marianna in danger like that.
“Just let him talk,” Simon whispered, his voice hard.
