Here’s what we’ll do. I know you want to run around and pull someone’s hair out but you’ve got to let me do my job. I promise to keep you up to date. And I agree with you. Let’s not tell the others until we know who we’re dealing with.”
“You do realize the ramifications if someone steals Oscar, right?” Chase was pacing nervously, hands shoved in his pockets, a muscle jumping in his cheek.
“Trust me, Chase.” Dan’s voice was even, calming. “Oscar will be perfectly safe. It’s what I do for a living, remember?”
“Yeah, well.” He yanked a hand from one pocket and raked his fingers through his already disheveled hair. “Until you get back, you don’t mind if I keep Oscar company, do you?”
“I think you should go home and relax with your fiancée. Before I leave here, I’ll have four extra men surrounding Oscar, plus a television monitoring system. That’s in addition to the biometric system we set up for you. He’ll be perfectly safe for the weekend.”
“But—”
“Trust me on this, okay? This is what I do.”
Reluctantly Chase shut down his computer and locked his desk. “My future’s in your hands, Romeo. Just so you know that.”
“Got it. Now let’s go.”
As they headed for the elevator, Dan was already calling his office again and handing out orders.
Chapter Five
Mia spent the weekend in a frenzy of anxiety. She left the envelope with the printout on Carpenter Techtronics on her kitchen counter, rubbing her hand over it frequently, hoping to call forth another image. But as if Fate was playing games with her, her mind remained blank. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to touch the kitchen knife repeatedly but again nothing resulted from it.
“Damn it,” she screamed, kicking at a kitchen chair and shouting into the air.
“When I want you to leave me alone, you drive me crazy. When I want your help, you leave me alone. No wonder people think I’m nuts. I must be for sure.” The cut on her hand didn’t help either, throbbing most of the time and serving as a constant reminder of her frustration. She cleaned it and applied ointment twice more.
Then, after rewrapping it, stuffed ice cubes in a plastic bag and held it over the wound until the cold hurt worse than the cut.
Her sleep, what she got of it, was broken and uneven. Images from past visions invaded her dreams, bombarding her senses and confusing her brain. She found herself waking frequently and afraid to let sleep return.
At least her mystery man hadn’t made another appearance. Maybe her sense receptors had just been out of whack. Maybe her brain cells were getting fried. Maybe, maybe, maybe. She almost found herself waiting for him to materialize in front of her eyes, then mentally kicked herself for anticipating it.
Pathetic, Mia. Get a real date.
She was exhausted by the time Monday morning came around. Listlessly she dressed for work, picking up her newspapers before she left the house. She stuck them in the car with her briefcase, determined to wait until she got to her office to see if there was any new mention of Chase Techtronics or its possible new project. She stopped in the little employee kitchenette to get a cup of coffee. Then, settling herself at her desk, juggling everything with her good hand, she opened the paper to the business section and began scanning the articles.
“Looking for something special?”
She hadn’t heard the man come in and his voice startled her so. When she looked up she jerked her hand so hard she knocked over her coffee. It spilled onto her desk and dripped onto her skirt.
It was him! The man from her visions. But who was he? And what was he doing in her office?
“I’m sorry.” His voice was deep and rich, like warm, thick honey. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Mia closed her eyes and counted to ten, hoping he’d disappear.
“Miss Fleming?” She opened her eyes. He was still there. “Here, let me help you with that.”
He grabbed a
“You do realize the ramifications if someone steals Oscar, right?” Chase was pacing nervously, hands shoved in his pockets, a muscle jumping in his cheek.
“Trust me, Chase.” Dan’s voice was even, calming. “Oscar will be perfectly safe. It’s what I do for a living, remember?”
“Yeah, well.” He yanked a hand from one pocket and raked his fingers through his already disheveled hair. “Until you get back, you don’t mind if I keep Oscar company, do you?”
“I think you should go home and relax with your fiancée. Before I leave here, I’ll have four extra men surrounding Oscar, plus a television monitoring system. That’s in addition to the biometric system we set up for you. He’ll be perfectly safe for the weekend.”
“But—”
“Trust me on this, okay? This is what I do.”
Reluctantly Chase shut down his computer and locked his desk. “My future’s in your hands, Romeo. Just so you know that.”
“Got it. Now let’s go.”
As they headed for the elevator, Dan was already calling his office again and handing out orders.
Chapter Five
Mia spent the weekend in a frenzy of anxiety. She left the envelope with the printout on Carpenter Techtronics on her kitchen counter, rubbing her hand over it frequently, hoping to call forth another image. But as if Fate was playing games with her, her mind remained blank. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to touch the kitchen knife repeatedly but again nothing resulted from it.
“Damn it,” she screamed, kicking at a kitchen chair and shouting into the air.
“When I want you to leave me alone, you drive me crazy. When I want your help, you leave me alone. No wonder people think I’m nuts. I must be for sure.” The cut on her hand didn’t help either, throbbing most of the time and serving as a constant reminder of her frustration. She cleaned it and applied ointment twice more.
Then, after rewrapping it, stuffed ice cubes in a plastic bag and held it over the wound until the cold hurt worse than the cut.
Her sleep, what she got of it, was broken and uneven. Images from past visions invaded her dreams, bombarding her senses and confusing her brain. She found herself waking frequently and afraid to let sleep return.
At least her mystery man hadn’t made another appearance. Maybe her sense receptors had just been out of whack. Maybe her brain cells were getting fried. Maybe, maybe, maybe. She almost found herself waiting for him to materialize in front of her eyes, then mentally kicked herself for anticipating it.
Pathetic, Mia. Get a real date.
She was exhausted by the time Monday morning came around. Listlessly she dressed for work, picking up her newspapers before she left the house. She stuck them in the car with her briefcase, determined to wait until she got to her office to see if there was any new mention of Chase Techtronics or its possible new project. She stopped in the little employee kitchenette to get a cup of coffee. Then, settling herself at her desk, juggling everything with her good hand, she opened the paper to the business section and began scanning the articles.
“Looking for something special?”
She hadn’t heard the man come in and his voice startled her so. When she looked up she jerked her hand so hard she knocked over her coffee. It spilled onto her desk and dripped onto her skirt.
It was him! The man from her visions. But who was he? And what was he doing in her office?
“I’m sorry.” His voice was deep and rich, like warm, thick honey. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Mia closed her eyes and counted to ten, hoping he’d disappear.
“Miss Fleming?” She opened her eyes. He was still there. “Here, let me help you with that.”
He grabbed a
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