Imminent Danger (Adrenaline Highs) (31 page)

He needed to burn off the frustration. Not only because of this last conversation, but because of his quasi-relationship with Abbey. He had no clue where he stood with her. He’d spewed his heart and soul, and though she’d nodded and related to his experience, he wasn’t sure if sharing the ordeal had helped her in any way.

“I need a shower after that meeting,” Abbey said, walking down the hallway toward the guest room. “I’ll be out quick.”

“I’ll be in the gym.” Pounding his aggression out on the heavy bag. Thinking about those days being a victim always keyed him up. Blake watched her walk away, unable to tear his gaze off the perfection of her ass.

Whipped much?

Shit, he was toast when it came to her. So far gone he’d need a guide dog to find his way back from Abbey.

Blake didn’t bother changing clothes, he went straight to the gym. The faster he hit something or lifted something heavy, the faster he’d clear his head. His phone rang just as he walked over to the free weights and he checked the screen. Brendan.

His brother almost always called when Blake was about to blow his top. Somehow they shared a connection like that. Blake had grown almost used to it. He punched the screen. “Hey,” he said. “What’s up? You home yet?”

“Not yet. Seger agreed to add another couple of nights to the schedule since it’s the last stop for a while. What’s up with you? How’s Abbey doing?”

They’d talked the day after Blake had found her in Palm Springs, but Bren would want to know how she was handling the aftermath. They all knew about aftermath.

“She’s okay. We just came from the police station. She had to identify a body. It was the guy she saw at the Sports Center, but they don’t have a name for him yet. They think they will soon though since he matches the description of a missing person.”

“Okay. Now tell me how you’re doing.” Brendan could always read between the lines.

“I’m fine.”

“Right. And I’m a Bieber fan. What’s up?”

Blake snorted a laugh. Bren always knew how to get a smile out of him. “I thought Abbey and I crossed a threshold and I was wrong.”

“I know you’re into her, but if she hurts you…bro, I am going to be pissed off.”

“Down boy. I can handle whatever happens Abbey-wise. I’ve waited this long.”

“Yeah I know. I’m not a fan of the wait either. You deserve better than a chick who dicks with your feelings.” Bren had hardened after his ordeal, but Blake couldn’t blame him. It had changed them all. “Shit, Seger’s calling. I need to go. You’re okay right? I just got a weird feeling and thought I should call.”

“Yeah. I’m good bro. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Sounds good. Later.”

Blake punched End and set the phone on the stack of mats piled along the wall. He kicked off his boots and habitually checked the blade tucked in the sheath sewn into the inside as he removed his socks. Getting kidnapped taught a guy a few things about self-preservation. Bren had a similar one in his boot too. They’d both worn boots instead of cross trainers since the kidnapping. Easier to hide a knife that way.

He grabbed two forty-pound dumbbells and curled them alternately. At the ten count he felt the burn in his forearms and sweat prickled under his arms. He pushed it to twenty-five then took a break to slam the punching bag in the corner a few times. He should wrap his hands since the road rash was finally healing, but he was too wired from reliving the incident to take the time.

Something had to give with Abbey or he was going to back off for good no matter what his fucking heart wanted. A guy could only take so much rejection from one girl. After a few minutes on the bag, he went back to his dumbbells.

He heard—or maybe he sensed—someone behind him because he turned. Abbey stood in the doorway, shower fresh, her skin dewy smooth, her hair soft and straight to her gleaming shoulders. A pair of black yoga shorts showcased her mile-long legs and the white button-up top draped seductively to her curves. A slice of heaven marred by the fresh white bandage covering the stitches on her thigh.

“I’ve been thinking about something,” she said. She set her phone on the small entry table and looked so serious, so absolutely Abbey, that the undercurrent of bad news screamed off her.

Blake put the dumbbells away on the stand, snagged a towel from the cabinet next to it and wiped off the sweat. He braced himself for the
just friends
speech. Maybe if she cut him off completely, he’d get over her. But he doubted it. “I’m all ears.”

Chapter Twenty

Leo’s phone rang and Kim checked the caller ID from the desk in his office. His lawyer, Tom, had called back and they’d been strategizing his survival—and lawsuit against Nathan—for the better part of forty-eight hours. “It’s your accountant’s office. Do you want to get it or should I?” she asked. Considering she wasn’t an actress, she’d done an amazing job acting as if the sex had never happened.

“Fucking Nathan.” He hopped off the sofa and snagged the phone. “Where the hell have you been and where’s my money, asshole?” he said into the receiver.

Kim cringed at the tone and rage in his voice. She understood it, but it still sounded harsh.

“Oh, sorry, Bonnie.”

She stood up from behind Leo’s mammoth desk and stretched her legs. She’d been working for hours, going over his finances and the flash drive from Nathan’s office. It had been a long day and she was about ready to punch out. Dinner sounded good right about now. With a tall glass of…soda. No more Jack for her. Not the rest of this trip anyway.

Leo’s tone had gone deathly quiet as he sat on the sofa and ran a hand through his hair. This did not look good. “What? Can’t be,” he murmured. “You’re sure?” He squinted his eyes shut. “Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. I believe you.” He blew out a rush of air. “Thanks for calling, Bonnie. Good luck.” Leo disconnected and tossed the phone on the sofa next to him. He leaned against the cushion and rested his head all the way back, thoroughly defeated.

She waited, let him process whatever news he’d just heard.

He finally sat up, blew out another gust of air and met her gaze. “Nathan is dead.”

What?
“Did you just say he’s dead? As in never coming back?”

He nodded. “I did.”

This was bad.

“This is bad,” Leo said.

“What did Bonnie say?”

“She’d turned in a missing person’s report not long after we picked up our files,” he said, referring to the day they’d met in Nathan’s office. “The cops found a body and it matched her description. They sent two cops over with a picture and she identified him a little while ago.”

“Wow. That sucks.”
On so many levels.

“On so many levels.”

“Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Nothing.” She paced the room. “I can’t believe this. How did he die?” Stopping, she faced Leo.

“She said he was stabbed.” Kim grimaced and Leo continued. “They asked her if Nathan had any enemies that she knew of.”

With a snort, Kim started pacing again. “Apparently a few.”

“Yeah, like every client on his roster, I imagine.”

“Maybe so, but not every client knew he was stealing.” She stopped and faced Leo again. “And it’s possible he didn’t steal from every client.”

“Just the rich ones,” Leo groused.

“Lucky you,” Kim murmured.

“Now what do we do?” he asked. “Do I have any recourse where he’s concerned?”

“Absolutely. We just need to call Tom back so he knows what he’s up against. Although we don’t know if Nathan’s estate has any money in it. That’s the million dollar question. For now, we continue on with the plan of selling everything we can and digging you out of the hole. I should hear back from the IRS tomorrow and we’ll see if we can’t get a payment plan going. Things might be tight for a while, but you’ll be okay eventually. The good news is you shouldn’t be going to jail.”

His eyes rounded. “
Shouldn’t be
? That’s not at all reassuring.” He looked adorably concerned, his blue eyes wide and his hair tousled from running his hand through it so much. Still sitting forward, Leo dropped his head in his hands. “I can’t believe he’s gone. Jesus, I’ve known him more than half my life. I can’t believe…” He trailed off as his friend’s death sank in.

She had the giant urge to comfort him, but that would only lead to stupid foolish things. Like the things she did when drinking Jack and she wasn’t drinking Jack. Maybe not ever again.

Shouldn’t be going to jail.
The words circled in Leo’s head as Kim leaned against the front of his desk. He took a deep breath and tamped down his rising panic.

She smelled as good as she did that morning when he’d come into the office and found her working. “As much as I’d like to guarantee you everything is going to be super-fantastic, I can’t do it. I need to talk to the powers that be. I would think when they hear the extenuating circumstances, they’ll cut you some slack,” she said.

“You
would think?
More reassuring words. Thanks,” Leo grumbled, not at all placated by her attempt to make him feel better.

Her brows tilted in a worried pucker. “C’mon. I’m hungry. Part of this deal is that you feed me. What’s in the fridge?” She walked out of the room without a backward glance.

The woman mystified him. She didn’t act or react to him the way most women did. He could categorize most of the females he’d run across. First, the die-hard fans that wanted any piece of him. Second, the ones who took all the shit in the press seriously and wanted nothing to do with him—which is actually how Kim had started out—and third, the ones that didn’t care about either of those points and just wanted to get lucky. He did have a reputation after all.

Thinking about his reputation brought to mind the evening on his cabana sofa. He’d tried not to put too much stock in the blistering great sex with Kim. There were a few reasons it could’ve been so good. Namely the fact that he hadn’t had sex in a long time. Or just the surprise of her playful attitude before and during.

Kim stuck her head in the doorway. “Are you coming? I thought you were behind me. I’ve been talking this whole time to nobody.” Her exasperation made him smile and he hadn’t expected anything to make him smile after hearing the news about Nathan.

Leo followed Kim into the kitchen where she pulled a couple of meals out of the freezer as she talked about all the steps he had to take for his financial freedom.

She’d dressed for business in one of her new skirts, tops and wedges that gave her more height. Her tone calves reminded him of her strength as she’d wrapped those legs around his hips the other night.

His blood started pumping, taking a familiar path to his crotch, and Leo forced his gaze out the window as she yammered on about money. He should be paying attention, but he couldn’t concentrate. Couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that it was all going to go away.

He’d come to terms with it last night, but the one thing he couldn’t let happen was Megan losing her spot at The Marion Institute. It was the one place he’d seen her thrive and the one place he couldn’t afford to lose.

Kim closed the oven with their food inside and adjusted the temperature. “You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?” She faced him with her arms crossed.

He shook his head. He owed her a little honesty. “No. Sorry. My head’s somewhere else. I keep thinking about Nathan getting stabbed. That’s the kind of shit I deal with while I’m playing a part in a movie. Not real life.”

She nibbled her lower lip and Leo remembered doing the same thing. God, she’d been at his place for days and he had very few indecent thoughts. He’d let the other night get away from him and now all he could think about was touching her soft skin and sinking into her welcoming wet heat.

“It’s going to be okay.” Her cell phone rang and she snagged it from the counter. “It’s the PI that I hired,” she said, before taking the call. She headed toward the French doors that led out to the backyard and Leo looked around his place, knowing it wouldn’t be his for much longer and feeling the loss in the pit of his stomach like an unbearable weight.

Before Abbey could tell him what she’d been thinking about, her phone rang. “They identified the body,” she said after disconnecting with Detective Patrick. “His name is—was—Nathan Berman. He was a CPA.” She set her mobile on the small table by the door and stepped farther into the room.

Blake studied her face. “You okay?” It was one thing to have seen the man get stabbed, but it was another now that he had a name and occupation.

She nodded. “Yeah. I guess. It just makes it more real somehow, I can’t explain it.” She shook it off. “Look, before the phone call…” She hesitated. “You sounded mad,” Abbey said, her eyes narrowing. “Is that because of me?”

“I don’t know.” Blake’s frustration was eating at him. If he didn’t spill it all now, he never would. “I guess I thought after the other night, we’d made a breakthrough. I thought things had changed between us, but I’m not sure.” He watched her for any sign of agreement and when she didn’t say anything, heaviness hit his chest. One step forward and three steps back.
Shit.

He walked away from her, couldn’t stand to see the pain in her eyes. The fact that she knew she hurt him, but couldn’t help herself. Couldn’t help the way she felt. Or didn’t feel. That destroyed him as much as anything. That she somehow felt he’d give up and leave. That maybe she’d be alone her whole life because no man took the time to give her the space, and at the same time, attention she needed. He wanted to be that guy more than anything.