He arches a brow. “Fashion? There’s a way to tempt me to stay. Or not. But good luck.”
I lift my glass. “To luck,” I say. “And to new beginnings and happy endings.”
We clink glasses, and Derek and Emily repeat, “To new beginnings and happy endings.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
EMILY
Since Jessica has a Friday night date, we schedule dinner with her for Sunday night to talk about the fashion line, and with Friday night to ourselves, Shane and I end up eating downtown and walking the neighborhood. We wake Saturday to news that Brandon Senior is recovering from his allergic reaction and actually showing progress with his cancer treatment. Life simply feels good. But even good times require bumps, and come Sunday night, Shane is in a heavy exchange of phone calls with Adrian, working through numbers on the sports center, and he simply can’t make dinner.
At almost seven o’clock, I’ve showered and dressed in black jeans, a black silk top with boots to match, and per Shane’s insistence, I’m carrying a purse large enough to hold my gun at my hip. Heading downstairs, I find him in the kitchen, and I swear, dressed in a snug white tee and sweats, keying away on his MacBook, he looks almost sexier than he does in a suit. “Hey,” I say, joining him and leaning on the island beside him.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he says, setting aside his computer and giving me a quick, sexy inspection before snagging my hips and walking me to him. “I like you in jeans.”
“I like you at dinner with me,” I say, my hands settling on his arms. “Any chance you finished that work and can go?”
“I wish I could, but anything to do with Adrian needs to get done and be over.”
I sigh. “I know.” The doorbell rings, and knowing who to expect, I grimace. “I like Cody, but do I really still need him now that you’ve made this agreement with Adrian?”
“Yes,” he says firmly. “And you know why. Per Seth—”
“Ramon went off the grid in Mexico. Until he’s located him again, and until we’re well past this deal with Adrian, we need to be cautious.”
“Exactly.”
I cup his face and kiss him. “I love you. That’s twenty times.”
“I love you. Go make Jessica a happy stockholder. I’ll be done when you get back, and I’ll make up my missed dinner in any way you like.”
“Any way?”
“Any way,” he confirms, mischief in his eyes. “Preferably without clothes.”
“That works for me,” I say, backstepping and giving him a wave before I head for the door, but not before he gives me a smack on the backside that has me yelping and smiling.
I step into the hallway and greet Cody, my cell ringing as I do. Fishing it from my purse, I glance at the Caller ID. “Unknown caller,” I say with a smirk. “Not answering that.” I stick my phone back into my purse, but for some reason, a shiver slides down my spine.
It’s not long after that we’re at street level, the night cool and comfortable as we walk toward the restaurant, pedestrians milling about here and there, a horse carriage as well. We’re almost to our destination when my cell phone rings for a second time, and sure enough, it’s an unknown number again. And sure enough, despite the warm evening, another shiver slides down my spine, almost like a warning. It’s unsettling, as is the crazy sense of being followed I suddenly experience. Which is just odd since Cody is the one who is always following me and he’s here now. It’s a sensation that takes my mind back to Ramon. I turn to Cody. “When Seth says Ramon is off the grid, what does that mean?”
“He’s intentionally disappeared,” he says, “and going to Mexico to do that isn’t uncommon. The problem is you don’t always know when they cross back to the States.”
“So Ramon could be back here and we don’t know it,” I say.
“He most likely still in Mexico.”
“Most likely,” I say. “That isn’t comforting, and no wonder I have the creeps tonight.”
“Talking about Ramon will do that to a person. Stop talking about him and thinking about him. I’m here. You’re safe.”
“I know,” I say, but for some reason, despite trusting him, I don’t really mean the words.
Moments later, we arrive at the restaurant, and the sparks between Jessica and Cody are so intense, I insist he join us for dinner. And with them chatting up a storm, I’ll save the good fashion news for dessert. We order our drinks, and while Jessica and I choose wine, Cody sticks with coffee. “On duty, ladies. I can’t protect you if I’m falling all over the place.” He lifts his coffee. “This is as strong as it gets for me.”
And funny he says that because I take only two sips of my wine and I start feeling buzzed. No. It’s more than that. I start feeling sick to my stomach. “I need to go to the ladies’ room,” I announce, pushing to my feet, my belly burning now. This is not good. It feels wrong. And I feel dizzy, my vision a bit foggy.
Somehow though, I make it to the bathroom, a one-stall room, and I don’t even try to lock the door. I go down on my knees and start heaving. Something isn’t right.
“Emily,” Cody calls out. “Are you okay?”
“No. No something—” I throw up again.
He opens the door and I turn to face him, only to find him falling to his knees and then on top of me. “Cody,” I whisper. “Cody.”
His body is lifted off me and I am staring up at not one, but two men, their faces fading in and out. And then everything goes black.
*
I blink awake to a slightly spicy scent and the feel of carpet against my face, not to mention a throbbing headache. Sitting up, I try to clear my foggy vision and bring a man sitting directly across from me into focus. I blink again and then blanch. “Derek?”
“Emily,” he says, and breaths out, his voice raspy. “You’re okay. We’re going to be okay.”
“My arms hurt.” I try to move them, and suddenly I realize my wrists are bound in front of me. And his are too. My heart starts to thunder in my chest. “What is this? What’s happening?” I twist around to inspect my surroundings, finding us in an office with a big oak desk at my back. “Where are we?” I ask, turning back to Derek.
“Adrian’s office inside his restaurant.”
“Why? How? Oh God.” A memory assails me. “Cody. They hurt him. Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I was drugged just like you. I woke up here.”
“Why would Adrian do this? Shane has such a good deal set up for him.”
“I have literally no answers. I’ve seen no one since I woke up.”
The door opens, and the rough-looking, muscular, hard-eyed man I know as Ramon walks in. “You’re awake. Good. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask.