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“No one should be here alone.”
His stern tone held a warning that he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. There was no way in hell he was going to leave her here without someone close by. She glanced around the loft, her eyes darkening with a pain that had nothing to do with the wound on her head.
“This isn’t just a store, it’s my home.”
Kaden stepped forward, cupping her chin in his hand to tilt back her head. He wanted her to see the resolve in his eyes.
“We’re going to discover who’s behind this, Lia. Then things can go back to normal.” His thumb brushed the soft curve of her lower lip. “Or perhaps there will be a new normal.”
Their gazes locked, a fragile promise of what might be pulsing in the air between them.
“A new normal?” she whispered.
“That’s what I’m hoping for.” He bent his head, pressing a light kiss against her mouth before he straightened and stepped back. “Pack a bag and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Chapter 15
Ryan Burke stood at his office window, watching the last of his employees drive out of the back lot. Earlier, he’d assured his receptionist that he would lock up and the nightly cleaning crew wouldn’t arrive until midnight.
It was one of the rare times he was completely alone in the isolated plant. Ryan grimaced, feeling an odd tingle of unease snake down his spine.
“Heebie-jeebies,” he muttered, repeating the words his grandma had used when she had a shiver.
He wasn’t afraid. It was just a reaction to being alone in a large, empty building, he assured himself. And a distaste for the upcoming meeting he’d arranged.
Usually, he didn’t mind throwing his weight around. Figuratively speaking. What was the point of having money and power if you couldn’t force people to do what you wanted? And if he had to break a few of them to get to this position, he didn’t have any regrets. At least he didn’t have any moral regrets. He did what he had to do. But he was beginning to have doubts about the wisdom of agreeing to work with partners when he made his deal with the devil. He knew he could keep his mouth shut, but he didn’t trust anyone else. And even with the judge dead, he couldn’t be sure his sins would remain buried in the past.
Thankfully, he was smart enough to keep the receipts. He intended to make sure no one was going to stab him in the back. Not without having their own sins revealed.
The darkness thickened as Ryan stood staring out the window. He’d been requested to schedule the meeting to occur when most of the good folks of Pike were sitting down to eat dinner. That was fine with him. It was the one time they weren’t peering out to see who was doing what and who they were doing it with. Nosy bastards.
There was the flash of headlights as a vehicle pulled into the back parking lot.
Good. Ryan wanted to be done with this so he could head home. His wife no doubt had plans to meet with friends for dinner. They rarely spent a night at home, despite the fortune he spent on their fancy brick mansion. Probably because they didn’t have anything to say to each other. In fact, they rarely glanced in each other’s direction. After twenty years of marriage, they stayed together because it was too inconvenient to split up.
Moving to the wall safe that was hidden behind a very fine watercolor of a tropical sunset, Ryan pulled out a faded manila envelope. It wasn’t thick, but the information inside was explosive. The sort of information that could destroy the city of Pike.
He walked back to his desk, pausing to tap a button on the panel that controlled the security cameras. He’d been reminded by his soon-to-arrive guest that they didn’t want any record of this meeting. Then, turning, he waited for the knock on his door.
And waited. And waited.
Ryan muttered a curse. He’d specifically said to meet in his office. But he’d also said to use the back entrance. It hadn’t occurred to him how dark it would be. And how difficult it might be to navigate through the maze of conveyer belts and long, overhead rails where the carcasses moved through the plant on massive hooks. Obviously, he was going to have to locate his missing visitor before they got spooked and left.
With the ease of years spent keeping a close eye on his operation, Ryan crossed to the inner door that opened directly into the heart of the plant. He shoved it open, grimacing as he realized it was even darker than he’d expected. Only the glow from the exit light provided a dim glow.
“Hello?” Ryan took a few steps forward, his brows pulling together when there was no answer. “My office is this way.” There was nothing but silence. “What the hell?”
Accepting that he was going to have to turn on the main lights even though he’d hoped to avoid anyone realizing he was hanging around at this hour, Ryan reached toward the nearby wall. Before he could locate the switch, however, he sensed a movement beside him. Confused that his companion hadn’t bothered to answer when he called out, Ryan whirled around, intending to express his desire to make this meeting short and sweet.
The words never left his lips.
Instead, there was a violent shock wave that started at the back of his skull and blasted toward his eyes.
Grunting at the explosion of agony, Ryan fell to his knees, his hands lifting to cover his face. Was he having an aneurism? A stroke?
It wasn’t until he caught another movement next to him that he realized whoever was standing beside him had attacked him with some sort of weapon. And that they were about to strike again. Ryan tried to duck, but his brain was fogged with pain and his body refused to cooperate. He knelt there like a willing sacrifice as the second blow connected with the back of his skull, shattering his consciousness into shards of darkness.
He didn’t know how long he was out, but he was sure it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes at most. He shivered, sensing it was the icy air that had revived him. Was he outside? He struggled to open his eyes. They felt swollen, but he managed to pry them open far enough to see he was still inside the plant. He recognized the stainless-steel ceiling above him. This was one of the massive freezers that were attached to the side of the building.
