“We swept the house this morning and found bugs in every common room. No cameras. Just listening devices. Very sophisticated. Frequency switchers.” Mack’s thick eyebrows furrowed. “Didn’t find them the first time.”
“They probably weren’t here the first time,” Logan murmured. “Chester could’ve done it when he spent the night here a few days after you set up shop.”
“That’s our guess.” Mack balled his fingers into fists, his knuckles blanching. “Why did I let him keep using his own security guys?”
Logan turned off the grinder, which had gone longer than the recommended time. The coffee might be bitter, but he didn’t care. Anything with caffeine would do. Mack finished making the coffee while rambling on about a college football game for the benefit of whomever might be listening. Whatever he was saying wasn’t registering in Logan’s mind. He was too busy replaying the conversations with his stepfather. No wonder Chester had been urging him to make the payment into the offshore account, his pleas escalating over the last few days.
“There’s no way to catch Dimitri,” Chester had said. “He’s too smart. I think you should just pay him off.”
“You’re to blame for all this,” Logan had retorted. “Why don’t you come up with a hundred million dollars?”
“I would if I had it,” Chester declared. “I’d sell everything I own to save my family.”
Maybe his wife and kids, Logan had thought to himself, but I doubt he suddenly gives a flip about Mom and me.
“If you pay, I guarantee that won’t be the last demand,” Jake had argued. “I think it’s time to notify the feds.”
“That’s a bad idea,” Chester had said, looking rather green. “Please don’t call the feds. I think that’ll make Dimitri retaliate in a big way. Like a bomb. Something you can’t defend against no matter how great your security team is.”
At the time, Logan had thought Chester feared prosecution for his part in the illicit diamond deal. Now he wondered if his stepfather had had some other motivation for protesting the FBI’s involvement.
Logan watched as Mack poured the coffee, fatigue evident not only on his face, but also in the droop of his shoulders. Had the man been up the entire night?
Mack put a steaming mug of coffee down in front of Logan, blessedly continuing his running monologue so Logan didn’t have to participate. “Have you ever considered getting a tattoo? One of my favorite artists moved to Austin and started her own shop…”
“Uhm-hmm,” Logan mumbled.
What conversations had taken place in the house after the listening devices had been planted? What information had they inadvertently given away? Nothing of real importance that Logan could remember. Dimitri shouldn’t have been surprised that they’d set up security details for the three who’d been threatened via Chester’s images. Allegra, who’d grown more sullen each day of her “jail confinement,” as she called her protective custody in Logan’s home, had talked to her parents multiple times, usually in the privacy of her room.
The senator had called Logan, his demeanor a weird mix of irritation and appeasement. Duane had settled down considerably upon learning that Cole Miller’s company was in charge of Logan’s security, no doubt thrilled to have a new in with him. The senator had stepped up his own security, though Mack thought Dimitri probably wouldn’t want to risk the attention of attacking a U.S. senator.
At Chester’s pleading, Allegra had left out his tainted role in the matter when reporting to her father. But Logan fully intended for the senator to hear the full story, assuming they found a way to end Dimitri’s threat.
What else had Dimitri overheard?
Who else had he talked to on the phone while in the common areas of the house? Plenty of clients, both in country and overseas. But nothing that would interest Dimitri. He’d spoken to his mother every day, but she had already been relocated to a safe place. Who else?
Josiah!
Cement solidified in Logan’s gut. He had reamed his friend for hiring Ellery and involving her in the Limitless fundraiser. But angry as he was, he’d still begged Josiah for an update on every aspect of Ellery’s life and admitted how much he missed her.
Logan snatched the pen from the table, scribbling furiously on the paper in front of Mack, his blood cold.
Dimitri knows about Ellery!
CHAPTER 25
“Hey, Kara! I’m back! Headed to my room to study.” She glanced at the time on her phone. Getting her nails done and eyebrows plucked had taken way more time than she’d budgeted. She’d hoped to squeeze in some reading before she had to leave to get her hair and makeup done for the fundraiser. The actual event was only three hours, but the preparation time added another four. Maybe five extra hours if she included driving time. She would definitely reevaluate the time versus benefit before accepting another gig. But Limitless was such a great cause she would’ve done the event even if she’d realized it would be such a time-sucker.
Logan had gone ballistic when Josiah broke the news to him, but adamantly refused to attend. As worried as she was about Logan backing out of his Phantom Enterprises association, Ellery was relieved he wouldn’t be there. Josiah claimed Logan had admitted he missed her, but the fact that Allegra was still living with him said it all.
Kara appeared at the kitchen door, her face flushed. “Uhmm… you need to come in here. We’ve got a problem… a big problem.” She disappeared again, leaving Ellery no choice but to follow her into the kitchen.
Expecting another flooding disaster, akin to the bubbly flood from using the wrong soap in the dishwasher, she rounded the doorway and stopped in her tracks. At the table sat a stranger in a repairman uniform that could barely contain his straining shoulder and arms muscles. In addition, he had a strong jaw and mesmerizing icy blue eyes, but his dark glower said he wasn’t the flirting type. If Logan hadn’t already ruined her for every other man, Ellery might have been interested in this one. She grinned, a glance at his empty ring finger explaining why her roommate was nervously smoothing her hair and licking her lips.
The label on his front pocket read Morris Heating and A/C. Ellery hadn’t even realized the air conditioner was malfunctioning. The air was comfortable inside, despite the ninety-six-degree August heat, so perhaps he’d already fixed the issue. Their landlord was responsible for all repairs and maintenance, so Ellery couldn’t imagine what the problem might be. Unless Kara was making something up to prolong his stay… not unimaginable considering she’d just giggled at whatever this man had muttered under his breath. And Kara didn’t giggle. Not ever.
The man stood up as she approached, towering over both of them. His hand jutted forward.
“Hello, Ellery. I’m Jake Shaeffer with E-Force Security.”
She dropped her gaze to his pocket. “Were your regular uniforms in the wash?”
He laughed, his scowl transforming to a breathtaking grin. At least it was breathtaking for Kara, who was stifling a swoon behind her hand. “No, ma’am. I wore this because we don’t want to alert anyone who might be watching your house. We have reason to believe your lives might be in danger.”
Ellery didn’t know what was going on, but she was certain this Jake guy had made some kind of mistake. She took a chair beside Kara.
“You must be confused,” Ellery said. “There’s no reason anyone would target either one of us. We’re just poor students.”
“They aren’t targeting us,” Kara said. “Just you. I’m the innocent roommate. But I was explaining to Jake that I’m the most likely to be killed. That’s what happens in all the books and movies. The best friend dies, but the main target is saved.”
“Makes sense to me,” Ellery agreed, loving her roommate’s sense of humor. She could laugh at anything. “You can’t let the lead character get killed or the plot is ruined.”
“Exactly!”
“Kara, you aren’t going to die.” Jake’s glare came back with a vengeance as he aimed it at Ellery’s blushing roommate and lowered his large frame back to his chair with unexpected grace. “And neither is Ellery. Not on my watch.” As if to emphasize his declaration, his muscles rippled under the khaki uniform, stretching the stitching to its limits.
