Hard As Ice (Fortis Series 1) (24 page)

“Sure thing, Ice.”

The investigation came together quickly after that. Within a couple of hours, Fortis had the name of their buyer.

Based on backdoor access to the hotel reservation system, they found Sean Holstein. He was a fifty-two-year-old executive at a small venture capital firm based in Staten Island, New York. The slight, sheepish-looking man visited Boston twice in the last three months, and could be seen on the hotel surveillance camera communicating with the King Edward concierge just over three weeks ago. It was the day after the Worthington heist.

Further review of the various camera feeds showed a man wearing a baseball cap and casual clothes delivering a small box to Holstein’s hotel room, in exchange for a thin envelope. Unfortunately, the unknown courier was smart enough to keep his head down at all times.

By Monday afternoon, Ned was flying the Fortis chopper to Staten Island with Tony, Abe, and Lance onboard for a retrieval mission.

Evan got the call just minutes after eight o’clock that night. The Crimson Amazon and all the other stolen jewelry had been recovered intact. Holstein had put up little resistance and was now quietly in the custody of the FBI, thanks to one of Michael’s contacts at the bureau.

While Raymond, Michael, and Ned shared an aggressive high five, then got down to business planning a victory celebration, Evan placed a call to Lucas. They then added Sam to the line.

“Congratulations, Ice. You’ve finally lost your virginity,” Lucas teased.

Sam laughed and Evan managed a smile. He was exhausted, but damn it felt good.

“Tony and the others are on their way back here with the assets. Abe, Ned, and Lance should be back in Virginia in the morning,” Evan told them.

“What about Morton and the broker, Walsh? We still don’t know exactly who pulled off the robbery,” Sam stated. “Did we get anywhere with that phone number we got?”

“No, but I’ll keep the team here for the rest of the week to tie up those ends,” Evan explained. “We know Holstein paid the ten grand deposit in cash, then the balance of the fee by wire transfer from a numbered account in the Cayman Islands to another online bank account. One million, nine hundred and ninety dollars to be exact, and all of which is now frozen as part of the federal investigation. In exchange for the arrest, Michael’s contact with the feds will tell us where the money trail leads. Ultimately, it will lead us to Walsh, Morton, and anyone else involved.”

“So, that’s it? You’re going home today?” asked Lianne between mouthfuls of steak. “You must be so relieved.”

It was Tuesday afternoon, and the two friends were eating lunch out on the hotel room terrace.

“I am,” Nia confirmed. “It’s been five days since I’ve left this room, except for my tutoring session on Saturday. I’m starting to have major cabin fever.”

“There are worse places to be stuck, Nia.”

“I guess. Anyway, I would like to go back to real life. There’s a ton of work to catch up on.”

“I still can’t believe all the drama. Or that you guys got back all the jewelry so quickly,” mused Lianne.

“I know, I didn’t think it was possible. Thank God it was kept out of the media. That would have been disastrous, even if we got the stuff back.”

“How was that possible, anyway? I thought you said the FBI got involved. Isn’t it now public record?”

“I don’t know. Edward said something about Fortis having connections and making arrangements. It’s all very clandestine,” Nia explained.

“Well, I have to say, they are a pretty incredible group of men. Like sexy, modern-day gladiators.”

Nia grinned. It was an accurate description.

“You better not talk like that or Eddie’s going to get jealous.”

“He’ll live,” dismissed Lianne. “Still no sign of the guy who stole the stuff to begin with?”

“Chris? No,” Nia confirmed. “It creeps me out a little bit, to be honest. Evan says he’s probably long gone with the cash he was paid, crossing into Canada or maybe even to the south into Mexico.”

“I wonder why he did it,” Lianne mused.

“I don’t know. There’s some talk in the office that he liked to party pretty hard, used cocaine regularly. So, maybe he needed the money?” Nia explained. “Anyway, Edward has asked Fortis to do a security review and provide recommendations on how to improve our current systems and protocol. At least, we won’t have to worry about anything like this happening again.”

With their meals finished, they both sat back to relax for a bit.

“I wrote a song,” Nia finally confessed.

Lianne paused with her drink halfway to her mouth.

“Really?” she replied with obvious surprise.

Nia shrugged, trying to make light of it.

“I couldn’t get it out of my head, so it seemed silly not to write it down.”

“Nia, that’s great! How did it feel?”

“Familiar,” described Nia after a reflective pause. “I haven’t written anything in years, since I left Detroit. I thought it would be harder.”

Lianne smiled, but didn’t push. Though she was a professional therapist, Nia never went to her for advice beyond that of a best friend.

“I think it helped, though,” continued Nia.

“With Evan?”

“Yeah. I’ve haven’t been able to figure out what to do. One minute, I’m relieved about the whole Fortis thing. The thing between us, whatever it was, had gotten pretty intense. The next minute, I’m so hurt and disappointed, a little sad. He was . . . He was good to be with. We had fun.”

She paused, looking into the water in her glass.

“I had fallen for him.”

The words hung between them. Lianne leaned forward.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Nia,” her friend explained. “People fall in love all the time.”

“I know. But look where it landed me, Lee? He lied to me from the start. And I didn’t see it coming. I completely fell for the whole thing. I can’t let that happen to me again. I’m not ready for that kind of risk. And when I do get into a serious relationship, it won’t be with someone like Evan. It has to be someone normal. Like an accountant, or an electrician. Maybe your run-of-the-mill office worker.”

Lianne raised her eyebrows, suggesting Nia was being ridiculous.

“You have every right to be mad about what happened, Nia. He used you to do his job.”

“It’s not just his job, Lee, or how things went down on the investigation. It was his whole life. We come from two different worlds,” explained Nia, shaking her head. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to trust his motives about us, together. There’s just too much standing in the way now.”

“Well, he’s lucky. I would have scratched his eyes out,” Lianne retorted.

Nia thought of the hard slap she had given Evan across his face the day she found out about his true identity. And the words he had uttered that prompted the impulsive reaction.

“I guess that’s been the other benefit to being cooped up in this hotel room. I’ve had a lot of time for reflection. Regardless of how I felt with Evan, or if he had any real feelings for me, the time and place was just all wrong.”

“As long as you’re sure, Nia,” Lianne stated. “You’ve been through a lot. It can’t hurt to take a little more time to think it through. If Evan really wants to be with you, then he’ll wait.”

Nia wanted to give her friend a firm response, to declare with honesty and certainty that she was over him, ready to move on. But the truth wasn’t that simple. She wasn’t ready for all the emotion he stirred. When they were together, Evan had made her feel and want things that were just too intense. The hurt she felt after learning the truth was even more acute, like a raw aching wound. Yes, she understood what happened and why, but it didn’t make it any less painful. Why would she put herself through that again? Why would anyone want to be that vulnerable and open to disappointment? If that was love, then Nia was content to let it pass her by. She’d had enough emotional drama in the past to last a lifetime.

“Promise me you’ll think about it more,” added Lianne.

 

 

That evening, as Evan finally drove her back to her apartment, her friend’s advice was fresh in Nia’s mind. She looked over at him behind the wheel, skillfully maneuvering through the city streets. He seemed quiet and alert, often checking the mirrors. Nia wondered if there was still a reason for caution.

“Is everything okay?” she finally asked.

Evan looked over and gave her a brief smile.

“Everything’s fine,” he stated.

They continued in silence for another few minutes.

“Edward mentioned you guys will be doing some additional security work at Worthington. How long do you think that will take?” she finally asked.

They were entering her neighborhood.

“We’ll be here for a few days. A week at the most.”

Nia looked out the window. He was leaving in a few days. Then it would really be over. Nia let out a deep sigh.

“Then on to the next case, I guess,” she mumbled.

He didn’t reply though she felt his gaze on her face several times. Neither said any more until they were inside her apartment. Evan had her wait by the front door while he did a quick search of all the rooms.

“Is that necessary?” she asked, feeling less secure than she would like. “You said Chris was long gone.”

“I said
probably.
Until we locate him, I’d prefer to be vigilant,” stated Evan as he carried her bag into her bedroom. She trailed after him.

“For how long? What if you never find him?”

“We’ll find him. He’s not sophisticated enough to stay off the grid for long. Until then, you’ll have a security detail.”

He said the words casually, as though she should have known that would be the case.

“What kind of security?” Nia exclaimed.

They were now facing each other next to her bed.

“Me. I’m staying here in the short-term. We’ll consider a longer solution if needed.”

He walked past her, out the room and back into the living area.

“Evan, you’re not staying here,” she insisted, annoyed that she was forced to follow him.

“Yes, I am.”

“What if I don’t want you to?”

“You don’t have a choice, Nia. Unless you’d prefer to go back to the hotel indefinitely,” threatened Evan as he stopped in her kitchen.

“This is ridiculous, Evan! I can’t live like this. I want my life back!” she shouted at him.

He clenched his fist at his side.

“What would you have me do?” he demanded. “Walk away? Leave you here unprotected? They tried to kill you twice, Nia! I’m not taking any chances.”

She turned away, frustrated by the truth. How was she going to resist him, move on, forget, if he was right here with her?

“Look, I know this isn’t ideal. We’re doing everything we can to find Chris Morton. But until we do, I need to be here,” insisted Evan.

Nia looked back at him, standing firm and strong, his arms folded stubbornly across his chest. She had no doubt she’d be physically safe. Her heart and soul were another matter.

“I’m going to unpack,” she finally stated, resigning herself to the situation. “You can stay in the spare bedroom.”

Maybe it will be fine,
Nia told herself as she put away clothes and toiletries, sorted items for laundry. Evan was a professional, and obviously very capable of keeping his distance. He’d done a pretty good job of it since they’d talked on Friday night. He was polite and courteous, but with an icy detachment that was almost familiar to her now. Despite Lianne’s suggestions that he’d wait for her to decide what she wanted, Nia now wondered if he had already moved on. Then in a few days, he’d be gone for good.

It shouldn’t have hurt so much. But it did.

About an hour later, she took several fresh towels out of the linen closet and entered the second bathroom from the entrance in the hallway. The air was moist and steamy, but the room was empty. Nia placed the towels on the counter and turned to the door leading to the guest room, now slightly ajar. Her intent as she pushed it open was only to let Evan know she’d also bring fresh sheets for the bed, but the words immediately lodged in her throat. The room was almost dark, with only the lights from the bathroom spilling into the space. He was standing next to the bed with his back to her, only a towel covering the hard contours of his haunches.

She must have made a sound, because Evan turned quickly toward her.

“Nia,” he whispered.

They stood there, both frozen. Her heart was beating erratically. He looked bigger, harder than she remembered.
So good.

Their eyes met, and he took a step forward.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, looking away. “I . . .”

“No. I’m sorry. I should have closed the door.”

She cleared her throat. Her eyes were drawn back to him, washing over his chest, those arms, trying hard to avoid the narrow valley that ran down the eight-pack of his stomach.

“I brought some extra towels,” she finally stated, turning away a little.

Nia knew she should leave. Turn around, walk away. Firmly close the door between them. But she couldn’t move. Her mind felt cloudy and her body drugged by the heat of his presence. She looked back at him, swallowing.

“I should go,” she whispered.

“Don’t,” Evan commanded. “Stay with me.”

He walked forward slowly as though he were afraid she would run away. She couldn’t move.

“Please stay,” he repeated, before pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

His lips were soft, gentle, coaxing. He was deliciously familiar, stirring warm desire low in her belly. It was always this way with him, no one else. Strong, pulsing, intoxicating. Too good to deny.

Nia kissed him back, pulled into the sensations he created. She stroked her tongue into his mouth, brushing and entwining his.

“Baby,” he breathed hotly.

It felt like forever since they had touched, Nia was starving. She kissed him harder, deeper. Maybe a small taste would be enough, she thought wildly. Just a sample of how good they felt together, then she’d stop, move on. Just a little more time with him.

Evan groaned low and deep, wrapping his powerful arms around her like he’d never let her go. She purred, losing what was left of her willpower. He quickly unbuttoned her shirt, pushing it off her arms. Nia helped. He unsnapped her bra, she pulled it off by the straps. She removed her pants and underwear while he cupped her breasts tenderly, teasing the tips.

His towel fell to the floor, leaving them naked, pressed skin to skin. Breathing harshly, they paused, kissing sweetly, lips stroking. His hot, hard erection was pressed against her stomach. Nia was lost in the pulsing desire, wanting more, needing him, craving the completion only he could give.

“Evan,” she moaned, stroking over his shoulders, clutching around his neck.

He swept one hand between them, down her stomach to brush between her lower lips. She gasped and he moaned.

“So wet,” he uttered. “Jesus, Nia, I want you so much. I need you.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He stopped moving, breathed out harshly, his body quivering with her every touch.

“I need to get protection,” he explained.

“It’s okay, I’m on the pill.”

“Sweetheart, are you sure?”

“Yes,” Nia stated.

Evan lifted her easily by the hips and wrapped her legs around his waist. He was stroking into her within seconds. His slow penetration was unbearably good, until she was filled completely with his hardness. It was so incredible, Nia forgot everything but what she needed. She tightened her legs, flexed her hips, loving the feel of his thrust.

They remained in that position, kissing, breathing, and groaning from the slow, erotic friction. Nia was dying for more, so greedy she begged with soft, kitteny cries. Evan knew her so well and understood her desires. He turned, carrying her, and gently placed her on the bed on her back. Their bodies were still connected; her thighs still gripped his waist. Their eyes met, electric in intensity. He thrust forward, deep, hard. Perfect.

“Nia, baby.”

His fingers found her clit, pressing softly, twirling over the bud.