Morning After (A Reynolds Security Novel) (2 page)

Chapter 2

Erica walked into the salon and a woman with dark spiky hair met her at the door.

"I got your text. What's your hair emergency?" The other woman's eyes were glued to her head as if looking for a bald spot.

"Calm down Suz. I just want to go back to my natural color." Suzy looked at her thoughtfully for a minute.

"You finally kicked Marco to the curb?" Erica winced slightly.

"That obvious?"

"You should change your hair to please yourself. Not to please a man." Suzy walked past her, locked the door and turned off the front lights.

"You closed up just for me?"

"Of course darling, we don't need any witnesses for our debauchery." Suzy laughed and swiveled a chair for Erica to sit in.

Once Suzy had the color in Erica's hair to set; she handed her a glass of wine and sat down.

"So, are you done for good this time?"

"Yes."

"Thank God!"

Erica gaped at her friend. "You didn't like him? You never said anything."

"Oh darling it wasn't so much that I didn't like him it's just that he never seemed genuine. Always peppering everything with Italian like English wasn't his first language. Hello, he is second generation American.
'Ciao Bella'." Suzy's imitation of Marco made Erica laugh. Suzy's expression sobered slightly as she met her friend's eyes.

"What does this mean for the five year plan?"

"I guess I start over." Erica sighed.

"Remind me the steps of the plan again."

"Year one is getting to know the person and dating. Year two is living together. Year three is getting and being engaged. We'll get married at the beginning of the fourth year and by the end of that year we'll start trying for a baby. So by the end of the fifth year I'll be holding my baby." Erica could see the skepticism in her friend’s eyes.

"Erica, you do realize that some things you just can't plan?"

"Everything important I've done in my life has had a plan and a timeline."

"Darling, this isn't like getting a degree or starting a business. This is far more complex and it's forever. Stop obsessing about timelines. Find yourself a man that treats you right and makes your toes curl in bed." Erica burst out laughing at that.

"That would be even harder. I have never met a man that made my toes curl in bed."

"Well darling if you are going to say forever to a man make sure it's one you're going to want in your bed forever."

"What's got you so distracted?" Ethan dropped his brows in a frown as he squirted water into his open mouth.

"What are you talking about? You haven't gotten in a single good shot." He scowled across the ring at his closest friend. They had been through hell together. He knew Jace could read him like a book but that didn't mean he was going to admit anything.

"You haven't wiped the floor with me yet."

"Maybe I decided to go easy on you."

"That'd be a first!" Jace snorted, "Come on something's been up for weeks. You'd tell me if you were planning to fire me wouldn't you?" Ethan had to laugh at that.

"Jace this place would be boring without you." It was the truth. Jace brought a little levity to every situation. But the fact was
, he and Jace were partners. He couldn't fire him even if he wanted to, which of course he didn't. "Besides no one else will let me kick their ass on a regular basis."

"Let's go another round. I think I can kick yours today."

"Mr. Reynolds, you need to hit the showers or you'll be late for your one o'clock."

"Saved by the bell," Ethan grinned. "On my way Norma," he called over his shoulder.

"Hurry up, mommy's calling."

"You're just jealous because my assistant actually has skills, whereas the ones you keep hiring for their legs are completely useless."

"They aren't completely useless. They are very nice to look at." Ethan laughed as he walked from the gym to the elevator. There were showers in the locker rooms off the gym but he preferred the shower in the private bathroom off his office.

"Thanks for the heads up Norma," he said as he crossed through her office to get to his.

"No problem, sir. Here are your messages." He knew Norma mothered him but he didn't mind. He had served with Norma's son. He'd been killed in action in the same attack that had earned him a medical discharge. She no longer had a son to mother and he'd never had a real mother so it worked out well for both of them. Besides, he understood her. When she did it, it was called mothering and nurturing. When he did it, it was loyalty and protectiveness.

He finished his shower with five minutes to spare and it occurred to him he didn't know what his one o'clock was. He sat down in front of his computer and saw an instant message from Norma.

"One o'clock is a job interview, details in your inbox." He had to smile, she knew him so well. He opened the resume in his email and did a quick scan. Lou Santiago recently finished a tour with the Army where he'd served in the weapons depot. Ethan liked to hire ex-military not just out of a patriotic duty. But because he knew what it was like to be dropped back into the civilian world and wonder what you were going to do next. That's why he started Reynolds Security, to hire guys just like him. He IM’d Norma to show him in and rose to greet him. He barely managed to hide his surprise when he realized Lou was a woman. 

Chapter 3

“Good afternoon Ms. Santiago. I am Ethan Reynolds.” He put his hand out and the young woman shook it firmly. “Please have a seat.” He resumed his seat behind his desk and noted the young woman in front of him. She looked very young, but he knew she couldn’t be as young as she looked because she’d been in the army. She was petite and obviously a Latina. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun at her neck.

“So how long have you been out?”

“Six weeks, Sir.”

“Not long at all. How are you adjusting to civilian life?”

“Just fine, Sir,” she said tightly. He could see she wasn’t interested in opening up to him, not that he could blame her.

“Took me a while, longer than some I guess.”

“I was back state-side for a few months before discharge.”

“Oh that helps.”

“Yes Sir.”

“You don’t have to call me Sir, Ethan is fine. So here at Reynolds Security we do a bit of everything. From basic sit behind a desk and watch a monitor security to body guard protection. We also do a lot of consulting with individuals and companies on how to make their lives and businesses safer and more secure. Where do you think you would fit into the company?”

They talked for about forty five minutes but she never loosened up at all. She offered a tight smile where appropriate but she was clearly just going through the motions.

Finally he leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “Tell me why you think this interview is a waste of time.” She looked startled for a second but then the calm mask slid back into place.

“I don’t think you’re interested in hiring someone like me.”

“Someone like you?”

“A woman, Sir.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I was told that this was a boys club.”

“No more so than the US military.” He smiled, she didn’t. The look in her eye seemed to say he proved her point.

“Ah, it was like that, huh?”

“It was like that.” He looked at her directly for a moment, and then took a deep breath.

“I take back the comparison then. We are not a boys club. However, we are pretty tight knit; most of us are ex-military so we’ve naturally formed a unit. We have a few female employees, though I admit not many, but that is from a lack of applicants not a gender bias.” The door opened and Jace walked smoothly through. “This is my partner Jace Carpenter. We have a thirty day probationary period while we get a feel for whether or not you can handle the job and you get a feel for whether you want it. Jace here is going to give you a tour of the facility. My assistant will give you an overview packet for benefits. Offer of employment is conditional on passing a drug screen. We have a zero tolerance drug policy.” He stood and offered her his hand. “We look forward to having you on the team.”

She looked slightly stunned as she followed Jace out the door and he had to smile to himself. She would make it through the probationary period. She was tough. She would be a valuable addition to the company. Ethan stretched and rolled his shoulders. He stepped to the window. His eyes were drawn to the little coffee shop across the street several floors below. Too bad he couldn’t be as confident about her. 

Ethan was surprised to see that Erica was no longer blond when he stepped into the shop at his usual time. He was so surprised that he just stood there and stared for a minute. Her hair was a warm honey brown now. He had never thought the platinum blond was natural but he hadn’t thought about what she might look like with a different color. She was beautiful. She was always beautiful but now there was something more approachable about her. Of course that didn’t help him. He still felt as if his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth when he looked at her. She smiled at him and called out ‘Boring Joe’, he knew it was his order but he still hated it. He knew it was his moniker now. He didn’t want her to see him as boring. No one who knew him would ever describe him that way.

He sat in his usual spot and looked up in time to see Jace come in the door. He groaned inwardly, the man was like a dog with a bone.

“Following me now?”

“I prefer the term surveillance.”

“I think surveillance 101 says that I am not supposed to know you’re watching.”

“Sometimes you have to break cover for the cause. So what’s up? What is special about this place?”

“Just having a cup of coffee.”

“Really?
Something wrong with the fancy shit in your office?” Before Ethan could answer Erica approached and placed a tall white cup on the table.”

“I love the new color.” Ethan said, his tongue still feeling thick.

“Thanks.” Erica smiled and swapped the five on the table with his change. Ethan could see that Jace’s eyes were wide as saucers but he ignored him. Jace caught her before she left,

“’
Scuse me Sugar, can I have one of those?”

“I am Honey,” Erica said tightly, “She is Sugar, and orders are placed at the counter.” Jace, not being as ignorant as he sometimes appeared, lifted his six foot frame out of the chair with feline grace and put his hand over his heart in a show of sincerity.

“I apologize. I am from the South, we call everyone Sugar.” He smiled pouring on the charm and Ethan was ready to spar again, with more enthusiasm this time. He watched Jace follow Erica to the counter where the other woman took his order. He flirted with her as well. Ethan glared, for the first time ever he hated that easy going charming personality.

“It’s the brunette isn’t it?” Jace grinned when he sat back down. Ethan continued to glare not confirming or denying. “Damn, this is good.” Jace nearly squirmed with delight at his friend’s unease.

“You’re such an ass. I changed my mind, you are fired.” Ethan grumbled.  Jace laughed but before he could reply his cell phone rang.

“Carpenter.” He answered, Ethan listened to one side of the conversation. “Yeah… It’s early isn’t it? No problem, we’ll take care of it, congratulations.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket and leveled his gaze on Ethan. “Darren’s wife is in labor.”

“It’s early isn’t it?”

“He says only a couple of weeks, no big deal.”

“Who do we have on deck?”

“No one qualified.”

“Damn.” Ethan felt his eyes drawn back to Erica. She was restocking straws and napkins. He wasn’t making any progress anyway. “I’ll do it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, no biggie.”

Erica was only slightly relieved when her Boring Joe came back the day after he threatened to find a new coffee shop so she was surprised by how much it bothered her when he didn’t show up the next day, or the day after that. Friday started out bad so it seemed fitting that he wasn’t there. She had no idea when he had become a significant part of her day but she didn’t like it.  Friday on the whole was horrendous. Zoe had gotten a call that her dad was in the hospital so she had gone out of town. Erica had called in someone from the weekend shift but it wasn’t the same as working with Zoe. It was so busy she couldn’t get out at lunch to make the bank drop. Marco called and texted her so many times she shut her phone off, and then just as she was getting ready to leave she realized that Zoe wasn’t there to make the supply order. It took her longer than it would’ve taken Zoe so when she was finally leaving it was dark.

Carrying the money for the bank drop always made her edgy but doing it in the dark made her paranoid. She was jumping at shadows and her heart was pounding when she slid into the front seat of her Honda and locked the door. She took a deep breath and let her heart slow before she turned the key. All she heard was a hollow click. Suddenly her heart was racing again. She looked around out her window. It was dark and fairly deserted behind the building but she could see the lights of passing cars. There was no thick fog or ominous piano music.

“You are being ridiculous.” She said out loud and the sound made her feel a bit better. Deciding to call AAA from her office she got out of her car. Half way back to the building she thought she heard something and turned, before she could fully turn someone grabbed her from behind. She screamed but the sound was cut short by a hand clamping around her throat. 

Ethan pulled his truck up in front of the building. It was late enough that the parking meters weren’t running so he didn’t bother with the garage and parked on the street instead. Just as he reached the glass doors he heard a scream. He turned scanning the area. He didn’t see anyone and he didn’t hear any more screams but his gut told him not to ignore it. He jogged in the direction of the sound dodging through the light traffic and getting honked at for his efforts.

Erica tried frantically to remember what she had learned in the self-defense class she had taken in college. She remembered she could use her keys as a weapon but she had dropped her keys when she'd been grabbed. She clawed at the hand around her throat but the grip didn't lessen and her vision began to dim.

Suddenly her attacker was knocked to the side and lost his grip on her. She fell to the ground and began to cough violently as she tried to pull air into her burning lungs. She looked up but all she could see was two dark figures grappling with each other. It gave a whole new meaning to shadow boxing. The smaller figure took off running and the larger figure chased after him. Not sure which was the original attacker and which was her defender she began to search the ground for her keys even as she continued to cough.

"Erica? Are you all right?" She jumped at the sound of her name she hadn't heard anyone come back. She didn't recognize the voice. But when he knelt in front of her she did recognize the face.

"Joe?" she rasped and coughed.

"It's Ethan actually," he said gently. "Are you OK?"  She started to say yes but the pain stopped her and she simply nodded.

"Keys?" she croaked. He reached back to his belt and retrieved a small flashlight. It was surprisingly bright for its size he swept it back and forth across the ground in search of keys. She finally noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing all black, black jeans, a black t-shirt, a black jacket. She saw a glint of light off metal under his jacket and stiffened.

"Is that a g-gun?" she asked in a whispered rasp.

"Yeah I just came from a job." He wasn't looking at her he was still looking for her keys. Her heart was pounding again she debated just running. Nothing felt real and she couldn't think straight. She stood up and immediately felt a rush to her head that caused her knees to buckle. She
waited for the impact of the ground but never felt it. Instead a strong arm hauled her against a hard chest. Her nose was pressed to the center of his chest and he smelled amazing. The feel of his arms made her want to borrow in deeper and stay there forever.

"Easy, you've had quite an adrenaline rush it can have unpredictable results." He murmured close to her ear and it sent a rush of tingly warmth through her that had nothing to do with the adrenaline.

His hold around her waist gradually lessened as if he were testing her ability to stand on her own two feet.  Even after she was holding her own he didn't completely release her. Reluctantly she pulled away.

"I think I am all right now," she said then coughed, "I should probably call the police."

"Yeah, you should. Can you get in without your keys?"

"Damn, no." She looked around, "I suppose he took my purse."

"Sorry, I tried to catch him but he jumped in a car parked on the street. I got a partial plate."

"It's not your fault. Thank you for helping. You didn't have to. Most people wouldn’t have." She looked at her car, but of course even if it was running it did her no good without keys. "No phone. No keys. No roommate," she mumbled and began walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Find a phone. Thanks again," she rasped and waved over her shoulder. 

"Wait." He caught up to her and casually put his hand on her back. "Why don't we go to my office? You can call from there."

"I don't usually go places with people whose last name I don't know."

"Reynolds."

"Huh?"

"My last name is Reynolds." She had to smile, she didn't want to but she couldn't help it.

"Reynolds... Reynolds Security across the street?”

"The same."

Erica took a deep breath and blew it out slowly despite the pain in her throat. She looked around at the dark alley way. She didn't know this man very well but the last thing she wanted was to be alone right now, and he made her feel safe.
"All right."

He led her gently up the alley with his hand on her back. This time he waited for the light to cross. Neither spoke as he led her across the lobby of the building to the elevators. He waved at the guard at the desk but the man didn't seem to find his comings and goings strange.  They took the elevator to the top. Common sense reared its ugly head and she started to get nervous. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The building was deserted and the only person who now knew where she was probably worked for the man she was with. 

"Relax, I don't bite," he said entirely too close to her ear.