Griffin Chapter 8

After we got back from Gerard Industries on Friday, I spent the whole weekend trying to understand what I’d learned that day and how I was feeling. Thank God I had work to distract me. It was now Monday, and I was still confused, but I knew something had to change soon. It was all Hadley Gerard’s fault.

The woman was driving me insane. I didn’t know how to feel or how to deal with it all. First, there was the fact I found out she wasn’t the frivolous, lazy spoiled rich girl I assumed she was. After seeing her at work, I had to ask Travis about her. Recalling all he revealed still shook me.

“Travis, I have to ask. Why didn’t you tell us Hadley had an actual role in your company? Why hide it?”

“We hide it because we’re used to doing it. Remember, most people have no idea she exists. The staff do, but they were all carefully selected and signed ironclad non-disclosure agreements. Believe me, if they talked, they’d be ruined.”

“Okay, I get why you don’t tell the general public, but surely she’s been seen or had to attend different work functions. We know about her, so why not tell us?”

“The rare times she’s been exposed to the public, I introduce her as another engineer, which she is, and use her mother’s maiden name, Mansell, which is how she’s listed in payroll and in her employee file. I hate hiding the fact I have a daughter, and once this whole nightmare is over, I’m done. It didn’t keep her safe, so I’ll deal with it. She’s the future of Gerard Industries. In fact, all the paperwork is drawn up and signed. As soon as something happens to me or if I choose to execute it, she’ll be named the CEO and Director of the company. All voting and stock rights will be hers. When it is executed or I die, she’ll inherit everything. You asked why we didn’t tell you. Why did you assume she was some kind of useless ornament who did nothing but shop and spend money?”

I felt foolish and embarrassed to answer him, but I did. “I’ve had some past experiences in our company as well as personal experience over the years. I’ve been around rich women, and they’ve always been the kind of women you described. You’re right. I assumed she didn’t have to work for anything she had, and she took rather than gave.”

“And now you know that’s far from my daughter. We’re not selfish people. We give to others. We have concerns and causes. We try to use our wealth to make things better for those less fortunate than us. My daughter had to grow up fast and without a mother for the most part. I did what I knew, which was to immerse her in what I did. She has mechanical and science aptitudes like me. She’s also a genius, literally. She graduated from college with her first doctorate in chemical engineering at sixteen and her second in mechanical engineering, specializing in mechatronics at nineteen. She has been the one mainly responsible for many of the developments the company has made over the past eight years or at least played a part in them.

“She sits in on the board of directors’ meetings and provides input. Like the others, they’ve signed non-disclosures too. When she’s not working, she’s involved in charity work, which gets identified merely as Gerard Industries, not as the work of Hadley Gerard. My daughter is a responsible, hardworking, and loving person.”

I’d left that meeting feeling like the lowest asshole. He hadn’t yelled at me or even threatened to have the Dark Patriots or just me removed from their security detail. He merely gave me disappointed looks and told me more about the things she’d done over the last several years. She was nothing like I thought.

You’d think that would help me, but it made things worse. All those things made her more desirable in my mind. I didn’t like women who I couldn’t hold a conversation with, even the ones I just fucked and was done with. I wanted to at least be able to talk some before doing the deed.

Take her intelligence, caring nature, beauty, and sexiness, and she was an irresistible package that I was barely resisting. And I couldn’t stop resisting, not after making such a big deal about not getting involved with our clients and threatening to send all my guys home except Jae and Undertaker.

At night, when I went to bed, it was the worst. I dreamed of her. They were hot, sultry, and frustrating dreams. I imagined what she’d look like naked in my bed. I dreamed of the things I’d do to her and let her do to me. I’d kissed, licked, and touched every inch of her in my dreams. My mouth had been on hers, and my cock had been inside of her in every possible way. I woke up hard and could do nothing but jerk off to get some relief, as unsatisfying as it was. Once was never enough.

It was those dreams, the work, and everything else that had me dragging all day. I attended all my training lessons, and I took my turns patrolling and monitoring the cameras for anything unusual, even though there were people who did that as their job. What I didn’t get to do was lay eyes on Hadley. She was holed up in her room working was all I was told. She even took her meals there. I was assured by her dad that she was fine, and she did this from time to time.

By the time evening rolled around, I knew I had to take a break. I needed to ask one of my guys to take my last patrol so I could get some real rest. I was going to take a sleeping pill. I hated using them, and I rarely did, and never on an assignment, but I needed it. I called the guys to my suite. As they filed in and found a place to take a load off, they gave me puzzled and concerned looks.

“Hey, you look beat, Wraith. Are you alright?” Heath asked.

“Yeah, you look dog tired, man,” Jae added.

“I am, and that’s why I asked you all here. I hate to do this, but if I don’t get some real sleep tonight, I’m gonna be useless. Will one of you take my last patrol and be on-call for anything coming up so I can take a sleeping pill? I hate to ask, and I usually never take them, but I can’t take much more of this no-sleep shit,” I grumbled tiredly. I hated to appear weak or struggling in front of our people, but it was happening.

“Hell yeah, I can do it. You get some sleep. You look like hell,” Beau offered. Right after him, the rest were all offering to do it.

After profusely thanking them, I chose to let Beau do my patrol with Undertaker as the on-call person. After they assured me they had it covered, they left to let me rest. Well, they all did except Undertaker. As the door closed behind the others, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. I was sitting on the sofa in the living area of my suite.

“What’s up, Mark?”

“Wanna tell me why you’re so frazzled and tired? It’s not like you to get like this, especially on an assignment. You’re used to going hours without sleep and for more than a day or two. Are you coming down with something?”

“Nah, I just can’t get any sleep even when I have downtime. My mind won’t shut off.”

“You know what I’m thinking?”

“What?” I asked warily as I pried my eyes open to look at him.

“I think you’ve come down with Hadleyitis.” He smirked.

“I don’t know what the hell that is?” I lied.

“Like fuck, you don’t. You want her, and you’re fighting it for some stupid reason.”

“I don’t want her,” I lied again.

“Okay, well, that’s a good thing then. It’ll prevent a fight anyway. I’ll see you in the morning. Don’t worry, I’ve got this tonight,” he said as he headed for the door. I was up and across the room. I slapped my hand on the door to keep him from opening it.

“What fight? Who would I fight with?”

“Come on, just because you don’t find her attractive doesn’t mean the rest of the men here don’t, and I don’t just mean ours. I know more than one of our guys would give his left nut to have her in his bed. As long as it doesn’t interfere with guarding her or her dad, it’s all good. I’ll let them know.”

“Who the fuck wants her? Tell me,” I snapped. All sleepiness was gone. Anger pumped through my veins. I wanted to call them back and find out who dared to want her. If they were having dreams like mine, I’d kill them.

He threw back his head and let out a loud bark of laughter. “I knew it. You’re fucking gone on her.”

I let go of the door and moved away. “No, I’m not. It’s just not professional. Tell them that. Anyone touching her will find their asses off the case and maybe fired.”

“I’ll let them know, but I don’t think it’ll deter a determined man. See you in the morning. Sleep tight,” he said as he opened the door and walked out. As it closed, I fought not to go after him.

It took me a couple of hours to settle down, even with the aid of the pill. Finally, I found myself getting drowsy. My eyelids fluttered until eventually they closed, and that’s all I remembered.

???

A persistent pounding slowly dragged me from a deep sleep. I didn’t want to go, but something nagged at the back of my mind. It was telling me to wake up. Finally, hearing Undertaker yelling my name made me surface. I stumbled out of bed and to the door in the other room.

“Goddamnit, Wraith, open the fucking door, or I’m coming in,” he bellowed.

I jerked the door open to find he wasn’t alone. Giovanni was with him. They pushed their way inside. “What the hell is going on?” I grumbled, my head still blurry.

“We have a situation. Are you awake enough to hear this?” Undertaker asked.

“Yeah, no, give me a minute. Jesus, I hate these damn pills. Okay, tell me,” I said as I sat down. They found seats.

“Jae got an alert.”

“Alert? What kind of alert?”

“The secret one we told no one about. The one he put on the doors of Travis and Hadley’s bedrooms. That kind.”

This woke me the hell up. “Whose door, and did we catch who it was? Or did Travis or Hadley set it off?”

“No, it wasn’t them. They were both asleep. As for catching who it was, no, we didn’t, because whoever it was knew about the cameras in the hallways, and they avoided every one of them or turned them away without being seen. It wasn’t until the alarm went off when her door was opened that he or she knew anything was wrong. They beat their ass out of there before any of us could get to them. We’ve got the others out looking. Shit, we need those fucking dogs,” Mark swore.

“Is she alright? Who do we have searching?” I was up and running to the bedroom to get dressed as I asked. I was in my damn underwear, and I couldn’t go roaming the house or grounds like this.

“Just our guys. I didn’t know who to trust out of the others. She’s upset, and so is Travis. We have them secluded in his study, with Ben and Jae guarding the door. We wanted to let you know, and then we’ll get out there,” Mark answered from the doorway as I jerked on my jeans.

“Give me five minutes, and I’ll be out there too.”

“I think you’d better go talk to them. I don’t like this. How the fuck could someone make it inside the grounds, let alone the house?” he snarled.

“It has to be someone with access or who lives here. It’s the only answer.”

“That’s my guess, and it leaves us with fifteen people, assuming we’re right. As unlikely as it is, there’s still the chance someone got in,” Giovanni said from behind him.

“Shit, you’re right. Go. Make sure they stay in the study and know I’ll be there shortly.”

“We will,” was all I got before they disappeared.

I rushed to put on the rest of my clothes and brushed my hair and teeth. The last thing I did before I ran out the door was to tuck my gun into my waistband and my backup into my boot. It didn’t take me long to get to Travis’s study on the first floor. Ben and Jae were alert. When they saw me coming, they gave me chin lifts and moved so I could knock and call out.

“Travis, Hadley, it’s Griffin. I’m coming in.”

“Please do,” Travis answered back.

“You guys stick around,” I informed Jae and Ben.

“Got it,” Ben said.

Opening the door, I hurried inside. As I shut it behind me, I scanned to see how they were doing and, as always, looked for threats. It was automatic for me after all these years. They were sitting on his sofa. He had his arm around her, and her head was hanging down. My worry increased as I went to them. I sank down on my knee beside her.

“Hadley, I need you to look at me, please.”

When she did, I didn’t see what I thought I would. I expected fear or even tears. What I got was fire. She was pissed. Travis was the one who appeared to be worried. “Are you alright?” I asked.

“Hell no, I’m not alright! Some son of a bitch was in our house and tried to get into my bedroom. It wasn’t by accident. They knew where the cameras were. I wanted to help find them, but I was told I had to sit in here on my ass like some damsel in distress. I want to be out there finding whoever it was,” she snapped.

Seeing her so fired up made my desire for her burn hotter. It took all my restraint not to kiss her right there in front of her dad. Instead, I smiled at her, which surprised her. “Darlin’, if you keep this attitude up, I might have a job for you after this is over with,” I teased her.

She looked surprised for a second or two, then she laughed, and her body relaxed. “You couldn’t afford me. I don’t come cheap.”

“We’ll have to negotiate then. Okay, seriously, did you see or hear anything?”

“No, I was dead asleep, then suddenly that alarm Jae installed and told me to engage at night when I go to bed went off like a bullhorn. It damn near gave me a heart attack, and the way whoever it was ran, it did him too.”

“Was it a man?”

“I think so. I mean, I don’t know for sure but I just can’t see it being a woman. Please tell me the guys have found something.”

“So far, no, or they would’ve called me. If you two are alright, I’m going to leave Jae and Ben here, and I’ll go join the hunt. They’ll keep you safe.”

“Go, we’ll be fine. We’re armed as well, and I promise we don’t shoot without knowing who or what we’re shooting at,” Travis assured me. I wasn’t thrilled having them armed, but I couldn’t tell them no. It was their right.

Reluctantly, I got to my feet. After one last look, which was mainly at her, I left them. After I ordered the guys to remain there, I hurried outside and called Undertaker. I wanted to know where they were so I could search somewhere else. Whoever did it would pay for invading their home and trying to go for her. She was wrong. She was the target, not her dad.

We combed the estate for hours. Everyone who lived on it had to be woken up. All denied hearing or seeing anything. There was no way to know if they were lying or had left their homes. Damn it, we needed more eyes. It was too big with too many people for us to monitor it all.

It was almost dawn when we returned to the main house. I knew they were probably anxious to have an update, so we went straight to the study. All of us gathered there. None of the regular guards were invited. This had to be between us and the Gerards. As we’d searched and came up empty, the more convinced I became that we had to make a change. This only illustrated why. I hoped they felt the same, but if they didn’t, I’d have to find a way to change their minds. I’d pulled Undertaker aside before we went inside and told him my thoughts. He was a hundred percent in agreement.

“Did you find anything?” Hadley asked as soon as we entered. She was pacing the room. Travis was sitting slumped on the sofa. He looked tired and pale.

“Let’s sit down, then we’ll tell you,” I suggested.

Surprisingly, she went to sit by her dad without an argument. We all found a spot to sit or stand. Undertaker nodded to me when I looked at him. I guess he was leaving this to me. I was fine with taking point.

“We searched the entire estate. We found no one. There was evidence of some crushed shrubbery along a section of the stone wall in the southwest corner. It’s possible whoever it was came in and went out that way. We spoke to all the staff who live on the estate, too. They all claim to have been asleep and didn’t know anything was wrong until we woke them up.”

“You sound like you don’t believe them,” Travis stated.

“I don’t know if I do or not. At this point, I’m suspicious of everyone other than our men, which brings me to what I need to talk about. I want to separate you two. Alone, you’re a big enough target, but together, it’s too much. Plus, this property is too vast to keep secure. We have holes, as we found, even with all the extra cameras and alarms we installed. The fact the person knew where the cameras were suggests insider knowledge. They could work here or know someone who does.”

“Where would we go?” Hadley asked.

“I have a spot in mind that I think would be ideal for you, Travis,” Undertaker said quietly.

“Where?”

“I don’t want to say where. Just know it’s remote, off the grid, so to speak, meaning no one would tie it to me. It has security and can be defended. It’s a cabin.”

I was surprised he was offering his refuge. Since he and Sloan had gotten together, he had purchased a cabin, which they used as their getaway when things got too much for him. He was right. It would be ideal.

“Okay, if I agree to go there, where will you take Hadley?” Travis asked. I knew he’d be more worried about her than himself.

Undertaker glanced over at me, and I took my cue. “I have a place.”

“Back in Hampton?” Travis asked.

“No, somewhere else. I’d want to take her where I’d have help protecting her without anyone guessing she’d be there,” I explained.

“Can I know where that is?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, like you, it’s better if you don’t know exactly. I can assure you she’ll be safe, and it’ll be no more than a day’s travel away unless it becomes too dangerous and we have to go further. I know you don’t like the idea, but we don’t know how else to tighten the protection. You have all this, and then there’s the corporate office. Hadley, do you have to go back for anything hands-on again?”

She thought for a minute or so before she answered me. “Technically, no. The engineers can handle it. I just prefer to be there, but as long as I can check it out before we deem it ready for testing, then I don’t have to be there. That gives you a month, maybe six weeks, by my calculations.”

“Make the arrangements. When do you need us ready, and how are we leaving so we aren’t followed?” her dad asked.

“Where’s your pilot? We saw the helicopter pad and the hangar where you keep two helicopters. That would be the best way, at least, to get you to a staging area and then take you from there, so even the pilot won’t know where you went,” Undertaker said.

The two of them exchanged grins. “That won’t be an issue. Both helicopters can be taken, and no one will be the wiser,” Travis told us.

“How? You have more than one pilot?” I asked.

“Yes, although we do employ a pilot, both of us are licensed pilots as well. I can fly one and Hadley the other. If we do that, I assume the other Patriots will return to your headquarters.”

To say I was stunned was an understatement. We weren’t expecting this, but after the past several days, I should know that this family was full of surprises. “That would be perfect. How quickly can you get some of your things together? We’d like to be out of here before noon. We’ll need to make a few calls to get things set up. Try to do it quietly so no one will know we’re leaving until the last minute. If they ask where you’re headed, tell them you aren’t sure. I wish there were another way, but I can’t think of one.”

“Honestly, I can’t either. I hate leaving those who are trustworthy without answers, but since we don’t know who it might be or how they’re getting their information, we have to treat everyone as a suspect. I can be ready by ten. Hadley, do you think you can be ready by then?”

“Dad, I can pack in a hurry. I do have to call in and check with the others at the lab, but I’ll act like it’s a regular check-in and not say anything about going anywhere. If we’re doing this, we need to eat breakfast as usual so no one suspects, and then we can pack and be ready to go. The helicopters should be gassed up and ready for takeoff. It’s only a matter of doing our preflight checks. Who’s flying with us versus driving back? I assume you’re riding, Mark.”

“I will, but I’ll meet you, Travis, in Hampton, at Dark Patriots headquarters. I’ll take you from there. We have a hangar nearby where you can store your helicopter. I’ll have Ben fly with you.”

“It works for me. I have the address. We’ll need to clear our flight plans, too.”

“Good, now who’s going with me?” she asked.

“It’s you and me. We’ll be flying directly to our destination. I’ll give you the specs in private so you can clear your flight plan as well. We won’t need anyone to go with us. We’ll have plenty of protection once we land.”

She seemed to tense at my words, but then she relaxed. With this in place, we got started. I went with her to her office, which I’d only discovered she had, and I gave her our destination. I saw her surprise. I hoped that meant no one would guess. Soon afterward, I left her to do her thing while I made my calls and packed my stuff.