Chapter 6

CHAPTER

SIX

Stephen waited for Heidi to touch the phone.

Heidi's gaze flittered about as if she were uncertain if answering was wise.

"I won't indicate I'm here," he assured her. "I promise. But I am going to try to trace the call."

He pulled a device from his pocket, one his colleague had given him before Stephen had come here. He quickly plugged it into Heidi's phone and watched a screen appear on his device.

Finally, she drew in a deep breath and hit the Talk button.

"Good evening," Heidi started. "I wasn't expecting to hear from?—"

"Heidi, we have a new job that just came in." Rafferty's gruff voice barked across the line. "I need you to take care of the details for me."

She glanced at Stephen. He nodded to let her know to keep going.

"Of course." Her voice sounded tense. "What do you need me to do?"

"I'll send you all the information about who I'd like assigned and what they'll need. I need you to work on it ASAP. I know it's last minute, but it's important."

"Got it. One more question." Heidi played with the pasta on her plate instead of eating it. Her appetite was clearly disappearing. "Beau is stationed outside my house. I don't understand what's going on. Why is he here?"

"The company has had some threats made against us. My guys can defend themselves. You can't."

Her gaze fluttered to Stephen's again. "You're making me nervous."

Stephen twirled his finger in the air, indicating she should keep talking. She was doing a good job with her subterfuge. He stored that fact away.

"You should be nervous," Rafferty told her. "That's why I want you to stay inside where it's safe. At least until this passes."

"Who's threatening you?" she asked. "Is it someone I should be aware of? Someone I should keep my eyes open for?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure. But I'd keep my eyes open for Stephen Garner."

She gasped. "Stephen?"

"He's gone rogue."

Stephen bit down, grinding his teeth. That man was trying to turn Heidi against him.

Classic Rafferty move.

Her hands began to tremble. "Why? What happened?"

"You don't need to worry about those details. I've gotta go. I'm sending you the info now. Take care of it for me."

Before Heidi could ask more questions, the line went dead.

Heidi's hands trembled as she finished the call. She felt Stephen's gaze burning into her and lifted her eyes to meet his, not sure what she would find.

She halfway expected him to be angry that she hadn't been able to keep Rafferty on the phone longer.

Instead, compassion lined his gaze. "Good job. I know that wasn't easy, but you kept your composure."

His compliment caused a surge of warmth to rush through her—though she tried not to show it. Her life had been so solitary lately. In truth, she'd felt a little lost and a lot lonely.

Rafferty certainly didn't give out compliments. She'd kept her boundaries up with the guys in the office. Stephen had been the exception.

She'd always known there was something different about him.

"He said I should watch out for you," she stated. She prayed the wool wasn't being pulled over her eyes.

"He's just trying to turn you against me."

She stared at him another moment, hoping he was telling the truth. Still uncertain, she licked her lips. "Were you able to locate Rafferty?"

Stephen shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

"If Rafferty really is guilty of doing the things you said, then he needs to be brought down. I feel for you and your situation. I do. But I really don't know what else I can do."

Stephen's gaze bore into hers. "He had bugs in your house. A camera. No matter what you think you might know about your boss, it's wrong. He's looking out for one person, and that person is himself. Everyone else is disposable to him."

Heidi's heart lurched into her throat at the words. She wanted to deny that he might be right. But how could she? If what Stephen was telling her was true, then Heidi had unwillingly been drawn into a dangerous game.

She swallowed hard. She needed to figure out exactly what to do.

She glanced at the barely touched food on her plate. "I need to disseminate the information Rafferty sent. If I take too long, he'll be suspicious."

"I agree. I need to see what he sends you."

She pushed her plate away, knowing that her plans for a peaceful dinner had gone up in smoke.

Instead, she grabbed her work laptop and typed in several things. Then she turned the screen toward Stephen.

"The dossier looks pretty standard," she told him. "It's for an extraction. No details on the time and place. He requested three of his guys."

"Who?"

She scanned the list. "Three new guys. He told me he'd hired some new people after Vintage and Nathan died and you left. I actually haven't met them yet."

"He didn't make you help with the onboarding process?"

She shook her head. "There are some things he likes to do himself. He's a bit of a control freak, if you haven't noticed."

"I have," he muttered.

"Basically, Rafferty just listed what equipment would be needed and when. Nothing groundbreaking."

She let Stephen study it a moment, and she took several more bites of her pasta. But her appetite had disappeared.

She didn't want to be in the middle of this, but she was.

Should she quit this job and find another?

She had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. She was in too deep. She knew too much.

Stephen looked up at her, and Heidi knew she was about to receive more news she wasn't prepared for.

"I hate to ask you to do this," he started. "But I need someone to be the inside man—or woman—for us."

Her eyes widened. "You want me to spy on Rafferty for you? If he found out I was doing that . . ."

The grim expression remained on Stephen's face. "I know. It would be bad, and if there were any other way, I would take it. Believe me, I would. But you're our only hope of finding the information we need. Rafferty is an island, and you're the only lifeboat that will get us to him."

Heidi didn't like the sound of that.

She contemplated her options. Rafferty wouldn't let her walk away. If she tried to quit, he would never let her leave. And if he found out she was acting as a spy? He'd be furious.

Either way, she was in a dangerous position.

Before she could decide, the sound of glass shattering filled the air.

Then a smoky scent filled her nostrils.

"Get down!" Stephen yelled before throwing himself over her.