Rank: Lighthouse Security Investigations Series Read online

  Smiling contritely, he explained, “I hate to end the night so quickly, but I’ve got some work I need to do before tomorrow. Let me walk you to your car, to make sure you leave safely.”

  She visibly started, then quickly schooled her expression. Assuming she had read his interest incorrectly, she pushed her shoulders back and said politely, “I see. Of course, let me just get my phone.” Moving around him, she picked it up and slid it into her purse. Smiling tightly, she moved in front of him and walked toward the door.

  Once outside, he rested his hand on the small of her back as he escorted her to her car but, unlike earlier, tension filled her being instead of warmth. She clicked the locks on her small car and stood to the side as he opened the door for her. She offered a wide smile, but it did not reach her eyes. He moved his hand forward to place it on her waist, but she turned slightly and countered with her own, shaking his hand instead.

  “Thank you so much for dinner. I had a nice time,” she said.

  Before he had a chance to reply, she turned and climbed into her vehicle, closing the door. He lifted his hand to knock on her window but she was already starting the engine. Checking to make sure she was clear, she backed out of the spot without meeting his eyes and headed towards home.

  Frustration pouring off him, Rank cursed as he walked toward his own vehicle. He had gotten a text while she was in the bathroom that he could not ignore, which meant he had had to end their date early. He could not blame her for closing up and being mad at him for the apparent change in their plans, but it still hurt a lot more than he had expected it to. It was not a line—he did have to work—but he knew it sure sounded like one.

  The timing of everything just could not be worse. Rubbing his hands over his face, he let out a deep breath. Their date. It was not even supposed to be a real date, but it had damn sure felt like one. He had expected her to be stuck-up, given her upbringing, but instead she was a delightful dinner companion.

  Hell, who am I trying to kid? She’s a goddamn knockout with a fuckin’ funny personality. Everyman in the room was wishing they were me from the way they watched her walk back from the bathroom.

  Reaching his vehicle, he unlocked the door and slid in. What had she said? “I appreciate your honesty.” Damn if that had not gone straight to his gut. She had no idea just how badly he wished he could be honest with her. But he had to do his job. If only he could figure out a way to see her again in spite of all that.

  8

  “That was a bust of a date.”

  Driving home, Helena was on the phone with Janice. Hearing her friend sputter, she continued, “Everything was going along perfectly. He was gorgeous, seemed to be interested in me, asked questions, made eye contact, checked to make sure I was okay from our first encounter.”

  “So what happened?”

  “I have no idea. After we ate, I excused myself to go to the ladies’ room to wash off all the barbecue sauce and when I came out, he was all tense and reserved. He said he had to work tonight and that was that. He simply ended the date.”

  “Well…,” Janice began, “maybe he got bad news, like his cat had suddenly gotten sick or something. Maybe his boss called him in super late at night. Maybe—”

  Turning onto her street, she interjected, “Yeah, and maybe he just decided that the date had gone as far as it needed to go. I guess if you figure out early enough that the other person just isn’t what you’re looking for, then why prolong it?”

  “Then why the hell was he sending you mixed signals?”

  She pulled into her parking space and turned off the ignition. “I don’t know. It was probably a mistake to go out with him in the first place. It’s not like my heart was involved,” she winced at her own semi-lie. It might have been fast, but her heart was most definitely willing to play. “But it is kind of a kick to the old ego.”

  “You know that makes him a Class A idiot, right?”

  Her lips curved as she listened to her best friend. “I’m home now, so I think I’ll go in and have a glass of wine, take a long bubble bath, and even though I’m stuffed from a big dinner, I might find some room for a little ice cream before I go to bed.”

  “Sounds like a plan, sweetie.”

  Disconnecting, she grabbed her purse and went inside. Immediately feeding Oscar, Grover, and Prairie Dawn, she then went into her kitchen and poured a large glass of wine.

  Thirty minutes later, her head laying against the side of the tub with steam rising from the warm bubbles, she sipped her wine. The three cats made their way into the bathroom, appreciating the warmth of the room.

  She sighed heavily knowing that the truth of the matter was, she really had enjoyed the date with Rank. It was the first time in a long time that she had been out on a date where she was completely intrigued with her partner.

  The last man she had gone out with had been months ago and they only dated for three weeks before he found out that she was not going to be a way in for him to get a job with her father’s company. She had been asked out several times by business associates who worked for her father, but those men had never interested her. And, I was never sure that they were not more interested in what I could do for their careers.

  Peering over the side of the tub at the cats, she said, “You guys like me, so why didn’t he?” With a huff, she sat up quickly, causing the water to slosh around. “Of course, maybe it’s because I’m the type of woman that prefers to stay at home talking to her cats.”

  Flipping the plug, she stood and stepped over onto her bathmat, wrapping up in a thick towel. After drying off, she pulled on her flannel pajamas and tied a fluffy robe about her waist.

  Climbing into bed, she leaned against her pillows, piled up against the headboard, and began to read. Finally, after giving up on getting lost in the fictional romance when her own romance was so obviously non-existent, she tossed her e-reader to her nightstand and flipped off the light. As cavalier as she had tried to sound with Janice, the reality was, she had been really attracted to Rank. Not just his gorgeous looks, but the way he made her laugh and how comfortable he made her feel.

  Rolling over to her side, she punched her pillow. Finally giving in to exhaustion, she fell asleep.

  Exiting the elevator, Rank moved through security and into the main LSI room. Seeing Mace, Walker, Josh, Drew, Babs, and Cobb still there, he hurried forward. “What’s up?”

  “Have you made contact with Lawrence?” Mace asked.

  Shaking his head, he said, “No. I got a message to him letting him know that we would arrange another meeting since last night’s was interrupted but haven’t heard back. Why?”

  “News just came to us from the State Police. A man was pulled out of the Piscataqua River this afternoon. Initial identification was Lawrence Griffey. Senator Tercelli has been notified. The FBI wants us to continue our investigation.”

  “Fuck,” he said under his breath. Looking up, he saw Mace observing him carefully. “I was out with Helena Jernigan this evening, when your call came in. She claims she had an appointment with Frank to discuss some charity work, but he messaged her for them to meet at a restaurant. This agrees with what Josh found in Tercelli’s appointments. She said they had barely begun talking when another man came up. She said she didn’t know who he was, thought his name was Anthony, and I believe her. I’d stake my career on this. She has no idea who Kozlov is, simply had the unfortunate experience of being in the same place at the same time.”

  “And her leaving so abruptly, then ending up in the alley?”

  “Said Kozlov was hitting on her and when his hand landed on her leg under the tablecloth where Frank could not see, she jumped up to get away.” As he repeated her story back to his coworkers, he found his anger ratcheting up at the idea that slime like Kozlov would have had his hand on Helena.

  “You believe her?” Walker asked.

  Nodding, he said, “Yeah, I do.”

  Mace stared for a moment before nodding as well. “I trust your instincts.
”

  He sighed heavily, then added, “There’s more.” Seeing all eyes on him, he continued, “She saw Lawrence running away last night. And…she knows him.”

  He heard a collective intake of breath all around, followed by numerous ‘shits’ and ‘fucks’.

  Walker asked, “Does this put her right in the middle of everything?”

  He sent a hard stare toward his friend, but before he had a chance to retort, Walker continued.

  “What I mean is, in light of Lawrence’s death, is she safe?” As all eyes landed on Walker, he added, “She may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but if whoever killed Lawrence knows that he had seen her earlier in the evening, they might think she knows more than she does. Or if Kozlov has an interest in her…?”

  His hands, resting on the top of the table, clenched into fists. Forcing them to relax, he scrubbed his hand over his face. “Jesus, I swear this was going like clockwork until Helena dropped from the sky.” That comment elicited a few chuckles, doing little more than breaking the tension. “Gonna be honest, I like her. From all I found out and all I’ve been told, and spending time with her… she’s a really great person. Another time, another place, and I’d be all over that.” He lifted his gaze to Mace, and admitted, “I’m at a loss here, boss. How the fuck do we keep her safe without her learning anything?”

  Babs stood from her desk and walked over, plopping down in one of the chairs at the table. “You’re not giving her enough credit,” she announced, her gaze pinning him to the spot.

  Shaking his head, he argued, “Babs, not every woman is a badass like you. Sure, she’s smart. But she’s also part goof and part innocent.”

  “What are you really afraid of, stud?” she snapped back. “I think she deserves to know what she might be up against but then, of course, that means she finds out you’ve been digging into her.”

  He remained quiet and her gaze softened, sensing she had touched on a sorespot. “Look, guys. If you think she’s in danger, then it’s your job to keep her safe. How you do that is up to you, but don’t underestimate her. She sounds like a smart businesswoman who has a kind heart. That doesn’t make her incapable of understanding that she might be in danger.”

  “Damn, girl,” Drew said, giving her a wink. “I knew under all that badassery there was a woman with a heart of gold.”

  She threw back her head and laughed, then, with her palms flat on the table pushed herself to a stand. With a wink to the others, flipping Drew her middle finger, she walked back to her desk.

  Mace stood also, and said, “Let’s all get some sleep. Be back here first thing in the morning, ready to dig in more to the link between Frank Tercelli and Kozlov. By then, we’ll have more on the death of Lawrence and we’ll put in place a plan to keep Helena safe.”

  Helena walked into work uncharacteristically late but bearing a tray with three coffees from the coffee shop around the corner. Surprised not to see Anna sitting at the reception desk, she walked back to their small workroom. There she found her two employees.

  “I know, I know, you must think the world is coming to an end since I was not already here early. But, at least, I bring gifts from the coffee gods!”

  Anna and Todd turned in unison and looked at her, no smiles on their faces. She stopped in her tracks, and asked, “What on earth is wrong?”

  “Do you remember Senator Tercelli’s aide?” Todd asked.

  Staring blankly for a second, she jerked as she said, “Lawrence? Lawrence Griffey. I actually saw him the other night. Why?”

  “It’s all over the news this morning,” Anna said. “He’s dead.”

  Plopping the tray of coffees on the table, she stared dumbly. “But how? He so young and I figured he was in good health.” The sudden thought of him smoking ran through her mind, but before she had a chance to ponder that further, Anna continued.

  “He was pulled from the river.”

  Sucking in a quick breath, she asked, “An accident? Oh, no—” Anna shook her head and she gasped. “Suicide? Oh my God, I can’t believe it.”

  Todd also shook his head slowly, and said, “They’re not talking about suicide, Helena. They suspect foul play.”

  She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no utterance came forth. A full body shudder ran through her as the import of his words suddenly sunk in. “Foul play? Like…murder?” She felt her knees give out and, glad there were chairs nearby, she landed in the nearest one. Her mind raced with thoughts of Lawrence and Rank in the alley. She knew she had heard them talking, but what if it was not just idle chitchat as Rank had claimed? On second thought, if that were the case, why would he lie about their connection? She normally took people at their word, but everything surrounding Rank was unusual and, given what she had just learned, she found herself uncharacteristically suspicious all of a sudden.

  “Helena, are you okay?” Todd asked. “You look pale.”

  She licked her lips, then said, “I’m fine. Honestly. It’s just such a shock.”

  “Did you know him well?” Anna asked.

  “No. I only met him once when I ran into Senator Tercelli and his wife out at dinner. Lawrence was with them and I was introduced. We chatted for a few minutes. He was Thomas’ right-hand man.” Her mind still racing, she needed to escape to her office to think things through. “Well, I…uh…need to get to work. You all can enjoy the coffee.” With that, she stood and made her way back to her office, closing the door behind her.

  No matter how much she tried to concentrate on her work, she could not get Lawrence from her mind. Foul play. She could not remember if he was married but knew that he was very close to Thomas. Her phone rang, jarring her from her musings, and she welcomed the interruption.

  The call was from an organization that provided before and after school programs that had been turned down for the last several grants they had applied for. Hoping that they might be able to get on her list of organizations to connect with donors, she took down all of their information. Just as she was hanging up, Anna knocked once and popped her head through her doorway.

  “You’ve got a visitor and you’re going to want to see him,” Anna said cryptically, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Before she had a chance to interpret Anna’s meaning, Rank walked into her office. Stunned to see him again, she stared, her irritation from the previous night flooding back even while she admired the way his button-up shirt and jeans showcased his body. She tilted her head to the side, the unasked question dangling between them.

  He stepped closer, his smile very nearly disarming, but not quite. She was not going to give in so easily. “Good morning, Helena.”

  Lifting an eyebrow, she continued to stare.

  “I thought I would come by and see how you were today.”

  Her jaw tightened as she kept her mouth closed. His smile slipped ever so slightly but, still, she remained silent.

  “I get the feeling that you’re not glad to see me,” he said eventually. Without waiting to be invited, he moved to the chair in front of her desk and sat down.

  Realizing he wasn’t going to disappear into thin air, she finally said, “Rank, this is my place of business. What are you doing here?”

  “I had a good time last night. I just wanted to see you again—”

  She threw up her hand, palm out toward him. “Stop right there. I thought we were having a lovely time last night, but by the time I got back from the restroom, you could not end the date fast enough.” He opened his mouth but she continued, not giving him a chance to speak. “Hey, I’m a big girl. That’s fine. Not every date goes the way you want it to and certainly not every person is going to want to get to know you better. But you’re the one who sought me out. You’re the one who asked me out. And then you’re the one who dropped me like a hot potato last night.”

  Once more he opened his mouth, but she was on a roll and decided to just go with it. “In fact, nothing about this makes sense. I see you with someone, then you deny that you
know them. Then you ask me how I know them and now, today, I find out that they’ve died, and here you are again.” She narrowed her gaze, eyeing him speculatively, but was unable to discern a change in his expression.

  The silence in the room was deafening for a moment, but then he leaned forward, placing his forearms on her desk and holding her gaze.

  “You’re right, I haven’t been forthcoming,” he declared. “I’m an investigator.”

  Leaning heavily back in her chair, she huffed out a breath before exclaiming with wide eyes,“I knew it! I knew something must be going on.” Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she bolted upright in her chair, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “Oh, I get it now. You just wanted to know if I had any information. Our ‘date’,” she said with her fingers making air quotes, “was just a ruse for getting information.”

  Rank immediately shook his head, and denied the claim. “No. Our date last night was legitimate.”

  “Rank, don’t be ridiculous. It now makes perfect sense. I interrupted something between you and Lawrence, and now he’s…uh…uh…” Her eyes darted toward the door as she realized the implication of her words.

  “Jesus,” he said. “Do you not have any sense of self-preservation?”

  Blinking, she asked, “Me? What are you talking about?”

  He grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed, feeling the tension in his muscles. “Yeah, you, Helena. You blurt out whatever’s on your mind before you think it through. While that openness is generally delightful, it makes me worry about you saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.”

  Huffing, she replied, “And just how am I supposed to know that you’re not the wrong person? For that matter, how do I even know you’re an investigator?”

  He nodded slowly, and said, “That’s better. Anyone tells you they’re an investigator, the first thing you should ask is to see their identification.” He pulled out his private investigator license and pushed it across the desk toward her along with his business card.