Chapter 5
I’d walked him outside and shut the door, refilled my wine glass, and tossed the sauce into the garbage. I wouldn’t have time to finish dinner. Moving into the bedroom, I flipped on the television and grabbed my suitcase, tossing it on the bed. The nightly news would keep me company while I decided what to pack.
I’d finished packing and dressing before grabbing the envelope on Max’s sister, Amelia, and Amelia’s daughter, Petunia. I’d flipped to the fifth police report. In each report, the stalker was getting more daring than the last. Things were escalating.
FDG would have backed me up if I had decided not to help. That was one perk of being able to freelance. If the threat or the person needed help, the company would help by sending another agent. There was no question about it.
I pulled out my laptop and dug into the family to get a head start. It took only one search to find that Amelia was engaged. Petunia’s sealed records took a bitmore time to uncover. Her deceased father had left her a three-million-dollar trust fund. Amelia had lost Petunia’s dad, her college sweetheart, to a car accident three years ago. I could relate. My parents and sister had died the same way.
The name of Pierce Automotive on the news channel drew my attention from the background work I’d started. My fingers stilled, and I grabbed the remote to turn up the television.
“Carter Pierce, co-owner and CEO of Pierce Automotive, announced today they will hire one hundred women for their new production line. They believe in equal opportunity without the bias of gender.”
A video of Carter Pierce was on the screen's corner. He was shaking hands with a known leader in equal rights for women.
“Mr. Pierce has also made an enormous donation to all the orphans within our town with a pledge to cover college tuition to each childcurrentlyin the system. He says a woman thathe met today inspired both initiatives. When questioned who that person was, he declined to comment, only saying he was righting a past wrong and delivering opportunities he’d once stolen.”
My phone rang the minute the news ended. I didn’t need to glance at the caller ID. I knew the assigned ring tone. Ms. Delany, the FDG herself, was calling. I answered on the second ring.
“I saw it,” I said, bypassing the lecture that was coming. “His brother stopped by too.”
“Where do you think he got your address, dear?”
I should have known he wouldn’t findit himself. I’d buried the home purchase in a list of shell corporations the length of my arm, whichI’d set up just to protect my anonymity.
“Have you changed your mind?” Delany asked.
“I have a personal matter I need to handle before I devote my attention to helping them. Can you get Rose to start surveillance on the sister until I return?”
“Absolutely, dear.” She chuckled. “Oh, and, Gwen, both brothers offerredeeming qualities. So, choose wisely, dear.”
The line went dead, and I stared at my phone in disbelief. It was an unwritten rule that operatives didn’t sleep around with their clients. It made them lose focus on the root of the problem and could cause someoneserious injury. Men more charming than Maxwell Pierce had tried and failed.Ms. Delany’s assessment had me guessing she’d cut out early and hit the bar.
Right on time, Max Pierce pulled into my driveway and popped his trunk. He loaded onesuitcase in the trunk and added the duffel bag at my feet. It clunked when he set it down.
“That was heavy. How long are we staying?”
"That one contains my weapons. If I have my way, I’ll only need one day.”
