“I like the idea of someone pissed off at the company. Someone you fired, perhaps, who didn’t get to share in the generous bonuses at last year-end.”
“How do you know about those?” Micah had wanted to give some kind of token holiday bonus to everyone, but Fynn had insisted on a real mega-bonus and put his foot down for once. He couldn’t rake in thirteen million dollars personally and not share a chunk with the folks who made his vision happen.
Nolan said, “We always research a principal before agreeing to the contract. I don’t want to find myself committed to protecting some asshole with no ethics. We talked to a couple of your employees. They were very closed-mouthed, but one did mention a huge Christmas bonus, enough to pay off all their credit card debt. That definitely won you their loyalty, by the way.”
“I didn’t do it to buy loyalty. Those bonuses were only fair.” Micah hadn’t agreed, but Micah had never felt the same sharp need for equity and justice in the world as Fynn did. Luckily, when Fynn gave him an ultimatum, Micah had accepted that dividing a million dollars between employees as cheap for the price of keeping Fynn in the lab and working. “We couldn’t keep the company going without everyone in our labs.” And in manufacturing, of course, but RipeBox contracted that part out and he didn’t know those people. He hoped the contractor gave them some kind of bonuses too.
“Okay, whodidn’tget a bonus? Who might feel unfairly treated, cheated, left out in the cold till they’re willing to resort to kidnapping to get their share?”
Fynn tried to think back. For most of the past two years, they’d been building staff, not cutting people. Folks left, of course. Lester’s wife had a tough pregnancy and they’d moved to be near her mother. Julio decided to go back and get his PhD after all. Lori headed to pre-med. “Carolyn Vickers is the lab manager. She’d know on the science end. Micah should know about sales and management.”
“No one you can think of? Maybe someone you didn’t get along with? Someone you reprimanded or fired personally?”
He shook his head. Yeah, he was prone to being short tempered if he was interrupted, and sometimes when a coworker couldn’t follow his line of thought, he got irritable. Back at ZomaChem, he’d never been popular with the other scientists, but he couldn’t remember any actual arguments at RipeBox. Owning the patents and the company meant folks didn’t push back on his ideas like they had at ZomaChem. “No one comes to mind.”
“Oh, well.” Nolan gave Fynn’s back one last rub and stood. “Figures it wouldn’t be that easy. While we work on the problem, I promise, Stone Security will keep you safe.”
“For how long, though? What if they don’t try again, and we’re just… waiting forever?”
“Your brother told us he can afford our yearly rates. Or you might hire in-house security. We can help you with that process. I promise, we won’t leave you hanging without protection.” Nolan’s deep voice held conviction.
I don’t want in-house security. If I must have someone lurking in my space and following me around, I want it to be you.
Since he couldn’t say that to a man he barely knew without sounding pathetic, Fynn went and emptied the last of his coffee down his throat, put the mug in the dishwasher, and headed back to bed. The coffee, and his awareness of six-foot-six of protective male bodyguard in the next room, let him eventually drift back to sleep.
Chapter 4
Nolan’s whole body felt itchy by the time he had Fynn safely home the next evening, to stay settled under Ed’s watchful eye. Itchy on the skin level and deep under the surface, burning along his nerves. He’d stayed with Fynn— their primary— for four shifts in a row, while the others did a security eval and bug check of Fynn’s home, work route, vehicle, and the RipeBox labs, made a few fast improvements like adding video cameras, and Oliver ran a quick but deep dive on all terminated employees.
Taking four shifts wasn’t smart, even with the chance to doze on Fynn’s terrible couch while his people checked out and secured the building. Nolan couldn’t say why he’d felt unable to step away until all their ducks were in a row. Charlie had given him a hard time about it, half joking, half serious, and he hadn’t been wrong. There was something about Fynn Dempsey that woke all of Nolan’s protective instincts.
They had more work to do on the security front. No likely suspects had turned up. Only three people had been fired since the incorporation of RipeBox, and two had since left the state. The other was home with a small child, and Amelia said if the woman was secretly a criminal mastermind, she’d eat her boots.
Nolan let himself out of Fynn’s place into the hallway. Ed, waiting to take his place, popped Nolan on the shoulder. “Time to quit being stupid, boss. Go home, sleep, eat, drink, get laid.”
Nolan rubbed his arm dramatically, because Ed had one heck of a right hook.
Ed gave him an unrepentant grin.
“I plan to do most of those things,” Nolan told him. “Charlie will relieve you at eleven, and I’ll be back at seven.”
“You won’t hang around till eight at night again tomorrow, right?” Ed raised an eyebrow. “What happened to ‘stick to the schedule’ and ‘a tired bodyguard makes mistakes’? Don’t they apply to you?”
“I slept pretty well on the couch,” Nolan lied. Fynn’s couch was not made for someone his size. He couldn’t defend today’s decision to wait around the lab until Fynn was ready to go home, delaying the handover to Ed, so he didn’t bother to try. “How are the video feeds working?”
“Crisp and clear.” Ed held up his phone, showing a split-screen view of six monitors. In the one covering Fynn’s front door, their own images were recognizable. The three window cams revealed dark exterior skies. Additional views showed the lobby and back alley. “There’s a chair by the elevators I can hang out in, if Mr. Dempsey wants his apartment to himself.”
Fynn pulled the door open behind Nolan. Nolan pivoted to see him standing there still in his work clothes, sleeves rolled up and feet bare. “Don’t be silly. If Mrs. Nakimura sees you lurking, she’ll call management or the cops. You can stay in here. And it’s Dr. Dempsey, but please call me Fynn.”
“Just stay out of his way,” Nolan told Ed, unreasonably irked that Ed and Charlie would be the ones suffering on Fynn’s couch tonight.They’re both shorter than me and got sleep last night. They’ll be fine.Somehow that didn’t make him feel better. “Holler if anything comes up. I’ll see you in the morning, Fynn.”
Fynn gave an awkward kind of wave as Nolan turned to go. He forced himself to stride off down the hall, refusing to worry about leaving Fynn’s protection to someone else.Someone I employ. Someone who’s probably better than me.Ed was ex-Special Forces and taught mixed martial arts in his spare time.
Nolan forced his mind off the job as he drove home. He got takeout to skip cooking and ate out of the containers to save washing dishes. After a fast shower, minor kitchen clean-up, and running the vacuum through his place, he still felt too wired to sleep.Ed’s right. I need to get laid.
On a Wednesday night, the choices would be thinner, but Rockenstein attracted a decent crowd any day of the week. Nolan exchanged the hanging-around-home clothes he’d put on for a tight T-shirt and his fuck-me jeans and headed downtown. Chicago’s nightlife rocked well into the small hours, so the streets were busy with cars and pedestrians, and the club lot was full. Nolan paid an arm and two legs to park in an off-street garage, then walked three blocks back to the club.
The doorman collected his cover charge with an admiring up and down look. The dude was only a couple of inches shorter than Nolan and not his type, but Nolan paid a quick homage to his bulging biceps and ripped abs. A lot of hours sweating in a gym, right there. Nolan avoided getting too bulky. At his size, he didn’t need more muscle— speed and stamina were his goals— but he recognized dedication when he saw it.
