Fractured (2 page)

Amber

Amber Holloway fumed as she sat in the luxurious towne car, feeling ridiculous in her tight black leggings, black boots, and snug black turtleneck. A secret spy with no place to go.

She couldn't believe that she had taken Hunter's assurances that she would be part of his plot to catch the couple stealing money and secrets from his family's company. She grimaced as she realized how easily he had fooled her. Now, here she was stuck in the so-called “getaway car” waiting for him to complete the whole operation entirely on his own.

Frustrated, she leaned back in her seat and peeked into the min fridge. This was worse than not being involved at all, she thought irritably as she popped the tab on a diet soda. Then again, she probably should have expected something this low from Hunter. He couldn't seem to resist treating her like a child. Insisting that she stay in the car like some toddler!

She was just as angry with herself, though. Why hadn't she simply told Hunter how she felt and insisted on coming along?  She sighed, rubbing her forehead. Well, didn't she already know the answer to that? As ridiculous as it seemed, she was certain that Hunter wasn't bluffing when he said he would call the whole thing off if it meant a risk to her personal safety.

Okay, for the ordinary woman, maybe that was a good thing. But Hunter had such control issues that it drove her bananas. Ugh! And of course he had saved her life just a month earlier. She wasn't discounting that. Or was she?

Amber pounded her fists on the back of the seat. She just wanted to be herself! Yes, she obviously got herself into some bad situations. But what would life be like living as though she was a fragile flower. She didn't want to be a damn orchid in a beautiful vase.

With that thought, Amber remembered suddenly that she was not in the car by herself. She saw the driver's eyes in the mirror and felt her face flushing. Great! She must seem like a three-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. The driver grinned at her and then quickly averted his eyes.

Amber pretended to suddenly be preoccupied with the view outside her window. The car was parked across the street from the office building. Had she turned a moment sooner or a moment later, she might have missed what happened next. First, one cab pulled up front and Kayla Ross stepped out. Another cab pulled up soon after and Mrs. Ross got out. She walked inside the building just minutes after her daughter.

Amber grabbed her large briefcase. Aha! This certainly changed everything. Hunter was only expecting to deal with Mr. and Mrs. Ross. Neither he nor Amber had even considered the possibility that Kayla might be involved.

Amber found herself grinning. Finally! She was going to get a chance to really participate. She could face Hunter without any qualms about disregarding his direct orders. Surely the change in circumstances warranted her action. When a sliver of doubt presented itself in her conscience, Amber ignored the feeling.

Opening the briefcase, Amber whipped out a gorgeous red wig and a wraparound skirt that was as thin and airy as a filmy scarf. She even had a matching neck scarf to go with it. Very fashionable! She had secretly practiced putting the wig on the day before. Now she was comfortable with only a quick glance in her compact mirror to make sure that it fit properly.

“Sorry in advance for any yelling you might hear from Hunter,” she told the driver, giving him a grin.

To her surprise, the driver merely winked like a conspirator before quickly exiting the car and getting the door for her.

“I don't know anything about anything,” he said, shrugging. “I just sit in the car until I'm told the next desired destination.”

“Thanks!” Amber climbed out of the car.

“Good luck!” the driver called out after her.

Amber grinned and hurried across the street, taking advantage of a momentary loll in traffic. Only two drivers screamed and blared their horns at her.

She slowed and caught her breath as she entered the building. Although one of the guards gave her an appraising look, he clearly did not recognize her. Good! She took the elevator to one floor below her destination. Even if no one recognized her, other employees would want to know what she was doing there if she waltzed through the front door.

Once in the elevator, she stared at herself in the mirror. With the oversized fake glasses, she looked like a completely different person. Maybe she should consider dying her hair the same lovely shade of red as the wig. She felt rather sexy in her disguise.

The elevator dinged and the doors swung open. Two businessmen waited to enter. She smiled at them brightly. One smiled flirtatiously with her. Focus, Amber, she told herself as she walked casually toward an office. But as soon as the elevator doors shut, she hurried to a gray door in the corner.

The stairwell had a musty smell to it. Amber grimaced as she started up several flights of stairs. Good thing she had not had to walk up the entire thing as the company took up the top floor. As she walked up, Amber reminded herself what she was doing here.

Kayla Ross had been a royal pain in her ass since the beginning, first trying to make her believe that Hunter was her boyfriend. That had been a lie. Then Kayla had tried to insinuate that Hunter and his family would never accept Amber. That was another lie, especially since Hunter's family had been overly enthusiastic about her once they met in person.

Amber could only imagine what Kayla's agenda was today. Only a week before, Amber had accidentally seen and overheard Mrs. Ross trying to photocopy sensitive company files while her weak husband, a lead accountant for the company, looked on. When some of the files were missing, Amber heard them planning to return at a later date. That day was today, one of the only days that both of Hunter's parents were safely out of the office.

A company attendance board kept track of when employees were expected in the office. Amber had made sure that both her name and Hunter's were both missing on today's list. Hunter was planning to hide inside a maintenance closet directly across the hall from the photocopier. This was Amber's previous hiding place the week before.

Of course, Amber had fantasized that she would be at Hunter's side while they played a high game stakes of spying. That is, until Hunter had swiftly vetoed that idea. Amber bit her lip. She still wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do. But surely Hunter needed to know that there was another player in the game.

At the top of the stairwell, she hesitated a moment, her palms sweaty. The door had a keypad for entry. This wasn't a hindrance since she had the code as an employee of the company. She just hoped that nobody was walking by the door.  A strange redhead would attract attention.

Amber quickly tapped in the appropriate code, reached up to adjust her fake glasses, and then gently twisted the handle. She softly pushed the door open wide enough to glimpse inside. She pressed her ear to the edge of the opening, straining to hear. When she heard nothing, she swung the door open all the way and strode inside. Success! She fought an impulse to pump her fist.

Okay, now she had to get to that supply closet without attracting attention. She was almost there when she heard footsteps in the hall. Damn! She wheeled and darted into the restroom. Her boot heels clicking, she hurried to the stall. She had just slammed the door shut when she heard the swoosh of the restroom door opening. Just in time!

She peeked out the crack between the stall door and wall and saw Kayla primping at the mirror. She placed a purse on the counter and began to rummage for makeup supplies. Damn! She could be here for a while. Amber felt sweat pool beneath her armpits. She had no idea how much time they had. Maybe Kayla was just here to support her mom. But if she had some other role, Hunter needed to know.

Without even thinking, Amber groaned out loud in frustration.

Kayla froze, then looked disgusted.

Amber realized that the girl must think that she had diarrhea. She smirked. From experience, she knew that if she was in Kayla's position, she would be leaving very quickly to avoid any unpleasant odors. Grinning, Amber moaned again and started pawing at the tissue roller, noisily gathering up handfuls of tissue.

Kayla grimaced and quickly stuffed her lipstick and powder compact back into her purse. She nearly ran from the restroom, her heels clicking noisily on the stone floor.

Amber smiled and exited the stall. She headed straight for a large vent in the corner of the room. Hunter's mom had told her that this particular vent led directly into the maintenance closet to allow plumbers access to the pipes. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small screwdriver and quickly removed several small screws holding the thick mesh screen in place. She removed it, set it to one side and peeked in.

The room was dimly lit but she didn't see Hunter. Hmm. That was strange. He definitely had time to get here already. Or had he only told her part of his plan? Was he planning to do more than simply hang out in the storage closet and film the Ross family as they tried to photocopy classified documents? If that was the case, then she was definitely pissed at being lied to.

Hearing footsteps in the hall once more, she moved inside the maintenance closet and quickly held up the mesh screen. Hopefully, nobody could see that it had been tampered with from within the restroom. As the footsteps continued down the hallway, she gently propped the screen in place the best she could. She stepped around a metal buck on wheels, moving to peek out the slats of the closet door.

But before she could move any further, a hand reached around and covered her mouth.

Amber felt her heart lurch in her chest. She tried to scream but the hand only tightened  against her mouth. And then she heard a familiar whisper.

“Be quiet!” Hunter warned and Amber nodded numbly, realizing that he hadn't recognized her yet.

This could get ugly, she thought, her heart still beating so hard that her chest hurt. Or maybe that was just the tension from being grabbed like that.

She turned around and saw the recognition slowly start to appear in Hunter's eyes. First, there was a glimmer of confusion. Then those beautiful green eyes, still sparkling in the dimness of the closet, darkened as he realized what she had done.

His mouth twitched and Amber saw the veins jump in his neck. Yeah, he was close to freaking out on her. But before he could say a word, heels clicked down the hallway and they both jumped.

Amber wanted to tell Hunter that Kayla was here. She motioned for him to lean closer so she could whisper to him. But he was focused on the slats of the door and only held up a hand in warning for her to remain quiet.

Amber suddenly wondered if they were walking into a trap. What if either Kayla or her parents had seen Hunter enter the building? All too late, she remembered that a security camera showed everyone entering the building. No one would recognize her with the red wig, but Hunter would be easy to spot.

Amber put a hand on Hunter's arm and pointed to the screen. She mimed leaving. But Hunter only pointed his finger at her and nodded a firm agreement that she was to leave. Amber tried once again to move close enough to whisper but Hunter stubbornly ignored her.

Feeling an ominous tension, Amber slid back. Her boot caught the edge of the metal bucket.

Outside the closet, there was a startled yelp.

Amber stopped, horrified. But Hunter angrily motioned her toward the mesh screen.

“I swear I heard something in the closet!”

Amber froze. Crap! If this thing went south, it would be all her fault.

“I heard something too,” Mrs. Ross muttered.

Fear made Amber move quickly. She slipped through the gap in the wall and replaced the screen in record time.

Hunter was right behind her and replaced the screen in one fluid motion. He pointed to the slots where the screws went and Amber's hands flew to her purse.

“We know you're in there. You might as well come out,” Mrs. Ross said in a low voice.

Amber was shaking so hard that Hunter took the purse from her. He yanked out the plastic bag holding the screws and screwdriver. He quickly started putting them back in.

“Kayla, open the door slowly and then stand back,” Mrs. Ross ordered.

“Me?” Kayla quaked. “Why don't you open it?”

Amber finally got her nerves back and helped Hunter. How the hell were they supposed to get out of the restroom without anyone seeing them? This was all her fault.

The only thing helping now was that Mrs. Ross and Kayla were arguing softly. Their voices buzzed in the corridor.

Amber couldn't even blame Hunter for getting pissed at her. She was quite angry at herself. And she wanted to do something that would fix things. If only they had a diversion while Kayla and her mom were focused on the closet door.

Rummaging in her purse, she felt something cold and metal in the bottom. She pulled it out, not even sure when she had put a wine bottle opener in there. But it was about the perfect size.

Hunter stared at her for a second. But he must have figured out what she was thinking because he nodded quickly, took the opener from her, and moved toward the door.

Amber held her breath as Hunter quietly pulled the door open and tensed with his arm raised, the wine opener clenched in his fist. She could only hope that he had a good throwing arm.

Hunter looked back, as though to make sure that she understood that they were going to have to move fast. Then he looked down at her feet, nodded and removed his shoes.

Oh! Good idea. Stomping down the hallway in her boots was not ideal for a furtive escape. She had just slipped off the second boot when more footsteps clattered down the hallway. Heels. Definitely a woman.

Hunter closed the door and hurried over to a stall.

Amber quickly followed, hoping that the woman was not going to the restroom. No such luck. Mere seconds later, the door swooshed open.

Amber's heart thumped painfully as she squatted on top of the toilet, her stockinged feet gripping the smooth seat. One wrong move and she would have a foot in the toilet. But she couldn't resist the bizarre appearance of bare stockinged feet if anyone glanced  under the stall door. Even though she had locked the stall door, her hands were sweaty as she pressed her palms against the sides of the stall walls for balance. She could only hope that Hunter was similarly hidden.

Fortunately, it was a large restroom and the woman walked past the stalls where they were hidden, her heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor. Amber wondered fearfully if Kayla or Mrs. Ross would figure out the link between the closet and the restroom. Time seemed to slow. Finally, the woman finished her business and left.

Amber crept off the toilet seat, and eased out of the stall. Hunter was already by the door, impatiently waiting for her. She slipped behind him and waited, listening as the woman's heel clicks grew softer as she moved further down the hallway.

“She's gone,” Kayla whispered just a few feet outside the door from them.

Using her compact mirror, Amber could see that Kayla and Mrs. Ross were huddled by the copier as though discussing business. It must have been rather awkward as the two women didn't appear to have anything to photocopy.

Beside her, Hunter didn't hesitate. His arm swung up while the two women were still looking away. The wine opener sailed from his hand and pinged against an air-conditioning vent far down the hall.

Predictably, Kayla and her mother started down the hallway to investigate. The two women didn't bother being quiet so it was even easier to slip out of the restroom without being heard. Racing on bare feet, Amber followed Hunter down the hall and around the corner. Thank goodness that the stairwell door was in this direction.

A few minutes later, both she and Hunter were safely in the stairwell. Amber wanted to sit down and let her nerves settle. But Hunter was already slipping his shoes back on. She started thinking about how ridiculous this whole event was. What must Hunter feel like slinking around his family's company office as though he was the one with something to hide?

Without speaking, Amber silently slid her own boots back on. She felt sick thinking about how she had nearly blown the whole thing for Hunter. That wasn't going to be easy to live down, especially since she had willfully disobeyed him. In fact, she was a little surprised that he hadn't already said something. Except, of course, that Kayla and her mom were still in the building and now completely free to continue their illegal activities.

Amber felt pretty low as she followed Hunter down the stairwell. They had to walk the whole way down because each floor's interior doors had security locks for all the other companies in the building.

Amber was breathing hard but wasn't about to complain when they finally reached the bottom. She was also prepared to have to wait it out by herself in the lobby. She had a feeling that Hunter would be headed right back up to the office.

To her surprise, Hunter gripped her elbow and headed straight for the elevator. There were other passengers coming out, but she and Hunter were the only ones headed up.

When Hunter started speaking, Amber meekly listened.

“I had a feeling that you weren't going to listen to me,” he said, softer than she expected.

This sensitive side had an unnerving effect on Amber. She would have preferred that Hunter had gotten angry. This sounded like . . . well, like he was saying that she wasn't trustworthy.

The truth was that she had simply wanted to be part of the action. She had charged into the building with no clearly defined plan. Why else had she put the wig and skirt wrap in her briefcase that morning? Hadn't she avoided showing Hunter the wig this weekend? Hadn't she sneaked it into the hotel room? She had merely been looking for an excuse, any excuse, to intervene.

“I'm sorry,” she said, just as softly.

Once again, Hunter surprised her by simply shaking his head.

“I am too, but we'll talk about it later.”

Reaching into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, he pulled out a small video camera.

“But now you're part of this and I need you.”

Amber brightened considerably but she tried to keep her level of rising excitement hidden. He was going to let her help! Okay, so maybe she had interfered to the point where he had no choice. But, still.

“There are already cameras and microphones in the hallway by the copier. Also in the area where Mr. Ross works. But just in case, I want you to go to the back conference room. They'll be too antsy to talk openly in the hallway now.”

Right, Amber thought. Because I'm the one that spooked them by making a racket in the closet.

“Keep the wig and those fake glasses on just to be on the safe side. When we go in the front door, I'll say that you are a new client and that we'll be using the back conference room. Then, I'll walk you in right in front of Kayla and Mrs. Ross.”

“What are you going to do?”

Hunter kept talking as though he hadn't heard her.

“You'll stay in the conference room,” he said, giving her a hard look.

“Yes,” she said, reacting as though his words were stinging whips.

“The camera is small enough you can stick one end in your purse. Use your scarf to drape over the top of the purse and nobody should notice it. But I'm hoping that you'll be in there alone. This is only on the chance that they come in there to talk.”

“What if they ask me to leave?”

“If they even start to come in, you leave immediately and say that you are headed to the restroom. That way, you can leave your purse on the table and not look suspicious.”

“Right. Sounds good,” Amber said, suddenly not able to look at him.

Unexpectedly, Hunter leaned down, tilted her chin back and gave her a kiss on the mouth.

“I still love you,” he said softly. “Even though you've made my blood boil today by your reckless behavior.”

“I love you too,” Amber said. “Be careful.”

Seconds later, the elevator stopped and Hunter pulled her out quickly, tugging on her arm gently.

Amber reached a free hand up to make sure that her wig was securely in place just before Hunter swooped into the front lobby with her.

Hunter fired off a rapid greeting to the receptionist, nodded briefly in Amber's  direction, and then continued on through the office without even breaking his stride. Amber had to jog to keep up with him, but she understood his urgency.

Perhaps Hunter had planned on whisking her to the conference room without an encounter with anyone in the Ross family. But Kayla and her mother were both in the hallway. This time, however, they were busy feeding bundles of documents into the photocopier.

As Amber and Hunter strode down the hallway, Kayla's eyes got huge. But Mrs. Ross narrowed her eyes as though she was simply irritated that she had been caught.

“Hello, Kayla. Mrs. Ross. What a surprise to meet you like this.”