G-Men: The Series (61 page)

Still, I knew how it felt to participate in a spelling bee, or a soccer tournament and not have my father there watching me. Kyzer’s situation was even worse, being that his mother passed away when he was so young.

“Wow! I’m so sorry. That must have been really tough on you.”

He looked down for a second, hiding the look in his eyes. “It was,” he replied, “but I understood. He provided extremely well for me. He always made sure that I knew he only wanted the very best for me.”

I nodded my head. I understood how he felt, to a certain extent.

“About four years ago, my father remarried. I was away at military school at the time. It caught me by surprise, because I couldn’t figure out how he had the time to even cultivate a relationship as much as his business kept him busy.

“His new wife had worked at his corporate office. That’s how they met. My stepmother is not the type you read about in fairytales. She is actually a very nice, compassionate, and caring person. I don’t remember much of my mom, but I know that she would approve of my father remarrying a woman like my stepmother.”

He paused, collecting his thoughts, and then continued.

“Anyway, my father started showing signs of dementia about a year after they married. My stepmother would not put him in some institution or nursing home. He’s still at home with nurses and my stepmother watching over him. I guess what I’m trying to say is that my father is way past the decision-making stage these days. So, if you want to thank anyone, it would have to be my stepmother, Sue Ellen. She pretty much is running everything since my father is, well, incapacitated permanently. She has managed his business, plus the household responsibilities. She’s adamant that I need to focus on my studies and not worry about anything.”

“Oh,” I said, “that’s so sad, but I’m so glad that your stepmother has stepped up to the plate and understands the importance of you continuing your education. I imagine, at some point, you’ll be taking over your father’s position at his company.”

“That’s the plan,” he replied, reassuring me with a smile that didn’t sit quite right on his face. “I’m interning this summer at one of his pilot facilities in Atlanta. It was the last start-up facility he oversaw before he got ill. I don’t even like to think about it, though, because that means my dad will be gone forever.”

I reached across the table, capturing his hand with mine. I hadn’t shared with him anything about the situation with my father, except that he was absent from my life.

To be honest, I felt ashamed. I knew Kyzer wasn’t the type to pass judgment, but it was difficult for me to articulate the events, as painful as they were.

“You know,” I said hesitantly, sweeping off a stray crumb on the table with my free hand. “I should probably fill you in on the situation with my father. I hope when I tell you this it doesn’t change the way you feel about me.”

For the next hour, he sat across from me and listened intently as I spilled my guts about what had transpired over the past year and a half with respect to my family…right up to the delivery of the black roses this afternoon. He was riveted as the story unfolded.

“Wow,” he said when I finished. “I mean, I had no idea what you’ve been through. I’m so sorry. I guess that saying is true about bad things happening to good people.”

I nodded, shrugging my shoulders. “I definitely have some nasty baggage, that’s for sure.”

“Hey,” he said, rubbing his fingers over mine, “this changes nothing about the way I feel about you. I admire your strength and integrity. I can see that you’re nothing like how you described your father.”

“The thing is, I still love my father. I don’t like the person he turned out to be, but he is still my dad, you know?”

“I think that’s very understandable. It’s that unconditional love that parents have for their children and vice-versa. So, what do you think that message meant?”

“I have no clue,” I said, biting my lip. “My roommate said that black roses signify death or the end of something. The message definitely wasn’t one of condolence. It almost seemed as if it was a warning of some type.”

“Do you think your father sent them?”

“I don’t see how that’s possible. If he is, in fact, back here in the country, I can’t see any reason for him to want to spook me like that.”

“Yeah, I agree. But if he is back in the U.S., don’t you think he would try and contact you, if for no other reason than to let you know that he’s okay? Of course, you’d have to keep that confidential from everyone.”

My only answer for him was another shrug. “I truly don’t know how my father thinks. He certainly turned out to be someone different than the man who raised me. The note mentioned my granddaddy, but he was pretty much out of the day-to-day activities there. I don’t know, but my stepfather is on it.”

“Well, it does help having a special agent with the FBI in the family with something like this. I’m sure everything will turn out okay, Lindsey. In the meantime, do you feel safe?”

“I’m okay. I can’t think of any reason why I would be targeted for anything. I barely had any connection to Banion Pharmaceuticals with the exception of the brief stint the summer before last when I interned there. I was pretty much clueless as to what was going on at the time anyway.”

“Still, if you’d feel better having me take you to and from school, walk you to your classes or whatever, I’m at your disposal.” He squeezed my hand. I gave him a smile. He was truly an awesome person.

“Thank you. I’m alright, but if that changes, I’ll let you know.”

We walked hand-in-hand from the restaurant. Kyzer opened the car door for me. As we returned to my apartment complex, we discussed our schedules for winter quarter. We were in two classes together, which delighted me.

He walked through the lobby with me and pressed the button for the elevator. At the door to my apartment, I fumbled with the key for a moment, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

I was considering inviting him in for coffee, but yet I didn’t want to sound like I was asking for more than that. I wanted to do this right with Kyzer. I decided I would extend the invitation. It would be coffee only.

As I turned to extend the invitation, the door to the apartment was suddenly jerked open. We both turned to see who had opened it, and found ourselves staring into the very piercing, extremely angry, green eyes of Taz.

“Where the fuck have you been, Lindsey?”

Taz was fuming, expecting an answer. I was still in shock as to why he was even here. It was taking me a moment to process the fact that he was in my apartment.

“I asked you a question.”

Now that I’d digested the fact that Taz was here, I was trying to figure out why the hell he was in my face. Pissed was finally making an appearance in me.

“Excuse me?” I asked, taking a step forward. “Apparently I didn’t get the memo that stated I needed permission to leave
my
apartment.”

Taz shot me a dark look. He then looked past me at Kyzer, who I’m sure was as horrified as I was at the rudeness of my new guest.

Taz didn’t spare me a glance, keeping his eyes on my date. “Lindsey, say goodnight to Kyler there and get inside.”

I was humiliated at the way Taz was treating me.

“It’s
Kyzer,
” I hissed, turning away from his angry face to look at Kyzer. Taz was making no move to give the two of us any privacy. If that’s the way he wanted to play it, so be it.

“Kyzer, I had a wonderful time this evening. Thanks so much for listening.” I smiled shyly at him, playing it up. “You’re kind of awesome at it.”

He grinned back at me. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow. I had a great time as well.”

He leaned in to give me a quick kiss. I took the opportunity of wrapping my arms around his neck to make that kiss last a bit longer, since I had a very rude audience of one watching.

We pulled apart, hearing Taz tapping his fingers impatiently against the door where his arm was wrapped around it.

I literally was
this
close to giving him an encore performance.

“‘Nite,” I said, as I turned to brush past Taz into my apartment.

Once Taz had closed the door behind us, I whirled around to face him, not even trying to hide my anger.

“What. The. Hell?” I demanded, putting my hands on my hips and glaring.

“Look, babe,” he halfway snarled, “it doesn’t please me one damn bit that I was delegated the assignment of driving down here to babysit you until Slate gets back. But, since he’s my superior, I don’t really gotta choice in the matter.”

“What?” I asked, totally confused that Slate felt I needed a watchdog because of those freaking roses.

I looked around and noticed the box containing the roses was gone.

Taz followed my gaze.

“One of our agents accompanied me and the roses are on their way to the lab in Quantico for analysis.”

“This is freakin’ ridiculous,” I said. “They were
roses
, yeah, they were creepy, but come on, really? How bored does the FBI have to be to take something like this so extremely?”

“My sentiments exactly, Lindsey, but I don’t give the orders; I just follow them. You’re stuck with me for a few days; get over it.” He walked over to the—my—couch, and made a show of sitting down and relaxing on it.

I realized that Darcy was not around. I wondered if she knew about all of this. She probably did since someone would have let Taz in the apartment.

Taz read my mind, once again. “Your roommate’s out. I think I made her nervous with all of my ranting and raving,” he replied.

I saw a hint of a smile cross his face, the first indication that his anger with me was subsiding.

“How very caveman-like of you,” I said, taking my jacket off.

He was still watching me. “Didn’t Slate tell you someone from the bureau would be coming up here?”

“Yeah,” I replied, starting towards the kitchen.

“Then why’d you leave?”

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him.

“Because I had a date,” I deadpanned, “because I knew that Darcy would be here, and oh, I don’t know—maybe because Slate never specifically told me that I wasn’t allowed out.”

I could feel my eyes bugging out at him, which was my sign that he needed to back off. He stifled a grin, shaking his head.

“So, what’s the game plan?” I asked, trying to use my best haughty tone.

He tilted his head as he considered the question. “Until Slate gets back, you’re stuck with me. I take you to and from school and crash here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Yeah, it’s a dirty job, I know. I guess that’s why I make the big bucks.” He gave me one of his sexy grins.

“Well,
don’t
think for a second that we’re
sleeping
together. I’m through with my training. In case you didn’t notice, I’m attempting to spread my wings here.”

“Don’t you mean your
legs
?” he halfway snapped.

Where did that come from?

I ignored the barb and continued my interrupted journey to the kitchen.

“Do you want a beer?” I called out to him as I opened the door to the fridge.

“Yes, please, Ms. Dennison.”

I snorted.

Don’t be getting any ideas about playing ‘teacher-student’ again.

I grabbed a beer from the fridge and a wine cooler for me and rejoined him in the living room. He was sprawled out on the couch, reaching for the remote.

Looks like ESPN for the next couple of days.

I handed him his beer, taking a seat at the end of the sofa while he settled on a basketball game, turning the volume on low.

“Do you have your schedule handy, Lindsey? We need to go over it. I’ve already pulled up a map of the campus. I want to familiarize myself with the various buildings where you have classes. I’ll plot out the time and location on the map, so that I can conduct some surveillance while you’re in class.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll go get it.”

Taz and I spent the next hour (during commercials) with my schedule.

He had a computerized map on his government-issued laptop that he used to mark locations and times of my classes for each day of the school week.

He then pulled up info on all of my professors. He made a quick call to someone who was able to electronically send him a roster of all of the other students in my classes.

“Oh, I see here that
Kazwell
is in two of your classes this semester. It looks like he’s in your English Composition III class and Physics II.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “His name is Kyzer, and I think you know that by now.”

He smirked and continued entering data into his laptop. My phone rang and I grabbed my purse to retrieve it. Looking at the caller ID, I saw who it was. Speak of the devil…

“I’m going to take this in my room,” I said, heading down the hall.

“Hey, Kyzer,” I answered.

“Hey, I just wanted to check and make sure that everything was alright.”

“Thanks and listen, I’m sorry about the way Taz behaved. It seems my stepfather is a worrywart and sent Taz here to look after me.”

“Is this because of those roses you received?”

“Partly. The roses are being tested at some government lab.”

There was a slight pause. “Tested? For what?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I personally think it’s an over-reaction. I’m sure they think my father is involved in some way.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up for school tomorrow?”

“Actually, that’s covered now. It seems that’s one of Taz’s responsibilities while he’s here. But hey, I’ll see you at school. Do you want to have lunch tomorrow?”

“That sounds great,” he replied. “Try not to worry. I’m sure all of this will blow over and turn out to be nothing.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I’ll see ya tomorrow, and have a good night.” I hit END CALL with a smile forming on my face.

I went in and took a shower while the sound of the television blasting the basketball game droned on. I was dressed in my pajamas when Darcy finally came home. I passed her in the hallway and caught her raised eyebrows and shit-eating grin as we passed.