This Is Where I Sleep (3 page)

“You think so?” I asked, my voice dangerously low.

He chuckled. “Oh yeah. By the way she was calling my name earlier this evening, I definitely think so.”

I made a move to grab him by the lapels of his tux but was stopped by Ron.

“Liam, we’re in public.” 

I had no idea where he’d come from.

I didn’t move back, but I took a breath to rein in my anger. “Just know, you’re a temporary filler, Roberts. I’ve owned that woman since we were eighteen years old, and I will until the day I die. Don’t ever forget that. And don’t ever get in my face again about my woman. I don’t care how long you’ve had this little crush on her; I will fuck you up over, Coral,” I growled. I snatched away from Ron to walk away before I made good on my promise. I meant every word. I may have left Coral, but it was never meant to be a permanent situation. I’d always had every intention of claiming her as mine. That plan had never wavered.

Chapter Three

Coral

You changed your hair.

Those words had been repeating over and over in my head the last month. It was the first time I had laid eyes on him in five years, and that was the first thing he’d asked. As if we were old friends simply catching up. Maybe that’s all it was to him. I didn’t know if I was more angry or hurt. No explanation. No apology. Just some dumb observation about my hair. Yeah, it was longer and relaxed the last time I saw him, and now it was short, curly, and a different color, but fuck that. He owed me more than a, “How have you been?”

Fuck.
I hated that thinking about him tied me up in knots. That’s not who I am.

I heard a male voice that I knew was my younger cousin, Jabari. “Yo, Coral! You in there?”

We were in the state-of-the-art gym we had built in our office building in the heart of Savannah. Jones & Associates Security was the name of the firm that I co-owned with my cousins, Quincy and Jabari. Quincy and I were more of the muscle, so to speak, while Jabari was the tech guy, although by looking at him you wouldn’t assume, “tech geek.”

“Let’s spar,” I said, tossing a pair of boxing gloves at Jabari. Boxing was my first learned form of fighting and my first love. I learned at the community center in my neighborhood in the Bronx. The coaches were hesitant to show a twelve-year-old girl the technique of boxing, but I wanted something that would help me feel less vulnerable at home and on the streets. When the one parent you were left with opted to take all his anger out on you, you found ways to cope. And since I had my little sister to watch out for, I let him take it out on me to keep her safe. Boxing allowed me to feel safer the older and stronger I got.

“A’ight. Five rounds, though. I’m not going twenty rounds with you again. Plus, we’ve got some business in the office to address.”

I grinned. I had been putting Jabari through the ringer over the last month with our sparring sessions. But at six-two and solid muscle, he could take it.

“Don’t be a baby this time, okay?” I taunted.

“Whatever, just strap up.” 

              We spent the next hour going toe-to-toe. Jabari pulled no punches…just the way I liked it. He knew the truth was that I sometimes held back with him. I could handle myself, and the extra tension I’d been feeling lately from thinking more and more about Li had me on edge. That and I’d yet to find any more intel on Ghost. I was becoming more aggravated by the day. It was either hit the gym for sparring, or I was going to lose it, and that would not be good for anyone in my vicinity.

After our sparring session, I headed to the shower to get ready for the workday. Quincy was out of town on business for the next few weeks. I hadn’t told anyone about seeing Liam in DC, and I knew out of everyone, Quincy would be the angriest about it. He was the only one who knew about what happened right after Liam left without any explanation and married someone else. He’d had a special hatred for him ever since. I was also sure that Quincy was deflecting some anger toward Liam, but that was a story for another day.

I finished showering in the private bathroom and slid on a pair of dark-colored skinny jeans, an off-the-shoulder cream sweater, and a pair of black ankle boots. Perfect outfit for the late fall weather. It was time to get my day started.

****

“Coral,” our office administrative assistant, Elsie, called out. “Don’t forget your eleven o’clock with Jabari in his office. You’re meeting a new potential client,” she advised.

“Thanks, Els. I’ll be there.”

I turned back to the papers on my desk. I was going over a few old cases and making sure the paperwork was in order for all of the files. I had a conference call with another long-term client at nine-thirty to discuss their security detail over the holiday season. I spent the morning lost in the pile of work on my desk and making phone calls. I was planning to be out of town for the next few weeks, and then heading back to Colombia to do some more digging to find Ghost. By the time I realized it, it was time for me to head down the hall to my meeting with Jabari and our potential client.

I grabbed my mug and headed down the hall to make a fresh cup of green tea. Mug and iPad in hand, I made my way to Jabari’s office. Before I entered, I heard two deep voices. One was Jabari’s, and the other I hadn’t heard in years but remembered without hesitation. My pulse quickened at the thought of who else I might find as I entered the office. I inhaled deeply and rounded the office, knocking on the opened door to alert the men of my presence. I was met with Jabari’s dark brown eyes and another pair of green eyes.
If it’s not one Bennett, it’s another.

Jeremy stood to greet me. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

“Jeremy, to what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked as we hugged each other. I was in awe seeing Jeremy so soon after seeing Liam. Although they were first cousins, they could easily pass for fraternal twins. They shared green eyes, height, and build, but Liam was blond, where Jeremy was dark-haired and had a slightly darker hue than Li.

“Oh, you know me, darling.’ Just in the neighborhood,” he intoned in that familiar Texas twang, the ever-present toothpick between his lips.

“Cut the shit, Jer. What are you really doing here?”

At that, he tipped his head back and let a low chuckle emanate from his core. Admittedly, I’d missed that sound. I hadn’t seen Jeremy in nearly six years.

“I see you haven’t changed, Scorpion.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn’t like being called by my codename in the office or around family. That name represented a side of me I reserved for business.

Jeremy held up his hands. “I know. I know. It’s Coral ‘round these parts. Anyway, I was just talking to Jabari here about some work I needed to be done and your company was the best fit for it.”

I looked over at Jabari, who hadn’t said a word since I entered his office. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I looked back at Jeremy.

“What’s the job?”

“I need you to find a leak in the company.”

I knew the answer to my next question, but I asked it anyway. “What company?”

“Bennett Industries.”

“There’s a second Bennett Industries?”

For a split second, a look of confusion crossed Jeremy’s face before he got my meaning.

He shook his head. “No darlin’. It’s the same one.”

“So, there’s a new CEO?” I asked.

“Nope again. You
know
who the CEO is.”

“In that case, I don’t think so,” I said, turning to leave.

“Coral, wait.” It was the first time Jabari had spoken up. “Hear the man out at least,” he insisted.

I looked at Jabari and then back to Jeremy. My curiosity was peaked. I walked over to the chair in front of Jabari’s desk and sat. “Talk,” I instructed him.

“When Liam became CEO of Bennett Industries, one of the first things he did was go thoroughly over the company’s financials. He noticed some inconsistencies, year after year. As a result, he hired a guy named Larry, who was a forensic accountant, about three years ago. No one knew that Larry’s
actual
role was to investigate the company’s financial history. To everyone except me and Liam, he was just one of the regular accounting managers. Anyway, about a month ago, we got a call from Larry saying he’d finally put two and two together, and that we needed to meet with him so that he could tell us who was behind all this. He insisted it be in person. Since both Liam and I were out of town on business, we set the meeting for a few days later. Well, Larry never made it because two days later he died in a car accident.” Jeremy paused and looked me right in the eyes, “The police ruled his death an accident, but that was too much of a coincidence…and I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Neither do I,
I thought silently
.
I’d seen too much to believe in coincidences.  

“This wasn’t some random accountant who stumbled upon some information. He was hired to look into Bennett Industries’ past. We weren’t able to get much from him in our short phone call, but he mentioned something about a Ghost.”

I sat up in my seat for the first time since sitting down.

Jeremy noticed a change in demeanor. “That ring a bell?” he asked.

“You’ve got my full attention now,” I said.

“There’s a file he had that we have yet to find. I think the information he found is in that file. Coral, I came to you because I’ve researched your company. I know you guys can handle this, and I knew my cousin wouldn’t have asked. I think he might be in danger.”

The thought of Liam in danger was like a punch to the gut. I had already made my decision to take the job at the mention of “Ghost.” But hearing that the same person who was targeting me may be targeting Liam made me even surer of this. Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone, get this Ghost off my back and keep Li out of harm’s way. I didn’t stop to think about why I cared so much about Liam’s safety; it just felt like second nature. I told myself I was just returning the favor to an old friend.

Chapter Four

Liam

“You did what?” I asked, eerily calm as I peered down at my cousin over the massive Cherrywood desk in my office. I had just learned that my cousin, who was like a brother to me, had gone behind my back and done the one thing he knew would piss me off to no end. As I stood there contemplating leaping over my desk to snatch him out of his seat, he had the nerve to look me with an air of nonchalance.

“Be careful, cousin. It’s been a few years since you’ve been in battle. I wouldn’t do what your eyes are telling me you’re considering doing,” Jeremy warned. But if he thought he intimidated me, he’d better think again.

“I will kick your ass for this. Why the hell would you do this?” I folded my arms over my chest to keep them from wrapping around Jeremy’s damn neck. I was confused as to why Jeremy would go all the way to Savannah to hire Coral and her family to help our company out of this situation.

“Because Jones & Associates Security is one of the best at what they do.” He shrugged.

Coral’s company specialized in high-end security contracts, private investigations, and a whole host of “special favors” that were often needed by powerful business and political leaders. I’d been doing my own research on her company. On the one hand, I knew that they, particularly Coral, could help find whoever was behind threatening my company. On the other hand, I feared that Coral would be too good at her job, putting her right in the center of danger. I’d spent the past five years away from her trying to keep her out of danger. Of course, that had backfired. Not only had I spent five years without the woman I loved, but she ended up taking on a career that was extremely dangerous. From my own research, I found out that she’d opened the firm with her cousins only in the last year and a half, which still left three years I’d spent searching for her after I left. I had my suspicions on what she’d spent those years doing, and I wanted to kick myself for ever letting her out of my sight.

“You and I both know Coral is the right person to handle this job. We need answers and from the research I’ve done, Jones & Associates will help us get those answers. We need to get to the bottom of whoever killed Larry,” Jeremy implored.

I knew he was right about getting to whoever was behind our company’s problematic financials. The person who in all likelihood was responsible for Larry’s death. I took tha
t
personally. Since becoming the head of Bennett Industries five years ago, I prided myself on expanding not only the oil, gas operations, and the expansion into the hospitality world, but to also treat my employees very well—the opposite of how my father treated anyone he deemed below him. 

Jeremy was the head of our hospitality division, running our ten hotels located throughout Texas, Louisiana, Arizona and Southern California. I’d made it my mission to bring Bennett Industries into the twenty-first century by focusing on renewable energy sources, and expanding our portfolio so that oil wasn’t our only source of revenue. So far, I’d done a good job, and that meant the first step of my original plan was working out well.

“There are thousands of security firms in this damn country. You just had to pick the one that I wouldn’t want working this case. What the fuck are you trying to do?”

I tried hard to restrain my anger, but I knew I was close to shouting. The longer he sat there with that smug look on his face, the more I contemplated how long it would take me to beat his ass before my assistant became alarmed by the noise and called security.

“You know as well as I do that they are the most qualified.” Jeremy leveled his green eyes at me and frowned. “You’ve been on this shit long enough. It’s time you do what you set out to do more than five years ago and go get your woman.”

As if it were that simple.

“You have no idea—”             

“Oh, I have an idea alright. I remember exactly why you told me you left her all those years ago, and I’ve seen every day for the last five years how it eats away at you. I see the days you spend working well into the night just to avoid thinking about her. If it wasn’t for Laura—”

“Don’t bring her into this,” I warned.

Jeremy dismissively waved his hand and continued with his statement. “If it wasn’t for Laura, you’d never leave this damn office, working yourself into an early grave. All so you can avoid feeling lost because the one person you know is your soulmate isn’t with you.”

I stood there shocked. Jeremy consistently teased me throughout my friendship with Coral about me wanting more. I always dismissed his allegations, not wanting to reveal the feelings I’d had since the first time I laid eyes on her. When I had to leave her, he was the one person I told why, and he supported my plan to get rid of the problem. Now, he was telling me to throw out the original plan and go after Coral.

I scoffed. “Are you crazy? You know exactly why I left her and why I don’t want her involved in this. So fucking what, I spend a few nights a week in my damn office. You aren’t complaining about all the work I put in when your ass is out partying with the high rollers.”

I knew that was a low blow. Jeremy had a party boy reputation, but he’d been trying to let go of that image so that people could see him as a serious and competent business professional. Right then, I didn’t care about hurting his feelings. I was pissed at him for going behind my back.

“Fuck you, Liam.”

“No,
fuck you
! You knew I wouldn’t want this. I don’t give a shit what you do, but you better call Jones & Associates and tell them we don’t need their services!”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because,” he paused looking at his Patek Philippe watch. “She should be here any minute.”

His smirk told me he was enjoying seeing me seethe.

“So you waited until the last minute to tell me because you knew there was nothing I could do about it. I’m going to kick your ass.”

The chuckle he let out pissed me off even more.

“You think I’m kidding?  Call them and tell them we are no longer in need of their services.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes, the fuck you are. I don’t want her here!” I slammed my hand on my desk. The thought of Coral getting mixed up my company’s mess had all my protective instincts coming out. I was seeing red.

Suddenly, a feminine voice with a hint of edge in it sounded from my office doorway. “Calm down, Liam. It’s not like I was jumping up and down to take this case myself.”

I had long memorized every intonation of that voice. I spent many nights dreaming about, and hell, jerking off to, memories of that voice. Especially when it moaned when I was deep in—

“Well, Ms. Coleman, how nice of you to finally join us,” Jeremy greeted Coral, interrupting my thoughts.

I finally glanced toward my office doorway and took her in. There she stood at five-feet eight inches, had smooth brown skin that reminded me of my favorite Godiva chocolates, and piercing hazel eyes that saw everything. She was dressed in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a black t-shirt, a white blazer that was rolled up at the sleeves, and black pumps. It was a simple ensemble, but she filled it out to perfection. I took in her hair, marveling at how different it looked from the way she wore it years ago. But this short look worked for her. The auburn colored coily curls on top gave her a bit of edge that I knew fit her personality, while the cut itself allowed for her naturally high cheekbones and eye color to stand out. She was beautiful.

She leveled one of her no-nonsense looks at me. “If you’re done gawking, we can get started on this case.”

“I wasn’t gawking,” I lied, lamely.

Her full lips turned down into a frown indicating she knew I was lying.

“Here, darlin,’ why don’t you come in and we can discuss the specifics of this case. It’s been a few months since we last met and I’m sure you may need to go over some details,” Jeremy instructed.

Coral strutted into my office, and instead of sitting in the chair directly in front of my desk, she glanced around and went over to the cream, leather love seat that sat against the wall across from my desk.

I raised an eyebrow at her choice but remained quiet.

              “So gentlemen, let’s get started, shall we? The sooner we can get this wrapped up, the sooner I can be out of your hair and on my way.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes as she stared right at me.

              I swallowed the lump in my throat. I knew I had hurt her feelings. She’d never say as much, but walking in and hearing me say how much I didn’t want her there had to be difficult. I couldn’t tell her that the truth was I wanted nothing more than for her to be by my side every minute of every day.

****

Coral

              My heart sank when I walked up to Liam’s door and heard him yelling at Jeremy that he didn’t want me there. I quickly let that emotion switch to anger because I was done being hurt over Liam. I felt safer with my anger. I was pissed because first of all, I’d never done anything to him to make him want to keep his distance. Even after he declared to be in love with me only to run off with the beauty queen and get married, I never gave him any trouble. I didn’t even bother to ask him why. And second of all, this was someone who was once my best friend. We’d spent a decade being the most important people in one another’s lives. He knew me inside and out, and I thought I knew him. And I was not someone who got close to others. So yeah, hearing him say he wanted nothing to do with me pissed me off. But I wouldn’t let his funky attitude deter me. I was there to save his company and to save my own hide.

              In the last few months since Jeremy came to Savannah, I’d been tying up loose ends with our other clients to make sure I could give this case my complete attention. Whoever this Ghost was already killed two of my former colleagues, and he might’ve also been after Liam. And like they say, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” So like it or not, Liam and I had a common enemy, making us friends, at least until we got to whoever this was. Once business with him was over, I could go on about my merry way, and he could continue to live in married bliss.

              Even as I thought my plan through, I felt the twinge of pain in my chest at the thought of never seeing Liam again. The knowledge that he was married to someone else still stung as it did five years ago, but I’m good at faking it when necessary. So I did what I do best. I ignored my emotional turmoil and got down to business.

              “Okay, since I’m here, let’s say you make this trip worth my while, and start from the beginning.” I was speaking to both men, but never took my eyes off Liam.