He was supposed to be taking holiday leave next week. Not because he wanted to. Gray had basically forced him into it.
“You her boyfriend?” Tiny asked. He’d assumed he was, but he didn’t talk about her the way a man talked about his girlfriend. He glanced at Alex’s left hand and spotted the wedding ring. “Or husband.”
“Her boyfriend? God, no. I’m married. To someone else.”
“Sorry.”
“No. It was a reasonable assumption. My wife, Tara, and Reagan are good friends. Tara is also her PA. Reagan is a sub at Club Decadence.” He let out a deep breath. “This person has snuck into her apartment three times. They’ve managed to unlock the door, turn off the alarm, and fucked with her stuff just enough so she’d know they’d been there but no one else would. We changed the alarm code and the locks, but I don’t think they’ll give up easily.”
Alex turned down a street and parked outside a five-story building. “We’ve tried to get her to move, but Reagan won’t leave her apartment. She’s very particular about things.”
Tiny wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he nodded.
“Just try not to take offense if she’s rude to you. She doesn’t mean to be. Well, most of the time. She’s scared, and she’s trying not to be.”
Tiny raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know what Alex was so worried about. She was one woman. What was the worse she could do?
“I’m hard to offend.”
Alex eyed him then smiled slightly. “Yeah, you do look like you have a thick skin.”
Tiny shrugged.
“Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
***
“Any idiot can set up a few cameras. How do we know he’s any good?” Reagan stated.
She might have meant to whisper, but then again, maybe not. Tiny had been introduced to his client five minutes ago, and he’d already realized she was a straight-shooter. Brutally honest to the point of being a bit mean.
He already liked her.
He heard Tara murmur something, then Alex’s deeper rumble. They’d left Tiny in the living room and retreated to the kitchen to attempt to soothe Reagan’s budding temper. Yep, she’d taken one look at him and nearly exploded. He was used to women being afraid of him. Generally, he didn’t care, but when it was a client, it was counter-productive. So, while he was here, he’d need to do something to put her at ease with him.
He studied the alarm. It was a good model. There were some better ones, but this wasn’t a bad one by any stretch. The lock on the door hadn’t been tampered with. They had to have a key. This was someone she knew.
“I’m supposed to just let him have free range in my apartment when I don’t know him? What if he’s the one sneaking in here?”
The voices were getting closer, and he turned to watch Reagan stride into the room. Behind her walked Alex and Tara. Alex frowned at Reagan, looking frustrated. Tara just looked worried. She ran her hand through her dark hair and gave him a small smile. But it was Reagan where his gaze lingered. Tall and slim, with blonde hair so light it looked silver in places, she was simply breathtaking. She studied him back, her bright blue gaze running up and down his body.
Maybe he should have been insulted by the once-over. Instead, he grinned.
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him suspiciously. “Well? How do I know it’s not him?”
“What reason would he have to sneak in here?” Alex asked with exasperation. “He doesn’t know you. He lives in Dallas. He’s a security expert.”
“He works for Black-Gray Investigations. You researched them, they have an impeccable reputation,” Tara reminded her.
Reagan still looked hostile, but her shoulders relaxed slightly. “Not impeccable. There are always improvements to be made. I don’t want him touching my stuff.”
“He’s not going to touch anything he doesn’t need to,” Tara soothed.
Hmm, he wasn’t so sure about that. She’s a client, he reminded himself. Off limits.
Tiny knew Reagan had to be feeling vulnerable. She had a right to feel safe in her own apartment. Someone had been in here without her knowledge, and now he was here. Another stranger. It would make him grouchy, too. So he didn’t take offense at her prickly attitude. Like he’d told Alex, he didn’t take offence easily.
“Reagan, please. Let him do his job. I’m scared for you.”