Page 28 of Better Watch Out
Not faceless. The man in the leather jacket. Andrew pulled out his cell phone and tapped out a message to Doug to see about getting the security footage from the bookstore to run the man’s face through facial recognition. If they could get a name, then that would give the FBI a direction for their investigation.
Andrew stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. He took a deep breath when he stepped out of the elevator and dialed Ryan’s number. The muscles in the back of his neck tightened as he lifted the phone to his ear. Part of him prayed the federal agent wouldn’t answer but instead Ryan’s voice spoke into Andrew’s ear, two furious words.
“What happened?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Andrew shook his head. Had Frannie already called her brother and told him what happened? That made him feel worse. He should’ve called Ryan right away. “Man, I’m sorry. I had no idea she was going to get wrapped up in this.”
“Wrapped up in what?” Ryan’s sharp tone dropped to a low growl.
Andrew headed for the rotating doors and was surprised by the thick, puffy flakes of snow swirling in his face and already collecting on the ground. He normally loved New York under a fresh blanket of snow but this conversation tempered his excitement.
Just rip the bandage off. Andrew hailed a cab and began filling Ryan in on the events of the day, starting with his arrival at the hotel. He left out the part about the pepper spray and because of client confidentiality, he couldn’t give Ryan detailed information on the Malones, but he told him the rest.
“I’m on my way to your sister’s hotel to move her to The Peninsula. It has better security and I’ll explain everything.” Andrew ran a hand through his hair. “I promise I won’t let anything else happen to her until we get this whole thing figured out. And I will make sure she gets back home safely. I’m sorry I let you down.”
Silence filled the line and Andrew hated the way that made him feel. He’d let down the man who had literally saved his life. This was his job. To protect people. And he’d messed up. Basically did the exact opposite by exposing Frannie to danger.
“You didn’t let me down,” Ryan said. “I knew Frannie wasn’t just going to comply. That’d be too easy. But you were there when it mattered and kept her from being harmed further. It could’ve been a lot worse.”
The quick forgiveness loosened some of the knots in Andrew’s stomach. “I hope after I tell her what’s going on she’ll comply and discard that bucket list of hers.”
“You can’t tell her anything.”
Andrew’s head reared back. He was expecting Ryan to let him have it but instead he was asking him to … “You don’t want me to tell her that her life might be in danger.”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Ryan sighed into the phone and Andrew could almost imagine the level of agitation pulsing on the other end. “She’s already been through enough and based off what you’ve told me, it seems a little circumstantial that what happened inside the bookstore is related to ransomware threats against your client. I don’t want to get Frannie worked up over nothing.”
“What if it’s not nothing?” Andrew didn’t feel right keeping the threat a secret from Frannie. “If she knows, it might be easier to keep her in her hotel.”
“Ha!” Ryan released a humorless chuckle. “Sometimes my sister’s idealism gets in the way of common sense.”
Andrew grimaced. “I wish you would’ve warned me.”And warned me about her appeal.Those soft blonde waves of hair a man could tangle his fingers in. That alluring Southern drawl that gently floated into his ears and hooked him by the throat.Yeah, a warning would’ve been nice.
“She probably thinks,” Ryan went on, oblivious to Andrew’s struggles, “what happened today is normal for New York.”
“She did mention you told her the statistics showed she was likely to be the victim of a crime here.”
“Sounds like Frankie.” Ryan sighed audibly. “Look, I talked to Vivian right before this and she said Frankie is going to fly to D.C. tomorrow. Keep her at her hotel for the night and I’ll let a few buddies from work know what’s going on and they can keep an eye on her and my family. If what happened today was more than a New York statistic, then I’d be surprised if whoever is behind the attack doesn’t realize their mistake. There’s really no reason to tell Frankie anything that’s going to make her paranoid or scared.”
The taxi pulled up in front of Frannie’s hotel. Andrew swiped his card to pay and then got out. It still didn’t sit well with him to keep Frannie out of the loop, but her brother probably knew best what she needed. And he felt better knowing that the FBI in D.C. would be there just in case. He just needed to get her on the plane tomorrow. Should be easy but after this morning …
“What if she insists on doing something else on her bucket list before she gets on the plane?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” Ryan’s voice was cutting out. “Vivian just texted me the flight information and Frankie will be out of your hair by noon tomorrow. My sister’s never been a morning person. So just keep her safe until then.”
Ending the call, Andrew shoved the phone into his back pocket. He walked into the hotel and shook off the snow that had collected on his head and shoulders. He checked into the room Mac had rented on the same floor but two doors down from Frannie’s room.
He paused by her door, listening. The sound of the television was the only thing he heard. He checked his watch. A little after seven. Seventeen hours. He just needed to keep Frannie safe for seventeen hours and then make sure she boarded a plane taking her safely out of New York City.
ChapterEleven
There was nothing like waking up to Michael Bublé crooning “Winter Wonderland”in your head. Frannie shielded her eyes from the bright light pouring into her hotel room window. She’d left the curtains open the night before to allow the silent snowfall and Christmas music from her cell phone to carry her to sleep.
She’d feared the man in the leather jacket would invade her dreams but emotional exhaustion played defense, tugging her into a rather peaceful slumber. Rolling out of bed, she went to the window, and her mouth dropped open at the sight.
It wasn’t only a dusting of snow but a full-on blanket covering the city, and it was absolutely beautiful.
It rarely, if ever, snowed in Walton, Georgia. The humid climate was just too warm, only giving her glimpses of snowflakes on the very rare occasion the temperatures dipped south of freezing, and the flurries usually melted long before they ever hit the ground.
