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The stage set, Ryder glanced around the room, making sure he hadn’t left any incriminating evidence behind. One of the advantages to doing a job in such a questionable environment was that it would be nearly impossible for the CSI geeks to find any usable DNA. The room probably held the fingerprints, hairs and assorted bodily secretions of enough people to fill RFK stadium.
Ryder exited the room, smearing the doorknobs and locks as he left. He didn’t think anyone would look too closely at the case. Once they realized Li was a Chinese diplomat—and saw the circumstances under which he died—they’d chalk the death up as an obvious heart attack and leave it at that. If anyone on the outside got implicated, it was going to be Candy, not him. But he doubted it would come to that. If there was one thing the Chinese hated more than anything, it was embarrassment.
As he rode the elevator back down to the ground floor, Ryder wondered if his client would be satisfied enough to give him the bonus. It didn’t really matter. One hundred grand was enough for the job, even without the extra money.
Now if he could just get home in time to watch the NBA finals, he’d be a happy man.
SIMON WOOD
Few authors in the thriller community are as borderline 007 as Simon Wood, former racecar driver, licensed airplane pilot, private investigator and world traveler—replete with adventures featuring Transylvanian wolves and Thai railroads. It seems Simon is a bit of an adrenaline junkie.
So it’s no wonder that Nick, the stubbornly love-struck protagonist in “Protecting the I
PROTECTING THE INNOCENT
“See you later.” Nick kissed Melanie goodbye and watched her walk away. The lunchtime throng on Market Street swallowed her up, but the crowd parted at different times to expose glimpses of an arm, a leg, a shoulder.
He couldn’t get enough of her. The last couple of months had been a whirlwind. It was more than just an infatuation—he felt a co
A friendly sounding voice called his name. Instinctively, he turned.
The man looked familiar and at the same time didn’t. He was tall, blond and well-attired. His suit certainly hadn’t come off the rack.
“Nick Forbes, yes?” The man put out a hand.
“Yes.” Nick took it and shook. “Do I know you?”
“Sort of. I’m Melanie’s brother, Jamie.”
Now Nick saw the resemblance. Melanie had mentioned a brother, but they’d never met.
“If you’re looking for Mel, she’s just gone.” He pointed in the direction of the Wells Fargo building.
“I came to see you, not Melanie.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. You and Melanie have become close.”
“There’s no become about it. We are close.”
“Please let me finish.”
People brushed by them, so eager to get on with their own lives that they paid scant regard to this encounter. It was if the two men had fallen off the world and no longer had any impact on society.
“Your relationship with my sister is a problem.” The smile went out of Jamie’s eyes. Coldness replaced the warmth.
Who did this son of bitch think he was? Nick thought. “A problem?”
“Yes, a problem. You have to stop seeing her.”
“Look, I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but you have no right to tell me or Melanie how to live our lives.”
“Yes, I do.” Jamie pressed his fingers into Nick’s chest. “Stay away from her or there will be trouble.”
Nick knocked Jamie’s hand aside. “Is that a threat?”
“Just do as I tell you and you won’t get hurt.”
“Now that is a threat.”
Jamie shrugged the response away like he’d heard it all before. “I’m not going to argue with you anymore. Just do as I say. It’s not a threat. It’s a warning. Break it off with Melanie before it’s too late.” Jamie walked by Nick and let the current of people sweep him away. “I’ll be watching.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nick called out to Jamie’s retreating form.
Nick picked up Melanie at her condo the next night. He wanted to mention Jamie’s reprehensible scene but couldn’t do it. From what she’d mentioned about him, they were close. Very close. Telling her about what happened yesterday might force her to choose sides.
While he waited for Melanie to finish changing, Nick tried to make sense of what had happened. The guy was just trying to protect his sister. That was understandable. His outburst was almost admirable. Except it wasn’t. It was excessive and totally uncalled for. There was no way Nick could tell Melanie about it. She took his arm and led him to the elevator.
Nick had reservations at her favorite restaurant in the city, a French place called The Fifth Floor. He had pla
During the drive, Nick’s animal instincts kicked in. He sensed a car was tailing him. This wasn’t the first time he’d had this feeling. For the past couple of weeks, he would have sworn he’d seen the same car outside his home, at the gym and parked across from his job. If it wasn’t a car, it was someone following him on foot. He’d put it down to paranoia, but after Jamie’s warning, he wasn’t so sure.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Melanie said.
He dragged his gaze away from his rearview mirror and the Acura that had been trailing him since he left the office. “Just a little distracted is all. Sorry.”
She smiled at him. “Well, don’t be. You’re with me tonight. I demand attention.”
He laughed. “Yes, my queen.”
“That’s more like it.”
He looked back in his rearview. The Acura was gone.
The hostess showed them to a corner table. Nick took the seat that gave him the best view of the bar leading into the dining area. If Jamie pla
They ordered. Melanie chatted and Nick struggled to concentrate on what she said. She called him on it a couple of times and he apologized, promising to do better. He expected Jamie to appear at any moment, but he didn’t show. By the time the entrées were served, Nick felt this wasn’t the night Jamie would make his scene. His tension lifted and clarity seeped in. A thought came to him.
He wondered if he’d really been accosted by Melanie’s brother and not by some jealous ex-boyfriend. Melanie had mentioned she hadn’t had much luck in the relationship department over the years. The men she bared her soul to always ran out on her. Was it possible these men might not have run out, but have been helped on their way?
“You’ve mentioned your brother, Jamie, but you’ve never told me much about him.”
“He’s a great guy. I’m sure you two would really like each other. He’s older than me by a couple of years and of course that makes him my protector. He’s always looking out for me. I don’t know what he wouldn’t do for me,” she enthused.
This description matched the guy Nick had met yesterday, but that still didn’t mean anything.
“Have you got a picture of him?”
“Of course. I’m surprised I haven’t shown it to you before now.”
Melanie fished in her purse and removed a photo from her pocketbook. Nick took the picture and examined it and his theory went up in smoke. The Jamie in the picture was the Jamie on Market Street. Nick squeezed out a polite smile and handed the picture back.