Jake stood. “I’m going to pack my stuff. My replacement will be here soon.”
Chloe felt like he’d slapped her in the face. She’d just bared her soul to him and he’d rejected her flat-out. It hurt. So much.
“Fine,” she said, her anger helping to displace her sorrow. “Pack your stuff and get off of my property. I’ll be better off without you.”
A muscle worked in his jaw, but he didn’t reply as he turned and strode out of the room. The moment he was gone, Chloe threw herself at the door, closing it firmly, then crumpled to the floor and sobbed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jake had just finished loading his gear into his Jeep when a black truck pulled through the security gate. A few moments later a man who looked like he was in his thirties got out and approached Jake. The man was about six feet tall with a powerful build.
“You must be Jake,” the man said, holding out his hand.
Jake shook it.
“I’m Chad. Tyler sent me.”
Seeing his replacement standing in front of him was like rubbing salt in his wounds, but it was no more than he deserved.
Chad’s grip was strong, but how much experience did he have? Jake released his hand. “How long have you worked for Titan?”
“About eight years.”
He had a decent amount of experience. Good. “Did Tyler talk to you about Charlie Lewis?”
“Yeah. That name was a dead end.”
“Fake ID?”
“Looks like it.”
Crap!
“Don’t worry, bro. Your girl’s in safe hands.”
His girl? Was this guy trying to be cute? Bristling, Jake said, “She’s the client. Treat her with respect.”
Chad chuckled. “Oh, I will.”
This guy was rubbing Jake all kinds of ways and every one of them was wrong. Maybe he should take Chloe up on her offer. But he knew that would be a mistake. It was time for them to each go their own way.
“In all seriousness,” Chad said, “I’ll keep her safe.” Then he raised his eyebrows like he was saying Unlike you.
Jake couldn’t take any more of this guy. Fortunately, at that moment Beth came out of the house and approached them.
“You must be Chad,” she said with a warm smile while completely ignoring Jake. She held out her hand. “Welcome. Let me show you around.”
The two of them turned and walked away from Jake, leaving him standing next to his Jeep. He knew he needed to leave, but first he pulled out his phone and called Tyler.
“Chad there yet?” Tyler asked after Jake said hello.
“Yeah. He just got here. Kind of a jerk, isn’t he?”
“Look, I know his personality can be a little…annoying…sometimes, but he’s one of my best.”
Which Jake clearly was not. “Right.” As long as he kept Chloe safe, that was all that mattered, although he didn’t think Chloe would like him. That brought a smile to Jake’s face. Which was idiotic because even after she’d poured her heart out he had rejected her, so why should he care if she liked another man? But the thought of her getting close to someone that wasn’t him rankled.
Forcing his thoughts away from matters of the heart, he said, “I hear Charlie Lewis is a fake name.”
“Yeah.”
“We gotta find this guy.”
“I know how to do my job, Jake.”
“I want to help.”
“What you need to do is leave the premises and take a few days off. Only then will I reassign you.”
Jake’s phone went silent. Tyler had hung up.
With all kinds of emotions churning in his gut—anger, worry, and regret among them—Jake took a final look at Chloe’s mansion, then got in his Jeep and left.
When he got to his apartment, he dropped his bag on the floor near the entry and flopped onto the couch. It wasn’t nearly as nice as the space above Chloe’s garage where he’d been staying, but it was home.
At the realization that Chad would be living above Chloe’s garage now, Jake frowned.
Whatever. Chloe had demanded that Jake get off of her property and he’d obeyed. And even though she’d said she would be better off without him, deep inside he believed she’d only said it because she’d been hurt that he’d rebuffed her attempt to keep him around. Even so, he would respect her wishes.
Had he made the right choice in turning down her offer to hire him herself to be her bodyguard? In all honesty, he wasn’t sure, especially with Charlie Lewis on the loose, but he knew Tyler—and probably the police—were looking for the man. Still, Jake couldn’t stew in his apartment and do nothing. What if he discovered the critical piece of information that would keep Chloe safe?
With that in mind, he stood and went to the stuff he’d dumped on the floor, grabbing his laptop bag and carrying it to the couch before pulling out the sheet of paper with the photo of Charlie Lewis’s driver’s license. Even though he knew it was a fake, he would go to the address listed and see what he could find out.
Forty-five minutes later he stood on the porch of the modest house that matched the address on the driver’s license waiting for someone to answer his knock. A moment later an older woman opened the door.
“Hello,” he said with a smile.
“What are you selling?” she asked with a tired frown.
“Nothing.” He held up the sheet of paper with the image of the driver’s license. “Do you know this man?”
She squinted at the image as she studied it, then she lifted her eyes to Jake’s and shook her head. “Never seen him before.”
“It’s your address on the driver’s license, right?”
She stared at the image once more. “Yeah, but he don’t live here.” She frowned at Jake. “What’s this all about? Are you a cop?”
Jake ignored her last question. “I just want to talk to him.” He paused a beat. “How long have you lived here?”
“Going on ten years.”
Jake glanced at the houses on either side of hers. “Do you know your neighbors?”
Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Not really. They keep to themselves.”
“Okay. Thanks for your help.”
Without another word, she shut the door in his face. Jake knocked on the doors of several other houses, but either no one answered, or they had similar responses to the first woman.
With this lead a dead-end, Jake considered what to do next. Though he was certain Tyler was working to track the perp down, he decided to go to Titan Security’s offices to check on their progress and to make sure Tyler had prioritized it.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
When Jake arrived at Titan Security, he saw Tyler’s car parked out front. Dreading seeing his boss after their unpleasant phone conversations, he pushed on, going through the front door and straight to Tyler’s office.
“What are you doing here, Jake?” Tyler asked in lieu of a greeting. “I told you to take a few days off.”
With it clear that Tyler was still as angry at Jake as he’d been when they’d spoken that morning, Jake questioned the wisdom of showing up unannounced. But when he pictured Chloe, he found he didn’t care how Tyler felt. She was the priority.