Jordy turns back to me. “She one of your exes?”
“No, man. She’s worked for me a couple of years. I don’t date my employees. Causes trouble for everyone.”
The silence in the room is thicker than Seattle fog with my statement. I shake my head. “I know what you’re thinking and it’s not like that.”
“Isn’t it? We all agreed that Emerson was off-limits. Now something’s going on and you are personally involved. I like her. I do. And I wanted to help her and her sister, but this is way out of your league or mine.” Jordy’s freak-out meter must hit a max reading.
“I haven’t done anything wrong. Listen, step back from all this if you need to. But I’m not deserting Emerson.”
“You know they never found all the money her dad must’ve made from his illegal activities. Maybe she’s keeping a secret for her dad. It’s understandable that a daughter—”
I’m out of my chair and around the desk before he can utter the next word. Rage blinds me when I grab the front of his T-shirt and haul him to his feet. My other hand fists at my side and I shake at the restraint it takes not to hit him. “You think Emerson would bring this sort of thing into her world? She’s not like that. You’re such a pansy-assed dick.”
Jordy never even flinches. He shakes his head in slow motion from side-to-side. “No.” The one word is definite. “Sorry, bro. I don’t think she’s like that. But the FBI doesn’t get involved when somebody steals their neighbor’s newspaper. I’m at a loss on how we can handle this.”
“I know,” I say, releasing the grip I still have on his shirt. I step back and rub my face.
Jordy smooths his shirt and nods in resignation. “So Yvette is working on how to handle all this?”
“Yvette is on retainer. She’s going to talk with a friend of hers and see what we can do until they actually approach Emerson for questioning. They may be monitoring something and realize that Emerson doesn’t know anything.”
“What about the break-in?” Jordy asks.
“I don’t know. Yvette says that doesn’t make sense. If they did it, it’s an illegal search. With an illegal search, it’d be impossible to seize any evidence if they thought Emerson had something. She said it could be an agent who went against protocol and did this, but still...”
Jordy stares at the papers on my desk and shoves his hands into his jeans pockets. “I have to ask something.”
“Okay.”
“I asked you not to tell her that I know everything about her dad. You haven’t told her about my involvement or that the SUV guy is FBI?”
“No. I said I wouldn’t.”
“Yeah. Well, people who sleep together talk about all kinds of things.”
“We aren’t sleeping together. You can’t keep this stuff from her forever. She’s going to find out. She needs to know the FBI is watching her. Maybe if she knew—”
He points at me. “You tell her and Emerson will quit. Think about it. She’ll be pissed that I lied about everything when I offered her the job. She’ll never trust me—or you. She’ll do whatever she has to do to survive. She was working as a stripper before just to pay her bills. You’ll lose her if she finds out you’ve kept my secret.”
The question causes me to swallow hard. My pulse quickens, generating an itchy heat under the collar of my shirt. I pull at the tie that feels like a noose at the moment.
“I’ll have to tell her sometime and make her understand. I need to wait for the right time.”
Jordy’s mouth tightens. “Your call then. I hope you change your mind. It’s not about me. I’d regret losing her as a friend, but if she hates me for doing what’s right, legal, and moral...then she does. But I know what you’ve been through and I see what’s happened between you two already.”
Jordy’s stand on his legal and moral actions pisses me off since he chooses the things that fit into those categories depending on his mood.
“I need to get going.” Jordy checks his cell and moves toward the door. “I’m done traveling for a while and can help with this cluster-fuck.”
“What’s next with this? Any ideas?” Hope is a desperate emotion, flaring to life at the most ridiculous times. I’m looking at a guy who can hack into government systems. A guy who makes video games for fun. I’ve always admired Jordy’s ability to be creative and outside the box. Even now, I’m banking on him to come up with something that will protect Emerson.
“We’ll think of something.” Jordy gives me a sympathetic smile. He walks over and peeks through the blinds on the window facing the parking lot. “I keep expecting to see an SUV out there with some dude spying on us.”
I move to stand beside him and peer through the opening in the blinds. What had begun as a sunny day is now overcast and dreary, matching my mood.
The muscles in my neck and back tense. “Oh yeah?”
“I think I imagined I’d swoop in and be her hero and undo how I’d messed up her life. I’d confess that I’m the one who finked out her dad, she’d say she understood and ask that we put all that behind us and start new. We’d be friends. I don’t want to lose that friendship and I don’t want you to lose the girl. Lose the chance to be her hero. But this is looking real bad. I want you to know I understand what you see in Emerson. I also know you don’t know if you can handle this after losing Kate.”
“Neither one of us are the hero type.” I rest a hand on his shoulder. “You should go chill or do whatever you do when you solve your boy genius problems. I’m going to get some work done and catch up with Emerson later.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and check for a reply text from her. Nothing.
When she didn’t answer my call earlier, I assumed she was in class. But I’d expected something back from the text I sent before Jordy dropped by. I curse myself for being ignorant of her class schedule. It’ll be the first thing I remedy.
Jordy lifts a hand in the air when he walks to the door. He leaves my door open and I see a couple of my salespeople watch him exit the building. My part-time office manager, full-time mother hen walks briskly in my direction and enters my office before I can close the door.
Aggie shuts the door and leans against it. “I called your mother.”
“Why’d you do that?” I lift my brow, trying to figure out what her problem is at the moment.
“What’s the family emergency that Serena is talking about?”
“Oh, that.” I wrinkle my forehead. “It’s a personal issue.”
“Dylan Alexander Mercado.”
“Yes?” I tilt my head to the side and raise both eyebrows. “You know, you people should be working instead of hanging around in my office.”
A fire truck siren cuts the tension in the air. Aggie rolls her eyes. “That’s an obnoxious ringtone.”
I glance at my cell and exhale. “I need to take this. It’s my girlfriend.”
“So, you’re okay? This personal thing isn’t life or death?”
“Not now,” I say with a grin. I hold the phone to my ear. “Hello, gorgeous.”