Page 15 of Frozen Heart

LEIF

I knew Ley was going to run, and I figured she would no-show. But I’m not going to let her get away from me. After some research and demanding questions, I got what I needed from Jas’s husband. It’s taken me a couple of months, but I’m done. I found out the location of her office. The funny thing is that they’re in one of my old warehouses. I sold them the property. I wonder if she owns the security company instead of working for it. I can’t believe she was right under my nose this whole time and I didn’t see her.

I pull into the warehouse parking lot and park my truck among several other vehicles here. I approach a couple of men standing with their gazes fixed upward. I look up and am about to ask what they’re looking at when two individuals come off the roof. One of them rappels down the building, facing the ground in a standing position similar to what the military does. The second person is flying through the air, away from the building but also facing the ground. It looks like an uncontrolled jump. I continue to watch, and with perfect precision, the person in the air clenches their hand and flips around to go through the window they’re passing. The first person enters the window next to it but at a slower pace. It’s amazing to watch. A beautiful aerial dance, like Cirque du Soleil.

“Can we help you?” one of the men finally asks me. His face is painted black like the first guy who jumped off the building. He’s dressed in all-black gear, including a tactical vest like the one Ley wore the last time I saw her.

“Yeah, I’m looking for Ridley,” I say as I look up again, wondering what they are training for. Obviously, it’s some kind of tactical building entry.

“Go through that door and up the stairs to the fifth floor.” He pauses and looks up again. “Nope. Make that the roof.” He and the other guy start chuckling. “Looks like there is another challenge going on. Can’t let boss win again.” He points up, and I focus on the lines being pulled up.

I follow their directions, and I’m stopped by another guy before I get to the roof. He tells me to follow him to the fifth floor, where I can see the two open windows that the rappellers came through a short time ago. I’m directed to stand off to the side, facing the windows. The floorspace is mostly open except for short dividers separating the two windows, making it seem like it’s two rooms. I’m about to turn away when movement catches my eye. I watch as two bodies rappel into the room. One is wearing a mask with a skull painted on it and black around their eyes. From the height and build, this is the same person who rappelled down the building at a fast speed. This person is also Ley. I’d know her figure anywhere. She comes through the window first with her gun up and pointed to clear the area. The second person is not far behind and also in a skull mask.

The men start laughing, and she pulls up her mask. “You almost had me there, Thomson. Nice technique.”

“You still got me, boss,” the guy who rappelled into the room with her says.

The guy who directed me to where I’m currently standing says something to her. I watch as her body stiffens. She turns to look at me, and I see her body slightly relax. She thought I was someone else. She doesn’t say anything but starts to move toward me. She stops midway and turns back to the guys. More men have come into the room, including the two I encountered outside.

“Clean up. We’ll meet on Monday for assignments. Don’t forget to relax tomorrow. You all did good. Maybe next time someone will beat me. Next month we’ll practice controlled team entry from outside the building.”

Well, that answers my question. She is the boss. I watch her as she moves toward me again. “Follow me,” she says. She waves me to the large industrial elevator, and we head down to the second floor.

“I wanted?—”

She holds a hand up, cutting me off. I guess the elevator isn’t private enough for her to yell at me for breaking her rules.

“Not here,” she bites out.

I move in close behind her. Under the smell of gun oil and sweat is Ley’s intoxicating scent of citrus. I can’t smell it without getting hard. I take a deep breath, trying to inhale as much of it as I can. She’s had me on edge for over two months, worrying that she was going to run and leave town on me.

“What are you doing?” She steps away from me, but I move closer and wrap a hand around her waist. She doesn’t stop me. Her body tightens up, but then she relaxes ever so slightly.

“I missed you,” I confess. “I can wait until we are alone.” I squeeze my fingers on her waist. I feel her body shiver before I release her. She missed me too but won’t tell me.

The elevator comes to a stop, and she pulls away from me. I reach over her and lift the doors, but she helps me. She won’t give me a chance to take care of her or help her.

I follow her off the elevator. We walk past several doors and glass-enclosed rooms. I look over the railing on the other side of us down to the garage area below. Several SUV and large military type vehicles are down there. I turn back to watch her hips sway slightly, but she isn’t trying to shake them. Her long legs that I’ve thought about wrapped around my hips move smoothly. She stops at an office, and I watch as she uses a palm scanner to open the door.

“Stay there.” She points inside the entrance.

As the door closes behind me, I let her direct me. She won’t give me her submission here. She demands these men follow her, so she won’t show any weakness, or what she thinks will lose their respect. But being a submissive isn’t weak at all. She’s the one with all the control here. She has to know that, and if she doesn’t, I will make sure she does.

She pushes a few buttons on her computer, and all the glass fogs over so no one can look in at us. I turn around and lock the door. When I turn back, she’s dropped the mask to her desk. I take in her face, noting the black around her eyes looks like bruises and not paint. I’m in motion toward her.

“Stop. What are you doing here?” Her voice shakes slightly. I see the tremble in her hands, and I stop.

I rub a hand along the scruff on my chin and take her all in. I know how I want to play this, but I also know deep down that she could kick my ass if I don’t proceed with caution.

“You missed our date. Several times.” I don’t call it an appointment or meeting because it is a date.

She removes her vest and drops it in the chair. She’s dressed exactly as she was when she dropped my ass a couple of months ago.

“It’s…” She pauses and shakes her head. “It wasn’t a date. Besides, I heard you filled my spot already. How did you find me?”

“I sold you this building.” I wave my hand around, and she looks around her.

“I should’ve known.” She remains behind her desk, putting the large piece of furniture between us. “You can’t just show up in my life. I don’t want to continue our contract.”

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