Page 66 of Elliot

“Can I use one of your squad cars to get this guy booked?”

“Fuck, yeah.” The cop stood aside. Nathanial growled at him as Elliot passed by.

“Con, get NYPD to secure the scene. We’ve got a new priority.”

“You sure as hell do. I’ll have a psych eval waiting for all four of you.”

Elliot didn’t respond, but he did ask one question. “Nathanial, who did you hire to take out Jessica today?”

The man laughed again. “Someone killed that bitch? What a shame. She was good in bed and did what she was told. Dillon couldn’t control her, but I could.”

“You didn’t hire a shooter to take her out?”

“Fuck no, she gives good head, and she wanted to kill that bitch as much as I did.” Nathanial laughed again. “But you can’t use any of that information. You haven’t advised me of my rights. So, fuck you.”

Elliot put him in the back of the squad car and got into the front after making sure Silas was okay to drive. “It’s my left arm; it’s stopped bleeding. I’m good. Stop being a nanny and let me do my job.”

Elliot shrugged. “I take care of my people.”

Silas stopped and looked at him. “I’d be on your squad any day of the week. I mean that, Elliot. Both Rob and I would be honored to work with you.” He turned and walked toward the Guardian vehicle.

Dillon whimpered from the back of the car. “What did I do? Where am I? Can you tell me what’s happening?

A low, evil laugh rumbled from the backseat. Elliot sat quietly as the man in the back of the patrol vehicle transitioned once again from Dillon to Nathanial. The voice that came from the slight man was almost demonic. The cop driving looked at Elliot, and he shrugged. What the fuck else could he do?

CHAPTER 24

Maya breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her apartment building. She leaned against Elliot as the limo driver pulled up to the curb. “Home. Finally.”

“It was a long week.” He kissed her forehead. She’d had problems with the recurring migraine and dizziness when she stood. Due to an abundance of caution, they kept her until all the symptoms resolved for twenty-four hours and made her promise she wouldn’t be alone for the next week. Elliot was happy to volunteer to keep an eye on her, and for that, she was grateful. He’d also arranged for one department head a day to come in and brief her on the status of the wind-up for the IPO. She’d been able to keep up and be involved but on a limited basis. Tanya in PR drafted a memo for the press saying Maya was in the hospital for an undisclosed personal procedure and was doing well and handling all business from there. It was exactly what was needed. She was so glad she’d been able to promote Tanya.

Elliot helped her out of the car and into the building. “Ms. Callahan, we’re so glad you’re feeling better.” Dan stood up and smiled. Tony walked across the lobby and escorted them to the elevator. “We’ve had a bit of a delay on the extra security forelevator access to your floor. The new key cards have been issued to Mr. Sawyer, but the keypad isn’t functioning yet. A chip failed, and they need to ship it in.”

“Thanks. Did they say when it would be fixed?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Tony said as he called the elevator down for them.

“Thank you,” she said and looked up at Elliot. “Added security?”

“Definitely.” He nodded.

“But you said …?”

“You’re safe, and I’m making sure you stay that way.” Elliot lifted an eyebrow.

She smiled at him. The feeling of being cherished was new, but during the last week, Elliot had given her that present, and she’d reveled in the experience. When the elevator opened into her apartment, she gasped. Large bouquets of flowers sat on the tables, and … “This is new?” She touched the couch, which was a large, overstuffed black leather, then noted the matching set of chairs. It complemented the white paint and framed the living room, giving it depth and warmth.

“I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t want you to come back to the same apartment.”

“Mind? No, I think it’s beautiful.” She sighed and turned to him. “What am I going to do when you have to leave?”

“We’ll talk about that in a minute. I want to show you something first.” He led her down to her bedroom and opened the door. She smiled and walked in.

Oh, wow.“How did you do this?” She turned to look at him and then spun back to her bedroom. It had been completely redone. The light blues and golds with black lacquered furniture were arranged differently, opening up the room. A beautiful, embossed wallpaper of white and gold covered the area where the red paint had been sprayed across the walls. The curtainsframed the gorgeous view of the cityscape, and the bedding was opulent. “A week? You did all of this in a week?”

“I called in a few favors and had a friend help with the colors and fabrics. I would have screwed that up, believe me.” He laughed and led her to a small seating area. She sat down on the loveseat, and he kneeled in front of her. She blinked at his position.

“What are you doing?”

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