Page 12 of The Stalker

Tatiana grinned at him. “Much appreciated. Do you have any questions for me?”

Hayden considered her for a moment, then frowned. “You said that you wouldn’t allow me to sit across the table from you. Is there anything else you don’t allow?”

“A whole laundry list, I’m afraid. Most things are situational, though. The most important thing is, as I said, that I need you to be prepared to follow any instruction from me at a moment’s notice.”

Hayden was silent for a few seconds, and then he sighed heavily before saying, “It’s all so intense, but of course, I’ll do anything you say.”

He still had a frown marring his handsome face, and Tatiana knew there was very little that she could say to make him feel better. All the pep talks in the world wouldn’t change the situation, and only time with her would make him feel truly secure in his confidence about her abilities.

“That’s good. Well, I’ll need to get my things unpacked and organize a locksmith to come around this evening. If you can get me the list of people who know the code to your apartment at once, I’d appreciate it. We’ll need to change the code frequently, and I’ll assess who can be trusted for you to give that code to.”

Hayden raised his eyebrows. “The guys have to have the code, though.”

Maybe Cooper was right about them being too codependent. Tatiana decided not to argue the point right now. She didn’t want to put Hayden offside, but she did want to assess the necessity of them being able to access his apartment like that. The more people that knew the code, the more chance there was of it being leaked.

“We’ll see,” she said noncommittally.

Tatiana insisted that Hayden drew up the list in his bedroom, so he would be nearby while she unpacked her luggage. She disliked that his apartment situation was the way it was. She didn’t like ordering clients around like that, and much preferred when they could have freedom at home.

She unpacked as quickly as possible, trying to finish her tasks swiftly because Hayden could move about the house once she was free to watch him. She called her friend Mark, and he picked up after only two rings.

“Tatiana Swanson, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Mark Kane, I need the name of a locksmith in Chicago,” she greeted him.

“Ah, you took the Cruise Control contract, then?”

She could picture Mark, sitting in his Los Angeles office, with his graying black hair and muscled body hidden under a business suit. He’d been in personal protection for a long time and had mentored Tatiana when she switched into the field.

She rolled her eyes to herself and laughed. “I suspected you were the one who recommended me. Yes, I did. Got a locksmith I can use?”

“Of course.”

Mark gave her the details, and she thanked him before hanging up and calling the locksmith to come out that evening to put a lock on Hayden’s bedroom door. There was an extra charge for the rush service, but those sorts of fees were charged to the client, anyway. Security was Tatiana’s priority, and she didn’t care if her clients had to pay extra to ensure they had it.

As soon as it was all organized, she went and knocked on his door.

“Hayden?” Tatiana called out.

“Come in.”

She opened the door and saw Hayden sitting on the sofa by the window. He had a book in his hands and had it closed around his thumb to hold his place while he looked up at her.

“All good with the list?” she asked.

Hayden smiled at her and nodded. “Yes, here it is.”

Tatiana strode over to him as he picked up a piece of paper from the coffee table and held it out to her.

That is way too many people with access to this place!

She forced herself to keep her mouth closed as she looked at the list. The number of people who had access to his apartment was ridiculous. On top of that, she had zero doubt that there was an override code that building management could also use.

Hayden had listed each person’s name, along with their role in his life, and a reason he believed they should be afforded access. She couldn’t help but smile at the effort he’d gone to with it because it was sweet that he’d made a case for each person.

“Very thorough.” She chose her next words carefully. “You know there’s no way that all of these people can have access, right?”

Hayden laughed, “Yeah, I figured. I just wanted to give you as much information as possible.”

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