Page 12 of Deadly Designs

A woman in a ratty blue housecoat watered a smallgarden as Aja Blue approached the building. The steps to thethree-story, drab gray walk-up could use a coat of paint or two,not to mention a new handrail. Aja Blue paid Jay enough that hecould find a better place to rent, but he’d been on his own for awhile, and frugality was second nature to him.

Jay’s parents had died when he was an infant, so he’dspent his entire childhood and teens in foster care. In all thehomes he’d been sent to, the other kids had bullied himrelentlessly. He’d been mocked, beaten, and ridiculed. He’dadmitted it to her one night after too many margaritas. Instead ofgoing home, he’d spend his time in the library, concentrating onschool. His outstanding grades had earned him a complete ride tocollege. Jay had graduated with honors, despite having had severaljobs all four years.

Jay’s work ethic had been one of the first thingsthat made him stand out from other candidates when she’d advertisedfor an assistant. Sometimes, her days were long, and she neededsomeone who didn’t mind putting in the hours. Jay had ticked everybox on her list.

That was another reason his disappearing act was sotroubling. He’d taken off for a long weekend before but alwayschecked in and had never been entirely incommunicado. Had thethreatening notes driven him underground?

Aja Blue knocked on his door and tried to peer intothe window, but the curtain was pulled. When there was no answer,she tried again. Still nothing. She lifted the rainbow welcome mat,hoping he’d left a copy of a key there, but no such luck. Aja Bluetrailed her fingers above the door, inside the mailbox, and aroundthe black iron sconce, to no avail.

She thought about checking with his neighbordownstairs, but Jay had nothing to do with the woman, a raginghomophobe who believed Jay was diseased. She’d said that to hisface. It had made Aja Blue want to go down there and punch herdentures down her throat, but she’d restrained herself.

She turned and looked over the parking lot. Jay’ssilver Camry wasn’t in his designated spot. Where was he?

A siren wailed in the distance, and a seagull swoopedfor a leftover French fry as Aja Blue made her way down the stepsto her SUV. A breeze kicked up, bringing with it the tangy scent ofsalt air and grilled meat from a nearby restaurant.

Where was she supposed to go now? She’d toldChristian she would be at her assistant’s apartment. Aja Blue stillneeded to shower and change clothes, so she drove to a hotel withvalet parking and handed her keys to the attendant. It would be ina secure garage so that Johnny Cash wouldn’t see it—she hoped.

A porter piled her suitcase and shopping bags on atrolley. He followed her to the check-in desk, where she requesteda room. She almost gave her real name, but having watched manydetective shows on television and starring in more than one in herbrief career, she announced herself as Thelma Jo Portnoy and paidwith cash. She wasn’t sure of Johnny’s connections but didn’t planon taking any chances. Thankfully, she’d stopped at an ATM earlierto replenish her wallet.

With a keycard in hand, she located her room andwaited while the porter placed her suitcase and bags in the closet.She thanked him and handed him a tip. With a nod of his head, heleft. After ensuring the door was locked and bolted, she undressedand stepped under the hot spray of water. The hotel provided luxurybody wash and shampoo, so she used them. It felt good, and shelingered, ensuring the stench from being locked in the fuselage forhours was gone.

Once finished, she dried her hair, applied lotion,brushed her teeth, and donned the sundress. A touch of mascara andlip-gloss, a spritz of the new perfume, and she was ready to faceChristian Zamora again.

Dang, there went that zing that shot through herwhenever she thought of him. It was electrifying and terrifying atthe same time. She didn’t know the man, but something in his DNAspoke to hers. Needing a distraction, she turned on the televisionand found a sitcom rerun.

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Christian slid his phone into his pocket and turnedto see several of his coworkers headed his way. Calls of“congrats,” “way to go, Z,” and “you rock, Zamora” filled the air.As much as he wanted to bask in his victory, and he totally did, asbragging rights were coveted, he needed to get gone as soon aspossible.

“Hey, where are you going?” Presley called out.

“Sorry, I have to leave.”

Christian took off for a run to the offices. Heneeded to talk to his bosses, Luke Colton and Logan Bradley, andget the okay to take a few days off. He wasn’t sure what awaitedhim when he landed in Virginia, but something was up. Aja Blue hadbeen genuinely terrified that someone was stalking her in Arizona,and he’d detected the same fear when he spoke to her a few minutesago.

“Hey, Z, wait up.”

He turned to see Kayne Serruto and Jalen Ellis, twoof his best friends, jogging his way. “Sorry, guys, I’m in ahurry.”

“Christian, talk to us,” said Kayne as he came upbeside him. “What’s up?”

“Cliff Notes version: I met a woman in Sedona.”

“Z, you dog!” Jalen hooted.

Kayne thumped his shoulder. “You’ve been holding outon us.”

“Not like that, jackass.” Well, kinda like that.“She’s being stalked.”

“Oh gosh, sorry, man,” Jalen said. “Didn’t mean to beinsensitive. Can we help?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m headed there now to find outwhat’s going on.”

“Sedona?” Kayne asked.

“No, she lives on the East Coast. Norfolk area.”

“I spent time there with the Teams,” Kayne said. He’dbeen a Navy SEAL. “Let us know, and we’ll be there to assist.”

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