Page 37 of Compelled Obedience

I’d rejected him three times until he’d cornered me at Joe’s Bar, which had meant he’d followed me. No one knew of my hideout. Well, now two people did.

I kept my eyes on her as she grabbed the groceries, hungering for her all over again. She’d managed to do something to me that I thought would never happen again. I wanted nothing more than to drag her home with me and spend days together, but I sensed she had other priorities.

I was surprised when Stephen’s phone had transferred to his assistant’s.

“Stephen Canthos’ office.” Stephen was a high-powered attorney for various celebrities; his ninety-nine percent success rate in getting them off wasn’t considered admirable in my book, but at least most of their crimes were petty in nature.

“Hey, Margie. Is Steve in? It’s Grant.”

“For you, yes. For anyone else, I won’t give you that answer.”

I laughed. “That bad, huh?”

“Let’s just say I’m drinking tonight. I’ll transfer you.”

I didn’t care if the man was in a bad mood. He had me to answer to with regard to the financials. He’d recommended the accountant who handled the books, which would typically be a no-no, but we were in a crunch with regards to funding requirements. While the project was largely funded by donations from wealthy individuals, grants were necessary in order to work within the school jurisdictions.

After throwing a look over her shoulder, Kerri started walking up the slight hill. Shit. If she walked too far, she’d move out of my sight.

“Hey, Grant. I’m sorry I missed the awards dinner,” Stephen said as he answered.

“No biggie. I’m certain you had your reasons.”

“Yeah, you know how it goes. I’m being pulled in several directions. What’s up?”

I climbed out of my car, shoving my keys into my pocket. I thought about grabbing the weapon I had stored in the glove compartment but hoped my thoughts were nothing more than overkill. “I’m curious why we didn’t receive the latest financials at the meeting.”

He huffed then took a deep breath. “Because I had a couple questions. I thought it could wait until our next meeting.”

He’d already garnered an attitude. That didn’t bode well with me.

“I’d like to see them, Steve. In addition, I’d like to see the list of items provided to the various schools. I think that should be on our website so everyone can see how the funding is helping so many students achieve their goals.”

“What the hell has gotten into you, Grant? It sounds like you don’t trust me any longer.”

While the streets and sidewalks were busy, I noticed someone in particular that I could swear was following her. My red flags raised and I looked both ways, jogging across the street, my instinct working overtime.

“I trust facts and numbers, Steve. When I don’t receive them after making a very large donation, it disturbs me. It’s not a good thing to disturb me. Do you understand what I’m saying? I need the numbers, or I won’t continue working with the organization.” He knew exactly what would happen if I pulled out. So would other wealthy donators.

He sighed, cursing under his breath. “Fine. I’ll have them emailed to you today. Perhaps you and I need to sit down for a drink, Grant.” His attitude was starting to irritate me.

“Perhaps we do. I’ve spent some time this morning at one of our inner-city schools in the project seeing zero evidence that they’ve ever received a dime of the money or physical donations. That also disturbs me.”

“Jesus Christ. Who do you think you are all of a sudden, Grant? You’re the junior member of our board. You’ve never paid this much attention before. I’m curious as to why.”

“I have my reasons, but they are predicated by the fact I accepted a position on the board because I believed in the cause. I also have a better lease on what’s really needed. You should try spending time in one of the schools. It’s eye opening.”

There were far too many people crowding close to her. That made me uncomfortable as hell. I picked up my speed, taking long strides and pushing my way through the crowd. My hackles continued to be raised, which wasn’t a good sign.

“Sure. Sure. Whatever you say, Grant. I’ll have the financials emailed. Then we’ll talk about that program you mentioned.” He laughed, believing he had control again.

I could tell by the contempt in his voice that he had no intentions of discussing it with me. When I didn’t follow my instinct, I was usually wrong. Just like my gut told me that guy in the dark hoodie was following her for a nefarious reason. Not bothering to end the call with anything but the press of a button, I shoved my phone into my jacket, snarling. Something told me I should have brought the weapon. I’d been licensed for years, a requirement in the industry and in the city where I lived.

After a few seconds, Kerri turned the corner. The wind was suddenly picking up as if a storm was approaching. I pushed forward, able to jog a few steps. The guy following her disappeared around the corner and as soon as I bounded onto the other sidewalk, I expected to catch a glimpse of her.

When he threw a glance over his shoulder, a second of recognition popped into my mind. Hold on. Was that the kid from the school? What the hell? I pressed forward, my fury increasing. When I bounded around the corner, I scanned the street and sidewalk for any sight of either one.

She wasn’t there but her groceries were all over the sidewalk. “Fuck!” I bolted forward, realizing there had to be an alley beside one of the buildings. Within seconds, I heard a subtle noise and lunged toward it, flying down the broken pavement.

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