Page 99 of Shadow

“If you could just come down here and talk to her. She’s being completely unreasonable.”

Ripley scowled and shook his head. There was no way she was going to that bar right now.

“I’m really sorry, Fiona. You’re going to have to be a manager and deal with it. I can call and talk to her, but I can’t come in right now. It’s impossible.”

The call disconnected, and Olivia blinked. “Did she just hang up on me?”

“You can’t go near her again, Liv. Something isn’t right. Until this gets resolved and we can have her arrested, you’re not to go back to the bar when she’s there.”

“What if it takes years, Ripley? Honestly, I can just fire her. She hung up on me. That’s unacceptable behavior. Couple that with her attitude about incorporating Niki’s people into her schedule, and her unauthorized vacation, and I have plenty of reasons to let her go.”

Ripley glanced at Lance and Peter who both had grim expressions on their faces.

“She sounded completely unhinged. I think she might be on the verge of a mental breakdown, which means she’s going to do irrational things. What if she was trying to lure Olivia there to get to you?” Peter asked.

Olivia stood and moved to stand behind Ripley so she could pace.

“None of that makes sense. Why would she do that? Lance, did your lead have anything to do with her?”

Lance looked at Ripley first. He nodded his OK to tell her what he knew. There was no sense hiding things from her.

“Not exactly. But we found another person who was potentially involved, so now we’re looking for connections between the two. This was a person Ripley worked with.”

Ripley looked behind him in time to see Olivia throw her hands up. “I’m sorry. I need to be alone for a minute. This is overwhelming me.”

Ripley stood and pulled her into a hug. “Go. Take a minute. Then come back and talk to me.” He brushed his lips to her forehead and patted her ass.

Turning, she walked to the backyard, presumably heading for their tent.

When she was gone, Lance drummed his fingers on the table like he had more to say.

“What is it?” Ripley asked.

“I think you should get out of town. None of this started until you came back to D.C. If Doran is behind this, he’s got access to your whereabouts at all times because of the detail he’s provided. If his plans with Fiona don’t work, he’s going to get desperate.”

“We don’t even know what his plans are. And I’m not leaving town.”

Lance shrugged. “All I’m saying is that Samuel could still use some help with something in London. I know he asked you. Matthew Bruce, one of our board members at Solitaire, was killed in a mysterious car crash. Things aren’t adding up. So, Samuel is there to check things out. Your help would be much appreciated. And I can help you ditch the protection squad.”

Ripley grimaced. The idea of leaving Olivia when there was danger didn’t sit well with him. Not to mention the fact that if he left to help Samuel with something dangerous, it would ruin the trust they had built since his return home.

But if he was gone, they would likely leave her alone and start a worldwide manhunt for him. But the information he had on Brian Doran could be enough to deter him. And even just a couple of days head start might be enough time to figure out what the man wanted from him.

“I’ll think about it. For now, just keep digging and find me a connection between Fiona and Brian.”

Chapter 27

“OLIVIA,it’sbeentoolong.”

Samuel Carter wrapped her in a tight hug as she stepped off yet another private jet with Ripley. This time, they were in London.

She soaked in the comfort of Samuel’s hug until Ripley cleared his throat.

With a chuckle, Samuel let her go and backed up.

“Thank you both for coming.”

Olivia laughed. “I’m just here to see Big Ben. Ripley is the one here to help.”

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