Into the Fury (BOSS, Inc. #1)(9)
“Have you noticed anyone around your house, someone who might seem out of place, someone you aren’t used to seeing? Or maybe there’s someone who seems to keep popping up wherever you go.”
She thought that over. “I can’t think of anyone. I spend time with a trainer at the gym not far from my place. Once in a while one of the guys can be a little overfriendly, but if they get too pushy, Mark—that’s my trainer—usually puts a stop to it.”
“Which gym is it?”
“Ajax Fitness. It’s on Twenty-Fourth Avenue East.”
“What’s Mark’s last name?”
“Dargan, but I really don’t think—”
“When can I find him there?”
“He works mornings and evenings. I don’t know his hours this week since I won’t be working out with him.”
“People like the guy who wrote those notes? It can be anyone. Sometimes it’s a neighbor, someone who develops a fixation just watching you walk in and out of the house.”
“I live in a duplex. My neighbor, Mrs. Oakley, is seventy-five years old. She feeds my cat when I’m out of town.”
“You a churchgoer?”
She saw immediately where he was headed. “You think there might be some kind of religious connection because he calls us sinners?” She grinned. “If that’s the case, it could be one of my long-lost cousins.” When a dark eyebrow lifted in interest, she added, “I’m kidding. I haven’t seen any of them since I was twelve years old.”
A reluctant smile touched his lips. “So you don’t go to church.”
“Actually, I do go once in a while. Not that often. Mostly weddings and funerals. Back a ways, I occasionally went with my family.” She didn’t say it wasn’t her real family. Mom and Pops were her adoptive parents, but she loved them as if they were tied by blood.
She glanced toward the break room, desperate for a cup of coffee. “Unless there’s something else, I’ve got to get going.” She started to turn away, but he caught her arm and a little zing of electricity shot through her. The surprise on his face said he felt it, too.
His features went from pleasant to dark. “One more thing. Samantha Brodie’s my cousin’s wife. I gather the two of you are friends.”
“That’s right. Sam’s really terrific.”
“She is, and she’s worried about your safety. That means if you get into some kind of trouble, you come to me. I’ll be there if you need me. You understand?”
She didn’t really. Why would she get into trouble? And if she did, the last person she would call would be some macho, overprotective male like Ethan Brodie. “Okay.”
He nodded. “Thanks for the help.”
“Probably won’t turn out to be much, but you’re welcome.” Walking away from him, she headed for the break room, checked her watch, and realized they were ready to start rehearsing her segment of the show.
Val sighed. Thanks to Ethan Brodie, it looked like she wasn’t going to get that badly needed cup of coffee.
Chapter Four
The rehearsal ran late. Instead of going home after, Ethan headed for the gym in Montlake on 24th East. It wouldn’t be dark for a while. The July days were long, and according to Valentine, Dargan worked evenings.
It was overcast, a leaden sky hanging above the city, but the temperature wasn’t cold and the forecast was for clear skies tomorrow.
After he’d talked to Heather and a couple of the other girls about the notes they’d received, he’d decided to concentrate on the four women who lived in the Seattle area, since the note had likely come from someone in the vicinity.
That meant Valentine, Megan, Delilah, and Isabel. He’d spoken to all but Isabel and come up with zilch.
He figured Mark Dargan, Valentine’s trainer, was worth talking to. As Ethan shoved through the glass front door, the familiar sounds of clanking metal and the thud of weights dropping onto rubber mats reached him. The air conditioner hummed, keeping the rooms just shy of chilly, exactly the way he liked to work out.
At the front desk he asked for Dargan, found him easily. Six feet tall, blond, and athletic, the guy seemed popular with everyone in the gym. He was working with a client, midforties, balding, and probably fighting to keep the weight off. Fortunately, the workout was coming to an end.
Finished with the last set, Dargan’s client set down the barbells, said good-bye, grabbed his workout towel, and headed off to the showers.
“You’re Mark?”
“That’s right.”
“Ethan Brodie. I’m working security for La Belle. You know the name, right?”
“Yeah. One of my clients models for La Belle.”
“Valentine Hart.”
“That’s right. What can I do for you?”
“With the show coming up, we’re trying to nail down any potential problems before they arise. Valentine mentioned she’d had trouble a couple of times with guys working out at the gym. Said you’d handled them.”
Dargan shrugged a set of lean-muscled shoulders. The guy was in great shape. But he got paid to be, same as Ethan.
“Wasn’t any big deal,” Dargan said. “One or two got flirty, tried to get a date. One got a little pushy.” Mark grinned. “I told him I was Val’s boyfriend and he’d better leave her alone.”