Underwear and bra were thrust into her purse and, on impulse, Willow slid out her cell phone and took several quick photos of the inside of her locker. She wasn’t coming back here without an army and didn’t have the patience to wait for a congressional act of approval for deployment. And while anyone who knew her knew she wasn’t given to an overactive imagination or paranoia, she wanted instant and visible proof of why she was about to rush into Jade’s office in disarray, soaking through her clothes.
After unearthing her very pointy nail file, she realized she had a choice to make: Go around the blind corner and possibly into unfriendly arms, or walk back out into the pool area where Tim might still be hanging out. Not that she thought he had anything to do with this.
Did she? After all, she’d just been thinking how irritatingly persistent he’d become regarding her injuries.
Willow frowned, looking from one exit to another. Sure, she could always call for help, but how stupid would she look if she was all alone? And if she wasn’t alone, dallying any longer would only give someone with evil intent even more time to attack. Not to mention what could happen to Jade if she barged in while Willow was slowly being strangled to death, or stabbed, or yanked up by the hair by some mutant super spider intent on sucking out her brains.
Okay. So maybe she did have a vivid imagination, but she sure as hell wasn’t imagining those damn shoes. “Jeez, Will! Get a grip!” she hissed under her breath. “Move!”
Wielding her nail file like a dagger, heart pounding with adrenaline, she rushed towards the second exit, her knee rebelling when she skidded to a halt just past the corner.
No one. Not one damn person was hiding behind the wall ready to slit her throat.
And now she did feel like an idiot. Except she knew she wasn’t. The shoes and note were very real. She just overreacted.
A scraping sound at the door leading to the pool area had her jerking her head around.
Or maybe not.
Not waiting another second, Willow bolted from the locker room and into the thankfully empty employee break room and out into the hallway, slowing to a hurried walk when two female coworkers ambled around a corner. Willow shot them a bright smile as they paused mid-step and hurried away before either could comment on her bedraggled appearance or open fly. A minute later she was rushing into Jade’s office, slamming and locking the door behind her.
Jade, bless her heart, only arched a single dark brow. “Problem?”
Her jeans uncomfortably wet and tight, Willow waddled over, accessing the gallery section on her phone at the same time. Silent, she handed it to her boss.
Lips gradually tightened with anger as Jade looked from one photo to the next. Very carefully she set the phone on her desk and reached up to lift a thin steel chain off her neck. Attached to the chain was a key. That key opened the top drawer of Jade’s desk and from there she withdrew another cell phone. She pushed one button, saying seconds later, “We have a compromise.”
Willow’s eyes widened when Jade handed over the phone. Still a bit shaky, she took it from the older woman’s hand, absently watching as Jade rose from her chair, closed the blinds on the little window behind her desk, and strolled over to one of the metal filing cabinets in the office.
“Hello?” Willow asked, not having a clue who she was speaking to.
“Damn. I was afraid of this. You okay?” a deep, male voice asked. A familiar voice, but one she hadn’t heard in several weeks.
“Rome?”
“Yeah. Listen, Willow. Stay with Jade until I get there. Do not step one foot from her sight, do you hear me?”
Willow glanced over to Jade, eyes widening as her boss pulled out a towel, a change of clothes, and a really big, gleaming gun. She sucked in a breath. “Um, okay.”
“I’m heading to you now and should be there in forty-five minutes.”
If possible, her blue eyes widened even more. From New York to Arizona in forty-five minutes?
“The preliminary hearing was moved up a week.” Rome cursed, his displeasure apparent. “And the fucking judge declared insufficient evidence for a trial. Valen is free, Willow. As soon as I found out, I began making plans to move you.”
Willow let out a soft “oh” and sank down onto one of the worn leather chairs in front of Jade’s desk, only to pop back up with a wince as her wet pants squished into her flesh.
“So what now?”
A heavy sigh. “I’m taking you were I should have in the first place.”
Willow’s brows twitched high as Jade checked the gun and snapped a cartridge back in place, all while listening to Rome. “Since you’re the only living witness,” he said, “Valen is as desperate to find you as we are to protect you.”