CULLEN- The Secretary and the Soldier (Project Zeus-Olympia Book 2)

CHAPTER 4

It had been nearly a week since Kiara told Cullen about the private investigator and yet he still refused to discuss it. He buried her in more work than she could handle because he didn’t want her to breach the topic with him again. Every time she tried to mention Nyla, Cullen clammed up, found somewhere he had to be, or found something that he needed her to do ASAP. Kiara sighed as she approached her apartment complex in Downtown St. Louis. Because Cullen lived out in University City, Kiara stayed close to the office. She liked the hustle and bustle of downtown, but today, the busy could not draw her attention. She was too tired to think straight. Cullen and his damned distraction techniques. She dragged to the door and quickly swiped her key card. She absently input her code and pulled the door open, her thoughts on a hot bubble bath with Steve Carlson crooning in the

background.

“Hey!” Thump, thump, thump. The muffled pounding on the glass behind her startled her, making her jump as she whirled around to stare into the most handsome face she’d ever seen. He held his keycard up, with a slight look of frustration on his face.

“Can you open the door?” He asked, offering a sweet, puppy dog smile, blue eyes twinkling at her out of a sun-tanned face. His blond hair was shorn to his head, reminding her of the fuzz of a baby chick. Well, that was a face she’d never seen before. Kiara pushed the door opened for him and watched as he bent over to grab a box. She watched as the muscles flexed in his arms as he hefted the box onto his shoulder and offered her another charming grin. Damn, the boy was built.

“Thanks. I’m Donovan. Just moved in on the third floor.” He said, letting the door slap shut behind him as he moved with her towards the elevator.

“Kiara. Welcome to the building.”

“Well, I’d shake your hand but mines are a bit preoccupied.” He gestured to the box with a nod of his head.

“It’s ok.” She responded with a laugh. “How about I just hail us an elevator.” She stepped forward, pressing the button.

“So, is this a nice building?”

“Yeah, one of the best. It’s really quiet, and mostly everyone is friendly.” She told him, as they both rode to the third floor.

“Mostly?” He asked, curiously. “Is there anyone in particular I should watch out for?”

“Nope. A handsome guy such as yourself should have nothing to worry about.”

She told him, watching as his brow rose in interest. “I hope you’re single.”

“Why?” He asked, suspiciously.

“No reason.” She responded, tongue in cheek, as she walked to her apartment, noting that he was only three doors down. “Have a good night.”

Kiara entered her apartment, thinking of her new neighbor. It’d be nice to have some new eye candy around, plus it was going to be a lot of fun watching all of the single women attack the new piece of meat in the mix. She chuckled to herself as she headed towards her bathroom. She knew that she’d never go for him because he wasn’t Cullen. She wouldn’t be able to open up to him and trust him, like she could with Cullen. He had taught her so much over the years and no one else compared to him. She sighed as she ran hot water in her tub and selected her favorite CD. Steve Carlson, Stripped Down. As the stripped down version of Without You began to play, she sang along as she poured scented bubbles into her water and watched it froth.

A week had passed and Cullen had still been drowning her in work. Kiara headed out of her apartment and to the fitness center in her building. She was going to work her body while her mind worked on solving Cullen’s problem. He was just too stubborn for words. As she headed towards the elevator, another door on her floor opened. She turned around and saw Donovan strolling casually towards her.

“Good morning.” She called out a greeting, offering her neighbor a friendly smile. It had been at least a week since Donovan had moved in, and she rarely seen him. She noted his attire and gave a slight smile. She should have known that that gorgeous body was a work in progress. He was dressed in loose fitting shorts and a t-shirt, letting her know that he was on his way to work out as well.

“Morning.” He returned her greeting with a charming grin. “I thought I was the only insane person that woke up at five in the morning to workout.”

“No, I guess my sanity is in question, because I do this at least six days a week.”

She responded with a laugh as they both entered the elevator.

“I was just going to go for a run, but the manager of the leasing office told me that

there is a fitness center somewhere on the premises.” He looked at her, hopefully.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where it is, would you?”

“Yeah, on the seventh floor.” She said as she pressed the button for that floor. “I love to run outside, but when I want the whole routine, I just go into the fitness center.”

She and Donovan rode up to the seventh floor in companionable silence. As she entered the access code and pulled the door opened, Donovan gave a low whistle of appreciation.

“This is nice.” He commented, moving around and inspecting the equipment. Kiara offered him a grin as she headed to the stereo and selected her favorite station to workout to. Then she headed to the treadmill and began to warm up.

“So, has everyone been treating you pretty good.” She asked him after a few more

minutes of silence.

“Extremely.” He replied with a roll of gorgeous blue eyes that had her laughing.

“I never knew it was that many single, desperate women in this building.”

“What, you didn’t get an invitation you wanted to accept?” Kiara asked in mock confusion, making him grin at her.

“No, actually. I’m still waiting on the right girl to ask me out.” He confided. “I’m a little shy.” He whispered, conspiratorially as he climbed on the treadmill beside her and set a steady pace.

“I bet.” She said with a laugh as she bumped the speed up on her treadmill and began to run. After another fifteen minutes of the sound of pounding feet on the treadmill, Donovan spoke again.

“You wouldn’t be interested in showing me around, would you? I am still pretty new here.” Kiara noticed that after a fifteen minute run, he wasn’t even winded. Boy, he was in excellent shape.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind showing you around, but I’m really busy.” She had to force herself not to sound so winded and she scowled as she continued to run.

“Wow, a brush off. I’m not even sure if it was a polite one.” He glanced over at her, making her laugh, breathlessly.

“No, I’m not brushing you off. I really would love to show you around, but I run a security business, so I’m usually always working.” Kiara explained.

“Come on, I’m sure you have days off.” His tone was cajoling, making her give in with a sigh. What the hell?

“I’m off this Saturday. Why don’t you tell me what you like to do and I can plan a few things around your interests?” She watched a wicked gleam enter his eyes at her comment, making hers’ narrow.

“I’ll let you know.” He responded politely, throwing her completely off guard. She could see the s****l attraction that lit in his eyes, but he didn’t make the lewd comments she was expecting.

“You do that.” She muttered as they finished their workout in silence. Kiara gave a friendly wave to Donovan as she headed out of the weight room and back to the elevators, her gym bag in tow. She’d just shower and change at the office, like she always did.

Alex looked out over the beautiful island of Nunavut, but she wasn’t seeing it. All she could see was Cullen, the way she remembered him last, skinny arms and a cocky smile. He had always been the rock to hold them all together and she missed him terribly.

“Alex, what’s wrong?” Dodger came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he glanced out at the surf. The waves rolled gently onto the sand and the sun sparkled brilliantly off of the water, dazzling the eyes.

“It’s Cullen. I would have figured he’d be curious enough about the investigator now, that he’d have at least contacted her.” She heaved a sigh as she leaned back against her fiancé. She looked up into Mikhail “Dodger” Hudson’s clear gray eyes and smiled. Her life may not be in order right now, but he was the one thing in the chaos that made complete sense.

“Well, in my time with you and your siblings, I’ve learned that all of you guys are a bit paranoid. Why don’t you give him a little more time?” Dodger’s voice cut through her thoughts, making her brow wrinkle in agitation.

“Because we may not have much of it. Viper’s out there right now, even as we speak, and Cullen needs to be aware of that.” She responded, before turning in his embrace and wrapping her arms around his waist as she sent him a sexy pout. “And we’re not paranoid.”

“My bad. I meant to say overly cautious.” His lips quirked in a teasing grin before he took her mouth in a seductive kiss.

Cullen sat up in bed, breathing erratically. He’d had another dream. They were coming more frequently now, tormenting him more. He pushed up out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom as his mind raced. What the hell was going on? This time the dream wasn’t about a bunch of kids in what looked like military barracks, but instead of a beautiful island that he’d never seen before and the girl with the emerald green eyes, all grown up. How would he know what she looked like now? How was that even possible? Things were just not adding up. Cullen showered quickly and then dressed. He didn’t have any answers, but he knew where he could get them. It was time for him to pay a visit to the little investigator.

Cullen approached the small building that housed King Investigations. There was

nothing overly flashy about the building. The tiny glass door boasted the sign ‘King’s

Investigations’ in bold golden letters. He pulled up the image of Nyla King in his head. He knew all about her, and at any other time, he’d be impressed by how she’d overcome the hardships in her life, but not when his life was in turmoil. Cullen looked left and then right, automatically scanning for tails, or anything out of the ordinary, before pulling the door open and heading inside. The bell jingled over his head, signaling his arrival.

“Can I help you?” The quiet question came from the young girl sitting at the receptionist desk. Cullen sized her up quickly, estimating that she was around twenty-three years of age and was a bit on the frail side. She had deep brown, wary eyes that sat in a cocoa colored face.

“Yes, I’m looking for Nyla King.” He responded, smoothly.

“Is Ms. King expecting you?” She asked looking him over with polite interest, her expression never changing.

“Yes.” He responded simply before turning towards the chairs in the waiting area.

“What’s your name, sir?” The young girl asked, making him narrow his eyes in frustration. There was no way he was going to give her that information. He knew never to give his enemy the upper hand, or in this case, his enemy’s receptionist.

“Tell you what. Why don’t I just leave and come back later?” He offered her a charming grin as he pushed his mind into hers. He allowed her to see him push the door opened before blocking his presence completely from her mind as he headed back towards the main office. He’d just do a little snooping of his own. After fifteen minutes of searching through her office, Cullen couldn’t find anything even remotely suspicious. Nothing that connected her to any government agencies or the like. So who the hell was her client and why was her client looking for him? Just as he was about to make a third past through her office, he heard the bell jingle over the front door as someone entered the facility.

“Hey, Brandy. Any calls while I was out?” He heard the smooth, feminine voice and somehow he knew it belonged to his target. His heart quickened in anticipation as he moved behind the door, preparing to attack.

“No calls, but you had someone come in looking for you. When I asked him for his name, he just said that he’d come back.” There was suspicion in the young girl’s voice, making him grin. Not as green as she looked.

“What did he look like?”

“Six foot three, dusky golden skin. I couldn’t pinpoint his race. Blue-green eyes

and he looked to weigh about one eighty, but it was pure muscle. He looked dangerous.”

Cullen’s brows rose at that. She had described him perfectly, and had he really looked dangerous to her? It never showed on her face.

“Did he say anything else?” Cullen could hear a smidgen of fear in her voice and he gave a deadly grin. Good. She should be afraid.

“Only that you were expecting him.”

“I’m not expecting anyone.” Cullen heard the investigator mutter and then he heard footsteps approaching. He waited for the door to open, waited for his moment to attack. As the door came open and the light flickered on, Cullen moved quickly, gripping her around the neck and kicking the door closed in one motion. He watched as chocolate brown eyes widened in terror and he could smell the fear on her.

“You’re going to tell me why you came looking for me and you’re going to tell me everything about this client of yours.” He bit out, menacingly.

“Who are you?” She gasped out even as she struggled to pull away.

“I’m Cullen Nightshade and you made a big mistake in tracking me down.” His voice was low. Deadly.

“Your sister sent me.” She wheezed, trying unsuccessfully to draw in a breath. Cullen allowed his grip to loosen slightly as he looked at her out of dispassionate eyes. He needed her to remain conscious while he questioned her.

“I don’t have a sister. Try again.” He bit out.

“You do. Her name is Alexia St. James.” At the name, Cullen released her, shock glazing his features. He felt cold chills move down his spine as he focused on her ashen face.

“What did you just say?” His voice trembled slightly. He remembered that name. Alex. His Allie. He had no idea where the errant thought came from, but it felt right. He turned away to pace and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He heard the hammer c**k back on a gun and he turned back around, slowly, to face the woman.

“You move again and I’ll blow your damned head off.” Her tone was deadly, if still a bit raspy, making Cullen grin. She had spunk and he had to admire that. She also had a death wish because it was obvious she really had no idea what he could do. There was no way in hell she was working for the government.

“Really?” Cullen asked in a lazy tone as he walked over to the seat in front of her desk and sat down, unmindful of the gun.

“How about we do this? You tell me all about

your client and I’ll let you continue to breathe.” His tone was nice and congenial, his eyes

deadly, as he looked her over. Her hand trembled slightly at the threat, but she continued to hold the gun on him.

“I’m not telling you s**t until you prove who you are.” She responded and he had to admire her bravado. Without saying another word, Cullen quickly removed his business license from his pocket and sat it down on the table. He watched as she picked it up and slowly inspected it, before setting it and the gun down.

“I’m not telling you this information because of your threat. I’m telling you because it’s what she wants.” Nyla muttered, rubbing at her sore throat.

“Whatever floats your boat, lady? Start talking.” Cullen growled impatiently.

“Her name is Alexia St. James. She would only tell me that she was your sister and that she really needed to talk to you. She has all of your information, but she wouldn’t tell me why she wouldn’t contact you herself. She also said that now that I’m involved in locating you, that I’m in danger, that everyone you know and love are in

danger.” Nyla implored him with deep, brown eyes as she slid a number across to him.

“She has a local cell number and she wants you to call her as soon as possible.”

“What does she look like?” Cullen cut in, watching as she shrugged.

“I have no idea. Besides phone contact, I’ve never met her.” She responded, honestly.

“So, she could be anyone. It could really just be a trap.” This was said more to himself than to her.

“They’ve never tried to lure me out this way before.” He rose to his feet and began to pace as his mind worked through the possibilities.

“It’s not a trap. At least not from our end.” Nyla interrupted, watching in fascination as his pupils expanded.

“How would you know? You’ve never met your client.” He sneered at her, making her eyes narrow on him.

“I didn’t have to meet her. She was referred by someone I trust, completely.” She responded, frowning at him.

“Who?” Cullen’s brows arched in curiosity.

“I’m not telling you.” She responded bluntly, making him smile. That kind of loyalty was hard to find. Now he could see why Kiara was so inclined to believe her. She was bluntly honest and very brave. He could really learn to like her.

“That’s ok. I don’t really need to know.” Cullen reached over and grabbed the number. “I don’t know what kind of danger this Alexia person is warning you about, but it’s possible it’s real. Be careful.” With those words, he left.

Nyla blew out a shuddering breath as she tried to reign in her frazzled nerves. Now that he was gone, she could admit to herself that he scared her. Cullen was dangerous with a capital ‘D’. He exuded it out of his pores like a snake created venom. She’d really hate to be on his bad side.