N. Walters - Stroke of Sapphire

Topaz sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it. Sapphire could see her sister struggling to find control. “I didn’t even know you were interested in him. How could I not know?”

Sapphire heard the thread of hurt in her sister’s voice and was sorry she’d inadvertently upset her. “He was my bodyguard, Topaz. You know he wouldn’t do anything while he was guarding me. John was the same way with you.”

Her sister’s eyes narrowed. “He made his move on that last night he was with you as your bodyguard, didn’t he?”

Sapphire shook her head. “Actually, I made my move that night. I think I shocked him as much as I shocked myself.” People continued to move around them on the sidewalk. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, eager to have this conversation over with.

“I just don’t like the idea that he hurt you.” Topaz could hold a grudge when she put her mind to it and Sapphire didn’t want that.

“It took us both off guard. The intensity was off the charts.” No way was she going to go into details about what had happened that night between her and Jake. “I think it made Jake wary enough to back off.” And while it wasn’t the truth, it was as good an explanation as any.

“Then why did you change so suddenly after it happened?” Her sister stared at her, as if she knew she’d made a significant point.

Sapphire shrugged, willing to admit Topaz was right. Her night with Jake and the disastrous aftermath were the impetus for the change she’d made. “When things didn’t work out, I began to wonder if it was my fault.” She wrinkled her nose “I’m not exactly the most exciting or best-dressed woman around.”

“You’re perfect just the way you are,” Topaz stated emphatically, just daring her to disagree.

She wasn’t that stupid. “Thanks. I finally decided I didn’t like the new me. And I certainly don’t like serial dating.” Thinking about Ivan made her stomach hurt. The bruises on her shoulders were still colorful, though they were starting to fade. “Jake and I need to give things another try to see if we have enough between us to make a relationship work.” That was the G-rated version of events. What she really needed to decide was if she could be fulfilled and happy with the kind of sexual relationship Jake needed.

Topaz rubbed her hand over her forehead and narrowed her golden-brown eyes. “If he hurts you again—” she began.

Sapphire smiled and cut her sister off before she could come up with a suitable threat. “I know. You’ll beat him up.”

A laugh escaped her sister. “You bet your ass I will.” She paused and then smiled. “Better yet, I’ll get John to do it for me.”

Sapphire hugged her sister, hard and fast. “Thank you. I know it’s not easy for you to take a step back, but this is between Jake and me. And I don’t want what happens between us to affect your and John’s relationship.” Sapphire worried a lot about that. Jake was going to be Topaz’s brother-in-law and if things didn’t work out between him and Sapphire, relations could get very strained.

Topaz shook her head. “I’ll do my best. That’s the most I can promise.”

It would have to be enough. “Okay, how about we grab a coffee and head to the shop. I want to get a better look at the size of the stockroom we’re thinking about converting into a new retail space.”

Her sister gave her a pointed stare that let her know she knew Sapphire was trying to change the subject and that she was allowing it. “I’ve got a sketch of the room and what it could potentially look like when it’s done. I also have some ideas about the color scheme for the walls and signage.”

“Of course you do.” Sapphire wasn’t surprised in the least. Her sister was one extremely organized lady. A shiver crept down her spine and Sapphire glanced over her shoulder. People were crowding the sidewalk, heading to work or wherever they had to go. No one seemed to be paying particular attention to them, but she couldn’t shake the notion that someone was watching her.

“You okay?” Topaz was frowning again and that was the last thing Sapphire wanted.

“I just need another coffee. My breakfast was interrupted so I didn’t get to finish mine.”

Topaz linked her arm with Sapphire’s. “We can take care of that with no problem.” Together, they resumed their stroll down the sidewalk, but Sapphire couldn’t resist glancing over her shoulder once more.

Ivan Gregor watched the two women from a doorway across the street. It was sheer luck he’d seen her strolling down the sidewalk. Sapphire Jewel…her name suited her. She was dressed casually in slacks and low heels, but was a vibrant butterfly in a sea of dull gray.

There was something about her that drew him. She had an air of innocence that he longed to fuck out of her. She owed him for the time and attention he’d bestowed upon her, and he planned to collect. It was only a matter of time.

He pushed her from his thoughts, pulled out his phone and scrolled through his calendar for the day. His day was packed with important appointments, but he would eventually find time to deal with Sapphire. Once he’d had her, he could put her out of his mind and move on.

Satisfied everything was as it should be, Ivan stepped out of the doorway and strode toward his first appointment.

Jake’s phone rang just as he and John stepped inside a coffee shop. He took one look at the number and turned to his brother. “I’ve got to take this.” Not waiting for a response, he turned and walked outside. “Go.”

“Your guy was watching the woman this morning. She was with another woman, a tall good-looking woman.”

“Her sister. Did he approach them?” Jake’s hand tightened around the phone and he had to fight the urge to race through the city until he was by Sapphire’s side.

“Negative. He looked, but didn’t approach.”

Jake blew out a breath. “Keep an eye on him.”

“Will do.” There was a slight pause. “You’re going to have trouble with him. I saw the way he watched her. He won’t walk away from her.”

Jake took the warning to heart. “I suspected as much. I’ll deal with him.”

“Roger that.”

Jake knew he had to cover all bases. “But keep your eyes open. If he approaches, move in.”

“Will do.”

The phone went silent and Jake carefully slid his phone back into his pocket. Once he finished having coffee with John, he needed to head to work. He had some illegal hacking to do.

Jake’s fingers flew over the computer keys. He’d hacked into Gregor’s cell phone records and was making note of the people he talked with. There were some numbers that were untraceable. He figured those belonged to the more savvy criminals. But there were always those greedy bastards in positions of power who didn’t think they needed to bother with such security protocols. Either that, or they were too stupid to even think about such things. Made his job easier.

It was surprisingly easy for him to connect the dots and he was soon hard at work hacking into bank records, both for Gregor and several of his associates. He shook his head, amazed at the idiocy of some people. Several high-ranking civil servants had deposited money in their accounts on the same day that Gregor had removed the exact same amount from his account.

Arrogance and entitlement would trap them all. The police might be hampered by their need to get proof through legal channels, but he had no such constraints on him. When he was done, he erased all traces of himself. Those he couldn’t erase, he buried beneath myriad layers. If any officials cared to dig that deep, they’d trace the signal back to an old woman in Hungry via twelve different other people scattered over the world. No way they could trace it back to him here in New York.

By the end of the day, Jake had several envelopes filled with information—phone records, bank account records and more, every document carefully handled to ensure there were no fingerprints on any single page.

Several of Gregor’s projects had been on the verge of being derailed when suddenly they’d been passed. He had copies of the documents signed by certain city officials, along with copies of their bank accounts that showed they had suddenly gotten much richer.

Jake planned to send the envelopes to the media and the cops. If Gregor had some dirty cops in his pocket he’d still get fried in the court of public opinion. He’d be much too busy to even think about Sapphire, which was Jake’s ultimate goal.

That work done, he sat back and picked up his coffee mug, grimacing when he tasted cold coffee. Still, he drank it down. Caffeine was caffeine, cold or hot.

A tap came on his door. “Come on in.”

John stuck his head through the door. “I’m heading out to meet a client.”

His brother had been bearing the brunt of the work these past few weeks. Jake freely admitted his head hadn’t been in the game. “Thanks, man.”

John grinned at him. “No problem. I expect you’ll be kept busy when I’m on my honeymoon.”

Jake laughed. “Decided where you’re going yet?”

His brother leaned against the doorjamb. “Not yet. I want to go somewhere warm and secluded. I keep telling Topaz all she’d need to pack is a bikini.”

“Bet that goes over well.”

John laughed. “Some days it does. She wants to tour Ireland, which is fine, but she’s not going to wear a bikini while we’re there.”

“Good luck with that, bro.”

John hesitated and shook his head. “Be careful with Sapphire, okay?”

“That goes without saying.” Jake shoved away from his desk, walked over to the large safe in the corner of his office and stuffed the envelopes inside.

John motioned to the envelopes. “Anything I should know about?”

“No.” Jake didn’t want his brother involved. “A private project. Nothing major.” He shut the safe door, locking the evidence he’d collected inside.

“If you need help…”

“Thanks, man.” He knew that John was there for him, would help him without hesitation. He was lucky to have a brother like him.

“Have a good evening.” John left him alone in his office. He felt tense and out of sorts all of a sudden. He needed to talk to Sapphire. He grabbed his phone, brought up his list of contacts and hit the top button. Her phone rang several times before she answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey, babe.” Some of the tension bled from his muscles the moment he heard her voice. That was the kind of power she had over him. It should worry him, instead it made him feel more grounded, as if he had a place he belonged, or at least someone he belonged with.

“How was your day?” He could hear the smile in her voice.

“Good. I’m on my way out now.” He shut down his computer and left his office, locking the door behind him. “Want me to pick up something on my way to your place?”

“Hmmm,” she answered absently. He could hear her doing something in the background, but couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

“Babe? Food? Do you want me to pick up food?” He engaged the alarm and locked the door to Knights’ Security, making sure everything was shut down tight for the evening.

“Sure. That would be great.”

“What are you doing?” He took the stairs down from the second floor of the three-story building.

“Oh, I’m working.”

That made sense. Sapphire got lost in whatever she was doing when she worked on her jewelry designs. He couldn’t wait to see her latest work. “How about Chinese?” He knew what she liked from his time working as her bodyguard.

“No. I think I’ll make something instead. I’ve got some chicken marinating. Won’t take me long to throw something together when you get here.”

“You sure?” He didn’t mind springing for dinner, but his mouth watered at the thought of eating something she made for him. Sapphire was a very good cook.

“Positive. I just need to finish up what I’m working on.”

He smiled, taking the hint. “I’ll let you go. See you in about forty minutes.”

“Okay.” Her soft voice sank into him like a hug and he smiled. He ended the call and stopped before he stepped out onto the sidewalk. Old habits died hard. He checked all around him to assure himself there was no one watching him. When he was satisfied, he headed out. Sapphire was waiting.

Sapphire stared down at the piece of jewelry she’d finished. The design had come to her yesterday—a bracelet that featured the logo of Jake’s company Knights’ Security. The logo consisted of a shield with two crossed swords on top of it. She’d made the piece out of a combination of silver, brass, copper and steel. She planned to set the pommels of the swords with small sapphires. But that was for tomorrow.