Blake’s fingers flew over his wireless keyboard, and within seconds, he was in. “Okay, Janie. I’ve got you pulled up on my screen.”
Emmett watched the middle of the three sizeable monitors positioned next to one another on the top of Blake’s desk. The angle of the CCTV camera closest to Janie’s car gave them a bird’s eye view of her rental.
“Your screen?” There was a slight pause, the surprise in her tone obvious. “Wait, you’re saying you can actually see me? But how?”
He listened as Blake explained in short, “I accessed the city’s CCTV system. There’s a camera mounted to the light pole on your right.”
“I can’t see it.”
I can’t see her.
Emmett ignored the disappointment that caused.He didn’t need to see her face to know she was there. And for the moment, their client was safe.
“It’s okay.” Blake tapped a few more keys. “You don’t need to. We’ve got you and the other car in full view.”
The far-left screen showed the black, tinted car. It was idling three cars behind Janie’s rental, just as she’d described.
When the light turned green, Emmett rattled off his next set of instructions. “Keep going straight through the next two lights, and the entrance to the garage will be on your right.”
“What if they try to follow me inside?”
“They can’t,” he assured her. “The garage has an armed guard at the entrance twenty-four hours a day.” He gave his teammate’s shoulder a slight nudge. When Blake turned his way, Emmett added, “I’m going to head down to the garage now. Blake’s going to keep an eye on you through the street cams until you get here. He’s also going to call down and give the guard your name and description with instructions to let you in.”
“Okay.”
Blake gave him a slight dip of his chin before reaching for his phone. Emmett left the office, his feet moving swiftly across the floor’s smooth surface.
“I’m coming up on your building now.” Janie’s voice came through the phone once more.
Emmett took her off speaker and put the cell to his ear. “When you get inside the garage, park as close to the elevators as you can.” He yanked open the office’s main door and took a hard left, toward the elevators on that floor.
“Then what?”
The doors slid open, and he stepped inside the otherwise empty cart. “Stay in your car and wait for me there. I’m on my way to you, now.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“Thanks again for this.” Janie walked down the long, carpeted hallway of the hotel with Emmett as the two made their way to her room. “You know, I almost didn’t call. I thought I was just overreacting or being paranoid for no reason.”
It turns out, therewasa reason. A very real, very unsettling one, at that.
“You thought you were being followed,” the sexy private security operative’s deep voice rumbled beside her. “And from what Blake found when he backtracked through the footage, you were right. It’s a good thing you called. In fact . . .” He paused to hold out a palm as those dark eyes of his turned her way. “Give me your phone.”
Janie’s gaze locked with his half a heartbeat before she tore her focus away to unzip her purse. Retrieving it with ease, she unlocked the screen and set it in his big, strong hand.
After adding his personal number to her list of contacts, he gave her back the phone.
“You ever find yourself in a situation like that again, I want you to call me on my cell. If you can’t get me there, try the office.”
“Okay.” She moved to take the phone from his hand.
Her breath was stunned into a silent hitch when her fingertips brushed against the skin covering his palm. Janie flashed a quick smile, avoiding eye-contact at all costs.
She looked away, her focus turning to putting her phone back into her purse. The simple task gave her the moment she needed to remind herself who the man was and why he was here.
He’s the man trying to help you find Amy. And he’s here because someone was following you today, just like they did before.
It was an intimidation tactic she’d experienced back home during her investigation into the corruption story she’d been chasing. No matter where she was, the same non-descript car would appear.