Free Suspicious Activities by Tyler Anne Snell

account,” he said. “In fact, we’d like to join you.” Jackson was about to argue when the men on either side of him moved their blazers to the side just enough to show their guns. Jackson shared a quick glance with Nikki. She gave him a tight nod. He lowered himself back into his seat. The best-dressed man kept smiling and sat at the only other chair between them while the other two pulled up wayward chairs opposite him. None of the other patrons made a fuss.
    All traces of her earlier humor gone, Nikki turned to the man. “Hello, Andrew.”

Chapter Eight
    Andrew Miller looked nothing like what Jackson had expected. To cause such caution in not only Nikki but also the other Orion agents, Jackson had pictured a brute of a man. Instead, what he saw was a man who could have walked straight out of a business catalog. His suit fit him expertly, unlike the blazers his friends wore, which hung awkwardly around them. Even his hair seemed prepped to run its own meeting, slicked back with copious amounts of gel. Again, not what Jackson had expected.
    “You must be new,” Andrew said. “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.” He extended his hand. Jackson didn’t take it.
    “What are you doing here?” Jackson bit out.
    Andrew’s smile widened, as if he was pretending to be innocent. He motioned to the coffee bar behind him. “I’ve heard wonderful things about this place. Why wouldn’t I be here?”
    “What do you want?” Nikki asked instead. Her voice didn’t waver. It was hard and seeping with caution. It reminded Jackson that, even though the man next to them didn’t look capable of anything other than doing your taxes, at the end of the day Jackson didn’t know anything about Andrew.
    “I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he said, a tilt to his head that implied it was the most obvious reason as to why he was there.
    “And the men with guns?” she added. Tweedledum and Tweedledee managed their own versions of Andrew’s smile. It sent a pulse of anger through Jackson.
    They shouldn’t have stopped for coffee.
    “They’re kind of like my bodyguards, I suppose.” Andrew laughed but without humor. “I know how much you like those. You stole, what, three from me?”
    Nikki’s jaw hardened.
    “I didn’t steal anyone,” she said. “They left.”
    Andrew snorted, anger showing through his casual facade. Jackson balled his fists beneath the table. Would he really do anything in such a public place? The patrons around them were oblivious of their conversation, but that certainly wouldn’t last long if Andrew’s lackeys pulled out their guns.
    “They left because you asked them to, Nikki. You put an idea in their head that twisted them to your liking. You manipulated them for your own gain and they, like lost sheep, listened.”
    Jackson didn’t know what they were talking about, but he knew that it hit a nerve in the woman. Her lips thinned. When she spoke, her words almost sounded rehearsed. This seemed to be an old fight between them.
    “ My gain? It was your drive to ensure your gain that killed Morgan—”
    “I did not kill her!”
    The coffee shop quieted. Jackson watched Andrew’s guards as they both moved their hands closer to their guns. His stomach fell. In the back of his mind he realized he was getting major clues as to the mystery of Nikki’s and Orion’s past, but his focus needed to stay sharp. The shop was filled with patrons, but in Jackson’s eyes all he saw were potential victims. Including Nikki.
    He needed to get her out of there and as far away from the man next to her as soon as possible.
    “Sorry for the outburst,” Andrew said, visibly loosening. His breathing calmed. Soon he was smiling again. The rest of the coffee shop turned back to their little worlds. Nikki’s expression was blank.
    “Jackson?”
    A waitress appeared with their two coffees and Calvin’s on her tray, only setting them down when Jackson nodded to confirm the name. Her eyes lingered