Midnight’s Queen (Stroke of Midnight #3)

Chapter 44

Aleks approached the doorman at Portia’s apartment carefully. He’d walked from the hotel, taking a circuitous route in case the Solveigs had sent anyone after him. He hadn’t noticed any tails—or drones—but there was no way to be 100 percent sure. Especially since Mrs. Solveig had been livid at him.

If she somehow learned he’d come here... Well, he wasn’t actually sure what the Solveigs would do. Somedays, he thought his life would be so much easier if they fired him. Or if he quit.

But it was hard to leave years of service and loyalty behind with the snap of a finger.

The doorman caught sight of Aleks and looked him up and down. Aleks tried not to squirm under the scrutiny. “Mr. Lind?” the doorman asked.

Aleks blinked, surprised to hear his name. “Yes,” he said slowly.

“Ms. Tremaine has asked me to escort you to her elevator. Please follow me.”

“Thank you...” He leaned close enough to read the man’s name tag. “Thank you, Sam.”

The doorman accepted his thanks with a perfunctory nod. Aleks felt like he was being judged, but he had no idea why.

He followed the older man through the lobby. There were two banks of elevators on either side of the room. A small seating area sat between them and a desk—for visitors, he assumed—stood near the doors.

They stopped in front of one set of elevators and Sam pressed his badge against the reader. “Will there be anything else, sir?”

“No, thank you.” Aleks placed one foot into the elevator then stopped. “Actually, Sam, Ms. Tremaine had an unwelcome visitor the other day. Do you know how that happened?”

The man’s lips pinched. “Her father, yes. She told me about it. I have no idea how he gained entrance, but if I see him again, well, it will be the last time.”

It amused Aleks to imagine the older man confronting Phillip Tremaine, but Aleks didn’t want to insult him by laughing. “You didn’t help him?”

Sam drew himself up to his full height. “No, sir, I did not. I wouldn’t do a thing to hurt that sweet girl.”

Hearing Portia called a sweet girl brought a smile to Aleks’s face. “Thank you, Sam. I’m sure she appreciates it.”

The door was nearly closed when it stopped again. Aleks looked down. Sam’s foot blocked the doors. “Don’t you dare hurt her, Mr. Lind. That girl has been through enough. Losing Mr. Gilmore wounded her deeply. She doesn’t need you coming along and breaking her heart too.”

Aleks wanted to argue that he would never hurt her, but that wasn’t a sentiment that he’d ever share with a perfect stranger. “Thank you for worrying about her, Sam.”

This time, the elevator doors closed like they were supposed to. While the elevator whisked him up to Portia’s penthouse, he considered the interaction.

The dossier he’d been provided at the start of his trip hadn’t mentioned the incredible loyalty she commanded from the people she worked closely with. He shook his head. Solveig Security had really fallen down on the job there.

While he didn’t remember the file verbatim, Aleks was sure there had been no mention of the staff here in the building. True loyalty like that developed over time. Surely a woman called the Ice Queen wouldn’t inspire such loyalty if she were truly as cold, as heartless, as the name indicated. What else had they missed?

The elevator arrived at the top floor smoothly and soundlessly. He still couldn’t believe that Portia had invited him over, but he was glad she had. He wanted to make sure she was okay.

Her door opened and she stepped out with a smile. “Hi.” Her voice was low, throaty. Like the night before, she wore comfortable clothes. Tonight’s outfit consisted of body-hugging black leggings and an oversized shirt that hung off one shoulder. Smooth skin and her bare collarbone were visible in the gap.

Her hair flowed loosely over her shoulders. It was the first time he’d seen it all the way down since their first night together. It had been so soft against his fingers. Against his skin.

His blood heated.

“C’mon in.” She held the door open for him then closed it behind him.

He turned to face her. “I’m glad you invited me.” He brushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

Yep, it was as soft as he remembered.

He gazed into her eyes. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. Really.” She placed her hand on his forearm and leaned closer. Her gaze never left his. “Glad you’re here, though. Tonight was... a lot.” She shook her head. “That show your boss put on? I’ll give her one thing, she really knows how to make a scene.”

He huffed out a laugh. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Portia led him into the living room. “Have a seat.” She released his hand and gestured to the couch. “Can I get you anything?” She bit her lower lip as she studied him.

“Not a thing.” He sat at one end of the couch. “Join me?”

After a slight hesitation, she perched daintily on the edge of the couch. He could reach out and touch her, but he really wanted her to come to him.

Had he misread her invitation? Had he glitched again? His thoughts had been fully focused on her—maybe he was seeing what he wanted to, not what was actually going on.

His hands clenched in frustration. With his stupid, malfunctioning implant, it could go either way. He hated it.

He stood abruptly. “I should go.”

Portia stood with him. “Oh, why? Is it another headache? You can lie down in the other room if that will help.” She reached up to touch his temple.

He flinched from her touch when all he wanted to do was lean into it.

She drew her hand back with a jerk. “Oh, I’m sorry. I just wanted to help.” The lost expression on her face tore at his heart.

What if he was misreading his misreading?

“Portia, why did you invite me here?”

She looked away.

He forced himself to ask for clarification. The vulnerability made his stomach crawl into his throat, but he soldiered on. Either he ripped his heart open for her or her pain would do it for him. “I thought you wanted to... spend time with me. But now I’m not sure. Did I read the situation wrong?”

“Oh,” she said. Then stopped.

What did that mean?

“Yes. I wanted to spend time with you. I wanted to see how you were doing because they’re so awful to you.” She looked down, then up again. “But... it’s hard, you know? It seems so fast. And we’re on different sides. Like Romeo and Juliet.”

The dead teenagers? No, they had nothing in common with those two. “The only side I’m on is yours.”

She stared up at him, her blue eyes wide. “What?”

Yeah, Aleks. What? You were just thinking about your long-term loyalty to the Solveigs and boom, now you’ve given it to Portia Tremaine?

“Yours is the only side I’m on,” he repeated. Saying the words a second time wasn’t nearly as scary because they were true. He hadn’t even accepted it himself and yet, there it was. All his cards on the table.

“I... But what does that mean? What about your job? The Solveigs?”

He held out his hand, relieved beyond measure when she placed her hand in his. “I have no idea.” It was the truth. “I don’t know how we make it work when our companies are on opposite sides. I have to see this assignment through. And then...” he paused. Took a deep breath. Took a leap. “And then we see what the future holds.”

Portia squeezed his hand. “That sounds absolutely terrifying, but I’m in.”