Chapter 4
Chapter Four
That night, Max spent some time in the gym on the lower level of his building, then decided to check in with Sylvie again.
He strode through their huge open workspace, past desks and computer terminals. When it came to style, the interior of Bennett Security’s main floor was as sleek as any premium luxury vehicle. All glass and chrome.
“Sylvie, is there any way you could find out who called a particular number at the district attorney’s office at a certain time this morning?”
“Not legally.”
“How about hypothetically?”
“Hypothetically? In a make-believe land where I wouldn’t be violating multiple state and federal laws? Then yes. Why?”
“No particular reasons.”
Lana’s “prank call” had been nagging at him all day, the one he’d overheard on his way into her office. She’d sounded extremely upset.
If it had been a simple prank, Lana wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. He’d seen her in the courtroom. She was infinitely tougher than that. If someone was bothering her, then Max wanted to know about it. He’d shut that fucker down. And Lana didn’t necessarily need to know about it.
Max coughed. “On an unrelated note, I’ll send you a phone number and a time window shortly, to do with as you will. And we—”
Sylvie grinned. “Never had this conversation? I’ve already forgotten it. By the way, I sent you that new batch of resumes.”
“Right.”
He said good night, promising he’d get through the resumes and choose some candidates for interviews by tomorrow morning.
The elevator dinged, and Max stepped inside, going up.
Bennett Security’s headquarters took up most of a three-story brick structure right beside the ocean.
Prime real estate, but Max felt proud of the deal he’d gotten on it.
His very first big real estate acquisition.
He’d outfitted the building carefully, putting in every modern security feature and setting up the whole place to keep evolving with constantly changing technology.
The third floor of this building was his personal retreat. A way for him to stay connected to work at all times, even when he was supposed to be off duty. Max valued his time alone, but he still needed to feel like he was being productive.
He changed into sweats and threw together a vegetable and shrimp stir-fry from the supplies in his refrigerator.
He had a service that delivered fresh ingredients every few days, so he always had something healthy to eat.
With the kind of hours he kept, he couldn’t afford to eat restaurant food or processed junk all the time and expect to stay at his best.
While he ate, he quickly scanned through the resumes, seeing a few potential candidates. But he was starting to think seriously about that idea of cloning Sylvie. He’d push that button in a heartbeat. It wasn’t easy to find such reliable, hardworking people.
Lana probably found that difficult, too.
Her standards were just as high as his. But she had the additional limitations of working for the government.
Max had loved serving his country, but he’d never been a fan of the bureaucracy that inevitably mucked things up.
Far better to be in charge of his own operation.
But why did his mind keep going back to Lana?
He rinsed his dishes and walked over to a bank of windows that overlooked the ocean. The waves shimmered with moonlight, and the night sky was clear.
He wished Lana were here. She’d seemed so stressed earlier, and watching the waves crash into shore had a way of calming him. Maybe it would help her, too.
He could picture her standing here at the window, with him behind her. And then he’d slide her blouse down at the shoulder, kissing every inch of exposed skin.
Gah, there he was, doing it again. Thinking of her. He wiped a hand over his face.
Max had achieved everything he’d set out to do in his life. Why wasn’t he satisfied? Why did he have this feeling that he had to keep striving for more? That something was missing?
There was a hole in his life, and his subconscious seemed to be wondering if Lana could fill it.
He took out his phone and thumbed to her contact. Then he paused, staring down at her name. Max knew what he wanted to do. But he didn’t know if he should do it.
“No.” Max put his phone away.
He wouldn’t succumb to that temptation. When it came to Lana, he couldn’t afford to be impulsive. She deserved better. He’d give himself at least another day, and then, if he still felt the urge…maybe.