14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
S tone walked down the corridor to Ms. Birdie’s office, his steps measured and his demeanor composed, yet his mind was anything but calm. Yesterday’s kiss lingered in his thoughts, replaying with an intensity that caught him off guard.
What in the hell had caused him to throw his she’s-mine-keep-the-fuck-away card down at Antonio’s feet? It was a sure bet move to invoke another alpha to want something he couldn’t have.
Now, Stone couldn’t help but worry his lack of control around Sophie had something to do with his still glitching. Unfortunately, until Clarabelle returned from her visit to Mayhem, Missouri, there wasn’t anyone he could turn to for support.
It had been a relief when he’d learned Sophie hadn’t needed his services today. According to the text she’d sent him, she’d not yet decided on a new across-the-tracks candidate to interview. He’d caught a break there. The warmth of Sophie’s lips and the slight tremble he had detected in her touch had haunted his dreams last night and had chased his thoughts all morning. He needed the day to reset.
He couldn’t help but wonder if she, like him, had spent the last twenty-four hours convincing herself it had been just a kiss to prove a point to an asshole. That the two of them were best suited as the occasional book buddy. Nothing more.
He reached the sleek glass door marked Executive , took a deep breath, and smoothed down his jacket—a futile attempt to settle his thoughts as much as his appearance. With a slight nod to Ms. Birdie’s assistant, he pushed the door open.
Ms. Birdie sat poised behind her desk, her sharp eyes looking up from a stack of papers as he entered. “Stone, it’s so nice to see you again,” she began, her voice cutting through his reverie with its usual brisk efficiency. “I appreciate your dropping everything to see me this morning.”
“Not a problem. Sophie ended up not needing me today, so my schedule was free.”
Ms. Birdie sighed. “I’m afraid I’m the reason she didn’t need you today. I’ve tasked her with putting together a more detailed outline of her plans for the remaining columns.”
“If I know her, she will be thrilled with the excuse to dig deeper into her book boyfriend files.” Stone just hoped it didn’t require him to read additional romances. The ones he’d read had already thrown him off his bachelor-for-life plan. As it was, he was hanging on to its ledge by his fingertips. One more happily ever after could spell the death of his commonsense approach to his future.
“Oh, you’re not wrong,” Ms. Birdie said. “I dropped by her office and saw her process, and it involved a corkboard with colorful threads crisscrossing all over the place. Reminded me of one of those crime scene boards you see on television cop shows.”
“That sounds on brand for Sophie.”
“Anyway, I hate to tell you this…” Ms. Birdie continued shuffling the papers into a neat pile. “But we’ve received a rather unsettling threat against our star columnist.”
Stone stiffened. Thoughts of Sophie being hurt sent a cold fury down his spine. “When? Who?” If it was Antonio, Stone would make good on his threat. No one would hurt Sophie on his watch.
“It came sometime in the last twenty-four hours. Dropped off downstairs in our mailbox. Nothing was caught on the cameras, so the who is not known.”
“I don’t understand.” Stone paced to the window and glanced out before turning and leaning against the wall. “You said you’ve asked for a more elaborate plan. Why not cancel the whole assignment? Surely, her safety is more important than the column.”
“I gave her the option, and she wouldn’t even consider the possibility. In her words, that’s why she’s got you.” Ms. Birdie waved at the chairs in front of her desk. “Sit. You’re making me nervous.”
Stone nodded, forcing his professional mask firmly into place, and did as he was told. “I’d like to see the correspondence.” The room felt too warm suddenly—or maybe it was just him.
Ms. Birdie handed him a file folder. “That’s a copy of the note. The original went with the police.”
He opened the folder and read. Watch your back, Sophie E. Clark.
“Have you met any of her prospects that gave you reason to worry for her safety?” Ms. Birdie asked.
“There’s one individual, a guy she interviewed yesterday. He was interesting, to say the least. Worked as a mechanic but gave off mob vibes. The business might have been a front. Anyway, he didn’t take kindly to Sophie snapping a couple of photos. He demanded her SD card.”
Ms. Birdie’s brow furrowed. “I’m not surprised. That’s why I insisted she have security during certain interviews. This world is full of unique individuals who would love to do harm to someone so sweet. I suggest we tighten security around Sophie, effective immediately. I want you on this 24/7 until we sort this out.”
“Understood,” Stone replied, even though the command felt like a double-edged sword. More time around Sophie meant wrestling with this unexpected, unprofessional attraction, yet it also meant keeping her safe, which, he had to admit, had become more personal than usual.
“Excellent. I spoke to Clarabelle, and she assured me your injury has healed and your schedule is cleared. But I wanted to run it by you in person since I can’t say how long around-the-clock protection will be required. I mean, in a perfect world, we’ll catch the culprit before the day is over.”
When had Ms. Birdie reached Clarabelle? She’d not been returning his calls. “I’ll protect her no matter how long it takes. Once I commit to a job, I’m all in.”
“That’s not what I heard from the Glam Team. Alberto said he’d heard you’d completely ditched their makeover attempts.”
When in the hell had Alberto seen him to snitch on him? “That was a mistake on my part. Considering this threat, from now on, I’ll be the perfect cinnamon roll boyfriend. Other than the wig.”
“Excellent. Now, if you don’t mind, would you break the news to Sophie? I’m afraid I’m due at a board meeting and won’t be able to stop by and talk to her on my way out.”
“I’ll head that way as soon as you and I are done,” Stone said. “It will give us a chance to work out the logistics of our being in forced proximity for the time being.” The idea of such continual nearness disturbed him on a couple of levels. One, it would be harder to hide his secret from her if they were continually together. Two…well, that kiss had been anything but benign. It had left him wanting much, much more.
“And for now, we’re not sharing this turn of events with Frankie,” Ms. Birdie added.
He picked up on a thread of weariness in Ms. Birdie’s tone. “Any special reason why?”
“Let’s just say she’s under a lot of pressure from a personal matter, and Isabella and I believe it’s best to keep as much of the stress from the job as possible off her radar for the near future.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Stone said. “I hope everything will be okay.”
“As do we, dear. As do we.” Ms. Birdie stood. “Now, I hate to rush you off, but my schedule leaves little room for chitchat.”
As he left Ms. Birdie’s office and walked toward Sophie’s, Stone took stock of his feelings. Something he’d never done until Clarabelle had come back into his life and given him the skills for his other career. A career that often required encouraging others to ponder their feelings.
While Stone still pretty much sucked at that part of the job, he was improving. Which brought him back to his current emotions. What do I feel right now?
Part of him dreaded the close proximity he and Sophie would be sharing for the near future, while another part—a part that kept presenting itself as valid—was thrilled.
But mostly, he was pissed that someone had threatened Sophie E. Clark.