Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
One down, two to go. I’m sitting at the head of the long oval table in the rented office space, looking at the team I pay damn good money and who couldn’t do a task as simple as acquiring a few buildings.
“We need a plan to get the remaining two buildings signed off before the end of next week,” I tell them.
I have a meeting with my board and investors the week after next. If I don’t have good news for them, that’s not going to go well for me.
“I’m assigning Mark, Greg, and Tom to the Davids’ building.
And Luke, Frank, and Colin to the Smith building.
Dig deep. I want any and all information you can find.
Reach out and try to get in front of these assholes.
Now that Brown has signed off on the sale, they might be more receptive to hearing our offer.
” I stand, closing my notebook. “Do not fuck this up.”
I walk out of the meeting with Angus hot on my heels. “You know, I really think you could have a new career in ball busting, Mols,” he says.
I side-eye him. “If I wasn’t surrounded by useless assholes, I wouldn’t need to be busting their balls.”
“First, those men in there are the best in the industry. You hand-selected each and every one of them. Second, I’m starving and I’ve booked us a table at a Japanese place.”
It’s then that my stomach decides to grumble. “I’m also starving. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I tell him, because I honestly would be lost—and hungry.
“You wouldn’t have to suffer long without me, because we both know you’d starve to death.” Angus laughs.
“Facts.”
My mind drifts to Alfie. I haven’t seen or heard from him all day.
I also haven’t attempted to reach out. We have seen each other every night for the last week, usually in the middle of the night because he works odd hours.
But I’ve always heard from him throughout the day, which makes it odd that he hasn’t been messaging or calling me.
If you had told me two weeks ago that you could get comfortable, addicted to someone’s presence within a couple of days, I would have told you to see a shrink.
Now, I’m starting to think that maybe Alfie has cast some kind of voodoo spell over me, because I am addicted.
I find myself looking forward to hearing from him, and I stay up waiting for him to come to my suite.
There are times he comes and picks me up, just to take me back to his house.
And I have to admit I much prefer being there than stuck in a stuffy hotel suite.
I do wonder what’s going to happen when I leave. I can’t stay in Las Vegas forever. I have a company to run. A home. A life. Okay, maybe not so much that last one, considering all I do is work. But I do need to get back to Seattle soon.
“You should just call him instead of looking at your phone and wishing for it to light up,” Angus tells me.
“I don’t want to be needy. I’m not that girl.”
“I don’t think the guy cares if you’re needy, Mol. I bet he’d get off on it.”
“Do not think about my boyfriend getting off, Angus.” I scowl.
“Oh, so we’re back to the boyfriend label again, are we?”
“No, it was a slip of the tongue,” I lie.
I think I really might like the idea of Alfie being my boyfriend more than I’m willing to admit out loud. Probably because I know it’s not going to work once I go home. Also, Alfie doesn’t seem like a commitment kind of guy. He’s the guy who enjoys a good time, not a long time.
“Just message him, Mol.” Angus rolls his eyes as he holds the car door open for me.
I pause before getting in and glancing around the street.
“What’s wrong?”
“The detail isn’t here.” I might pay my security detail to stay hidden, blended in, but I always know that they’re here. I do spot the five goons Alfie has following me. Two in a car behind the one I’m about to get into and three on the street just a few meters away.
Angus searches up and down the street. “Where the fuck are they?” he hisses.
“I don’t know.” I frown. My security team is paid to work exclusively for me. They don’t work for anyone else and they’ve never not been there. “Something feels off.”
“Get in the car, Mol. We’re going back to the hotel,” Angus says.
“No, we’re going to Alfie’s.” I slide into the back seat. I don’t know why, but I feel safer at Alfie’s house. I pull my phone out and call him to let him know I’m heading there.
“Molly, how’s your day going?” he answers after the fourth ring.
“Ah, fine. I’m on my way to your house. Do you mind if I bring Angus?”
“I don’t mind, but I’m not there,” Alfie says.
“I… ah…”
“What’s wrong?”
“My detail is missing and I don’t know why or where they are. I just know that they’ve never not been around before.”
“What do you mean they’re missing?”
“I mean, I walked out onto the street where they should have been waiting and they weren’t. Your five goons were there, though. They’re following me now.”
“Okay, good. When you get to the gate, place your palm on the scanner and the doors will open for you.”
“Just like that?”
“I programmed your handprint into the system.”
“When did you do that?”
“The first night you slept over, while you were asleep,” he explains.
“Okay…” I don’t know what else to say to that. It’s weird.
“Your palm will open other doors too, Molly, like the one Hudson can’t find,” Alfie tells me.
“Why would I need to go through that door?” My gaze falls to Angus. He’s tapping away at his phone while trying to reach what I assume is my security team.
“Just do me a favor. Go to that door and put something on your body. Something like that accessory you wore to my mom’s gala.”
“Why are you talking so cryptically?”
“Because I’m in a meeting with the mayor,” he says.
“Why on earth did you answer your phone if you’re in a meeting, Alfie?”
“Because it was you.”
“Okay, well, I’m going to let you go and get back to your meeting. Thanks for letting me use your house.”
“Stay there. I’ll finish up here and meet you soon.”
I cut the call before any awkward goodbye happens. Then I turn to Angus. “Anything?”
“Nothing.” He frowns at his phone and hits another number.
“I don’t get how they can just disappear, and why isn’t any of the other team members answering your call?”
“Yeah, me either. But I’m sure everything will be fine,” Angus says.
The car stops at Alfie’s gates. I can’t reach the palm reader pad from where I’m sitting so I open the door and climb out.
Angus follows me, and I give him a look over my shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Being your shadow.”
“No one is going to jump out of the gardens, Angus.” I press my palm to the reader, and the gates open at the same time something loud rips through the air.
I turn and freeze. Angus falls against me and I barely stay upright with the weight of him.
“Angus!” I scream as what I now recognize as gunshots continue to ring out. “No!”
I fall to the ground, rolling Angus onto his back as I look at his chest. Blood seeps from his body. I lay my hands over the wound and press down.
“Angus!” I scream again, but he’s not answering me. His eyes aren’t looking at me. They’re peering straight up to the sky. “No, no, no!”
I cry as I keep pressure on the wound. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.
“Miss Olive, you need to come with me.” Someone pulls at my arm, trying to get me up from the ground.
I shake him off. “No, we need to help him!”
“We’re getting him out too. Come on,” the guy says as another man bends down and picks Angus up. It’s then that I stand and let the guy lead me into the back of a waiting car.
I watch as Angus is put into a separate SUV. “Where is he taking him?”
“The hospital, ma’am,” the guy says.
It occurs to me then that I don’t know this man. I’ve never seen him before and I’ve made it a point to notice all the goons Alfie has following me.
I take a step backwards and shake my head. “I don’t know you.”
“You don’t. Your boyfriend does.” He smiles but it’s more sinister than friendly.
I take another step back and hit something.
Not something, someone, and that’s when I feel a prick on the side of my neck.
I reach up but there’s nothing there. Hands grab on to my arms, and seconds later, the ground is spinning and everything goes foggy before my eyelids close.
I struggle to keep them open but no amount of blinking is helping.
I can’t. Everything goes black as I feel my body being lifted.