Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Izzy
Not enough hours after we fall into a sated heap on the bed, the sun fills the room with a warmth only matched by Lance’s arm around my waist. I could get used to this. We fit together. And despite the looming dread of my ex, my heart screams everything will be okay.
Lance’s phone buzzes on the nightstand, and he lets out a groan. I hand him the phone and he looks at it and drops it on the bed next to my stomach. “Alana wants to see us after we drop Drew off. Probably to go over procedures.”
“We should get up,” I say, wiggling my hips against his body. “It’s going to take longer to get Drew to school.”
He buries his head into my hair and pulls me even closer, turning into a sexy straitjacket. “Five more minutes.”
“Get up.”
“You know, I vaguely remember telling you the same thing and both you and your spawn fell back to sleep.”
I laugh, “Yes, but you were waking us up at an ungodly hour, and this is my normal wake up time.” Squirming from side to side until I free myself from his grasp, I sit on the edge of the bed. “So, are we coming back here tonight?”
“Yeah. We’ll do a few car swaps before returning. The goal is to keep you and Drew’s lives as unpredictable as possible. The school has been informed and will increase security for him. And Joey already knows, so you’ll be well protected at work, but you’re moving to a different office space. That’s also what Alana wants to talk about.”
Once the plans are firmed up, I hop in the shower. Lance joins me a few minutes later. Soapy sexy fun occurs and puts me in a good mood as we drive to school. Drew doesn’t say much. He’s got his head buried in his video game. Drop-off goes without a hitch, and we drive to Mastodon’s home office.
It’s in an old brick building, nothing special about it. I expected glass walls and computer screens everywhere, maybe a few scan keys, eyeball scanners, laser beam maze. How disappointing.
I’m anxious to meet Alana. She seems like some sort of legendary god because even Joey’s a little afraid of her. We walk up the wooden stairs to the second-floor offices.
“Morning, Macie,” Lance says to a woman a few years younger than me, early twenties. She’s got the whole trying too hard to look professional vibe.
She smiles at Lance like it’s a habit and drops her eyes as she mutters, “She’s in the conference room. I’ll be out here if you need me.”
Lance’s shoulders stiffen, like he’s getting ready for battle—instantly focused and alert. He holds the door open for me. The shades are all drawn. Specs sits in the corner, his laptop out, refusing to take his eyes off the screen.
I see her. A blonde in a black business suit, deep red lips, hair slicked back in a bun so tight I wonder if she can even move her face without it snapping off. Her back is ramrod straight in the singular chair at the head of the long table. A power position. I know it all too well.
“Hi, it’s nice to finally meet you.” I offer my hand, wondering if she’ll come around the table to greet me or stare me down until I melt into the floor. “I hear you’re a Knights of the Night fan. Any predictions for season three?”
She stands her ground, but leans forward to take my hand and shakes it. When she straightens back up, there’s a shift in her, like the business side drops. Her shoulders relax, and her smile softens her face. “I think we’ll finally see Reagon and Arema get together.” Her godlike facade drops, and she’s a geek like me. But her gaze shifts beyond my shoulder and there’s an iciness to her voice. “It’s nice to talk to a fellow fan, but I wish it was under better circumstances. I really do.”
“Yeah, crazy ex, mob boss’s daughter, it’s a whole thing.” I try to laugh it off, but the humor doesn’t reach the other side of the glass table.
Alana crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, her eyes never leaving Lance. He doesn’t flinch, but it seems like he’s staring down a dragon. “Is there anything you would like to say?”
It’s a trap! I know this trap. I’ve used this trap on Drew.
Lance says nothing.
Her eyebrow twitches. “Fine. I’ll start.” She drops her hands from across her chest and rubs them back and forth on her legs. Every word she speaks is louder than the last. “It’s a safe house…there are cameras everywhere.”
OH SHIT.
She knows.
“How the fuck could you be so stupid?” she says.
Lance’s back stiffens. “If you knew, why didn’t you put a stop to it?”
She slams her hand on the table. “Because if your dick was in her, at least I knew she wasn’t going to be in any danger. And it’s not like you have a choking kink.”
Lance flinches, and all the color drains from my face. Wait. Are they together? Oh, my god. They are.
“You have a girlfriend?” I whisper, the words sounding childish.
Alana jumps to her feet, sending her chair rolling and slamming against the wall. “Holy shit! You have a girlfriend too? What the actual fuck, Lance?”
Specs shakes his head. “Jesus, I expected more from you, man.”
Alana hangs her head and leans on the table, bracing her weight on her arms. She’s about to speak when Lance cuts her off. “Yeah, you Izzy.”
“You’re not sleeping with her?” I point to Alana.
She instantly sneers, “Eew, gross. I’m not here to yuck anyone else’s yum, but eew.”
What the hell is going on? Why doesn’t she want Lance? He’s one hell of a catch. And she’s kinda making me feel like shit for liking him. “What? Good-looking, sweet, attentive men who are great with kids not your thing?” I snap.
“It wasn’t your thing until a few weeks ago,” She bites, and I shrink into a chair.
Spec closes his laptop as the printer hums to life in the back of the room.
I sit and sigh. The legends about her are true.
Lance speaks up. “It’s not Izzy’s fault.” Immediately, he freezes.
Across the table, Alana stiffens. She hangs her head low and lets out a long sigh. “What did you call her?”
Lance scrubs his face and groans. I don’t understand why the sudden change. What’s wrong with calling me by my name?
He groans, “Shit,” and continues his thought process. “It’s not her fault. You shouldn’t get mad at her.”
Alana eyes him like he’s a bug not even worthy of her shoe. “I’m not mad at her. I’m pissed at you. She should go out and get whatever the hell she wants. But you took advantage of the situation.”
“He didn’t take advantage of the situation,” I say. “I was a very willing participant.”
Alana sighs again. I’m beginning to think she doesn’t have any air left in her lungs because it’s all floating in this room.
“Listen, you were vulnerable. He took advantage of that. There was a power play difference there. You were secluded from your family in a stressful situation. Everything about this was an ethics violation.”
Specs has a stack of papers in front of him and is working hard to avoid eye contact. Now it makes sense. “Oh, my god,” I say. “You don’t want me to sue you.”
“That’s a hundred percent why you’re here.” She paces the length of the glass table. “I’m not too concerned about your dad.” She waves her hand, but slams it back down near Lance. “Although fucking a mob boss’s daughter, while her life is on the line, maybe not your best move, Lance.” She hangs her head and drops into a chair. “I have to take immediate action.”
No, this is my fault. I fucked this up being all sad and needy. “Don’t fire him. And I’ll sign all your papers.”
Again, Alana gets up and resumes pacing back and forth. “I can’t guarantee that I’m not going to fire him. He violated every ethics code and put the entire company at risk. And sullied our reputation amongst all other private security firms. I can say that he would get a substantial severance package. As well as that it won’t happen immediately.”
This doesn’t necessarily satisfy me. But, at least I preserved his job.
Alana glances at Specs. “You’re on lake monster duty for the foreseeable future.” Lake monster? Now it clicks. Oh, he’s been calling us by our real names, not the code names. It’s too personal, muddies the water between professional and personal. Well, that and sleeping with the client.
Lance hangs his head low as he gives me that sad puppy dog look. “I am so sorry.” His voice almost quivers.
Alana stands and starts to walk out of the room. “Lance, I need you in my office.”
I guess the meeting is over.
Specs hands me some papers and tells me he’ll pick the kids up after school. “I’ll drive you back to the safe house.” He adds, “This sucks. I was rooting for you two. Everyone in the office thought you guys were an adorable family.”
And that’s when it hits me. We really were.