Chapter 20
chapter twenty
As Alek made his way into the office on Friday morning, he found it hard not to smile. Which, from the reaction of some of the employees, was weird. The double takes he kept getting must be because of that. The whispering though, that was odd.
He stepped into his office and his phone was already buzzing in his pocket. His smile widened because he was sure it was Jules. Unfortunately, it was from an unknown number, so he hit the ignore button and went about getting to work. He needed to look at some of the marketing plans his brother had come up with for their fall promotion, and he needed to sign off on some kind of radio promo that was recorded.
His computer hadn’t even warmed up enough for him to sign in, when his door opened. The person didn’t knock, but, then again, his grandfather never did.
“What the hell is going on, Aleka?”
He glanced around the office, confusion swamping him. “What?”
“These rumors and the pictures…”
He blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“You mean you don’t know?”
He shook his head as ice slipped down his spine. This didn’t sound good because his grandfather didn’t get upset like this over nothing. He turned his phone around so that Alek could see the pictures. Oh, shit.
It was hard to make out who the people were, if you didn’t know who they were. He did, because he had been there. The shadows told him it was nighttime at Jules’ house, and the pics had to have been taken with a telephoto lens.
Double fuck.
“I see you recognize yourself.”
He raised his gaze to meet his grandfather’s. “You cannot tell who it is.”
“According to the site, it’s you and Julienne. Aleka, how could you?”
Anger hit his blood turning it hot. He didn’t like his grandfather’s tone. “How could I what? Be normal?”
“She’s a good girl.”
“And I’m a bad boy?”
“No, not that. I meant that she’s had a hard time of it in the last year and this…well, her family is not going to be happy.”
Triple fuck. He knew after spending the last few weeks working on the books, that without the infusion of money from the Wulf’s, they would have lost the resort. So many things had gone wrong in the last few years, but thanks to Jules’ family, they were now in good standing.
Alek ignored his grandfather and tried to call Jules, but she didn’t answer. It just kept telling him that her voicemail was full. A sinking feeling filled his stomach. No . They couldn’t end this way. Not when he had just started to realize what she meant to him.
“Aleka?”
He glanced up at his grandfather. Understanding swept over his face. He knew. Of course he did. Tutu always understood him better than anyone else. “It wasn’t just a one-night stand.”
Alek shook his head and started to work on what he should do, what could be done. Before he could, his phone was buzzing again, this time, it came from Wulf Industries, and he hoped that maybe it was Jules. It wasn’t, of course.
“Is this Aleka Johnson?” a very angry Englishman asked him.
“It is.”
“Good. Let me tell you how I’m going to cut your bollocks off your body.”
“Who the fuck is this?”
“Jensen Wulf, and I’m going to fly over there and take care of this business myself.”
“You are not,” said an American woman from the background.
“What the bloody hell are you doing out of bed?”
There was a jostling of the phone before he heard the woman say, “Sit down and think about everything you just did that was wrong.”
“I’m not the sub in this relationship.”
“You are right now. Sit down. It’s bad enough the other idiot is on his way over there.”
He waited, impatience warring with just a little humor. He had never spoken to Nic, but the reverence in Jules’ voice when she spoke of her sister-in-law told him that this was a woman who didn’t put up with any crap.
“Alek?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Nicola Wulf. I’m the idiot who decided to marry Jensen.”
“You will not call yourself an idiot. You are a goddess,” her husband said in the background.
“Oh, stuff it you stodgy Brit,” she said to her husband. There was a thread of affection in her voice. “I want to apologize to you right up front. I take it you know about the story?”
“Yes.” He knew this was a nightmare for Jules. He didn’t give a shit about himself, but Jules…she had been fighting rumors for a year, and he knew the toll it had taken on her. His heart ached, worried about what she was going through right now. She had a soft heart, and he knew this wouldn’t be easy for her to deal with. No one would know that she was breaking inside, but she would be. He needed to be there to protect her.
“I’m sorry it got out. If I had been on top of things, I would have heard about this, but since I’m carrying Jensen’s demon spawn, I’ve been stuck in bed mostly.”
“And that’s where you should be right now.” Jensen was just not going to let that go apparently.
She ignored her husband. “So, Jakob is on his way over there because he thinks he needs to shield his sister. Like she isn’t an adult. Either way, the story will be down by the top of the hour. The damage is done though.”
He sighed. “I just found out. I tried calling her.”
“She’ll keep the phone off. Her new number got leaked.”
“How the hell did that happen?”
“I really have no idea. Someone who has it out for one of you must of have gotten hold of it.”
He thought about yesterday and how Shelley showed up…again. The woman had been relentless and even though this was his family’s resort, she had a lot of friends who worked on the staff. People she could count on to get some kind of information. He had no proof, but his stomach clenched at the thought of that bitch doing this to Jules.
“I have a really bad feeling it could have been someone from my past.”
There was a long pause. “But not your present?”
“I’ve made it very clear.”
“Good. David will be handling all of this once he gets there, but I sent him with Jakob because he needed a keeper.”
“He’s not a little boy,” Jensen said loud enough for him to hear.
“He’s flying halfway around the world to confront Alek, so yeah, that doesn’t inspire any confidence. Alek, I’m really sorry about this.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. We should have been more careful.”
“Bullshit.”
He found his first genuine smile since his grandfather had burst into his office. “Is there anything my family can do? Anything I could do that would help Jules?”
“Hmm, well, if you haven’t had them hit you up yet, you’re going to have more than a few reporters trying to get in touch with you. And, unfortunately, since you’re at a resort, they’ll pop up soon. I would suggest going home. Work from there. I’ll handle all of this.”
“You will not. You will rest,” her husband ordered.
“Oh, bugger off,” she said to her husband. “This is an emergency.”
“How is Jules?” Alek asked.
“She’s upset. More about what this means for you. She thinks that she’s ruined your life.”
“Talk about bullshit.”
“And Jakob will probably be there by one this afternoon. The plan is for her to come back here. But there is more.”
“So much more. You have no idea?—”
“Good lord, Jensen, shut the hell up. The sooner I get off the phone, the sooner I can go lay down.”
“What is he talking about?” Alek asked, his impatience with this conversation rising to new levels. He needed to get to Jules, to protect her, to tell her that he didn’t care what the fuck this stupid tabloid said about them.
“Jakob isn’t alone.”
“So you said.”
“No. Lillian is with him.”
He knew the name, although he had not met her.
“And she wants her daughter back here, where she can be sure she is safe.”
Without a beat, he said, “Over my dead body.”
There was a pause, then when she spoke next, he heard the smile in her voice. “Good. So…the truth is, the entourage can’t come back this way for at least a day. They don’t have the company jet, but Jakob chartered flights. I would suggest you get to Oahu as soon as you can. I think he might try to come to Maui to confront you, but my mother-in-law will probably stop him. Maybe. But better that you get to Oahu.”
“On it.”
“And, Alek, I hope I’m not being presumptuous, but welcome to the family.”
“He is not welcomed to this family,” Jensen shouted.
“Ignore him. You are. Go get your woman and tell her.”
He knew what she meant without her even saying more. He had only realized it last night for sure, and now, the thought of her going all the way to England, well, that wasn’t acceptable.
“Thanks, Nic.”
“Be careful.”
He ended the call and looked at his grandfather. “I have work to get done, but I need to get to Oahu.”
“You’re a target. The reporters are going to see you and know who you are.”
“True, but I don’t hide. We don’t hide. But if I wait, she might be on her way back to England and then I’d have to fly around the world. I am not about to let them steal my woman.”
A long moment passed with his grandfather before his mouth curved. “You love her.”
He sighed. There was no need to lie about it now. “So much it scares me shitless.”
“What happens after?”
“What do you mean?’
“You’re here to take over. She lives in England.”
“I don’t care what happens as long as she’s by my side.”
His grandfather nodded. “As it should be. I will not stand in your way.”
“You won’t?”
“No. She’s special and when the two of you are in a room together, there’s a buzz between you. That’s too special to ignore.”
“Thanks, Tutu .”
“What now?’
He gave him everything Nic had told him on the phone and how he needed to get over to the island before Jules left.
“Go on. I’ll call my friend Pete and get you a charter. You need to get Oahu.” Pete and his grandfather had been friends for years. He owned a private charter service.
“Thanks.”
He stepped up in front of Alek, settled his hand against the back of Alek’s neck, then set his forehead to his grandson’s. The traditional Hawaiian greeting, or Honi, had been used for centuries between Hawaiians. It caused his heart to turn over. When he pulled back, his grandfather’s eyes were watery with unshed tears.
“ Tutu .”
He shook his head. “No. Go. Don’t lose that woman. She’s your other half.”
He nodded. As he was hurrying out of the office, his grandfather said, “I’ll text you the info for the flight.”
“Thanks again, Tutu. ”
“Go, get on out of here.”
Alek hurried through the lobby, ignoring the looks, but came to a stop when he saw who was leaning up against his car. Shelley.
He had a few things to tell her and if she thought he was rude before; she had no idea just how mean he could be.
“Oh, Alek, too bad about the gossip,” she said with an evil smile. She must know Jules’ history. Shelley would be one of those types of people who hung on the word of the rags.
“Yeah, too bad that you had something to do with it.”
Her eyes widened innocently—but she couldn’t quite pull it off. Instead, it looked comical. “I have no idea what you mean by that.”
Before he answered, he sent a text to his grandfather explaining the situation. He got a text right back agreeing to what he wanted.
He turned his attention to his old girlfriend. Her porcelain skin, blue eyes, and long dark hair used to drive him wild. He couldn’t imagine life without her at the time. Now, he wanted nothing to do with the snake.
“You do, but I’m not going to argue with you about it. I’m going to say this again. I have no interest in a relationship with you. When I needed you to stand by me, you tossed me aside. You were okay getting dirty with the Hawaiian as long as he had money. Living as a military wife, well, that wasn’t quite up your alley. I would rather cut my dick off than sink it in you. And, I know you had something do to with this mess. I will find out. But in the meantime, you’ve been banned from the resort.”
It took her a couple of seconds to process her thoughts apparently. The smile faded. “You would never.”
“I just did. And don’t think you can go to my grandfather and get him to let you on again. He knows you’re the one behind the photos and malicious rumors, and he agrees. If you show up at our resort, we will call the police.”
Her mouth opened and closed. Twice.
“Now, get the fuck off my car and leave. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
It took her a second, but she finally stepped away. “You’ll regret this, Alek.”
He smiled at her. “What are you going to do? Hire someone to take pictures and stalk me?” Her frown turned darker. “But, hey, thanks, because you helped me.”
“Oh, yeah, and how did I do that?”
“You made me accept the fact that I am in love with that woman, and there is no way I will wait another day to tell her. So…thanks for that. Now, get the fuck off my family’s property, or security will detain you and call the police.”
He nodded to the two burly security guards making their way over to them. He didn’t worry about what would happen after that. He slipped into his car and started on his way home. He was going to change, grab a few things to take with him, then he would head out.
And, once he got there, he and Jules would have a long conversation about how she was his and how she would just have to deal with it.