2. West
CHAPTER 2
WEST
Nora Montclair is my best friend’s little sister.
And considering Rafe is basically a brother to me, that should make her like my sister. The problem is that the word should has never really worked the way it’s meant to where Nora’s concerned.
She’s a problem for me. Always has been. From the moment I first met her, years ago, when she walked into the Montclairs’ chalet with a smile on her face and her sketchbook tucked under her arm. Her hair deep brown and glossy, her eyes intelligent, her mouth smiling. Five years younger than Rafe and me, sheltered and lovely.
Only a few inches shorter than me and with a face for billboards and ads.
Now she’s a very immediate problem. Some godforsaken idiot has decided that he’s obsessed with her in an unhealthy way, and Rafe has filled me in about the stalker his security firm has failed to find. How it’s escalated from social media comments, to direct emails, to the first letter arriving at her apartment.
She moved to New York to pursue a design opportunity, and while Raphael has a great security team trained for his European properties, I know this city.
It’ll be fine. Perfectly fine .
It’ll just mean interacting with her for weeks on end. Monitoring her position and her safety and being on standby for the security team. Nothing can happen to her on my watch.
Exactly how I’d feel if it was my own sister.
Even if the annoyance I felt last night, shoving away the man who was leaning in when she wanted to lean away, teetered on the edge of something else. Something I can’t afford, can’t indulge in, can’t think too hard about.
I’d last seen her at a party Raphael threw months ago. She looked pretty in a blue dress, with impeccable manners and a smile that looked natural but I often suspected was anything but.
She’s always had impeccable manners with everyone but me.
Like last night, in a silky black dress and dark eyeliner, arguing with me every step of the way.
I run my hand through my hair and ignore the stares a few of my employees send my way. I’m not usually at Calloway Holdings in downtown Manhattan, but I’m here today, and they’re noticing.
For some reason, I annoy her. Have for years.
But I promised Raphael personally that I could guarantee her safety. Because Rafe is family. Has been since we lived at Belmont Academy together as maladjusted teenage boys with too much free time and no parental supervision.
Someone from the executive team stops me; I told her that I wanted to be informed when the latest financials arrived. Do I have time now?
I say yes, even if time is the last thing I have.
This old building has been Calloway Holdings’ headquarters since the thirties, after my great-grandfather made money hand over fist in the steel business. Rumor has it he bought this old stone building during the depression for pennies on the dollar. Ruthless.
Then again, that was him. The Maverick. There have been two biographies released about him just in the past five years; I’ve read neither. Having a portrait of him in my own dining room has cured me of any curiosity. I see his stare often enough. I know what I have to live up to.
And after he fucked me over, there’s no love lost between me and my ancestor. He was the one who established the trust for Fairhaven Estate on Long Island, the place I call home. I can inherit the business, but the house? Only if I’m married by the time I turn thirty. Which is at the end of the summer.
Time is running out, and now Nora is my problem too. My frustrating, too-pretty and decidedly unsafe problem.
I listen to what my financial officer is saying but only hear half of the words.
After thanking Allison for the financial brief, I head to the elevators. A glance at my watch shows that I’m cutting it close to my next meeting, and I hate being late.
There’s a text from Rafe.
RAFE
How’s the first full day been?
I hesitate only a second before I type back a response.
WEST
Fine. Everything’s under control.
He doesn’t need to know that the very first night with her under my protection was a failure. Nora’s eyes flashed defiance on the sidewalk, and it sparked my own irritation. But then there was a tremble in her voice when she insisted she could take care of herself.
I’ve always had that sense with her, that there’s one side she shows to others and another she keeps leashed tightly.
Raphael texts again.
Rafe
Thanks. I owe you one.
That makes my teeth grind. He really, really doesn’t. Not when he let my own sister use his Paris apartment last summer. Not when he kept me sane through boarding school. Not when he’s just asking for a favor in return. And what’s a favor between brothers?
We’re family, after all. In every way but blood.
Which means that Nora should be like my little sister.
The meeting drags on. Numbers and projections for the different holdings, all packaged together with clear recommendations for the upcoming quarters. We break in the late afternoon, and I see two missed calls from my head of security.
Shit. I’m instantly on high alert. Her eyes flash in front of me again, and I hear that wobble in her voice. If someone has frightened her…
I excuse myself and call him back. “Report.”
“The target is fine. But she disappeared for a while,” Arthur says. His tone is short, no-nonsense. “She went for a run in Central Park. We maintained visual contact, but she gave us the slip. It took us fifteen minutes to locate her again. My guys are following her back to her apartment now.”
“What do you mean, gave you the slip?”
“She ran fast, sir. I had two of my more experienced guys following her, but we were unprepared for… quite how fast she ran. I believe it was at least partially intentional. I’ll get some of my faster guys for next time. Won’t happen again.”
“Shit,” I mutter. “And you’re certain you have eyes on her now?”
“Yes, sir. She’s heading back to her apartment building. Should be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Keep me updated.”
I make my excuses to the board members and leave the office. The quickest option is to grab a cab, and I’m soon on my way through traffic to Nora’s.
I haven’t been in a relationship in years. There’s no time. But Nora’s been in New York for less than two days, and I already feel like I’m following someone around. Trying to coordinate two schedules.
The car pulls to a stop outside of her apartment building. Raphael sent me the details, and I know my team has scoped out the place. But there are a lot of unknown factors. Neighbors. Multiple entries and exits. Views in through her windows.
One of my security guards waits inside. “Floor eight,” Madison tells me. “She’s in.”
Another guard stands in the hallway outside her apartment. His name is Jason, and he’s a new one on the team. His cheeks are flushed with color. Did he have to keep up with her running?
How fast is she, anyway?
I knock on her door. It takes a good while before I hear the lock turn and the door opens.
Nora is in her workout clothes. Her deep-brown hair is in a ponytail, her slim chin turned up as she looks at me. Her fair skin is flushed, too, and it makes her look?—
I shouldn’t notice. Practically my own sister.
“Nora,” I say.
“West.” She peers out past me, at the security guard. “Hey, are you sure you don’t want a glass of water?”
He shakes his head. “Thank you, miss. I’m fine.”
“Just knock if you change your mind.” Her smile fades when she turns to look at me, but she opens her door fully to let me in. “Would you like that glass of water, maybe?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Her apartment is spacious and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a stunning view of the city. Tasteful artwork adorns the walls, and sleek furniture fills the open-concept living area. It’s nice, in that short-term rental kind of way. “I heard you went for a run.”
“So that’s why you’re here.” Nora leans against the back of a couch. She’s in a pair of black tights that hug the length of her toned legs. “Yes, I did. And I brought my security guards. I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
“You promised you wouldn’t run from them again.”
“I didn’t run from them,” she protests. Then she throws up a hand. “Well, technically, yes, I did, but they were running after me. I don’t think it’s my fault if they can’t keep up.”
I walk past her to the windows. There’s a clear view here from the apartment opposite, even with the street between them. “You have to adapt or adjust your routines. Do you draw your curtains in the evening?”
“Yes. Your guys have already been here and checked everything.” Her crossed arms push her tits up, and she’s in some tight, black shirt. The sight makes my teeth grind together. Should be like a sister.
But she’s not. I’ve never been able to see her that way.
“I know they have.”
“Don’t you trust them?”
“I trust myself more.” I walk into the bedroom and give it a quick once-over.
The room is as tastefully decorated as the rest of the apartment, with a large bed dominating the space. Only one window here, and it’s above the courtyard. It’s a good thing she’s high up.
“This is a bit invasive, don’t you think?” Nora remarks behind me. “What are you even looking for?”
My eyes snag on a tank top draped over the back of a chair in the corner. A black bra hangs beside it.
“Your brother trusted me,” I say. “I’m being thorough.”
“Want to go through my dresser?” she asks acidly. “Open my drawers? Look at my calendar? I’ve already shared all of that with the security team. A team of mostly men, I should add, whom I don’t know. And now they’re outside my door twenty-four seven.”
Her chin is turned up, her green eyes meeting mine. The makeup from the other night is gone, and it makes her look softer. Younger. There are freckles dotting her nose and her lips are pressed together in a tight line.
She’s finding this tough. Genuinely tough.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Have they introduced themselves to you? My security team.”
“Yes,” she says. “After I asked.”
“Has anyone made you feel unsafe?”
“No,” she says. But she runs a hand over the back of her neck. “I hate needing them.”
“Yeah, I get that. Rafe had a team for you as well, right? Before you came here.”
“Yes. I became good friends with some of them.” She takes a deep breath. “I don’t think the stalker will follow me to New York.”
She says don’t think, but I hear the word she’s not saying. Hope. She hopes that’s the case. I study her for another quiet beat. “You have my number. I sent it to you. You’ll use it if you feel unsafe. Doesn’t matter the reason.”
She nods, and some of the vulnerability leaves her face. “So you can come charging in and complain about babysitting like you did last night?”
“I take my job seriously.”
“Take it a little less seriously,” she says.
That makes my lips twitch. “Do you have anything against me that I don’t know about? Did I break a family heirloom? Accidentally run over a pet of yours?”
She rolls her eyes. “None of the above, thank you very much. I’m twenty-four. I can take care of myself, and I know how to live with guards. I’ve already done it.”
“Did you run from them, too, and give your brother a heart attack?”
Nora smiles sweetly. “You’re in great shape and in the prime of your life. Your heart can take it.”
“A compliment? I should come inspect your apartment more often.”
She walks toward her front door. “You’ve already seen my bedroom once. Won’t happen again.”
Well, she’s damn right about that. I have no business getting closer to her than is absolutely necessary. I head to the door. Nora watches me, her eyes still just as defiant.
“I won’t stop going for runs,” she says.
“I’ll get you faster guards.”