Chapter 17
Elijah
Meetings had never taken this long before.
That wasn’t technically true. I’d endured eight-hour negotiations with lawyers who billed by the minute and bankers who believed oxygen should be monetised. But this particular meeting crawled.
Every second ticked past with the nagging awareness that Bonnie waited in my apartment.
My home.
The thought stirred something warm in my chest. Possessive and protective. Ridiculous after only a couple of weeks since I’d become aware of her existence, yet impossible to ignore.
Across the glass conference table, three men in tailored suits argued over projected returns.
“…which is why the London branch needs restructuring before the next quarter,” one of them finished.
I nodded once and stood, so over the detail. “Send me the numbers tonight.”
Relief rippled around the table. Chairs scraped back. Papers shuffled. The meeting broke apart in a rush of handshakes and murmured thanks.
Finally.
I stepped out into the hallway, rolling tension from my shoulders. Mitch waited there. Of course he did. My assistant stood with a tablet tucked under one arm, tie perfectly straight, expression hovering somewhere between concern and irritation.
“Elijah.”
“Mitch. You’re supposed to be Stateside.”
We started walking down the corridor together.
“With the lack of answers I’ve had from you, I thought it better to cross the pond. Tell me the truth,” he said. “Did you actually listen to any of that meeting?”
“I caught the important parts.”
“Which were?”
“Profit projections and the fact you’ve been breathing down my neck for forty-eight hours to attend it.”
“That’s because the firm you just acquired requires attention.”
“It received attention.”
“Minimal.”
I shot him a glance. “You’re developing a talent for nagging.”
“Part of the job description.” Mitch tapped something on his tablet.
“While you were otherwise occupied this week,” he continued, voice carefully neutral, “three investors have requested meetings. Two board members want updates on the Boston expansion. And the Crowley’s acquisition still needs your input. ”
I kept walking. “I’ll handle it.”
“You said that yesterday.”
“And?”
“And yesterday you were on a rooftop in Deadwater ignoring phone calls.”
My mouth twitched. “Got spy drones over me now?”
“It’s my job to be observant.”
We reached the lift. Mitch pressed the button with the air of a man who would happily mash my skull against the wall if company policy allowed it.
The doors slid open. Inside, silence stretched for a moment.
Then Mitch cleared his throat. “May I ask a question?”
“You’re going to anyway.”
“This… situation in Deadwater.”
I leaned back on the mirrored wall. “If you mean Bonnie, you’ll speak more respectfully. What about her?”
His gaze flicked towards me briefly. “I’m assuming it’s temporary?”
I smiled slowly. Dangerously. “Have you ever known me to take flights of fancy?”
Mitch’s mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. “I see.”
“You obviously don’t.”
The lift hummed downwards.
Mitch studied the tablet again, though I’d bet the numbers had nothing to do with his thoughts.
Finally, he spoke. “You’ve worked twenty years building what you have.”
“You say that like I’m unaware.”
“It would be unfortunate if distractions interfered with that.”
I laughed under my breath. “I don’t pay you to a million bucks a year to avoid saying what you mean.”
“I’m saying you’re involved with someone you barely know.”
“That’s how getting to know someone works.”
“You met her two weeks ago.”
“And?”
“And people notice things.”
“Such as?”
He hesitated. Always so careful. Mitch had mastered the art of saying offensive things without technically offending anyone. “For example, your sudden change in availability. The disappearance from your team. The extended hotel stay. Certain… expenses.”
Ah, there it was.
“You think she’s after my money.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You implied it.”
“I’m simply pointing out that rapid attachments sometimes attract opportunists.”
I pushed away from the wall. “You’ve met Bonnie exactly zero times.”
“True.”
“So perhaps keep your theories to yourself.”
Mitch raised both hands in surrender. “I only want what’s best for you. Would you permit me to send an NDA and direct a lawyer?”
“I would not,” I said evenly. “What’s best for me is not being treated like an idiot.”
The lift doors opened, and we stepped into the underground parking level.
Mitch followed beside me. “I apologise if it sounded that way. I’ll try to phrase my concerns better.”
“There’s a good start.”
We reached the car waiting near the exit.
My phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number.
I almost ignored it. Then instinct nudged me to answer.
A female voice came through the speaker. “Hi, um, Elijah?”
I didn’t know the voice. “Yes?”
“It’s Melinda.”
For a second, the name didn’t register. Then memory clicked. Carrie’s daughter. My mother’s friend had asked Mom to let the woman use the London apartment while she visited the city. A temporary stay. Nothing complicated.
Except that wasn’t now, surely?
Melinda’s voice trembled. “I think something just went very wrong.”
Cold unease slid through my chest. “What happened?”
“A woman showed up.”
My pulse spiked. “Go on.”
Melinda said, “She came into the bedroom suite just as I’d woken up. I thought she was housekeeping at first but she looked ready to murder someone.”
Melinda had been in my bed. For fuck’s sake. My mind jumped instantly to how Bonnie must have felt. “What happened next?”
“She asked what I was doing in the bed. I mean, fair question. I told her I was staying here. That we were old friends. I didn’t think about my wording until…”
My stomach dropped. “Until?”
“She went completely silent. Just stared at me.”
A flash of Bonnie’s fierce brown eyes cut through my thoughts. The world seemed to tilt. My grip tightened around the phone. “What did she do?”
“She spluttered something about a setup and this was how you were letting her know, then she walked out. Real fast,” Melinda said.
Damn it.
“She left the apartment?”
“Yes, but this was maybe an hour ago? I tried calling you a couple of times already. I just felt so bad.”
My pulse kicked hard.
An hour in London might as well be a lifetime. Bonnie angry was a force of nature.
Mitch watched me with growing curiosity.
“What should I do?” Melinda asked.
“Nothing.” I palmed my forehead. “Stay in the apartment. I’ll deal with it.”
The call ended. For a moment, I stood completely still. Then I swore. Viciously and loudly.
Mitch blinked. “That sounded serious.”
“Bonnie found someone in my bed.” I dialled her number. The call failed.
His eyebrows rose. “That does complicate things.”
“She’s a friend’s daughter staying there temporarily.”
“Did Bonnie know that?”
“No. I didn’t even know the dates.” I tapped out a text, telling her to call me. That I didn’t know anyone would be there.
Mitch winced. “Can I assume your woman isn’t the type to ask questions and wait for answers?”
“Not even a little bit.” She was fire, and heat, and probably cursing me to every god whose name she could invoke.
I dropped my head to my hands. “She’ll think I cheated. Not on her, but with her. I’m fucked.”
“Where is she now?” he asked.
“She ran.”
“London’s a large place.”
“I’m fucking aware.” I turned towards the exit.
“Elijah, wait.” Mitch pursued me. “I was hoping to get more of your time. There are meetings this evening.”
“You take ’em. Or they can wait.”
“Elijah,” he scolded.
I whirled around, panicked and scared, and with no time for his bullshit. “Reschedule everything.”
His mouth opened then closed again. “And if they complain?”
“Tell them I’m handling something important.”
“More important than a multimillion-dollar deal?”
I didn’t dignify that with an answer.
Mitch watched me for a long moment then shook his head.
“Sorry. You’re right. Forgive me. This is important to you so it’s important to me.
I’ll call Edina at Tech Support. She can maybe do something with camera access.
Maybe link into the local facial recognition visuals.
With all the research you had them do, it should be quick. ”
My heart restarted. I backed away. “Thank you.”
“We’ll find her for you.”
Not if I found her first.
Air rushed into my lungs as I broke into a run towards the street. Bonnie had an hour on me, and in a city this size that could mean anything. But I’d be damned if I let her disappear again.
Not when she was already mine.
I surged through the crowds, heart pounding harder with every step. Bonnie Braveheart thought she’d walked into a horrible scene, which meant right now she believed the worst of me.
And if I didn’t find her fast…
I burst onto the street and scanned the crowds.
She might never listen long enough to learn the truth.