Chapter 9 #2
She was a beautiful woman in her early thirties with Asian and Scandinavian ancestry.
Her hair was blonde with dark brown roots, and she had it pulled back in a sleek ponytail.
A flowery summer dress completed the look, and Alex was a bit envious of her stunning colleague.
Alex was the girl next door. Jade was the woman who turned heads.
“Yeah,” Alex said and looked out at the Gray Tower employees having an amazing time. She should be out there with them.
“I’m just not feeling it tonight,” Jade admitted. “Too many couples making kissy faces.” She laughed. “I spent some time with Valerie, but I had to let her go so she could go off with her man.” She looked across the yard. “I think they ran off somewhere to go fuck.”
Alex couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing.
“Sounds like Joel: impulsive and sexual,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll make sure his ass isn’t on any of Miles’ security videos.”
“Valerie will be grateful,” Jade said, a smirk on her face. “Don’t want to give Mrs. Bryant a show.”
“Oh, God. She’d never allow Miles to do something like this again. She’s used to her tame charity friends."
“You’re right.” There was a long pause before she asked, “Have you ever connected with someone who was a practical stranger?”
Alex blinked.
“I’m not sure what you mean?”
“I have feelings for someone I’ve only talked to on the phone,” she admitted.
Alex let out a sigh. She knew who Jade was talking about, and sadly, Alex could relate.
“You mean Isaac?” she asked.
“Isaac” was a mysterious hacker who had helped Jade solve the mystery of Joel’s father’s murder.
He had appeared out of nowhere and pretended to be a Gray Tower employee, calling Jade and helping her over the phone.
When it was found out he was not employed by the company, he bailed, never to be heard from again.
“Yeah,” Jade said, looking guilty. “I felt like we clicked, and his voice was so sexy. I shouldn’t have a crush on a guy I’ve never seen, especially someone who could be a criminal.”
Alex gulped, thinking of Blue Eyes. What did she think of him? It wasn’t a crush—more of a fascination. Whatever it was, she thought about him way too much.
“How about you?” Jade asked. “You’re single, right?”
“Yeah,” Alex said. “I don’t know how to begin. I—”
The fireworks started, saving her from having to say anything. She was thankful. She didn’t want to think of that man anymore. In fact, after the fireworks, she was going to go home, shower, and sleep.
At least, that was the plan.
? ? ?
Nate had disabled the security for Alex’s house and slipped in undetected. She had a good system. However, the Conglomerate had taught him well, and Stratton had given him all kinds of equipment. Once he was in the house, he began his work.
This was not a good idea. Yet, here Nate was, rummaging around Alex Thorn’s house.
Why? It was mostly to search for weapons, so he didn’t get shot when he confronted her.
He had already found a handgun in her nightstand and a shotgun under her bed.
He had to give her credit. After the house was cleared, he still looked around.
He couldn’t help it. He was fascinated by her.
Her house was spotless—right down to her scrubbed baseboards.
Who has baseboards that clean? Her kitchen was immaculate.
Even the cabinets were organized (he had looked through them for weapons).
Her bathroom was so clean it looked sterile.
Her makeup was organized in leveled drawers on the bathroom counter: brushes, foundation, lipstick, mascara, eyeshadow, and a few things he didn’t recognize.
Her closet was downright scary. It was organized by function and then by color, and everything looked expensive.
Her shoes were proudly displayed on shelves.
One would look at it and think she was a spoiled rich woman.
But she wasn’t. Nate knew that deep down, even from being with her for just a handful of hours. She was strong and resilient. She hadn’t whined and complained. In fact, she tried to get information from him.
He chuckled.
Knowing now that she worked for Gray Tower made their interaction make sense. She was probing for intel she could bring back to her boss, even if she wasn’t sure she’d get out of there alive. She was a tough woman, and the strategically placed guns in her house solidified that.
Nate ran his hand over the beige comforter on Alex’s bed, smelling her subtle floral perfume that permeated the entire house. It was driving him insane and made him wish he could come home to this every night.
He’d never had a girlfriend before. There were plenty of one-night stands during his time with the Conglomerate.
The soldiers were given time between missions to rest and fuck.
But it was just a release for him; it meant nothing.
For whatever reason, Alex did mean something, and he wasn’t sure why.
He just knew he had to play this carefully, or he’d end up doing more harm than good.
He heard a car coming into the driveway. Nate moved into a spare bedroom that was being used as storage. When the time was right, he’d present himself and try not to scare her.
Nate hunkered down in the spare room as he heard Alex come in. She headed right upstairs and to her bedroom, and before he could do anything, she was in her bathroom, the shower already turned on.
Fuck. Just what he needed: trespassing in a naked woman’s house.
He heaved a sigh as he debated what to do. Leave and come back? He had already moved her weapons. She would be tipped off that someone had been in her home, and then she’d be on high alert.
Nate would have to talk to her tonight. There was no way around it. He’d just have to hope that he didn’t scare her too much, or this all would be for nothing.