Chapter Twenty-One
When Alex had left her office, Hawk wasn’t the one standing by.
It was Stevie.
Alex was surprised to see the other woman, and from the looks on the lawyers’ faces as they left Alex’s office, they were, too.
There had been no escaping the next six hours of hell behind her desk. And in truth, she was somewhat relieved that Hawk wasn’t the one driving her back to the estate at the end of the day.
Hawk had apparently driven her car back, returned, and left with his.
Maybe he needed to dissect what their kiss had meant as much as she did. And to do that, you needed time alone.
Or with a best friend.
Her text to Nick was code.
S.O.S. 6:00. Indian or Thai, you pick up. I’ll have the wine.
Their college code was law. Whoever sent the message was hosting and couldn’t be denied unless there were extreme circumstances.
Alex stared at her phone, waiting for Nick’s reply. God, she hoped he wasn’t busy.
Max and Sarah were in Phoenix, looking at retail space for the headquarters of the nonprofit Max was launching. A program to help orphaned kids in trouble with the law. A cause Max knew all too well since that had been his life.
Which meant the estate was empty, except for whoever was on tap for her security guard throughout the night.
A security guard that had yet to be Hawk during her sleeping hours.
How much rest would she manage if she knew Hawk was watching her sleep? Not that the security guards actually set eyes on her at night.
But now that she was one hundred percent sure of his attraction ... their attraction , maybe he would be inclined to peek in on her when none of the other guards had.
Alex’s phone buzzed in her hand.
Nick replied. 6:15. Indian. This had better be good.
Stevie hadn’t said much from the driver’s seat, or from her perch on the chair outside of Alex’s office door all day.
“Thank you for stepping in for Hawk,” Alex said.
“We’re a team. Although I am surprised he asked.”
“I wasn’t expected to go in today.”
Stevie’s jaw was set, her eyes straight forward.
“I’m guessing you already knew that.”
The other woman nodded. “Taking off the way you did was stupid. Could have gotten you killed.”
The harshness of her tone stiffened Alex’s spine. “That might be a bit extreme.”
“You only think that because it’s been a minute since the bomb threat. Several days of silence. Let me help you remember.” Stevie reached for her phone, which was in a mount on her dash. Next thing Alex knew, she heard her own voice calling in a bomb threat.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“There’s a bomb in the Stone Enterprises headquarters. Don’t bother with security footage. I’ve taken care of that.”
“There’s a bomb?”
“More than one Stone belongs in the family plot.”
“Where is the b—”
“Tick, tock. Tick, tock.”
“Where—”
“Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Any death is on her hands. Evacuate the building. Let her know I’m watching.”
Alex stared out the window, her jaw tightened.
“Do you need to hear that again?” Stevie wasn’t playing around.
“No.” And she didn’t. Hearing the recording did exactly what Stevie wanted it to do.
It scared Alex.
“I won’t be able to avoid the office forever,” she said.
“Don’t worry. Now that you’ve proven you’re easily persuaded to leave the protection you hired for yourself, this caller will try something else.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s what they do. They watch and wait for a weak spot, and then they strike. The next time you get a call that makes you consider leaving the estate, or work ... or wherever alone, consider it to be a trap.” Stevie turned onto the street leading to the estate, never once looking Alex’s way.
Alex held her hands to keep them from shaking. “I was served papers today, for a lawsuit brought on by my previous employer. Our lawyers needed me—”
“Alive. Your lawyers need you alive.” Stevie looked at Alex in that moment. “Nothing that happened in that office today couldn’t have taken place an hour later.”
The woman was right.
“It won’t happen again.”
Stevie stopped in front of the electric gate, lowered her window, and looked at the camera.
The gate opened.
“Hawk is very good at what he does. Let him do it.”
Alex felt sufficiently scolded.
Rightfully so.
Even though Alex’s job was important, rushing to the office wasn’t worth the danger it could cause others by her actions.
By six fifteen, Stevie had handed Alex off to the guard on duty for the evening. There were now two of them. Neither one was Hawk.
Two, according to Stevie, because of the change of events and the fact that Alex was the only one home.
Wearing a lounging outfit that felt like cool wind on a hot day over her skin, Alex opened one of the bottles of wine she’d bought from the auction and let it breathe while she welcomed Nick in.
He pushed the bag of takeout into her arms as he walked through the front door. “I need to hear everything, but first ... I need to change.”
The smell of curry and spice made Alex’s stomach rumble. In all the crazy of the day, she’d forgotten to eat.
A problem she planned on rectifying as soon as possible.
“Meet me in the family room.”
Nick swung his overnight bag on his shoulder and marched to the closest guest room to change.
Alex set out wineglasses, plates, utensils, and napkins on a coffee table in the smaller family room.
Music played through the speakers, and the gas log fireplace had been turned on.
Nick’s lounge suit was completely black, and his slippers were white and fuzzy.
They made Alex smile.
She shoved wine in his hand before he could ask the first question.
“Taste first.”
“You’re cruel, Stone.” Nick put the glass to his lips and hummed when he pulled it away. “What is this magic in a bottle?”
“Right?” Alex took her second sip.
“Is this from the wine auction?”
“Yup.”
“What did it cost?”
“More than you made today.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “That wouldn’t be difficult.”
The man lied. He was paid well for his field of work.
He took another drink. “Start talking.”
Alex sighed and moved to the table filled with boxes of food. She grabbed a pillow from the sofa and set it on the floor for her to sit on.
Nick mimicked her actions.
“I’m being sued.”
Nick stopped mid-sit. “What? Who? Is it Melissa?”
“Not Melissa. Regent. They’re saying I violated my nondisclosure with them.”
“How is that even a thing? You inherited the company. You can’t be sued for disclosing to yourself.” He sat opposite her on the floor.
“It’s not going to stop them from trying.”
Nick reached for a container and removed the lid. “What did they say you disclosed?”
“Information on their bid for the Noel properties we need to dump.”
“I don’t understand how—”
“Hawk kissed me.”
Nick dropped the spoon in his hand to the plate with a crash.
Stunned eyes stared at her.
The lawsuit was news. And it deserved some discussion.
But it had been a long-ass time since Alex’s lips met anyone else’s. And that needed much more airtime.
“Start. At. The. Beginning.”
She did. From leaving the estate to Hawk barging into her office wearing gym shorts and a scowl. The true fear in his eyes, the kind Alex knew she’d remember for a while. And the moment she knew he was going to kiss her to after the power outage broke them apart.
Nick leaned on his elbows in rapt attention. “How was it?”
“Intense. It was the kind of kiss that lodges in your chest before it breaks free with fluttering waves.”
“Butterflies,” Nick said with a sigh.
“More than that. I swore I felt his hand trembling when he touched my cheek. And then he went all bodyguard on me, telling me to get behind him when he checked the hall during the power outage. As if someone was out there waiting for us.”
“That’s hot.”
“I’m so shallow,” she said, feeling the same way.
“Then what happened?” Nick asked.
“Nothing. I went back to my meeting, and when it was done, Stevie was sitting in the chair outside my office.” Alex put the wine to her lips. They had yet to put the food on their plates.
“No calls? No texts?”
She shook her head.
Nick went back to the container that held chicken curry while Alex reached for the rice. “It’s not like he was calling or texting before. Except to go over my schedule.”
“He will.”
Alex wasn’t so sure. “He was scared. Something in the way he looked at me. I saw pain in his eyes.”
“Maybe he thinks he can’t have you. We both know that’s not true,” Nick teased.
“It was deeper than that.”
He pulled his plate closer and picked up a fork. “Every Hollywood action film tells us that the bodyguard getting involved with the client makes them unable to do their job.”
Alex paused. “You think?”
Nick shoved food in his mouth. “Maybe.”
“I wonder if that’s why Stevie was there and not him.” Alex lifted her fork and stared at her plate. What if Hawk did pass on the personal bodyguard position to someone else? The thought had her swallowing hard.
“He won’t be your bodyguard forever,” Nick said. “Eventually, Mr. Play-Doh will be caught.”
She tasted the curry and smiled. The hunger she’d pushed aside all day flooded in. “Stevie seemed to think we’d see something from Mr. Play-Doh sooner rather than later.”
“ No bueno .”
Alex didn’t like any of it either. Waiting for the police to find something from what had already happened.
Needing another act to find Mr. Play-Doh.
Having to stay out of the office, working from home, and not having the ability to do so much as go and have a manicure without someone driving her.
Even if that was Hawk. And maybe it was an even bigger suck because it was him.
What was she going to do, take him to her annual gynecology visit?
She took another bite.
“I’m considering taking my family up on going out of town. Colorado, I think.”
Nick grinned. “And taking Hawk?”
“Who knows if it would be him at this point. The lawyers will deal with the lawsuit. There won’t be any need for me for quite a while. Chase will be back ... he and Piper can handle whatever comes their way. I can clear my head. No one will know where I am. Play-Doh won’t be a threat.”
“Is that guaranteed?”
“How could he find out anything? You, my family, and Hawk’s team would be the only people that knew where I was.
Even the cleaning company that takes care of the cabin up there doesn’t need to know it’s me.
They can just clean and stock the place with food before I get there and clean it all up when I leave. No need for them to see me at all.”
“It’s still winter in the Rockies.”
“Barely.”
“You don’t have winter clothing.”
Alex picked up her wineglass, smiled. “Good thing my best friend knows my size and my style.”
Nick raised his glass alongside hers. “I know what we’re doing the rest of the night.”