17. Olivia
17
OLIVIA
“He’s still into you, Livy.”
I rolled my eyes at Elena’s enthusiastic declaration. “I doubt that. Alex is helping me because he still cares about Liam.” He’d said as much. It was a relief to see that what I did to him years ago didn’t completely destroy the decent and incredibly caring guy I knew.
“But he went out of his way to get you away from that dangerous guy. I expect the full story about that when I see you, by the way.”
I leaned against the window and stared out at the city illuminated by thousands of lights. I hadn’t given my friend all the details about my eventful night over the phone. “He did help me, but that’s just Alex. He never shies away from helping people. Besides, he has a girlfriend. He was on a date tonight.”
“ Damn . Just when I thought there was hope for your love life…”
The tiniest smile lifted my lips as I imagined Elena snapping her fingers with disappointment. However, my amusement quickly vanished, replaced by that nagging regret that had been plaguing me since I saw Alex again. My love life would likely never include him again and that caused a wave of sadness to wash over me. Why did I do that nine years ago? If I had just?—
The buzzer went off, pulling me from plunging into the past and wallowing in my regret. “Elena, I have to go. I think Alex is back with news about Liam.”
My heart immediately started to pound. He had shown up here instead of calling. Did he have bad news?
Hearing the urgency in my voice, Elena sighed. “Okay. Let me know what’s going on when you can.”
“I will.”
After ending the call, I practically launched myself at the buzzer. “Alex?” I winced at the panic in my tone.
“Yeah,” came the reply.
“Come on up.”
As I waited for him, my thoughts raced with possibilities about Liam. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach, which I was sure was caused by excessive anxiety. However, I braced myself for bad news.
The elevator dinged softly, and my heart hammered as Alex stepped out. His expression was unreadable, which did nothing to ease the knot of anxiety tightening in my chest. He had found Liam in less time than he said he would. Just a mere three hours… Either his resources were more top-notch than I thought or Liam was…
No, not going there.
“Hey,” I greeted. “Any news?”
Alex paused, his eyes meeting mine. “I found Liam. He’s safe for now. I got him out of the dump he was in and set him up in a decent hotel. He was adamant that he didn’t want to come here or go to your mom’s. ”
The breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding came out in a whoosh. “Oh, thank God. Yeah, he’s been avoiding us for a while… me mostly.”
Alex lifted an eyebrow in askance, but I didn’t explain. Talking about my issues with my brother… Well, his apparent issues with me were too painful.
“He was strung out, Liv.” His eyebrows puckered. “Frighteningly so. I didn’t realize it was so bad.”
“He’s gotten progressively worse over the years.” I shuffled from one foot to the other. Standing in my foyer talking to Alex like this about my personal life was weird. The fact that I was makeup-free and in my home attire made me feel vulnerable. I felt like my protective armor was missing.
Alex stared at me through narrowed eyes. He had his head tilted as he assessed me from head to toe. Goodness, it was like he was looking at a strange new species under a microscope. I curled my toes into my fuzzy house slippers because the polish was chipped on a few of the nails. I hadn’t gotten around to a pedicure this month with my world crashing down around me and all…
I self-consciously tucked my hair, which was still a little wet from my shower, behind my ear. My face heated up several degrees as I cleared my throat lightly. “Thank you for everything, Alex. Really. I don’t know how to even repay you for helping me find Liam.”
His throat bobbed as he continued to just stare at me. Just when I was about to get extremely uneasy under his scrutiny, he blinked and shook his head. “What’s the plan? For Liam, I mean. He clearly needs help.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, I gestured for him to follow me. Thankfully, he did without a word because I really needed a strong drink after the night I’d had. Settled in my kitchen, I ignored the kick in my stomach at the picture Alex and I made. He wasn’t glaring at me or threatening to destroy me, and I wasn’t caught up in an emotional whirlpool, fluctuating between hating and loving him.
We were like old friends relaxing in each other’s presence. As I poured him a drink—whiskey, the same drink we shared when he was last in my apartment—I said, “I’ll get Liam into another rehab center. He claimed to have hated the last one.” I flopped onto a stool beside Alex. “That is, if I can talk him into going to another one…”
He studied his glass for a moment before lifting it to drink. “Maybe I can talk to him.”
I turned to him, on the verge of refusing his offer. Being too much indebted to my ex, who was hellbent on taking everything I had, wasn’t a good idea. However, I was exhausted from trying with my brother over and over only to fail.
“You’d do that?” I asked.
Alex’s gaze slid from his glass to me. There was a flicker of something in his eyes. However, it vanished before I could decipher what it was. I suspected it was something he didn’t want me to see.
He shrugged. “Despite being high out of his mind, he seemed happy to see me. Maybe he’ll listen to me like he used to.”
When Liam met Alex years ago, my brother had taken to him immediately. He told me once that he liked talking to Alex because he wasn’t a “pretentious prick” like most of the haughty folks in our circle. Being able to talk to someone who was straightforward had always appealed to Liam… If it was anyone but me, I guess. While we dated, Alex became somewhat of a big brother figure to Liam. He considered Alex’s advice, which was rare for my hardheaded brother .
“I hope so,” I said, gazing at him with gratitude.
As he stared back at me, I could feel the awkwardness about to seep in, so I jumped to quell it. “You’ve been so kind tonight. Thanks. I hate to ask, but the eyes you said you have on my place and Mom’s… is it…? If it’s your personal security, we should probably work out some kind of payment. I mean, I should pay you back for the hours until I hire security of my own.”
His eyebrows elevated. “For one, considering who you are, I’m surprised you don’t have constant security in place.”
“I do…” Heat filled my cheeks. “At BioTech…”
He gave me a reprimanding look. “You know damn well I don’t mean the security guards at BioTech. Don’t worry about the money.”
“No, you’ve done enough. I insist on paying you back.”
“What, you think I’m not good enough to do a Brentwood a favor?”
I huffed my annoyance. “For the love of my sanity, Alex, please don’t start with that. I really can’t tonight. I’m so tired…” Bone tired. Mentally drained. I was on the verge of an emotional collapse here. “I just meant…” Shoving both hands through my hair, I sighed heavily. “I wasn’t trying to be offensive.”
Alex watched me with a slight frown and something like sympathy in his eyes. Maybe I was so tired that I imagined it because why would he feel an ounce of sympathy for me? I wasn’t even sure I wanted that from him. “I know, Olivia. I wasn’t being serious.”
My eyes skated away from him out of embarrassment. In my defense, I assumed he was being a dick because that was what he’d been to me lately… until tonight. I noticed that he ha d called me Olivia as if he was trying to put up some kind of barrier between us. That was probably for the best.
“The guys are off-duty officers,” he said. “So you don’t have to pay me back.”
“How did you make that happen?”
After a moment’s hesitation, he nonchalantly revealed, “The captain owed me a favor.”
My eyebrows shot up, and I watched him expectantly, hoping he’d continue. I was curious to know why the police captain was indebted to him.
However, he didn’t satisfy my curiosity. Instead, he said, “I want you to be careful for the next few days. Avoid getting into any shady SUVs driven by gangsters.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hilarious.”
The tiniest smirk lifted a corner of his lips but then it vanished. “Seriously, stay vigilant. Give me a few days and you won’t have to worry about those guys.”
“What exactly are you going to do?”
“What I do best.”
“Hack?” Well, he was also a gifted lover, but let’s not go there…
Alex snorted his amusement. “Among other things,” he said cryptically. “I’ll be working a few angles. Dealing with gangsters requires a certain type of finesse, which is why I need a few days.”
Why did it sound like he dealt with gangsters often? My eyes narrowed to suspicious slits. Were the rumors about the White Knight true? Did Alex get that moniker for something more than his known job as a cybersecurity software developer?
“Why are you called the White Knight?” I blurted .
He put his glass down and turned to me. “Silly question. If you don’t know, Google KnightGuard .”
His patronizing tone made me glare. “I suspect that journalist was on to something.”
“That journalist was a whack job and conspiracy theorist.”
“So you don’t secretly help the government?”
“For fuck’s sake, Liv. I’m helping you with a problem that the police can’t even help you with, and you’re badgering me about some crazy gossip that hit the media a couple of years ago?”
I peered at him, hoping to see a give in his expression to confirm my suspicion… and Elena’s, but I saw nothing. Mentally snapping my fingers in disappointment, I dropped it. It would have been nice to find out if that rumor was true. Admittedly, I missed being in Alex’s inner sanctum where I was privy to his cyberspace mischief. I’d always found him so intriguing and frighteningly smart.
“As I was saying…” he huffed out as he gave me an annoyed look. “It won’t be long before I get your and Liam’s situation sorted out permanently.”
“But, Alex, I don’t want you to get into?—”
I gasped as his finger landed on my lip. “Just shut up and trust me.”
With my lips still parted, I stared at him with wide eyes. Trust him? He was my enemy now for goodness' sake and a formidable one. I should be afraid of him, not trust him, but I glimpsed a sliver of my Alex in him tonight, so crazily enough I did trust him… with this situation.
I swallowed and nodded because his slight touch was familiar and disarming. It sent heat curling in my core. Seriously, his one finger made me hot and bothered. It was ridiculous. I wanted him to touch me some more …
As if he just realized that he touched me, he snatched his finger away as if it burned. His throat bobbed as he stood up abruptly. “I’m going to get going.”
“Of course.” I stood up too and followed him as he briskly walked through my apartment. “I guess you have to get back to your girlfriend…”
He spun around with a frown. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I haven’t had one of those since…”
Me? If that was what he wanted to say, I got sick satisfaction from it. We’d made it to the foyer where the elevator was. As we stared at each other—he glared, really—I felt a pinch of regret that he was leaving. It had been nice having someone in my bleak apartment to talk to even if the conversation hadn’t been intimate.
Plus, I dreaded being alone. What if that scary guy called? What if I panicked and messed up by letting it slip that someone was about to take them down? I’d ruin whatever Alex was going to do. Maybe I should call Elena as a distraction from my mounting anxiety…
Shoot .
I couldn’t do that since it was one in the morning. My shoulders dropped. It would just be me and my thoughts then. Not good…
“Bye, Alex, and thanks again for everything.”