* * *
With it being a Tuesday morning, our commute to the airport isn’t as hair-raising as the one we made Saturday. Commuter traffic is still at a standstill but since we’re heading in the opposite direction, it doesn’t hinder our progress—unfortunately.
I drag my sweaty hands down the flare of my skirt before asking, “Do your parents know we’re coming?”
When Alex shakes his head, concealing his smirk, I whack him in the bicep. It is not a smart thing for me to do. His arms feel like they’re made out of concrete, and they make myneedseven more urgent.
“Why didn’t you tell them?”
Before he can answer me, my phone buzzes, advising I have a new text message. My eyes only skim the first line before Alex snatches my cell out of my hand.
Unknown Number:No video evidence of your assault was located.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Since Alex isn’t talking to me, I don’t reply. Lucky, as I wouldn’t have gotten a word in between his index finger smashing the screen of my phone as he dials a known number, and his angry roar bellowing down the line. “What do you mean there’s no evidence?!”
He waits, grunts, then waits some more.
“You know she’s full of shit, right?”
Another long pause.
“Because this is the crap she pulls.”
This pause is the longest of them all.
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to find another way?”
When he swings his eyes my way, I dart mine to the scenery whizzing by our window. My attempt to act ignorant comes too late. Alex spotted my snooping ways, but instead of lashing out in anger, he subdues my curiosity by holding out his hand palm side up.
Not even thinking, I accept his gesture. It was a smooth move for both of us. Just his fingers intertwined with mine calm the erratic beat of my heart and stop his fists’ clench and unclench routine.
He doesn’t wait for his phone companion to quit squabbling before he suggests, “Send the footage to Dane. Even if it’s been cut and removed, he’ll find it.”
After a few more grunts and a jerk of his chin, he disconnects his call and hands my phone back to me.
“Bad news?” I ask, stating the obvious.
Heat slicks his face as anger pulses through him. “It’s just the same shit, different day.”
I nod in understanding. “That’s been my life the past eight years. I am stuck on a hamster wheel. Same emotions. Same monopolized day. Same acquisitions. There’s just one difference this week: I have a new sidekick.” I bump him with my knee to ensure he knows whom I am referring to. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Alex shakes his head for barely a second before his brow arches. “Does the warehouse across from my building have any surveillance installed?”
I twist my lips. “Most likely. Isaac is pedantic about security.”
Alex appears more displeased than happy—even while asking, “Do you think he’d give me access to his security servers?”
Lines of worry indent my forehead. Isaac isn’t cautious about security for no reason. He has millions and millions of dollars’ worth of assets to protect, much less items you can’t place a monetary value on.
Spotting my apprehension, Alex assures, “I don’t need access to his servers. Just the footage from the alleyway. He could burn it on a CD or. . .thingy.”
His deficient computer knowledge compels a smile onto my lips, but it doesn’t award him a reply.
“Please, Rae.” He purposely uses my nickname as he knows how much I love hearing it. “This could close your case sooner, meaning you’ll be back on the hamster wheel before you know it.”
His smart ass remark isn’t helping to plead his case. If anything, it has me wanting to say no. I’m scared shitless about meeting his family, but a little part of me—a teeny, weeny tiny part—is a tad bit excited.
