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“Lady Fluke—”
“No,” she said over me, and I clamped down my teeth in frustration. “That will leak to the press, and I can’t have that risk. If you need security, I told you to hire a company. I can have one of my people pull up a list of vetted and discreet companies.”
“Think about it from our perspective,” I pushed, stealing Jude’s argument since it was a good one. “Nobody’s going to want to work here if security’s going to be lurking around. They won’t feel safe.”
“Do it anyway,” she said. “You’re the one that seems to think it’s necessary.”
I resisted the urge to slam my laptop lid shut. She was so obsessed with her family’s image that she couldn’t see the danger we were in—either that, or she truly didn’t think Zeke was a problem.
I had to come at this another way.
“When was the last time you spoke with your ex-husband?” I asked her suddenly.
She blinked at me and shook her head. “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
“Humor me, please, Lady Fluke. When was the last time?”
She tapped her fingers on her desk and the sound came through like a staccato ping over my laptop speakers.
“I suppose it’s been at least ten years,” she said. “We saw each other briefly when I was in America for a trip a long time ago. But we barely spent time together.”
“Did he seem like the man you married back when you were a young?” I asked.
She laughed softly. “Of course not,” she said. “No, he was grown now. He seemed much more—” She stopped herself and gave me a look. “You want me to admit that people can change. That maybe he wasn’t dangerous back then, but maybe he’s dangerous now. Is that what you’re trying to do?”
I smiled and spread my hands. “You see through me.”
“It won’t work. I’m telling you, even with his connections, Zeke isn’t a violent man. He’s going to try to scare you, but that’s all.”
I knew this wouldn’t get me anywhere. She was completely blind to her ex-husband, and couldn’t bring herself to see just how dangerous he’d become.
In a lot of ways, it mirrored how I felt about Jude. I was stuck back in the old days, back when we were teenagers, and it was hard to try to catch myself back up with all the time that had passed. She was beautiful now, and seemed much calmer and more centered, and much more driven than she was back then—but even still, she was the same old Jude.
Maybe people didn’t change all that much. Maybe Lady Fluke was right about Zeke.
I couldn’t take that chance. I ended the call with her, and before she logged off, she gave me one final look and said, “Remember, no police. Handle it yourself.” And then she was gone.
I resisted the urge to throw the laptop out the broken window. I stood and paced, hands behind my back, until the office door opened and Jude came in, wearing a pair of dark slacks and a cream-colored top that perfectly accentuated her smooth, pale skin. She smiled at me a little, and her cheeks turned pink. I thought of the kiss yesterday, her tongue and lips, and involuntarily opened my mouth as if I would kiss her again.
But I knew that only happened in the heat of the moment. She held up a hand in greeting.
“Let me say something,” she said, and I laughed a little and gestured for her to continue. “Yesterday happened, okay? We kissed. Let’s not pretend like it didn’t.”
“Perfect,” I said. “I didn’t plan on ignoring it.”
“Good.” She bit her lower lip. I loved when she did that. “But I just need to be clear that I was very anxious, and in a very emotional state when it happened. That’s not going to be become a thing.”
“Of course.” I worked hard not to smile, and failed. “But it could.”
“Bret,” she said, anger in her tone. “No, we’re not doing that. I hate you still, and we’re colleagues, and just no, it’s not happening. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” I said, nodding. “Now can we talk about work?”
“God, yes, please.” She dropped her bag on the table and took her laptop out. “What are you doing here so early, anyway?”
“I had a call with Lady Fluke.” She frowned at me and tilted her head. “Yes, I know, I should’ve waited for you, but it was important,” I said.
“What did she want?” she asked.
“I told her about what happened yesterday, and I said we should go to the police about it.” I crossed my arms and turned toward the window. “You can guess how that went.”
“She told you no police,” Jude said.
“That’s right.” I curled my hands into fists and banged one against the windowsill. The plastic sheeting blew in slightly, and a breeze touched my skin. Fortunately, it was nice out, but if this had happened in the winter, it would be freezing inside. “It’s insane. She’s convinced that Zeke’s not a real threat. That everything he’s doing is just intimidation.”
