Page 44 of Alex

Chapter Twenty-One

The small taxi-boatbobbed underneath her as Evelyn huddled into her faux fur wrap next to Alex. Her gaze slid to him, his profile strong and handsome. He seemed alert but relaxed to anyone watching. Like the sexy arms dealer his cover insisted he was. Only someone who knew him well would be able to see the tension in his shoulders, the tight-lipped smiles.

He was hiding something, and it had to do with Pax. She would bet her last penny on it but what could she possibly have said to make him so angry? As her hair swept back from the breeze of the ocean she shivered and reached up a hand to smooth it back in to place. Alex caught her hand in his and brought it to his lips. The boat started to slow but she was mesmerised by the look in Alex’s eyes.

The emotions she saw there frightened her and made her beat faster. “What is it, Alex?” she asked gripping his thigh.

“Promise me that whatever you see, you’ll do as I say even if it seems odd to you?”

Something horrid slithered into her belly at his words. “You’re scaring me, Alex.”

“Please, mi nena, promise me.”

She felt the desperation in his words. “Okay. I promise but I need to know why.”

“I can’t tell you right now but let’s say some things may have come to light and all is not what it seems.”

“You’re asking too much.”

“I know and I’ll explain everything as soon as I can but for now, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

Evelyn thought about what he was saying and over the last few weeks—God since the day they had met. He had never given her a reason not to trust him all he had ever done was love her. “Yes, Alex. Of course.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her softly as the boat began to slow as they neared The Kratos. “Showtime.” he said as the boat stopped, and he stood, offering her his hand as one of the guards leaned down to help her up.

He was tall and very muscular with the pale skin of someone who spent all his time in the gym rather than exercising outside. His face had acne scars which he had tried to cover by growing a full beard. Dark brown hair cut short but styled with some sort of gel, the suit he wore was black and off the rack but not a cheap one. His dark eyes as they swept over her body were assessing but not overtly sexual. She took his hand and stepped up ready to put on the performance of her life so Liam could slip onto the lower deck unseen.

Deliberately turning her heel, she made as if she was going over on her ankle grabbing for the guard with a shriek as if to catch herself. The man looked panicked as he grabbed her arms to steady her as she fell into him and pushed him backwards.

“For God’s sake. Diana, you’re such an idiot.” Alex spat taking up his role in the charade. “I can’t take you anywhere without you bloody embarrassing me.” He grabbed her arm from the guard and shook her slightly.

Evelyn glanced a look at the guard and saw his jaw flex at the way Alex was speaking to her. She had read him correctly. “I know. I’m sorry, Henry. I should be more careful.” She lowered her eyes as she said the words, her voice meek.

“Yes, you should, or you might find the next accident is more permanent. I can’t have you making me look like a fool all the time.”

Evelyn lowered her eyes again in submission, tearing slightly as she looked at the guard who was vibrating with anger. His eyes were trained on Alex and Evelyn glanced down and saw Liam was gone and their job was done.

She slipped her hand into Alex’s, their signal that all was well.

He looked at her, his face softening before he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Why do you test me so when you know how much I love you?”

She smiled as he pulled her into his body, and they moved away. Evelyn stopped and turned to the guard who was still watching them as Gunner steered the taxi-boat back towards the shore. “Thank you,” she said politely her eyes downcast once more as a smile played on her lips.

She saw him blush a little at her attention before nodding. “You are very welcome, Miss,” he said before turning away and resuming his watch of the approaching boats.

With her arm tucked into Alex’s they moved towards the main deck where the party was already in full swing. Waiters in white tuxedos were walking about with trays of Champagne and canapes. Alex took two glasses from a passing waiter and handed her one with a tilt of his head in the direction of the port side. Evelyn took a sip from her glass barely letting the alcohol past her lips. As she looked up her eyes swept the deck and she caught sight of Simon Booth.

He looked dashing in a Tom Ford Tuxedo, the obligatory blonde bombshell clinging to his arm. She barely looked legal and had to be no more than nineteen or twenty. He was holding court with a group of four men and three women.

She felt Alex lean in and despite the fact they were working, her body responded to his closeness. His lips touched her ear so that to the outside world he looked affectionate. Her body shivered at the contact giving even more credence to their cover. Not that it was an act in any way, he just had that effect on her. “The two older men are brothers and outwardly industrialists, but they also sell arms to the highest bidder. The woman is—”

“Helena Romavich. She’s an ex-model who now has her own stable of girls for the highest paying clientele,” she finished for him.

He pulled back and smiled down at her before lightly dropping a kiss on her lips, his face showing his pride in her. It shouldn’t make her feel so happy that Alex was proud of her, but it did.

“Let’s mingle.”

They moved through the crowd waiting to catch sight of Pax and Blake. Her gaze drifted across the sea of perhaps a hundred people. Either famous, disgustingly wealthy, or criminals, and in some case all three. She saw the leader for the opposition party in the UK, a renowned food critic who thought it was prime television to rip peoples dreams to shreds live on air, and a Hollywood movie star who had just signed with the biggest television studio in the business as a leading man for a new rom-com series. On his arm was the famous model Calista Lund.