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I headed to my room, and before I could get into the elevator, Alex Henderson greeted me. The look on his face said it all. He was pissed. Not what I wanted to deal with, especially after Venus agreeing to spend the next day with me.
“I’d like to speak to you in private,” he said firmly.
Yup. I might be packing my bags sooner than I thought. That would really suck because this was the only place a non-resident could stay in Tabiq.
I followed Alex down the hall and into an office. He closed the door and pointed to a chair for me to sit.
“Is this about my leaving the resort? Because we already discussed it earlier,” I reminded him.
“I have a feeling that my warning fell on deaf ears. But that is not why I asked to speak to you,” he said as he took a seat behind his desk.
Couldn’t imagine what else there was for us to talk about. “You have my attention. “
“Good. Now I am hoping you can provide some answers. I know you say you’re here on vacation, yet you only booked this trip yesterday. You arrived this morning and are already friendly with a Tabiqian woman. None of this sounds coincidental. What is the real reason for your visit here?” He asked, his eyes fixed on mine.
“I don’t believe it’s any of your business,” I replied honestly. “You run a resort, not my personal life.”
He stared at me with piercing eyes. “Anything that has to do with Tabiqisour business. And a single man who travels here and just happens to break the resort rules and meet up with a Tabiqian woman is a huge red flag for me. Whatever you think you’re going to do here, you’re wrong. You’re no longer welcome at the resort and there is a jet that is fueled and is waiting to fly you wherever you want to go.”
“No problem. I have no issue with leaving the resort,” I stated.
“Good, because I wasn’t asking,” he replied. “Be ready to fly out within the hour.”
“I said I’ll leave the resort, but I’m not leaving Tabiq,” I said firmly, meeting his glare with my own. “If I’m correct, you’re an American just like I am. You have no authority to remove me from the country. I have broken no laws. Unless you plan on having the local authorities physically remove me from the country, you can stay the fuck out of my business,” I said getting up and walking out of his office, slamming the door behind me.
Part of me expected Alex to storm out of his office and follow me, but he didn’t. I went to my room, packed my suitcase, not that I had unpacked much, and was about to leave when there was a knock on the door.Took you long enough.I opened it expecting to see Alex, or maybe security. But it was Draven with a grin on his face.
“Can I come in?”
“You can, but as you see, I’m leaving,” I stated, opening the door wider for him.
He entered and said, “Yeah. You’re not too good with people, are you? I mean, Alex pretty much likes most people and you sure in hell rubbed him the wrong way. I’ve had to listen to him cussing about you for the past fifteen minutes.”
“I don’t care if he likes me or not. Did he send you here to make sure I’m on that plane? Because if he did, then you’re wasting your time. As I told him, I'm not leaving.”Not unless Venus wants me to.
“So, I heard. What’s your plan since you’re not leaving? Going to see if Venus will take you in? Because I think you’re going to face another issue if you go that avenue,” he warned.
“As I told Alex, my personal life is none of anyone’s business.”
“But Venus is mine. She is family now. With her daughter and my brother away, it’s my responsibility to ensure she’s not taken advantage of,” he explained. “It was difficult enough for me to stay behind while you two went on your shopping spree. Which by the way, I heard you didn’t make it to town and went to the bluffs instead. What the hell is that about?”
“Did you follow us?” I snapped. Now I was pissed off.
“No. You have to remember that New Hope has their rules. You broke them and Alex has his people tracking you to make sure you don’t...”
“Get in any trouble?” I cut in.
He shook his head. “More like cause any. Yeah, the Hendersons want to protect their guests, but I get the feeling they are even more protective of the locals. Especially Alex. He married one you know. Not sure how they met, but Ziva was born and raised here. Explains why Alex opted to move from Boston.”
I didn’t want a history lesson on the Henderson family. However, it did put a different perspective on why he was so concerned about my intentions here. I had been so focused on Venus and spending time with her that I’d totally let it slip my mind as to why she had fled this country in the first place. She’d told me how back then there wasn’t anyone who could’ve protected her and MaKayla in Tabiq. The fact that the Hendersons were here now trying to change that, should be commended.Fuck. I probably should apologize.
“I still don’t know why you’re here,” I said again.
Draven shrugged. “I already told you. Venus. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on it when we were together earlier. Not sure how the two of you know each other. But whatever it is, she isn’t afraid to be alone with you, that much is evident. I let Alex know that. Not that I appreciate you lying to me, but I don’t believe you’re here to do her any harm.”
“I’m not and I don’t recall lying.”
“Whatever you want to call it. Just be careful with her. I don’t know what happened, but Damien is very protective of her and MaKayla, in a way I’ve never seen before. It’s not just because she is his mother-in-law either. There’s more to it. I tried asking and he said it’s not for him to tell. That’s odd because usually, we can talk about anything.”
