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“I don’t know because you won’t tell me.” He took her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs along the backs of them.
“I can’t,” she said, pulling away. “I need to go to work. I have a lot to do.”
“So do I,” he said nodding, accepting that she wasn’t ready to talk. They put the dishes in the sink and headed back to the lobby of Cerberus. “You can move around the Cerberus side of the building, but don’t go over to the club side or leave the building. I’m headed upstairs.”
“Brock,” she called as he headed to the elevator. He stopped to look at her and waited. She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. You do know we’re the best at what we do, and we will find out—one way or another.”
“I know. I just think it would be best for everyone if I got my things together and left.”
“Well, given that whoever it is torched your place and had no compunction about burning down an entire apartment building, I’d say the only one who it would be best for is your psycho ex, but hey, what do I know?”
He pushed the button for the third floor and saw the hurt expression that registered in her eyes, wishing he could bite back the words he’d said to put it there. But damn it, she was choosing to withhold vital information. And by withholding it, Alicia was making this far more difficult than it needed to be. Brock understood that whatever and whoever had scared her so badly was causing her to make bad decisions, but didn’t she know she could trust the people she worked with? That they would have her back and do whatever it took to keep her safe?
Seth called to him. “What’s up with Alicia? King is grumpy, muttering something about brats and being generally uncommunicative. Is Samantha on another book tour?”
“I’m not sure.” King was often in a bad mood when separated from his wife. “But he’s probably grumbling about Alicia.”
“I thought when you didn’t join us at the bar that maybe you’d finally worked up the courage to ask her out, and the two of you had finally gotten together.”
“You make it sound like a done deal…”
“Oh my god, you two have been mooning over and then avoiding each other since she came to work here.”
“We have not.”
Seth chuckled. “Okay, but just so you know, there’s a big enough betting pool going on that Baker Street is in on it, and we’re talking serious money.”
Brock sat down, leaned back in the chair, and groaned. “Oh god, just tell me Fitzwallace isn’t involved.”
“Oh, it’s worse than that. Rhiannon and Miley are both in.”
Just what he needed, Cerberus’ two best snipers and arguably two of the most notorious subs in the organization in on a betting pool where he was one of the targets.
“Seriously, what’s going on?”
Brock filled him in, ending with, “The worst thing is, I’m sure she knows who it is.”
“That may or may not be the worst thing. The worst thing could be that she isn’t telling us because she doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. However, the most interesting thing is you saying Alicia does burlesque. Did you actually see her perform? Was she any good? Did she have a great costume? Did it show off the figure we think is there?”
Sometimes Seth could revert to a teenage boy, but Brock knew it was only an illusion. It was something he did to deflect people from realizing just how smart he was and how much he cared. Had it been anyone else asking those questions, Brock might have taken offense, but obviously Seth had figured out that Brock had feelings for Alicia.
“Yes, I saw her perform. I had to look twice to recognize it was her. Everything about her had changed. Yes, the costume was gorgeous. She was classy and sensual. She made the music come alive with her dancing and singing. She did a rendition of Fever that was mind-blowing. But it was more than that; it was as if the Alicia we know is a pale imitation of the woman she truly is. She owned that stage… and she knew it.”
“Knowing his name and who he is or was to her would help. You said she seemed frightened?”
“More than that. She was panicky and bolted from backstage without a lot of her things.”
“Hmm,” Seth said. “I can’t imagine what it must take to do that to Alicia. She’s usually pretty unflappable. I don’t guess I have to tell you, but the more we know, the better we can protect her. And you need to get a handle on your feelings.”
“I haven’t done anything inappropriate…”
“Maybe not, but I’ll bet you’ve had plenty of inappropriate thoughts where she’s concerned, and my best guess is she feels the same.”
“Do you really think so?”
Seth nodded. “I know she’s talked to Camille a couple of times. Royce says she’s very closed-mouth about it. I just think sometimes the women you have to work the hardest for are the ones that are most worth having.”
