AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But I’m here and there’s nothing I can do to change that right now.
The woman waits as an elevator door opens, and she gestures for me to walk in.
Sure. Why not?
She steps in, too, and presses her finger to a fingerprint reader. There are no buttons in the elevator. Top-notch security here. Great. The elevator trip goes on for a long time, and when it opens, it opens directly into a penthouse.
The skyline is unfamiliar, and I’m not sure if that’s because it’s Boston from an angle I’ve never seen or if I’m not in Boston anymore. All of the décor is hyper-modern, but classy. Less Jetsons and more jet-set. I can’t take much of it in, because it seems we’re heading toward a man with his back to us, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s the one in charge, so my panic threatens to rise again. After all, the other interrogators came to see me, but I had to come to see him. It’s a negotiating tactic I studied, but I doubt there will be much negotiation today.
He stands by the window, overlooking the city like he owns it. For all I know, he does. A long table near the windows appears to be our destination. At least if I’m tied to a chair here, it’ll be more comfortable than that damned wooden chair downstairs. These are overstuffed leather numbers like in boardrooms. The woman gestures at the one at the end of the table away from the man, so I sit. Thankfully, she doesn’t tie me to it. In fact, there’s a glass of water there.
Progress?
The woman leaves us behind, vanishing back into the elevator. I’m not sure if I should speak first or let him do the talking. But he doesn’t. Not at first. Just as I draw a breath to say something, he says, “I’m sure you have many questions.”
“Good guess.”
His shoulders hop a little, like he’s chuckling. But I don’t hear anything out of him. Then he turns to face me, and I’m struck by him. He’s a good bit older than I’d expected after all of this. I’m not sure how old he would be, but he has to be in his fifties. White, with shining green eyes and a pleasant smile. His brown hair has gray sideburns, and he’s clean shaven. Handsome, classically so. He has a medium frame, and aside from the very expensive clothes, he looks painfully normal.
I’m a little disappointed. I’d thought for sure he’d be some Bond villain-type, with a strange facial scar and petting a white cat or something. Callie’s influence, I’m sure of it.
He sits at the other end of the long table. “Feel free to drink that. I’m sure you’re thirsty after your ordeal.”
I reach for it, but then stop. “How do I know it’s not poisoned?”
He laughs. “I suppose you don’t.” Suddenly, he gets up and comes toward me, and I brace for a smack for my insolence or something. But he takes a sip of the water instead. “Granted, you don’t know me, but I’m not in the habit of drinking poison.” Then he returns to his seat.
Ah, well. If they wanted me dead, I would be. The water tastes like the best thing ever and I’m tempted to drink it all down, but I pace myself in case this is all I get. “Thanks for that.”
“I am Andre Moeller. A friend of the West family.”
“Then they need better friends.”
He laughs again. “Truer words …”
“If you’re their friend, then why take Anderson’s fiancée hostage?”
Andre folds his hands on the table. “It is an unfortunate situation, but they owe me a debt. I need them to know I am serious about getting paid. You, my dear, are the bit of pressure I believe will inspire them to make good on said debt.”
I find myself envious of Andre. At least he could figure out a way to get paid by them. “What makes you think I’m that valuable to the Wests?”
“Look at you. How could you not be?”
“Okay, sure, flattery is nice and everything, but you had me kidnapped, so I’m not going to blush and say thanks.”
“You’re spirited. No wonder Anderson likes you.”
“Being nice after keeping me locked up in a basement for hours is not going to level the playing field between us, Mr. Moeller.”
He chuckles under his breath. “What makes you think we’re on a level playing field, Ms. Devlin?”
Oh. There’s the hint of a threat. To be honest, I’d expected worse. “Not a thing. But you’re being nice to me, and I assume there’s a reason for it.”
“Of course. No sense in making this more unpleasant than it needs to be, don’t you think?”
“Sure.” But I’m not letting my guard down for anything. “If this is a simple business matter, then why not use the courts to enforce it?”
He smirks. “Because neither myself nor the Wests want the law involved in our dispute. Trust me.”
