AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That got his attention. His head snapped up. “Usually? I wasn’t told you were getting flowers.”
I shrugged, trying to brush it off. “Maybe they’re from Brace. Maybe that’s why he neglected to mention it.”
He tilted his head, even angrier, and I forced a laugh to cover my unease.
“Calm, Slade, they’re not from your guard. He probably doesn’t even know they’re for me, if he’s seen them delivered at all. Your men stay downstairs now, at my request. The flowers could have been for anyone on this floor. Besides, they’ve been coming every work day for three weeks or so. They’re not a big deal. Today was the first day they were red or held any sort of card. They’re harmless, I’m sure.”
“They’re flowers. They arrive every work day. They are not harmless.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s drop it. Tell me more about Mary. Where is she? Is she at the penthouse?”
“Hotel. And we’re not just going to push this to the side, Lilian.” He tossed the card to the shelf the flowers were sitting on and pulled out his phone. “The insignia is from a shop not two blocks away. I want to know who sent these.” At his back turning to me and the phone rising to his ear, I made my way back to the desk. Still, I couldn’t stop the shaking.
“Marcio, I need some information. Lily has been getting flowers for the last few weeks. They’re coming from Betty’s Flowers. Figure out who they’re from. I want an address of where this person lives and a telephone number.” He hung up, but I didn’t miss the anger behind his stare before he softened. Slade might try to hide who he really was, but I’d seen that look before. I knew what he was capable of.
The chair squeaked as I sat down. “So, what do you plan to do once you find out who my secret admirer is? Gouge his eyes out for being interested in me? Remove his brain so he can never think of me again?”
My patience was gone. Something about my brother mixing in anything possibly having to do with Zain left me in a weird place. I knew my guess was probably way off. I doubted my Master even remembered my name, but I couldn’t help but get defensive on his behalf. And that only had my temper spiking even more. I shouldn’t try to protect the worst kind of criminal known to man.
“Removing his brain or eyes because he has an interest in you is a little extreme. Even for me. What I will do is make it a point to meet this man and see what his intentions are. Why hasn’t he contacted you? You said it’s been three weeks. That’s plenty of time.”
I shrugged. “Probably because he can’t get close enough to ask.”
“Bullshit. All he would need is ten feet and he could try to get your attention from there. Or, he could call. He obviously has the address and phone number of where you work.” Slade came to stand before the desk. “Or maybe, he could have done the gentlemanly thing and called me. Asked my permission to date my sister. I would have respected that and possibly set something up.”
A laugh burst from my mouth. “Call you? Slade, you can’t be serious. You’re…intimidating.”
His full lips twisted into a smile. “All the more respect I would have had for him. Either he doesn’t have the balls to step up or his intentions aren’t good.”
Zain wouldn’t have been afraid to face my brother.
“I’m sure his intentions are fine. He’s probably just shy. Anyway, I’m not looking to date until I’m at least thirty. I need to focus on my career first and I seriously don’t see when I’d have the time.”
“Career is good. Stick with that. I like the idea of not having to worry for at least another seven years. It works out for both of us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go hunt through my computer for those documents for Mary. Call me later and we’ll set up dinner.” He began to walk toward the door when my hand outstretched before me. Panic was resurfacing and I didn’t like that my brother would know who this admirer was before me.
“You’ll let me know, right?”
“Know what?” Slade pulled the door open and I frowned at his blank expression.
“Who sent the flowers. I want to know who it is.” I paused. “You’ll tell me, won’t you?”
Silence reigned between us, but he eventually shrugged and nodded. “I’ll call you when I get a name.”
The door clicked as he shut it behind him and I let myself lean back in the chair. Red. Could it be? Zain did say he wouldn’t let me go. Well, more yelled it as they were pulling us apart. And I always had taken him for his word. But…
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. I only knew him for four months. That amount was short enough where someone could hide their true colors. He wouldn’t keep his word on this. It had been too long. Where I expected him to come at the beginning, he hadn’t. It was over. I needed to just focus on what my shrink said and let this go. Let him go. He was my enemy. I had to remember that.
Chapter 3
Zain
Tests. Life was full of them. You either failed or they had the opportunity to change the path you were on. I pushed through the large glass double doors of Slade Industries, about to face the biggest one of my life.
Metal detectors rested ahead and I noticed three guards in black uniforms standing beside them. Two of the men were on the younger side and another was a tad bit overweight. They were the least of my problems. The other four in civilian clothes, talking beside the elevators, were my challenge. Two were Lily’s. One had a shaved head and was almost seven feet tall. Brace. The other was a few inches over six feet and just as muscular as his partner. Terrance. The other two were Slade’s. Marcio and Caleb. They all seemed deep in conversation, but their eyes never stopped scanning the room. I’d done my research on those four and they were a force to be reckoned with. Together, they surpassed deadly. They were the finger of God and if they knew who I was, I was as good as dead.
The hum of footsteps echoed through the large entrance, but I tuned myself out to everything as I strode through the detector as if I didn’t have a care in the world. My attention stayed straight ahead as I made a beeline for the elevator closest to them. If I was going to go through this test, I wanted to make it as hard as possible. To do that, I’d have to face my obstructions head on. For Lily, I’d do it with honor. She deserved that after my failure to protect her.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
