Alex considered for a second. “Let’s do it. Covert monitoring only. I don’t want to alarm her.”
“That can certainly be arranged.”
Alex wrapped up the meeting with a few more details. He checked his phone when he was at the parking lot. Gabriel had left him a message at his private number—the one he only shared with his brothers. Gabe only said it was urgent. Alex called him right away. “What’s up?”
“You okay?” Gabe asked.
“Of course I am.”
“Did you get shot last night?”
Alex frowned. “Did Cat tell you that?”
“Cat knows? And she didn’t tell me?”
Ah, shit. “I told her not to. I crashed in her office last night. Meant to tell you after I confirmed a few things.”
“I see.”
“How did you find out?”
“Your new receptionist was looking for you in your apartment. She was worried. It’s kind of cute. I didn’t know you could actually make a lady worried.”
“Bea?”
“Yeah. Beatrice.”
Alex swore.
“Right. Fuck,” Gabriel chided. “She also saw you turning lion. Have you done any damage control in this matter?”
“I’m not going to bribe her.”
“Then bed her.”
Alex swore again.
“No, it’s a different kind of fuck.” Gabriel’s tone was drenched with sarcasm. “Seriously, Alex. I’ve never seen you acting this funny about a woman. Anything I should know about?”
“Not now, Gabe. I’m not ready.”
“Well. I expect a full explanation from you tomorrow afternoon. Ren is coming from London tonight. Let’s say, lunch at Four Seasons? I’ll have Ms Krueger reserve a table.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Don’t be late.”
Alex disconnected and pocketed his phone. He hadn’t expected Bea to come to his apartment looking for him. He must have made her really worried. He should have thought about that, considering she had saved him last night.
Bea was worried.
He bit his smile. He wasn’t blind. He had found out that Bea harboured an interest in him after he had promoted her to his receptionist. Only, he hadn’t made any move. The threat of the blackmailer was still hanging over his head, forcing him to weigh his every move with extra care. It was best if he didn’t do anything that could be used against him until he sorted this matter out.
He drove out of the parking lot and to the gate. The guards opened it for him. As he hit the pedal, heading into the main street, he was thinking of giving Bea a visit tonight. They needed to talk.
Chapter Three
At a quarter to ten at night, with a few exceptions of the gym rats and the workers, the gym was practically empty. Bea came in and did a ten-minute exercise on the treadmill so nobody would suspect she was using the membership just for bathroom business, then headed for a shower. She took a long one until her skin became pink from the hot water. She lathered generously with her favourite rose-scented soap to wash away the fatigue and grime of the day. She thought of going back to her office building parking lot and sleeping there tonight. She had been avoiding the office because she didn’t want anyone from work knowing she was homeless and had been camping in her van. After what had happened over the past couple of days, she didn’t care so much anymore. She needed a good night’s sleep. Today, she had been unravelling at work. Plus, the matter with her boss didn’t help. Bea just wanted to drive and park in a quiet, dark corner and curl up on the back seat, snoozing it off. If she was well-re