“And are you?”
“Yes. I spend more time there in the management shack than I do here in this glass cage during most weeks.”
“And you’ve noticed nothing out of place while you’re there?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Weird. Okay, let’s see what you’ve got,” she told him.
Dane began spreading out the files he had on his desk, but there was nothing there that sent up any alarms for either of them. Whatever was going on might just remain a mystery at this pace. She once again had to consider that he was wrong and there was nothing to connect. Perhaps there was really nothing sinister going on with the construction company. It was possible that the Black Talons were just assholes and wanted it because they thought they could take it.
“Alright, let’s go,” he groaned, putting everything back and slipping it back into the drawer. “You want to get some lunch?”
“I’d love some lunch. I’m starving.”
They got back in the elevator, but she realized quickly that they were going up instead of down. It occurred to her that perhaps there was a restaurant on the top floor. It would make sense to leave it as that if it were already set up that way. Instead, she found herself stepping off the elevator and into what she thought was the lobby of a museum.
“Where are we?”
“My apartment,” he replied.
Adriana looked around and then back at him. She was speechless.CHAPTER SIXTEENDane
Adriana sat at the long glass dining table eating the cashew chicken and egg rolls Dane had ordered up for them and contemplating how anyone could live here. It was much like his office below, encased by four glass walls and dotted with large marble columns. There were no rooms, other than the bathrooms that sat in either corner of the place.
The kitchen was set in the center of the room, with counter space running down two sides and a bar section that opened and closed to enter from one end. The opposite end was inhabited by a massive stainless-steel refrigerator that was spotless. She was willing to bet that if she opened it, she’d find nothing but bottles of water and orange juice. No fresh food, no leftovers, no butter.
In the corners not occupied by the bathrooms, one held a king-size wrought iron bed and two large steel and glass wardrobes and the other contained a black living room suite that looked more suited to an upscale waiting room or model home than where someone actually lived. The only comfortable-looking place she could see was along the wall between the two corner bathrooms. There were glass bookcases built low along the windows and filled with books on either side of a glass desk that adjoined them. To one side sat an oversize leather recliner and to the other, an arty-looking curved lounger.
“You don’t have a TV?” she asked.
He motioned toward the laptop sitting on the glass desk, “I have that.”
“Seems small for watching anything,” she replied.
“I don’t really watch anything here. I go out for movies and sometimes catch a game at a sports bar, but I usually just read or work when I’m here.”
“You are a very odd man,” she laughed, somewhat baffled about someone who lived in such a modern apartment but lacked most modern technology.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he replied.
“What do you want to do after we eat?” she asked.
“Well, unless you have to get back, I thought maybe we could go down to the construction office and do a bit of snooping around.”
“Haven’t you already done that?” she asked.
“Yeah, but maybe a fresh set of eyes will help,” he told her.
“Okay, but I have to go back to work tomorrow, to the office, so I need to be home by curfew.”
Dane laughed. “What is your curfew, Pollyanna?”
“Eleven on work nights.”
“Well, you work in the city. I live in the city. We could swing by your place and get your things so you could stay here.”
“As much as I would love that, I think I need to stay at my place tonight. Early day tomorrow, and I need to take care of a few things around there before I go in.”
He looked wounded, and it made her feel bad about making him feel it might be personal against him. In fact, she wanted to just tell him to forget it and she’d stay, but who was she becoming around him? It wasn’t like her to cling to a man like this. The best thing she could do was try to keep a little distance from him. This was all moving way too fast.
“I see. I guess it’s my loss then,” he told her. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to. I can get you on home so you can tend to things.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got time to go with you. Maybe we’ll figure something out.”