Things were tense today between us. Not like oh, we’re in a fight tense. More like Victoria was really, really worried for me but couldn’t tell me to not do anything with Gideon. I mean, I am an adult.
An adult who’s hopelessly ensnared by a billionaire who can’t trust anyone and is barricaded in his compound. At least this job gives me a firm end date for getting out of this. Whatever this is.
I usually date nice guys, guys who aren’t dark, overbearing beasts, but there’s no way I can spin any of this as anything close to dating. It’s intense and crazy, but it’s not a relationship.
Nope. I shake my head as I watch the screen. Not a relationship. Nothing we’ve done so far would fit into any kind of relationship activities.
When Gideon appears in the security office, I do a double take. It’s eight at night, but he’s got on a suit of a gray so dark it flirts with black. His shirt is white as an angel’s wing, with cuff links the color of pewter. Except he’s not wearing a tie, his shirt’s open to the second button, so the whole effect is undone elegance. Like I caught him on his way to seducing me and he discarded his tie somewhere in the halls.
“I have to go somewhere tonight.” He shoots his cuffs, the gesture graceful yet also somehow hesitant. Like he’s using the motion to hide from me.
I haven’t seen him since he said that thing about the cars. Which isn’t unusual, but… I kind of hoped I would.
Wait—he just said he was leaving. I keep my surprise inside since I don’t want to scare him off this decision. Not that someone like me could ever scare someone like him.
He’s going to go back out into the world. He’s not going to wait here, brooding, trying to catch shadows.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll be fine here.”
“I’ll be here too,” Gulizar says.
I smile in spite of myself. “See, I won’t be alone. And the system is pretty much done.” I gesture at the screens. “Well, not completely done, but enough that I can monitor all parts of the estate from here. If someone does come, I’ll see them.” I pull my hand back, take a breath. “But I won’t go after them. Pinky promise. So everything will be fine. You can go.”
I’m babbling, but I want him to know how secure things will be. I don’t want him to feel trapped here.
“Not that it’s completely done.” Jeez, my mouth will not stop. “There’s so much testing still to do, and a bunch of subsystems to install and integrate. And then there’s the cottage, which I’ve left for last. So… another two weeks with Victoria helping me?”
I don’t know why I spit all that out. Maybe because his leaving tonight feels like he’s leaving me instead of just the house. He shouldn’t worry about things here, but… I still have a role to play. I’m not done yet.
Gideon’s fingers go quiet on his cuffs. “I’m not worried about that,” he says. “Well, I am, but not about your work. I have to do this. Gulizar?”
“Yes?”
“Can you talk to the security system?”
“No,” she says immediately. “It can only alert me to contact you. I can’t contact it.”
I purposefully set it up so that not even Gulizar can talk to the security system—all communication with it is only one way.
Gideon nods like he’s impressed. “Have you tested that yet?” he asks me.
I blink at him. “Um, no. But it should work.”
His gaze meets mine, the blue of his eyes dark. “I want you to come with me. Gulizar, call us if anything happens.”
My heart does a little shimmy. I ignore it. “Where are you going?” I point to his suit, which probably costs the same as a year of college. At an Ivy League. “I don’t have anything that will go with that.”
Is he taking me because he wants me there? Or because he doesn’t want me in danger in case the intruder comes back? Or maybe both?
Either way, it’s pretty flattering.
“It doesn’t matter what you wear,” he says. “I’m putting this on because… because I like wearing suits. And I’m going to need it for this.”
My ears prick up. “Kind of like armor? So what is it?”
“A party.”
My ears sink back down. “You want me to come to a party? I really don’t have anything to wear then.”
“It’s at Raven’s.” He shoots his cuffs again. He’s dangerously handsome in a suit, I must say. “Everyone will be there. And by everyone, I mean Archer, Cassian, Gage—”
“Okay, you don’t have to twist my arm.” I start double-checking the system and the link to Gulizar. Everything looks good. “Give me five minutes to change.”
I take ten since I’m about to meet some of the richest, most powerful men in Silicon Valley. Who might also be trying to steal from and/or murder my current client. Who is also the guy I’m kind of sleeping with.
Does a fully clothed orgasm in his kitchen count as sleeping with? I’m going to say yes since I know we’re not stopping there.
Just as I’m putting on my lipstick, a car engine rumbles from outside. Something powerful and purring.
I walk out to find Gideon waiting in a vintage Porsche race car, sleek and silver and gorgeous. I guess the Inspirons aren’t going anywhere with their electronics smashed. This is a pretty good substitute.
“Nice car,” I say as he opens the door for me.
“Thanks.” He hands me in like we’re in a movie. “I like the dress. Actually, I love it.”
The heat in his eyes makes me shiver pleasantly. It’s only a simple sundress with a kicky skirt and little flowers printed on it, but he makes me feel like I’m wearing silk and jewels.
We head back down the truck trail, toward the freeways and civilization. He drives with total concentration, pushing the car to its full potential but never once letting it get away from him. I lean back and enjoy the rumble of the engine, the snap of the car through the curves of the road, and the intense expression on Gideon’s face.
I could ask where we’re going, but I decide to let that be a surprise.
“I want you to look at the safe’s security system,” Gideon says as he merges onto the 280. “When you’re done with the rest of it.”
I’ve been dying to get into that system, so I can’t help my grin. “Who installed that? It’s completely different from the other one.”
“I did. Bought the safe, installed the panel, connected everything up, wrote the operating system myself.” He drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “I wanted it to be secret, and I figured that was the best way to make sure it was.”
But someone figured it out anyway. “Do you have cameras in the bedroom?”
He shakes his head. “Whatever they were capturing from the spyware on the cameras wouldn’t have caught the safe. But it doesn’t take a genius to realize you’re seeing every part of the house except one.”
I rub my temples. This is all so twisted and complicated. No wonder Gideon holed himself up in his house right afterward. Thinking through all this could take a person weeks.
“Of course I’ll look,” I say. “But the best thing would be to keep them from getting near the safe in the first place. Which the main security system should do.” A thought occurs to me. “Have you considered hiring a security team?”
“I figured Gage could buy them off. He’s got contacts everywhere in the security world. But maybe I should.”
“You can’t do everything yourself,” I point out. “And besides, if he tries anything, you can use your contacts to have him poisoned the next time he goes to the doctor.”
There’s a long moment of stunned silence, like he can’t believe I just said that. And then he throws back his head and laughs.
“You’re a bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?” he asks between laughs.
“Not really. I’m only pointing out your options.”
“Mmm, I’m pretty sure that’s a violation of the Hippocratic oath.”
“Did you ever take that? How does that work?”
“I didn�
��t,” he says. “I never got that far. But my parents had it hanging on the wall of our house, so I memorized it anyway.”
“Wow, that’s hard-core. It’s kind of pagan, isn’t it? Like you have to swear to Dionysius and stuff?”
“Apollo,” he says. “And some other healing gods. But that’s the old oath. There’s a modern version. No gods invoked in that one.”
My mouth twists. “That’s disappointing. I’m imagining some crazy Greek rituals with wine and snakes and togas. Does it still say First, do no harm? It’d probably be smart to keep that part.”
“Not exactly, but the whole thing is a long way of saying do no harm.” He glances over at me, his gaze lingering on my jaw.
I lift my hand to that spot, finding the bruise I’d forgotten about. Does he think he’s responsible for that? That he’s done me harm?
“What happens after this?” I ask softly. “Between you and me, once I’m done with the job?”
His jaw goes tight. “I don’t know. You can’t get any more tangled up in this than you already are. My life… It’s not safe for you to go any deeper into this.” His gaze runs over me, hot, possessive. “But I know I can’t resist you. The way you look at me… No one’s ever looked at me like that. Not ever.”
The wonder and awe in his voice makes my heart crack. With all the nice guys I’ve dated, none have ever talked about me like that.
This can’t last. I’m only here to do a job for him even though he can’t resist me. He’s a billionaire with some serious trouble coming after him, and I’m… me.
Utterly irresistible to him. Oh boy, I’m in deep here, and I don’t think I want to find a way out.
I clear my throat, try to find something like coherent words. “Um, that’s… I can’t resist you either. I don’t want to.”
My honesty makes something flare between us so brightly I’d swear it was midday. And then it fades, leaving the two of us holding the afterimage.
“I should send you away,” he says gruffly. “To keep you safe. Face this on my own.”
I release a noise of protest.
“I won’t though,” he says. “I’m too damn selfish. But once the job is done… You have to go then. I can’t let you get harmed any worse than you already have been.”
He’s right, and I can’t find a toehold to get an argument in. Some perverse part of me—probably the part that finds him irresistible—wants to try. “And if we find out who’s behind it and stop them before I finish? What then?”
“That would change everything,” he says. “But I’m not counting on that. And I forbid you to go looking for the intruder. I’m not going to be another one of your responsibilities.”
It’s too late for that, but I don’t tell him differently. “Wait—you said another one of my responsibilities? I’m pretty sure I only told you about Victoria.”
He purses his lips. “I, uh, looked into your background more. And I found out about the mortgages. They’re paid now.”
The blood drains to my feet so fast I see stars. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. The mortgages are gone? “You paid both of them?” My tone is as faint as I feel.
It’s unbelievable. He waved his hand at some point today, and something that’s dogged me for years, tied my guts in knots, is just… dealt with.
“The paperwork will take some time,” he says casually. “But yeah. So now you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Except now I owe you…” I calculate quickly, but my head’s spinning too hard to make the math come out right. “I don’t even know.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” He’s growling again. “Consider it payment for injuries incurred on the job. I can afford it, and I owe you. So it’s done.”
I get the feeling that if I say thank you, he’ll snap my head off. “Okay,” I say slowly. I wonder if he’s found out about the legal bills and Nick and Elena. Or worse, tracked down my harasser.
Maybe he’s leaving those surprises for tomorrow. After all, he’s only had one day to start on my problems, and he’s got an entire company to run. And betrayals to root out, secrets to protect.
“Your parents will have the deeds in a few weeks.” His gaze is hard on the road. “I don’t want to hear any more about it.”
He did something nice for me, so nice it’s mind-blowing. And he’s acting like a lion with a thorn in his paw. My heart melts like chocolate left on a dashboard, because he wants so much to be bad, but he’s just not.
“Thank you.” It’s softly daring, my attempt to pull the thorn.
He grumbles to himself. “You’re welcome. And I mean it about not saying anything.”
“Don’t worry.” I can’t look away from him. “I haven’t forgotten you’re a monster.”
Chapter 18
Our destination turned out to be a gorgeous house on a cliff in Pacifica, shrouded in fog and surrounded by pines. The house itself is simple, painted dark blue and done in simple lines. The ocean and the cliffs are the stars here, and the builder knew it.
Without Gideon saying anything, I know this was Ira’s house. And it’s confirmed when I walk in and meet an older version of one of the girls from the pictures in Gideon’s room: Raven. She immediately makes me feel at home, pulling me into a corner to ask me everything about me, but in a natural, easy way. It’s the kindest interrogation ever.
Gideon was shooed away to go talk to people. “They missed you,” Raven said accusingly. “You disappear for weeks and then you show up with a gorgeous, charming woman. I want to know all about it, but I’m going to chat up Tess first.”
She pointed out a few of the people but hasn’t introduced me yet. “They all know each other from way back,” she says. “Let’s get you cozy, and then you can brave the gauntlet. Besides, Gideon needs to talk to everyone first, and Archer isn’t even here yet.”
Archer might not be here, but I recognize quite a few other people. Gage gives me a sharp nod when I catch his eye, and I see Cassian, who’s smirking at something Bishop Lund is telling him. Axel Beck is even here, snapping pictures with Raven’s sister, Morgan.
Raven catches me watching them. “Oh yeah, the romance heard round the internet.” She sighs. “I told him not to take pictures here, but he said he wouldn’t get anyone else in the frame. It’s part of his brand, and Axel can never not be on brand.”
Morgan is the sister who wasn’t smiling in Gideon’s pictures, but she is for these. “They look very happy together,” I offer.
And they do.
“They are,” Raven says wistfully. I could be imagining it, but her gaze lingers on Bishop. “They met at work.”
She explains to me that Morgan helped design the AI for Inspiron’s cars, the very thing that makes them self-driving.
“Wow.” Suddenly her and Axel’s closeness takes on a new dimension. I guess they’re not just together for social media. “So… everyone here does something with AI?”
“Gage does defense and security with an emphasis on AI.” Raven points each of them out in turn. “Bishop does something with stocks, I’m not sure exactly what, but it involves AI. Cassian’s marketing firm trumpets about their AI all the time.”
“I already know what Archer does,” I say before she can mention him.
Archer, the one who isn’t here, has a company that uses AI to do translations, things way beyond a simple Google translation. There was a big splash last year when his AI translated a famous Spanish poem I’d never heard of. Decoding figurative language isn’t exactly a strong suit of computers, but Archer claims to have done it.
“Are you in AI too?” I ask her.
Raven laughs. “Oh God, not me. I’m the black sheep of the family.”
An older man I haven’t seen before comes up to us, smiling widely. “Don’t listen to her. She was the apple of Ira’s eye.” He holds out his hand. “Oscar Miller.”
“Tess Robards. I’m…” I gesture weakly toward Gideon. “I’m here with Gideon.”
Oscar winks at
me. “No need to explain. I see how he looks at you.”
I’m not sure what he means until I glance over at Gideon. Sure enough, he’s watching me with a hungry look. Like he can’t wait to get me alone.
I take a long sip from my glass, trying to cool my thoughts. “It’s complicated.”
“Don’t tease her,” Raven says to Oscar. “We can’t scare her away.” She glances back at me. “You’re the only person Gideon’s ever brought to one of our parties.”
That sets me back on my heels. “Really? He’s so—” I clamp my mouth shut before I can say anything embarrassing like He’s so hot, why doesn’t he have people hanging on him all the time?
Raven pats my arm. “Exactly. If I didn’t know him so well, I’d want to date him myself.” But her eyes slide toward Bishop, who’s watching her right back.
“Gideon likes his secrets.” Oscar is still smiling. “So he must be smitten with you if he invited you to meet all of us.”
I like Oscar. In a room filled with billionaires, he strikes me as the most normal person here. “So how do you know everyone?”
“Oh, Ira and I were old friends from way back. When he… passed, I did what I could to help the kids. I couldn’t take his place, of course, but I did what I could.”
Raven smiles sadly and fondly at him. “You did good. We couldn’t have made it through without you.”
“I couldn’t have done anything less for Ira. He would’ve done the same for me.”
My breath catches. The affection between them is so strong. And Gideon thinks one of these people betrayed him?
I don’t know that I see it. I haven’t talked to the rest of them, not yet, but to turn on this kind of closeness and all for a notebook? It’s a terrible thing.
Raven misreads my expression. “Sorry, we’ll stop being maudlin. Come on, let’s go let everyone meet you.”
She leads me to Axel and Morgan first. I’m only a little stunned by how beautiful Axel is in person. Those photos he puts on Instagram aren’t photoshopped at all, and I feel like a spotty, huge-pored monster next to him. But he’s all smiles and charm, inviting me to come tour the Inspiron factory and attend his next get-together at the estate he’s always featuring on his social media. I’m not sure if he really means it—I suspect he doesn’t—but he offers it pretty enthusiastically.
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