by T. K. Leigh
He walked the few short blocks up the street to his hotel and flopped on the bed. After tossing and turning for hours, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the walls were closing in on him. He got up and grabbed his laptop. He needed to leave the city. He couldn’t stay there. It was something Olivia would do, but it had to happen. He now understood why she had done what she did.
He found his return flight information and called the airline to change his reservation to the next available flight. The customer service representative told him he could get on a flight leaving Logan Airport at six in the morning, less than five hours away.
“I’ll take it,” Cam said into the phone as he hurried to pack all of his things into his suitcase.
A few hours later, as he watched the city of Boston disappear beneath him cloaked in a pink-and-orange hue from the rising sun, he knew he made the right decision. He needed to try to forget about Olivia, and he couldn’t be in the same city as her. “Enough,” he said to himself, more as a request than anything.
CHAPTER TWELVE
MAKE UP
“I HAVE SOME INFORMATION, Donovan.”
“Yes, Cheryl. What is it?” he spat into the phone. He needed some good news, and soon, before everything fell apart.
“I have information about Olivia going to Las Vegas. Apparently, it’s her bachelorette party, and Burnham has agreed to allow her to go without normal protection, thanks to my prodding.”
Donovan brought his hand to his chin, thinking about what that meant.
“Do we deviate from the plan and take a chance at this opportunity?” Cheryl inquired.
“No,” Donovan said after much thought. “The plan remains the same. But we’ll use this opportunity to our advantage. Send me the details that you know.”
“Yes, sir.”
Donovan pressed the receiver on his phone and dialed another number. “Lucas, would you and your brother be interested in taking a little trip to Vegas?”
~~~~~~~~~~
THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS seemed to fly by while Olivia continued to prepare for the wedding at the end of August. As she sat at a sidewalk table at a Newbury Street restaurant on a warm Thursday in late June, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of getting on the plane the following day and spending a long weekend in Las Vegas. She perused the menu while she waited for Kiera to show up, thankful that Alexander had agreed to allow her to go without her protection detail that coming weekend…thanks to much convincing by Agent Marshall.
“Good afternoon,” Olivia heard a shrill voice say.
She glanced up from her menu and was met with Adele’s smirking face. She put on the best fake smile she could muster on such short notice. “Afternoon, Adele. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “I hate this humidity. I should have never left California.”
“Well, feel free to return at any time. I don’t think anyone here in Boston would miss you very much.” Olivia gave herself a mental fist bump before returning her eyes to the menu, hoping Adele would take the hint and leave.
“Whatever,” she said, clearly irritated with Olivia’s lackluster response. “Have you thought at all about what I said during our last conversation?”
“No, Adele. I haven’t thought about you one bit, but it’s rather apparent that you’ve been thinking about me. Why else would you feel the need to pester me? Next time you see me, feel free to continue walking.”
Olivia looked across the street and met Marshall’s eyes as she kept watch in the parked SUV. She gave her a thumbs up, indicating that she was fine and did not need any help. Marshall simply nodded. Olivia was grateful that she had begun to ease up on the ropes a bit. Any of her other assigned agents would have been out of the SUV immediately, making a scene. At least Marshall treated her like an adult and let her fight her own battles on occasion.
“Olivia,” Adele said softly, her voice changing from harsh and trite to warm and sympathetic. “I’m just trying to warn you before you get in too deep. Alexander is keeping secrets from you.”
“What the fuck are you doing here, bitch?” Kiera said rather loudly as she approached Olivia’s table. Several restaurant patrons raised their heads, aghast at hearing such language, and gaped at her.
“Kiera, please. People are staring,” Olivia said quietly, her expression wide as she scanned the other tables to see them gawking in her direction.
“Whatever,” she said, her green eyes wild with fury. “When have I ever cared what someone thought of me?” She turned to Adele. “We have a lunch date, so if you would please excuse us.”
“Okay. I’m sorry for interrupting.” Adele’s eyes met Olivia’s gaze. “Olivia, please. I just want to talk to you about something important. Can we get together for a coffee, say, next Tuesday? Then I’ll never bother you again. I promise.”
“Libby,” Kiera hissed, glaring at Adele. “Why the fuck would you listen to anything she has to say? She’s been nothing but a pain in the ass from the beginning.”
Olivia faced Kiera. “I understand that,” she admitted, trying to figure out what game Adele was playing. The promise of never having to see or listen to her again was rather tempting. “Okay, Adele. I’ll listen to what you have to say,” she reluctantly agreed. “Starbucks by Alexander’s building. Tuesday. Four o’clock.”
“Perfect,” Adele replied, clapping her hands. “I do appreciate it. Have a wonderful lunch, ladies.” She walked down the street and hailed a cab, taking the burner phone out of her purse.
“Hi. It’s Adele. It’s going down on Tuesday.”
“Wonderful. We’ll be ready.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“ALEXANDER?” OLIVIA CALLED OUT when she arrived at her place several hours later after a fun lunch and shopping outing with Kiera.
There was no answer.
Wondering if he was home from work yet, she walked down the hall toward his office, thinking he may be in there. It was after seven and he never worked that late. As she approached the door, her run-in with Adele came rushing back to her mind. Was he keeping secrets from her? Olivia knocked gently. “Alex? Are you in there?”
Still no answer.
She tried the handle even though she knew that it was useless. She could see the numbered keypad on the door. If there was one thing Olivia had learned over the past several months, it was that Alexander was diligent with ensuring everything was locked and secured. He would never leave without re-securing that room, or any room for that matter.
Defeated, she tried the handle one more time before turning around to head back into the kitchen, thinking about what to cook for dinner.
“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Alexander yelled, storming down the hall. He had just gotten home no more than a minute ago, planning to drop off a few files in his home office, when he saw Olivia standing at the door, attempting to get in.
Olivia looked at him, wide-eyed at the tone of his voice.
He closed the gap, glaring down at her, his eyes wild with fury. “Answer me, Olivia. NOW!” His face was red with rage.
“Nothing, Alex! I wasn’t doing anything, alright?!” she shouted. “And, unless you’ve forgotten, this is my house now, too! If I want to go somewhere, I’m damn well going to do so! So if you’d please get out of my fucking way, I’d appreciate it!” She pushed him away, storming down the long corridor, seething with indignation.
Alexander closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He placed his head in his hands, angry at himself for having such a knee-jerk reaction to seeing Olivia at the door to his office. He knew there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. She was not a nosy person. Opening his eyes, he slowly followed her down the corridor, apprehensive about how to calm her down. He walked into the kitchen and found her standing in front of the refrigerator, perusing its contents.
He carefully placed his hands on her upper arms as she continued to stare into the refrigerator, keeping her back to him. The silence was deafening as both of them st
ood there, neither one saying anything.
Alexander sighed, breaking the tension-filled room. “Olivia, love. I’m sorry. I may have overreacted a bit before…”
She spun around quickly, slamming the refrigerator door shut. “Oh, ya’ think, Alex?” She glared, her eyes shooting daggers. “You think that you may have overreacted when you nearly chopped my head off for standing in the hallway, knocking at your office door to see if you were home?” She was furious, partly because she did feel guilty for being somewhere that she knew was off-limits.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. It’s just…”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her normal indication that she was waiting rather impatiently to hear a good explanation for his behavior. He had gotten quite used to seeing her in that pose over the past several months.
“What is it, Alex? Why do I always feel as if you’re not being honest with me? Why does it always feel like you’re keeping things from me?”
Alexander searched her eyes. With each passing day, it was becoming harder and harder for him to finally tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her all those months ago, but that was before her father reappeared out of nowhere, imploring him to keep her ignorant of her past. Could he really listen to a man who had ruined Olivia’s life? What should he do? Is this the moment of truth? He smiled at the pun.
“What’s so funny, Alex?” Olivia hissed, her anger growing with each passing minute.
“Olivia, I’m sorry,” he said, his smile disappearing from his face. “I didn’t mean to be a jerk. There’s just a lot of work that I do that has to remain classified, even from you. I pride myself on our company’s work ethic in maintaining the highest level of confidentiality. I only know how to work one way, and this is it.”
Olivia surveyed Alexander’s face. It was an entirely legitimate reason for his behavior. She had no clue about half of the operations his company was involved in, but she did know that a lot of it entailed dealing with other countries.
Her face softened as she gazed into his beautiful green eyes. “Okay. Apology accepted, but next time, don’t get your panties in a bunch.” She pushed by him and started to head toward the staircase. “Aren’t you coming?” she shouted when she was halfway up the stairs.
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on, Alexander! Make up sex!”
And with that, he shot up the stairs, chasing her toward their bedroom.
Olivia squealed when he caught up to her, picking her up in one swift move and cradling her in his arms, planting a deep kiss on her lips.
He threw open the bedroom door, startling Runner awake from his nap. “Come on, boy. Out,” Alexander said. Runner begrudgingly obeyed his master.
Alexander closed the door and slowly lowered Olivia to her feet. His eyes searched hers, making sure her anger from before had actually subsided. The fury he saw earlier was nowhere to be found. All that was left was a look of admiration.
“Kiss me,” she whispered, tugging his tie and pulling his body toward hers. She stood on her toes and their lips met. The kiss was soft, both of them eager to show the other that they were sorry for arguing about something that appeared to be so insignificant. They wanted to show their love.
Alexander pulled back, gazing down at Olivia, her eyes still closed. She moved a finger over her lips where his mouth had just been. “I still remember how I felt when you first kissed me,” she whispered quietly, opening her eyes and dropping her hand from her mouth.
All Alexander could think about was how lucky and blessed he felt at that moment as his eyes remained locked on hers. He felt so fortunate for having finally found his childhood best friend after years of being told that she was dead. And she loved him. She was going to marry him, and they would live a happy life with no more worries.
Alexander refused to think about all the secrets he was keeping from her as he led her over to the bed they shared and made love to her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, OLIVIA groaned when the alarm went off, waking her up. It had been a fitful night of sleep. She had woken up in a cold sweat after having strange dreams. First, the green-eyed boy was there, promising Olivia that nothing bad would ever happen to her. Then a young blonde girl appeared out of nowhere and she had Adele’s voice. They were playing Barbie’s together in Alexander’s backyard in Mystic. The blonde girl had grabbed her Barbie out of her hand, and the green-eyed boy yelled at the blonde girl for being so mean. “Stop causing problems, Adele. You’re always so mean to Olivia.” She could still hear it. Then, almost as if a new dream, Cam was there, trying to soothe and calm her down.
“Penny for your thoughts, love?” Alexander asked as he handed Olivia her coffee mug, leaning down to kiss her good morning.
“Just thinking about my trip this weekend,” she lied. “When will you be back from your meeting?” Olivia adjusted her legs, sitting up in the bed, and scratched Runner’s head while Nepenthe glared at the dog.
“Tuesday afternoon, I hope.”
“I’ll miss you terribly.”
“I’ll miss you, too, but you better enjoy your time with your friends.”
Olivia smiled. Vegas! She was going to Vegas with her three best friends. “Fuck!” she shrieked, looking at the time. “I need to pack or we’ll miss the flight.” She dashed out of the bed and ran toward her closet, practically downing her coffee in one gulp.
“Why didn’t you pack last night?” Alexander asked, following her into the massive walk-in closet that housed all of her clothes and shoes.
“Well, I had planned on it, but someone kept putting his cock in me.”
Alexander chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t hear you complaining about it last night. If I remember correctly, I had you screaming my name quite a few times.” He smacked her ass before strolling out of the closet, allowing her to pack in peace.
Olivia returned to her suitcase, an infectious grin on her face as she thought about all the sex they had the previous night. Her nightmares were now the furthest thing from her mind.
Later that day, Olivia sat in her first class seat next to Kiera, watching the Vegas strip appear in the distance as they prepared to land at McCarran Airport.
“I’m so excited!” Melanie said enthusiastically. Olivia glanced across the aisle and smiled at Melanie and Bridget, happy that the two girls were able to join them.
Once safely on the ground, the girls rushed off the plane, antsy to start their fun-filled weekend. “Where to first?” Olivia asked Kiera as they made their way through the bustling airport, the sound of slot machines chiming throughout.
“I figure we’ll take it easy today,” she replied as they walked through the gate area toward baggage claim. “We’ll just check into the hotel and then relax by the pool. We have an evening filled with dancing tonight!”
“I love dancing!” Melanie said.
“Oh, this must be us.” Bridget led the group toward a chauffeur holding a sign with Adler Bachelorette Party written on it.
“That’s us!” Melanie beamed at the man clad in a black suit standing near a baggage carousel.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” the chauffeur said, nodding at them.
Olivia surveyed the man, the buzz cut and muscular build of him giving her a sinking feeling that he somehow worked for Alexander. She made a mental note to look into whether he had offices in Las Vegas.
“My name is Toby and I’ll be at your disposal this weekend for any of your transportation needs around town.”
After no time at all, the girls’ bags appeared and they were soon on their way to the Vegas Strip and their luxurious hotel room for a relaxing afternoon of sunbathing without a care in the world.
~~~~~~~~~~
TWO MEN IN THEIR mid-twenties made their way out of their first class seats on a flight from Boston to Las Vegas. They maintained a discreet distance behind their targets, not wanting to arouse any suspicions. They
were told to wait and make their approach when the girls were at their most vulnerable so they would wait until the club that night. Until then, they would simply keep an eye on them.
“Are you sure about this, Lucas? I mean, is it really worth it?” the taller one asked.
“Of course it is,” Lucas growled. “That’s a million fucking dollars going into each of our bank accounts, Dylan. It is so worth it. Oh, and just to sell it, I’m gay. Chicks never find a gay guy suspicious.”
Dylan rolled his eyes. His younger brother was right. That money could go a long way, and they’d never gotten caught on a job for Donovan before. “So what’s the plan then?”
“I have their itinerary. They’ll be in the V.I.P. area at a club tonight. They’re bound to do some dancing, and when they do, we’ll pour on the charm, buddying up to her two little friends…the ones Donovan pointed out to us. I have all the background information we need on both of them. I’ll take the blonde. She looks like an easy mark.” He winked. “Just remember, this has to work. We need them to feel comfortable with us so that we can continue seeing them in Boston. That’s the important part, so don’t fuck it up.”
Dylan was nervous about everything, but what was there to be concerned about? All he had to do was play nice with the girls and make them feel comfortable. What’s the worst that could happen?
~~~~~~~~~~
