by Natalie Ann
“Really?” Griffin said.
“No. She said she laid it on thicker when she was on the floor for guests to get the experience, but for the past few years has been behind the scenes and went back to the way she was.”
He’d already explained Bella’s background and history to Griffin.
“You had a thing for her. Admit it,” Griffin said.
He lifted an eyebrow. “A thing?”
“You’ve always been drawn to blondes.”
“Not innocent-looking ones with bodyguards.”
“That’s true,” Griffin said. “But I have a feeling it’s not going to stop you either.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. Right now, give her a place to stay and figure out the rest as it comes. It seems to me she doesn’t want to be here anymore than she has to.”
“You want me to look into her too, correct?”
“Yes. Bella Kingston.”
“Bella or Isabella?” Griffin asked.
“I honestly don’t know. She said her father was the Ambassador to France until his death in 2006 from a single car auto accident. I’m sure you can start there. Same last name.”
“I’ll get you a report before you’re in bed tonight.”
“I figured as much,” he said. “She said she doesn’t know much about her father’s family. Dig into that too. I’d like to know everything I can. I don’t think you need to be as discreet there. From that letter I get the feeling the threat is for Oliver, but use your judgment. I didn’t tell her everything in the letter and she seems to not understand why she is here. My guess Oliver wants to keep it that way and it also tells me she will listen if she thinks it’s important enough.”
Griffin was typing into his phone. Everything the guy did was efficient. Even to dressing in a suit like Eli most times to hide his weapon.
“Will do. How are you going to be, knowing she is just a few floors down from you?” Griffin asked.
Looked like his buddy wasn’t going to let this drop. “Fine. She is here because her uncle believes she needs to be protected and out of the eye in relation to him. He trusts me and you. How do you think he’d feel if he knew I wanted her in my bed now as much as I did years ago?”
Griffin burst out laughing. “I knew it. You can’t hide shit from me. You can keep her safe even better in your bed. She’d be right under your arm where you’d know where she was.”
He shook his head. “Very true. But her life has been turned upside down. She’s just as skittish now as she was then. Or that first meeting.”
Eli remembered that day vividly. And how Bella's nervousness had changed from fear that first night to almost embarrassment when she was showing him around the casino.
She was soft spoken and shy, except when she started to talk about the area and things to see. How the casino tied into outside events and worked with other hotels. You could hear the excitement in her voice. He later learned those had been her ideas and ones that he implemented here.
It wasn’t hard to do with his family owning half the island. They all worked together. If one business thrived, they all would.
“I’d be that way if I had goons like that watching my every step. It’s no wonder she couldn’t go to the bathroom without one of them holding the door for her,” Griffin said.
They didn’t know back then the reason why the security acted like that. All Bella had done was apologize and say her uncle was protective of her and pushed that onto his security.
Knowing what he did today, it gave him some understanding of why the security seemed to be everywhere the two of them were. Not that they were followed, but any room they went in, he could pick out who reported to Oliver directly.
He’d like to think his security wasn’t that obvious here unless he wanted them to be. There were some in uniforms but not on the casino floor. Those were a mixture of suits or plain clothes. Enough to blend in.
Griffin wasn’t his shadow as many thought he was. It just seemed they were by each other more when they weren’t.
Except when Eli was in his office. Griffin tried to avoid that, which was why they were in Griffin’s apartment next to Eli’s penthouse.
The apartment that no one knew was here other than immediate family. Most thought Griffin lived in one of the suites that Bella would be staying in, but that was just for show.
There was a lot of money flowing through the casino and Griffin was on top of protecting it. It’d been his idea to be next to Eli and if he found it odd, he’d brushed it off. It made sense to him back then.
“I’m not about to have anyone do that for her. I told her I wanted to have some time with her to talk, but she said not tonight. She was tired. She’d flown in last night, slept, and came here first thing.”
“Why?” Griffin asked. “Is she acting scared? Does she think she is being followed?”
“I think she is more scared of the unknown. Not sure why Oliver didn’t tell her more, but he must have had his reasons. It’s one of the things we need to find out. I’m sure the first thing you are going to do is track her coming in and leaving once I go back to my office. I had her go out the backdoor with my driver and off to Egan’s.”
“Using the back entrance?”
“Yes. No one could get back to these offices anyway, so she should have been safe enough leaving and coming back. She looked more exhausted than anything to me. I want to give her time to unwind.”
“And me to go put some cameras in her place?” Griffin asked.
“Not yet,” he said.
Griffin grinned. “Afraid I might see more than you want?”
He laughed. “You’ve seen plenty in my life. No secrets between us, right?”
“None,” Griffin said.
Eli wasn’t so sure of that, but he felt if anyone knew what Griffin was willing to say about his life, it was Eli. “You can secure one camera outside the door in the hall so we can see who enters, but that is enough.”
“Then I’ll go do that now before she returns.”
“I told Bella to tell me when she was back in the casino,” Eli said, walking out with Griffin. “I gave her my direct cell number.”
“Give her mine too,” Griffin said. “Do you think she’ll do it?”
“She seems like someone who is used to doing what she’s told.”
“Boring,” Griffin said.
“It is. But for now, it’s best that she does. Until we know more.”
The two of them left Griffin’s apartment and went into the secret entrance to Eli’s penthouse, then from there down. Griffin had what he needed to put the small camera outside of Bella’s room and would as long as the coast was clear.
Eli continued down to the main level and back to his office to try to get some work done knowing his mind was on the blonde beauty that was not only staying in his casino and hotel but would be under his watchful eye.
4
What Is Asked Of Me
Bella heard the knocking at her door and turned over to look at the clock on the bedside table of the light gray bedroom. It was six and she’d been sleeping for four hours.
She went to push her hair out of her face and got it tangled in the plush white comforter she’d been wrapped up in since she let herself into her suite. She’d staggered in, dropped her luggage at the front door and then fell facedown onto the cloud-like bed.
When the knock sounded again, she jumped up, her heart racing, her nerves on end as she wondered who it could be.
She dashed to the door, but then stopped before opening it. Nope, Uncle Oliver had her scared even though she was feeling somewhat calmer knowing Eli and Griffin were watching out for her. Funny she felt that way, having only been in their presence for one week over six years ago.
She didn’t like being kept in the dark but trusted her uncle enough to know what was best and if it was to be here, she was going to have to accept it…for now.
After looking through the peephole, she saw Eli standing there, his dark hair
longer on the top and parted meticulously to the right, his sides short and tight, matching the back where it’d tapered down. She’d bet he was in the salon in the building every two weeks to keep it exactly the length it was now.
She opened the door and realized he had a service cart in front of him and started to laugh at the absurdity of it.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“That the owner of this casino is pushing a food cart. Smells good though. I’m starving.” She realized the only thing she’d eaten today was the continental breakfast at her hotel in Boston before she boarded the ferry to Amore Island.
She’d been traveling for two days. Monte Carlo was six hours ahead of Boston, then the over fifteen hours in the airports and cars, and she was beat.
“I figured as much,” he said, lifting the silver domes. “I took a gamble that you might still like burgers, but if not got a steak and a chicken dish.”
She shouldn’t be surprised that he remembered the one lunch they’d shared when she was showing him around her uncle’s casino. A big fat juicy burger had been calling her name. He’d gotten the same.
“Looks great,” she said. “I realized I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“Not good,” he said. “Sit down.”
He moved in and pushed the cart to the small table, then set the dishes there. “Are you going to join me?”
“If you’d like,” he said. “I haven’t eaten yet either. I was getting worried that it took you so long to answer the door, but you look like you just woke up.”
There was no stopping the flush that filled her face. “I did. It’s been a long few days.”
“Physically and emotionally, I’m sure,” he said.
She grabbed the burger and fries dinner and he reached for the steak. “Can I get you a drink? I think there is stuff in the stocked bar.”
“There is water in there. Sparkling or regular. Start eating and I’ll get it. What do you want?”
“Sparkling,” she said, taking a massive bite of the burger. She didn’t care if it was rude. Her stomach was ruling her now and the aroma of the beef was clouding all thoughts of everything. Even the sexy guy waiting on her. Well, maybe not that completely.
“How do you find the room?” he asked.
“From the ten minutes I looked around, it’s very nice.” When he lifted an eyebrow, she said, “I walked in, left my luggage by the door, looked around and made my way to the bathroom, then flopped on the bed.”
“After you’d texted me you were here.”
She snorted. “I’m pretty sure you knew I was. Your brother flew me there and back. He had a car waiting for me to leave the hotel with a driver that came up to get my bags. Then the first driver brought me back. Something tells me you probably had Griffin watching the security cameras for me too.”
He grinned at her. “Doing what is asked of me.”
“I want to say I’m not sure I like being watched that much, but the hard facts are it’s been like that my whole life.”
“And you’d like to break away from it?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you?”
“Maybe. But for your safety, it’s best if we keep things a little low key.”
“I doubt anyone is going to find me on this island. If anyone is even looking. Uncle Oliver has always been secretive, but this is taking things far for even him.”
“He must have his reasons,” Eli said, taking another bite of his steak. She was finding it hard to pull her eyes away from his mouth as he chewed. When he grinned she knew she’d been caught.
“I’m sure. Anyway, thank you again for everything you are doing. I feel bad you aren’t letting me pay for the room.”
“No reason for you to be tracked that way. As you are fully aware, casinos comp rooms all the time. This isn’t anything different.”
“But I’m not gambling and putting money back in,” she argued.
“Don’t worry about it. Your uncle has it covered.”
“What?” she asked. “What does that mean? What did his letter say?”
“It doesn’t matter. I want you to act like this is your home now. Whatever you are used to doing, just do it.”
“I’m used to working,” she said. She was going to go out of her mind if she didn’t have an idea of how long she’d be here.
“Why don’t you just take a week and enjoy yourself. Think of it as a vacation without someone following you around.”
“But I have a feeling you’re going to be following me around,” she said. “And I’ve got no way to get around. I packed enough for two weeks but not everything I need.”
“Then you can go get what you need,” he said calmly.
“I’ve got cash with me. I always do. Uncle Oliver had a bank card set up under another name that I can use. Money shouldn’t be an issue,” she said, thinking out loud.
Her uncle would have left instructions for that account to be monitored and cash replenished, but when she checked the balance at the ATM this morning there was fifty thousand dollars on it. He’d given her a second card to keep locked away in case she lost hers.
“If you need anything, you just ask me. Everything on the premises is at your disposal. All you need to do is sign the room number and initial it.”
She nodded her head. Just like in her uncle’s resorts.
“What about transportation? I’ve got a license but don’t drive often and never on the other side of the road.”
He grinned. “We might have to fix that for you. But until then, there will be a car at your disposal also. If you’d prefer one driver over another, let me know; otherwise I’ll leave instructions for you to get a car when you wish.”
“The royal treatment?” she asked.
He laughed. “Something like that. Though you look like a rumpled princess right now.” He reached a hand out toward her lip. “One with ketchup on her face.”
That flush she’d had earlier was most likely resembling a lobster now. “Do I need to tell you if I go exploring?”
“No,” he said. “You don’t need to do that; however, I would like to know if you leave the building. It’s a request, not a command. A simple text to me and Griffin will do.”
“Both of you?” she asked.
“Or either. You have our numbers.”
“You’re going above and beyond for a woman that you only knew a short period many years ago. I know it’s not about the money my uncle is probably going to pay you.” She looked around the room. “You’re doing very well for yourself.”
“It’s not all me,” he said. “I own about seventy percent of the casino. My family has a long history on this island since we founded it. A long line of wealth. This was my dream.”
“I remember,” she said. The way he talked about what he wanted and how he was going to accomplish it at such a young age had made her look into him more without his knowledge. She was sure her uncle had done the same before he had the two of them spending time together. Eli hadn’t been lying about his family wealth.
“All dreams normally take teamwork and help. Encouragement. My father has twenty percent. My brothers split five. It was all I was willing to give up.”
Her burger was gone, having been inhaled faster than she’d eaten before. She was onto her fries, just picking at them now. “I’m sure. Wait. That is only ninety-five percent,” she said. “Who has the other five?”
“Does it matter?” he asked.
“No. I’m being nosy. I shouldn’t. I don’t normally even talk this much with strangers and you are essentially one.”
“I’d hardly say that and am somewhat hurt you feel that way.”
She looked at his face and saw the grin, knew he was kidding. “I don’t think you get hurt easily.”
“You’d be surprised. However, I do need to get back to work.”
“I figured as much. Thank you again for the time today.” She knew nights were normally when her uncle walked around the casino and kept an eye on things.
When the most action was.
Three weeks into July in his area, this was probably peak tourist season for him. She hadn’t wanted to show up as early as she had this morning, but she couldn’t sleep either. She’d taken a gamble that he’d be available to see her before ten in the morning.
She stood up when he did. “I’ll take this cart back with me unless you want to eat the chicken dinner too?”
“God, no,” she said. “I already made a pig of myself. Let me load it up for you with these dishes. Are you going to take this back down to the kitchen?”
“Of course. I’m not so stuck-up that I can’t do a little manual work.”
“And it lets you keep an eye on how things are run from the ground up?”
“Yes. I believe your uncle was the one who reminded me that if the foundation has a crack then everything can tumble.”
“Yes. Uncle Oliver is very hands on.” Not that he needed to be, but you couldn’t ever tell him to slow down once. He’d never married or had a family. She suspected his businesses were his family.
“As am I,” Eli said. “Have a good night and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.”
She closed the door after he left and leaned against it. No, he wasn’t a stranger to her. Just a man that had invaded her dreams for years.
5
Being Watched
“Bella is all set for the night?” Griffin asked him.
“She is,” Eli said. They were on the penthouse floor, the two of them in the hidden security room. “Camera is all set?”
“Yes,” Griffin said, hitting a button and flipping it over. He could see the view of the door to the room Bella was in. “And you can view it on your phone too. You’ll get a notification whenever there is movement in and out.”
“I figured. I asked her to let me know when she left.”
Griffin laughed. “And you would have been so polite about it even though you don’t need her to do that.”
He grinned. “Nope. She isn’t stupid either. She knows she is being watched. But it would be better to know she will listen if asked. I’d like to know now if I have to worry about her sneaking about. It’d be more work for you if that was the case.”
