The Girl with the Emerald Ring: A Romantic Thriller (Blackwood Security Book 12)

by Elise Noble

  “What do you need to buy?”

  “A birthday gift. For a teenage girl.”

  “What age? There’s a big difference between thirteen and nineteen.”

  “She’ll be fifteen.”

  “And how well do you know her? Is she a relative?” What age was Alaric? Late thirties at a guess, too old to have a fourteen-year-old sister unless his parents had started very young. Or maybe his father had remarried? A good number of my father’s friends were on their second or even third wives, and they were invariably younger than me. “A half-sister?”

  He guided me towards his SUV with a hand on the small of my back, and the gentle touch sent a nervous shiver up my spine. A late dinner? I’d stay up until midnight if necessary. Hell, make it breakfast.

  “Do you want me to go and buy the gift? It’s the least I can do after you saved my shoes. Most of Oxford Street stays open till eight, and Selfridges doesn’t close until nine. I honestly don’t mind. In truth, I quite like shopping, but I don’t have the money to go much anymore.” I gave a shrug as he opened the passenger door for me. “Buying groceries just isn’t the same.”

  He watched me for a moment, hands braced on the roof as he stared into the car. Finally, he nodded, although it seemed more of an affirmation to himself than an answer to me.

  “I’d appreciate your help. Wait here while I run upstairs and find you a key card for the gates?”

  It wasn’t as if I could escape. The shutter door had rolled down again, leaving the cavernous room as secure as a tomb.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He flashed me a tight smile. “Back in five. And the gift?” He spoke softly. “It’s for my daughter.”

  His daughter? As Alaric strode towards a set of elevator doors in the far corner, my mouth opened wide enough to catch flies. A daughter? Did he have a wife or girlfriend to go with her? He wasn’t wearing a ring, but that didn’t seem to mean much nowadays. The crushing band around my chest made me realise just how much I’d been starting to like him, and I thought he’d been flirting with me too. Had I misread things that badly?

  “Did you ask your daughter what she might like?” I queried, silently thanking Piers and my parents for all the awkward situations they’d put me in over the years. If nothing else, they’d allowed me to perfect the mask I’d hurriedly slammed into place when Alaric emerged from the elevator holding up a small black key fob, and I’d listened attentively as he explained how to use it to open the gates. The garage door itself used facial recognition, and apparently, they’d coded me in already from the cameras lurking in each corner. Good for safety, I had to admit, but also mildly creepy.

  Alaric started the engine and headed for the door. “I wanted to surprise her. Didn’t really think it through, did I? And I actually need two gifts—one from me and another from one of my business partners. They’re…honorary uncles, I guess. The two of us are going to see her tomorrow morning.”

  “Going to see her?” My heart leapt, and boy did I feel shitty about that. “She doesn’t live with you?”

  “No, she’s at boarding school.”

  Oh. I desperately wanted to ask about her mother, but how could I bring that up without sounding either nosy or insensitive? Answer: I couldn’t.

  “I see. Boarding schools can be a little restrictive on what pupils are allowed to take. Is your daughter a girly girl? A tomboy?”

  “She likes science stuff. Math, that sort of thing. Ravi tried to give her a chemistry set last year, but she wasn’t allowed to keep it. Too dangerous, so they said.”

  “When I was at boarding school, a group of girls stole lithium from the lab and set fire to the dormitory.” I still remembered the alarms, the smoke-filled corridors and the screams as we’d stumbled outside. “It was bloody terrifying.”

  “Rune hasn’t set fire to anything yet. Maybe I could get her a laptop?” Alaric quickly shook his head. “No, Naz already got her one at Christmas.”

  Was Naz another business partner?

  “How about a book? Does she like reading? Or play any musical instruments? What about chocolate? You can’t go wrong with chocolate at boarding school.”

  “Actually, you can. Rune’s diabetic.”

  Shit. “Sorry.”

  “Hey, you weren’t to know. And she’s not musical, but yeah, she likes reading. Is there a bookstore on Oxford Street?”

  “Not on Oxford Street itself. Foyles is nearby, but… No, it doesn’t matter.”

  “But what?”

  Was it my place to say? Oh, what the hell. “As I mentioned, I went to boarding school, and my father often used to send me gifts.” Or rather, his secretary did. “But what I really valued more than anything was his time. I barely remember all the clothes and candy and toiletries, but I’ll never forget the day he picked me up and took me to Hickstead to watch the showjumping one afternoon.”

  I later came to realise he’d done it out of guilt after Mother found out about his latest affair, but still… I’d enjoyed myself.

  “So you think I should take her out somewhere?”

  “If you have the time. And your business partner too, if she’s fond of him.”

  “Ravi. I’ll talk to him tonight. So, the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question—where should we take her? We normally just go for lunch.”

  “What about an activity you can do together and then lunch afterwards? Is she at school in London? You could go to the Science Museum?”

  “About an hour north of London. Ridgeview was the best place we could find.”

  And quite possibly the most expensive too. “Ridgeview Prep? I went to Marlborough Ladies’ College—we used to play Ridgeview at hockey.”

  Mostly, they’d beaten us. Okay, they’d thrashed us in every match except one. We’d been so overjoyed at winning that Rebecca Mornington had opened the sloe gin she’d snuck in for a special occasion, and we all got a hangover and a detention.

  “I heard the team’s pretty good, but Rune isn’t into sports.”

  “There’s bound to be something in the local area. How about I look while you drive? Although I wouldn’t recommend driving to Oxford Street.”

  “I need to drop my car back at Judd’s place. Another business partner,” he explained. “I’m staying there. Then we can take the Tube.”

  It was still rush hour, which meant we’d be packed in like sardines, but with Alaric beside me, I couldn’t get too upset about that. I pulled my phone out to research gifts, but before I could consult Google, it buzzed in my hand.

  Gemma: OMG, I heard what happened! Henrietta said it was my fault, but I swear I don’t remember leaving that cleaning caddy by the Heath Robert. I told Hugo he should fire me instead, but he just said that management decisions were final and slammed his office door. The painting wasn’t even damaged. I reckon he’s got PMT >:(

  I was fairly certain men couldn’t get PMT, not unless it stood for Pocketing Money from Thieves. But I didn’t want to leave Gemma upset over something that wasn’t her fault, no matter what Henrietta might have said.

  Me: You’re probably right—he’s been a bit weird lately. And at least I don’t need to bow down to Henrietta anymore.

  Gemma: I’ll miss you. If it’s just me and Henrietta all day, I’ll probably get arrested for murder.

  Me: I’ll miss you too. Meet up for dinner soon?

  Gemma: Or a coffee? One lunchtime? Ry always likes us to eat dinner together.

  Control freak. On the plus side, Gemma sounded chattier than she had in ages, and since I had no job, coffee was actually a much better idea.

  Me: Perfect. I’ll call you next week :)

  “Everything okay?” Alaric asked.

  “It’s just Gemma. You remember her from the gallery? Apparently, she offered to get fired as tribute, but Hugo turned her down.”

  “Well, we both know why.” He reached across and gave my hand a kindly squeeze. “Sometimes, the dark days are fate’s way of making the light seem brighter.”
>
  “I hope you’re right. Because right now, I’m all out of matches.”

  CHAPTER 24 - ALARIC

  ALARIC GRASPED THE overhead rail and wrapped his other arm around Bethany’s waist, using the gifts they’d bought for Rune as a shield between her and the rest of the rabble. Yes, he’d vowed to keep his hands to himself, but they were on the Tube, and punks kept bumping into her. What else was he meant to do? Okay, so he could have hailed a cab, but he was an asshole.

  “So, activities for tomorrow…” he said as they headed for Shoreditch. “Any ideas?”

  “I came up with three options near Ridgeview. Ten-pin bowling, adventure golf, or an escape room. But the adventure golf’s outside, and there’s a sixty percent chance of showers.”

  Attention to detail. Alaric liked that, and it made justifying a job offer that much easier. They needed an assistant who didn’t cut corners.

  “Then scrap the golf. We can do that some other time.”

  “Megabowl’s a fifteen-minute drive, and they serve food, so you could combine it with lunch. Breakout’s twenty minutes away, and I’ve found two restaurants nearby that look fun for a teenager—Noodle Nation and Pizzaland. All the places have parking available.”

  Alaric had taken Rune bowling in the US, and she’d landed the ball in the gutter enough times that she’d gotten frustrated. Rune being Rune, she’d tackled the situation like a science problem rather than having fun, although her mood had improved after she drew a dozen complex mathematical equations out on napkins to work out the best angle and velocity for the ball. Fuck only knew who the asshole was who’d impregnated Rune’s mother, but he must have been a geek of some kind.

  “Tell me more about the escape room.”

  “You get shut in for sixty minutes, and you have to find clues and solve puzzles to unlock the door.”

  Which all sounded great apart from the “shut in” part. He didn’t want to remind Rune of her past.

  “Could you get out early if necessary?”

  “It says there’s a panic button, and the room itself looks quite big. There’s a picture on the website. The only thing is that they recommend teams of four to six people. Does Rune have a friend she could bring?”

  A good question. Rune was a loner—it came up at every parent-teacher conference. She said she was happy, but Alaric still worried that she spent more time in the library than hanging out with her peers. There didn’t seem to be any bullying, and she got on fine with her lab partners, or so she said. And she’d willingly spend time with the guys from Sirius. She just didn’t socialise with kids her own age.

  “I don’t think there’s anyone.”

  “So perhaps the bowling…”

  “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  Bethany went doe-eyed. “Me?”

  “Or I could always put an advert on Craigslist. Do you have Craigslist over here? Wanted: willing victim for pizza, puzzles, and present-opening.”

  He couldn’t exactly ask Emmy, could he? Not when he hadn’t quite gotten around to mentioning Rune’s existence to her yet. During his time away, his biggest regret had been the loss of what they’d had together, and if he wanted to salvage a friendship out of the smoking remains of their relationship, then he had to take baby steps. When Alaric first showed up in her life again, she’d been prickly, and until recently, they’d kept their interactions on a strictly business footing. Emmy had been supportive of Sirius but steered clear of personal territory. In the last few days, Alaric had detected a change, but he didn’t want to push her. And she didn’t like surprises.

  “We have Gumtree,” Bethany said. “Maybe I should try an ad myself? ‘Brave soul needed to attend sixtieth birthday party. Must be willing to act as pretend date; hirer will provide cover story, cocktails, and as many canapés as a man can eat.’ Actually, I’d need to give him a riot shield too.”

  “How about a deal? You come to my party, and I’ll come to yours?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “What kind of man would I be if I let you get eaten alive by a bunch of rabid socialites?”

  “It’s a very kind offer, but you don’t understand how painful it could be.”

  “Yeah, I do. I spent half my life bullshitting at those kinds of affairs.” Alaric shrugged, figuring he might as well reveal a snippet of his past. “My father’s a diplomat, and my mother comes from a long line of British aristocrats. I grew up offering canapés to pompous pricks.”

  A group of kids pushed past, and Bethany squashed tighter against him. Her fingers curled under the lapels of his sport coat.

  “And yet you turned out okay,” she murmured.

  If only she knew.

  The train shuddered to a halt, and a tinny voice announced they’d reached Liverpool Street. Their stop, although Alaric was tempted to carry on to who knew where. But Bethany came to life and tugged him towards the doors.

  “We need to get off.”

  Never more so in his life. Alaric’s cock was straining at his pants, and he hoped Bethany hadn’t noticed. That could be awkward, especially if she accepted the offer he planned to make over dinner.

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” he asked.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  It sure was. Alaric had expected something fancy, upmarket French or traditional British, perhaps Italian at a push. Not…ping-pong and pizza?

  “This? This is the place?” he asked, just to be sure. A touch of incredulity leaked into his voice. Pop music blared out of Bounce as a couple fell through the doors, laughing, and the aroma of pepperoni and garlic made Alaric’s stomach grumble.

  Bethany’s face fell. “Do you hate it? We could go somewhere else.”

  He quickly regained his composure. “And miss you playing ping-pong in stilettos? Not a chance. Won’t you cripple yourself?”

  She mimicked his earlier words. “I grew up wearing heels and smiling at pompous pricks.”

  “You’re smiling now. Does that make me a pompous prick?”

  “Of course not! I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…”

  Damn, she was cute when she got flustered. Her cheeks pinked up, and she did these breathy little gasps, and yeah, provoking her probably did make Alaric a prick. Just not a pompous one.

  “Relax, I was kidding.”

  What was it about Bethany that made his dick twitch? He hadn’t had this sort of visceral reaction to a woman since he met Emmy, and the two of them were about as different as it was possible for two people to be. Where Emmy was sharp and abrasive, Bethany was soft and sweet. Kindness versus cunning. Etiquette versus street smarts. Perhaps that was why he liked Bethany so much? Because she was so different. An old proverb sprang to mind—once bitten, twice shy.

  That was quickly followed by a Nietzsche aphorism: Was mich nicht umbringt macht mich stärker. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. Venom still coursed through Alaric’s veins from the Emerald battle, and if he ever got his hands on the motherfucker who’d switched that pay-off…

  “Are you okay?”

  He forced himself to take a deep breath when he saw Bethany looking at him strangely.

  “I’m fine. Just recalling parts of my past that I’d rather forget. Come on—let’s go inside.”

  Bounce certainly lived up to its name. Bethany was slender except for her chest, and Alaric might have suspected she’d had work done if she hadn’t been pressed so tightly against him on the Tube to Oxford Street. All hail the gods of rush hour.

  “I’m terrible at this.” She giggled, diving sideways as another ball headed for the floor. It was a miracle she hadn’t split her skirt. “Have you ever played before?”

  “No, and I’m not much better. Want to get some food?”

  “I think we’ve earned it. And a glass of wine too.”

  “Hold off on the wine for a few minutes. I need to talk to you about something first.”

  Her smile faded, and Alaric hated that. “Nothing bad. I just have a proposal for you
.”

  “A…proposal?”

  “A business proposal,” he clarified. “And have you made up your mind about tomorrow yet?”

  “Sort of. I’ll gladly come to the escape room if you need an extra person, but I couldn’t in all good conscience inflict my family and their friends on you.”

  “You wouldn’t be inflicting anything on me. I offered.”

  “If you met them, you’d probably never speak to me again.” Bethany glanced sideways at him from under long lashes. “And I like speaking to you.”

  Fuck, someone up there wasn’t making this easy. But business was business, and growing Sirius took priority over his personal life right now.

  “That’s good. How would you like to do it more often?”

  Alaric guided her to an open table in a quiet corner, or at least, as quiet as it got at Bounce. The music from the ping-pong room was still loud enough that he could hear every lyric.

  “I think I’d enjoy that?”

  “Good. You’re polite, you’re organised, and you’re looking for a job, right?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “My company’s looking for a new executive assistant. How do you feel about working with us?”

  The happiness in her eyes turned to confusion. “You… Huh? I thought… A job?” She smacked her forehead. “Dammit, I’m so stupid.”

  Now it was Alaric’s turn to be confused. “No, you’re definitely not stupid. I thought you wanted a job?”

  “A job, yes, not a pity offer.”

  “A… Hold on, you think I’m offering you a job out of pity? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our last assistant quit this morning, and…honestly? We’re kind of desperate. Shit, that came out wrong.”

  Bethany narrowed her eyes. “Oh, really? Why did she quit?”

  “Because of Judd. He has a problem with women.”

  “He doesn’t like them?”

  “Quite the opposite, in fact. Historically, our assistants have worked out of an office on the ground floor of his townhouse, and he has trouble keeping his clothes on around them.”

  “So, what? You want me to be the latest fodder for your man-whore of a colleague?”