Chapter One
Evander
“We have a problem.”
Maxwell Stone, de facto leader of our band of misfits here on the island, looks up from the stack of papers in front of him, one brow raised in question. “What kind of problem?”
Leaning over his desk, I place the tablet in front of him and show him the dossier I’ve put together. As he scans the screen, Maxwell’s eyes narrow dangerously.
“A reporter?” His voice is sharp with the leading edge of fury, and I have no doubt that anger is about to be pointed straight at me.
I am, after all, in charge of keeping our little island safe from prying, curious eyes like those of Natalie Bauer. A gossip columnist for a second-rate newspaper in the city, at first glance she isn’t the type of person I would consider a threat.
But a deeper dig into her showed an ambition that hasn’t really materialized in her career. If I had to guess, she was thrust into the celebrity gossip role because she looks like she belongs on the red carpet. Wide, shrewd eyes a startling shade of greenpeer out from a face that will likely never lose its roundness. In all the pictures I’ve found of her, even when she’s working the carpet, her perfect chestnut hair is pulled back in a high ponytail.
I won’t be confessing how often I’ve gotten myself off to the image of that ponytail wrapped around my hand as I force nosy Miss Bauer to her knees.
Leaning back in his chair, Maxwell turns that sharp gaze on me. “How much does she know?”
“Enough to get herself onto the boat carrying our next food shipment.” Of course, that wasn’t entirely all her doing. I may have… paved the way a bit.
Not that Maxwell needs to know that just yet.
“Fucking hell. How did this happen?”
“From what I can tell, she’s been looking into Juliet. A gossip reporter would easily pick up on the fact that Juliet hasn’t been to any events since Jasper brought her to the island.”
His eyes narrow slightly. “That still doesn’t explain how she found out about the island.”
“Best I can tell, she tracked Jasper and Juliet to the airport we use when we fly in and out of the city, and she managed to get all the info she needed out of one of the security guards there.”
Maxwell’s fingers tap against the sleek wood of his desk, and it’s a testament to how unsettled he is that he lets even that bit of irritation show. “I assume you’ve handled the guard.”
“I have.” Patrick Doyle sang like a canary for my men, likely in the hopes it would spare him in the end. Unfortunately for him, the pigs at the farm upstate will be less interested in what he has to say and far more interested in how he tastes. “He won’t be an issue for us going forward. And I have replaced the rest of the security at the airport with my own men. This will not happen again.”
“I trust it won’t. You’ve never let us down before.” His gaze remains locked on me, an intimidation tactic I’m certain workswell for him in the business world. But I’ve stared down far more dangerous men in my time, so I simply stare back, waiting for him to continue.
Which he does, with a stiff nod and more of that irritated finger tapping. “The question remains, what do we do about our reporter problem?”
A dark thrill rushes through my veins at the question. “We let her come.”
Eyebrows rising toward his hairline, Maxwell stares at me for another long, silent moment, only now the corners of his lips curl up in a slow smile. “You want her.”
“I do.” I’m not quite prepared to tell him exactly how much, but I need to give him something if I have any hope of receiving his blessing. “She… intrigues me.”
“Between her and Isabella, we’re making more waves than I’m comfortable with.”
Isabella, the pretty little ballerina Gideon stole from her apartment in the middle of the night. Her disappearance did cause a bit of a fuss, though it died down relatively quickly. Too quickly, really, given the circumstances, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Maxwell’s money had something to do with how quietly the story simply… went away.
There is some risk of the same happening with Natalie, and it would be foolish to pretend there isn’t. But Maxwell isn’t the only one who has ways of making problemsdisappear.
“It will be handled,” I assure him, earning myself a thoughtful nod in response.
“All right,” he says slowly. “I’ll allow it, but if this gets tracked back to us in any way…”
“Then I’ll handle that threat, as well. That is why you brought me to the island, is it not?”
Maxwell’s smile turns surprisingly warm. “No. I brought you to the island because I know how badly you’ve wanted a Littleone of your own. The fact that you are the best choice for keeping our family safe is simply a bonus.”
