“I mean, she thinks that by talking to Emery, she’ll work out her own issues with her past, but it’s not so simple. Emery isn’t ready to move on yet and any answers he gives her won’t help.”
“How do you know all of this stuff?” Cody asked.
“I have a Masters in Psych from Princeton.”
Cody’s feet dropped to the floor. “No you don’t. I ran an extensive background check on you after Emery hired me.”
A corner of Hans’s mouth lifted in a smile.
“I have three aliases you still don’t know about.”
Cody’s jaw dropped and Hans laughed as he got to his feet.
“I need to check Ms. Ryder’s bags for bugs and then I’m turning in. Don’t watch that cam too closely. Emery would be displeased to discover you’ve turned his private life into a skin flick. He’ll have your head for it if he finds out.”
Cody snorted. “He’s the one who installed the ceiling fan camera, not me.”
“He did that to protect himself, not to give you a show.”
“Wait a sec. Did you bring her phone?” Cody asked.
Hans slapped the slender cell phone into Cody’s palm and he quickly plugged it into his computer, copying all of her data for later inspection. They had to be careful and thorough when checking out anyone Emery got involved with. If there was a fox in the henhouse, they needed to know about it before something bad went down. When the phone’s memory was copied, he handed it back to the bodyguard who pocketed it. Hans picked up the suitcase and slipped into the hallway and Cody turned back to the monitors. He focused on the outdoor camera footage, and started scanning the video feed from when Sophie had been by the gate. Maybe he could see the owner of the single footprint.
Hans was right, though. No need to worry the Bossman. They’d had scares before—minor trespasses—and each time they’d dealt with it quietly, keeping Emery in the dark. He was too on edge to deal with the idea of people getting through his defenses. After what had happened when Emery was a kid, Cody couldn’t blame him.
***
Emery awoke to the sound of a cell phone ringing. Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz.
Lovely, haunting. The melody for a woman lost in a dreamless sleep. Very Sophie.
He rolled onto his back, surprised to find that Sophie moved with him. In the morning light he could see that the tension he’d seen earlier on her face had faded during sleep. He fought off the sudden urge to smooth a thumb over those spots, touch her soft skin and kiss her until she awoke.
The cell phone continued to ring and Emery finally disentangled himself from Sophie, who continued to sleep like the dead. He slipped out of bed, careful to tuck her back under the covers before he found her clutch purse by her luggage. Hans must have finished his sweep for bugs and slipped the bags in here sometime during the night.
Smooth plastic met his fingertips and he pulled the cell phone out of the purse, checking the caller ID.
Hayden Thorne. Wes Thorne’s little sister.
“Figures,” he muttered darkly.
He swiped a thumb over the glossy surface of the phone to answer. “Ms. Thorne, I should’ve known you’d be involved.”
“Emery, where the hell is Sophie?” Hayden demanded. “You didn’t do anything to her, did you? Sophie better not be locked up in some dungeon or I’ll kick your ass!”
Emery didn’t feel the least bit threatened. Hayden was around Sophie’s age, but she wasn’t frightened of him, had never been. It was one of her few failings. But given she was concerned about Sophie, he’d forgive her.
Emery shot a glance at the woman in his bed and found he was almost smiling.
“I suppose I have you to thank for my new little submissive? She did very well last night at the club.”
Silence on the other end stretched for several moments. Then Hayden said, “She doesn’t know the rules, Emery. I didn’t think she’d actually get your attention. I told her younevertake women home.”
Accusation weighted each word. Hayden had a temper, and Emery couldn’t wait to see the man who’d someday take the pleasure in disciplining her temper and turning her aggression toward passion.
“People can change, Ms. Thorne. Ask your brother.”
“Leave Wes out of this,” she snapped.
