CHAPTER 24
Catherine
“Will you sign this, Ms. Devereaux?” my assistant asked as soon as I walked into my office.
Fashionably late.
As if that mattered.
Today was my last day, at least in this organization. “What’s this?”
“It’s just the acknowledgement of the upcoming trial against Mr. Prince.”
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Mr. Bernat was trying to tie up loose ends as expected. “I’m going to take this into my office. I need to double check a couple things.”
“Sure. Just drop it off when you’re finished.”
“Will do.” I didn’t bother glancing at what I was holding, but I did scan the office to ensure no one was paying any extraattention to my presence. I’d ensured Mr. Bernat would be in the office today. If what Alexander said was true, time was of the essence. Everything needed to be in place very quickly.
The swell of emotions had played itself out over the last two days. I was no longer numb but not necessarily angry. Granted, my fingers continued to tingle from slapping the Italian crime boss.
As I sat down behind my desk, I rolled the tip of my finger back and forth across my bottom lip. It had once been done out of nervousness. Now it was in remembrance of every kiss from Alexander.
Closing my eyes, I allowed his face and images of our passion to interfere with the moment. Sadly, I had a job to do and fulfilling the desire would need to wait.
I glanced through the paperwork, smirking. It would seem the DA had influenced the courts to move up the trial date to one month from the date of today. How interesting. Well, I was about to drop a bombshell into his world that might change everything.
Laughing, I grabbed my phone, smiling from seeing the reminder from my captor that time was precious. He was worried about me. How sweet. That’s why there were four men trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible while protecting me.
The truth was that I felt better with their presence.
With the paper in hand, I headed to Xander’s office. I couldn’t remember when I’d ever used his first name. Maybe at the Christmas party when he’d come onto me and I’d been forced to push him off.
Not something I could share with Alexander, or I’d read in the papers about a dead man’s body washing up on shore. I wasn’t sure I’d mind since learning Xander had helped railroad my involvement in the calculated ruse.
I lightly tapped on his door, opening it immediately. At first, he seemed surprised I was in the office, even though I’d been in and out over the last two days. My behavior had kept him guessing.
“Xander. Can I have a couple seconds?”
“Well, of course. What do you need?”
I closed the door behind me, moving toward his desk where I remained standing. “I wanted to talk to you about Alexander Prince.”
“The case? I was going to stop by your office later today and chat with you about?—”
“You mean since you reassigned it to me completely.”
He was shocked I knew. I held out the papers, but not close enough he could grab them. “That was fast. I didn’t know the courts would get to it before I did.”
“Yes, I’m sure you didn’t. Then again, you needed to come up with a much better excuse than the last one for why you were dumping the case in my lap.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Oh, come on now, Xander. You must think me wet behind my ears. All I needed to do was to check with your assistant on your schedule for that day, discovering you had a golf game. Now, I don’t like to assume so correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe your game was held at the Stonebridge Golf Course. Now, that’snotable because that’s the prime choice of the Russian Bratva. The Pakhan does love his game of golf.” I waited to see his reaction.
His face turned red, fury growing.
“What are you insinuating, Ms. Devereaux?”
