The fact he’d come waltzing into my office without pretense or knocking was a clear indication of the status he had with me. Not as an employee but as a friend. We’d had our moments, disagreements turning into brawls, but overall, I considered him a logical, calming factor.
However, I wasn’t certain anything or anyone could calm the rage simmering just below the surface. I stood with a drink in my hand, keeping the doors leading to the stone porch open to allow fresh, humid air to circulate throughout the room. Maybe Itruly believed the scent of magnolias or night-blooming jasmine would put me in a better mood.
I felt his presence, his eyes studying me as if a specimen from a freak show and my annoyance grew. I’d crawled away to my office behind closed doors with the intent to gather my thoughts and figure out how to discover who was gunning for me while also determining how to best achieve getting out of the shit storm I’d placed myself in.
There was no one to blame for abducting a beautiful woman but myself. I could use all the excuses in the world, but I should have taken her somewhere safe and dropped her off. I’d also tried to lie to myself, inciting a conspiracy theory that she was somehow behind the attack in the courtroom, but the logic couldn’t back up my ridiculous claim.
At least not at this point.
Fucking her had tossed everything into quicksand.
Even the stiff drink in my hand did little to calm the increasing anger.
At least my rather useless criminal attorney had called to let me know no one had been the wiser that I’d been the one who’d stopped the gunman. Somehow a story had been planted that one of the deputies assigned to the location had knocked him out cold. As far as the dead man, with all cameras being rendered inoperable for a full ten minutes, there was no record of the shooting.
At least at this point.
Not that anyone on the street would dare interfere. They knew better. However, the entire situation had been sloppy at best.
The silence was becoming interminable.
“Just say it, Jarvis.”
“What would you like me to say?”
“Whatever it is that’s been on the tip of your tongue since I told you to lock Ms. Devereaux in a room.” I powered back half the glass, still hoping for some sense of relief. Or at least mental clarity.
“Well, she managed to look better in your shirt that you do daily.”
A hiss escaped as I turned to face him. As usual, he peered at me, raising an eyebrow, an act reserved when he wasn’t just questioning a decision but my sanity.
Perhaps that’s what I should do instead. I headed for my desk, staring down at the release under conditions paperwork Sebastian had dropped off while I’d been busy behind closed doors. There were conditions on my bail, including not leaving the city. Goddamn it. I hated feeling like a caged tiger. “Don’t give me any crap. Her clothes were ruined.”
“From the escape or from the gymnastics performed in the library?”
Without thinking, I swept my arm across the surface of my desk, laying waste to everything on the surface. Including my laptop. Papers were strewn, alongside the container of pens given to me by my sister as a gag Christmas gift. Everything pitched to the floor.
I thumped down my glass and slammed my hands on the desk, leaning over as blood spots formed in front of my eyes.
Now his silence was shifting from irritation to something else entirely. I gritted my teeth, finally lifting my head to notice his expression of amusement.
“Leave it alone,” I threw out.
“I didn’t say a word. I simply asked you a question.”
“Is she locked away?”
“Yes, sire, along with a guard standing outside both her room and window.”
Sire. He knew how I loathed the term. He only used it when he believed me to be acting childish. I peered down at the mess I’d made with contempt. “Did she say anything to you?”
“What exactly would you like her to say, Alex? While you might have had some sense of decency when you snatched her off the street, that was shoved aside the moment you took her phone and refused to allow her to leave. I might not be an expert, but I’d say you should worry more about how you’re going to keep yourself out of jail instead of what your abductee has to say to me.”
“Fuck you.” As soon as the two words left my mouth, I could hear Catherine yelling them at me loud and clear. Jesus. Just thinking about her created another wave of desire that had no place at this point. “You forget I saved her life.”
Jarvis’ look of amusement shifted into one of concern. “Ah, of course. You’re still convinced she was the target.”
“Didn’t you see the gunman? He was pointing the barrel directly at her head. I couldn’t allow the bastard to kill her.” My powerful presentation was only met with him arching both eyebrows. Even he had never seen me this animated. “Fuck,” I grabbed myglass, finishing the rest and immediately heading to the bar. One drink wasn’t going to calm me down, not when all I could think about was driving my cock deep into her sweet pussy.
