“That’s bullshit, Azelie. You’re to be available whenever I need you.”
Azelie lifted one eyebrow. “We had a deal, Alan. In fact, I have it in writing, signed by you. School is important to me, and there wasn’t to be any interference with my classesor studies. I get your books done. I’ve never once failed you. I don’t understand the sudden emergency. If you somehow found out you’re going to get a surprise audit, you should have told me this afternoon. At night I study. You know that.”
“I know you get paid a hell of a lot of money to push numbers around.”
“Actually, I don’t. We talked about that too.”
He leaned forward. “What does that mean? I know how much you get paid.”
“I don’t get paid what a regular bookkeeper gets paid. If you had someone else doing for you what I do, you’d be paying them thousands.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, sat back, folded his arms across his chest and pressed his lips together, glaring at her. Maestro studied his expression. Billows didn’t like what Azelie had just revealed to him. He had to have known the going rate for a bookkeeper like Azelie. Basically, she cooked their books. She tracked down lost money for them. She laundered it into legitimate businesses. According to Code, she barely scraped by.
What the hell? It was impossible for Billows not to know what she got paid, but Maestro was a master at reading people—it was what kept him alive. Billows believed Azelie made far more money than she did. Did he have another bookkeeper? Was he setting Azelie up so it appeared she was skimming cash from the books?
“Let’s start over, Azelie,” Billows finally said. His tone wasn’t exactly conciliatory, but he clearly wanted her to be on the same page with him.
Azelie smiled at her boss and inclined her head—princess to riffraff. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, but it illuminated the beauty in her face. Maestro didn’t like the satisfaction gleam creeping into Billows’ expression. A man training trafficking victims for the sexual assault that would end up being their lives should have been able to read the falseness of her expression. Either Billows was so arrogant he believed she was into him and wanted to please him, or he didn’t careenough to learn to read others. That made him stupid and even more dangerous, in Maestro’s opinion.
“I’ll see to it that you receive the proper amount of money for the work you do.” Billows sat back in the chair and regarded her with shrewd eyes.
To Maestro, the man looked cunning. There was a cruel edge to his mouth, and far too much interest in his gaze when he looked at Azelie.
“I don’t know why you aren’t receiving what you should be, but I’ll fix that immediately.”
“I appreciate that, Alan, but my not going tonight isn’t about the money. School is extremely important to me. When my classes are over tomorrow, I’ll come straight to the club. You know I’ve never once let you down. Ineedthese classes and I can’t reschedule them.”
Billows scowled at her, openly showing his displeasure. Maestro paid attention to Azelie’s reaction. Had Andrii been the one upset with her, there was no doubt in his mind that she would be uncomfortable and would try to find a compromise. Instead, she appeared serene but implacable.
“How late will you be tomorrow?”
“My last class gets out at four. So basically, all day. I don’t even have time for lunch. On my break between classes, I’ll study for the tests I’ll be taking. So, after four, I’ll grab something to eat and come straight to the club.”
Maestro noted that she wouldn’t have time for lunch. He would find out where she was going to be and bring her something to eat. Someone needed to look after her, and he wanted to be that someone.
Billows’ scowl deepened. “Azelie, I’ve told you it isn’t a good idea for any of our customers to see you. We might not be open, but staff arrives and sometimes others come with them. If they like to play in the Adventure Club and you’re spotted without a protector, things could go wrong for you. Someone might stalk you.”
Maestro found it interesting that Billows appeared to be somewhat protective of her, yet he hadn’t visited her in thehospital when she’d been shot. She’d nearly died and was hospitalized and then in rehab for several weeks. If Billows did visit her, Code hadn’t found evidence of it, and Azelie had indicated that her boss hadn’t come to see her. There had been no protection from press or police.
He also thought it strange, if Billows was concerned for her, that he didn’t volunteer to bring her lunch or say he’d have something waiting at the club for her. He didn’t want her seen by customers. Was that for her protection? Or was the reason sinister? No one would recognize her if she disappeared.
“I can use the private entrance on the ground floor and come down to the offices. I’ll wear my hoodie and keep my face shielded,” Azelie offered. “Hopefully, no one will see me.”
Billows rubbed his jaw and then shook his head. “I’ll come get you around six. It’s much darker then.”
Maestro’s heart did a slow stutter. He didn’t want Azelie alone in the car with her boss. The man could take her anywhere. Make her disappear.
Azelie appeared to think it over, and then she was the one shaking her head. “Everyone knows you, Alan. They know your car. If you showed up at the club with a woman in a hoodie, even if they couldn’t see my face, you know everyone would be talking. Speculating. You can’t go anywhere without celebrity press taking photographs. I think that would bring too much attention to you—and me. I’m used to taking the bus, even in the evening.”
She sounded sincerely concerned about bringing undue attention to Billows. Maestro was a little in awe of Azelie’s acting skills. He would have to always watch her carefully. He never wanted to miss a single cue, which would clue him in on what she was thinking or how she was feeling.
He knew he was born with instincts, and he’d honed them into a superb skill set. That had been done for survival. When one needed to understand and read the enemy, or any potential enemy, it made a great incentive to work hard. He alsohad done psychological studies at an early age to better understand and manipulate his enemies. When he was a child, he hadn’t been able to spot those willing to betray him, but he sure as hell could now.
Her boss looked pleased. He should have been worried about Azelie going out at night, but instead, he focused on her statement, taking it to mean she was looking out for him. Maestro knew better. His very intelligent woman didn’t want any part of getting in a vehicle alone with Billows. Again, Maestro had to wonder how Billows didn’t pick up on that.
“I have tons of studying to do tonight, Alan, before I can go to bed.” Azelie stood and instantly Billows followed suit, allowing her to lead the way to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” she added as she opened the door for him, stepping back to give him room to exit.
Billows nodded, looking pleased with the outcome. He sauntered down the walkway to his car. Azelie closed the door, which automatically locked, but she stood watching Billows until he entered his vehicle. Believing her safe, Maestro swiftly raced up the stairs and let himself back into her apartment. He quickly arranged the clothes and shoes by outfit. He hadn’t shown her the sexy underwear, but he placed the lingerie on the chair as well. The little boxes of jewelry were set beside the lingerie. He hoped she wouldn’t notice until he was gone.
