“I’m certain your dreams were pretty tame when compared to mine.” He indicated for her to sit on the blanket, then he dropped down beside her and placed the white carrying bags between them. “We aren’t discussing our dreamswhile you eat your lunch because if we do that neither of us is going to be worth shit the rest of the day.”
That wassotrue. Azelie nodded her understanding and concentrated her attention on the white boxes he pulled from the bags. The aroma made her stomach growl in anticipation.
“You said these tests were important. So, fuel first. You don’t have much time, and it’s important for you to eat.”
Her heart contracted, and that roller coaster in her stomach was on full loops. He wassucha sweet man. The best of the best. She had no idea how she’d gotten so lucky, but she was going to give him everything he ever wanted or needed.
She sent him one emotion-laden look from under her lashes. “Don’t ever tell me you aren’t a good man, Andrii. Not ever again.”
He flashed her another one of his heart-stopping grins. “Doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be discussing dreams in the future, Zelie. We’re just putting that on pause for today.”
He handed her a box of the most delicious Thai shrimp, along with chopsticks. She sat in the sun with him, fueling for her tests and enjoying every bite. It was perfection.
EIGHT
Azelie used the private side entrance that was for employees only. Not all employees. One had to have a special microchipped card to gain entrance. An armed guard sat in the hallway behind a desk supposedly to check IDs. She knew he was there to ensure no one took that small left corridor that led beyond the underground Adventure Club. The door was built seamlessly into the wall, impossible to see. If one didn’t know it was there, the entrance to the underground offices would be difficult to find even when looking for it.
The guard looked up as she approached. It was always the same. He recognized her, she knew him. His name was Bobby Aspen, and he’d been working the security in that corridor for as long as she’d been working for Alan Billows. At sixteen, she’d been silly enough to find the intrigue exciting—thrilling even. She wanted to help her sister by paying for her own clothing and also to give something to Janine toward the household expenses. If she was being honest, she had wanted to show off. Few people had her skills, and even fewer had them at her age.
“Hey, Bobby,” she greeted and pulled back the hood ofthe sweatshirt she wore so he could see her face and clearly identify her. “How are you?”
“I’m good, but Sandra has a nasty virus,” he said. “Being a schoolteacher, she gets every single illness those kids bring to the classroom.”
Sandra was his wife. They didn’t have children, and after getting to know Billows and understanding the extent of his criminal activities, Azelie thought it was a good thing he didn’t have a large family. Anyone associating with Billows lived under a threat—including her. Maybeespeciallyher, since she had been doing his books for so many years. She knew if she quit, she would have to disappear for a while. She knew too much about their activities. Not really what they were doing so much as that the amounts he brought in were massive and came from illegal activity.
Over the years, she’d been in the office working while Billows had visitors, seedy men dressed in suits. They smiled at her when they greeted her, but their eyes were speculative and moved over her face and body, leering and giving her the creeps. Billows had hustled them from the office she was working in and later would come back to reprimand her for not locking the door. He had a policy that she was never to lock the door. It was a direct order, but the few times she had locked the door after he yelled at her, he seemed to change his mind.
She detested Billows’ mood swings. She detested him, but she’d learned to stay calm and act friendly and a little spacey, as if she didn’t have too much in the brain department. She knew he had begun to believe she was gifted when it came to making his books look legitimate, but he also believed she wasn’t quite bright in any other field.
“Tell Sandra I hope she gets better,” Azelie told Bobby.
Bobby lowered his voice. “He’s in a mood and he’s texted four times to see if you’re on your way down.” There was concern in his tone.
Whatever the problem was, Billows wasreallyacting out of character. He had never come to her house before or waited by the bus stop for her. Something was really wrong. Clearly,Bobby thought it was unusual for Billows to text him about her arrival time or he wouldn’t feel the need to warn her.
“Thanks.” She lifted her hand at him. “Let him know I’m on my way.” She gave Bobby a vague smile. She knew from experience not to trust anyone no matter how friendly they seemed. If Billows employed them, he bought that loyalty and kept it through fear and money. She’d learned that much about him.
Billows tended to surround himself with men like her brother-in-law. Yes-men. Men who had addictions and failings and could be taken advantage of. It seemed to be Billows’ specialty to spot men and women he could use.
When she’d first been shown the door that fitted so seamlessly into the wall, she thought it was super cool. She’d been so excited to discover that beneath two dance floors was a maze with hidden rooms. The idea of it sounded so much like spies and fantasy. To a sixteen-year-old, the concept of secret passageways, guards and special IDs was intriguing.
“Fantasy versus reality,” she murmured as she started down the narrow steps lit only by LED lights. “Not so fun when you know your boss is creepy.”
She had been working alone in the office one night when she heard screams. She had worked up the nerve to investigate, even though Billows had ordered her to stay in her office and go nowhere else. She’d never once broken his rule until she heard someone screaming. It had sounded like a woman in pain, and she couldn’t just ignore it.
The office she always worked in was soundproof. The entire floor was soundproof. Above them, music played constantly, and customers played in the lavish dungeon-themed Adventure Club. Above that were more music and even more customers, dancing and talking in the Pleasure Train Club. Despite the amount of people and noise above the office, it was absolutely quiet in the underground maze. That was why hearing someone scream was so shocking. And frightening.
Azelie had leapt up, knocking over her chair. She was ashamed that it took a few seconds to force her terrified brainto stop panicking and allow her to move. She had never been shown around to the other offices. She knew there were hidden doors and cameras everywhere. Billows would know she’d run out of her office into the corridor rather than heading back up the stairs. He would be able to view the security tapes even if someone wasn’t monitoring and informing him she was breaking the rules.
The screams increased in volume, sending chills down her spine. She ran toward the sound, but it was abruptly cut off. The ensuing silence seemed worse than the screams. She found herself facing three walls as the corridor dead-ended. That meant there had to be hidden doors in the wooden panels. Whoever had screamed was behind one of the walls.
“What the fuck are you doing, Azelie?” Billows sounded furious. “You aren’t to leave that office.”
She leaned against the wall, one hand supporting her, her palm seeking to reassure the woman when she had no chance of finding her. She found herself trembling.
“I’m sorry, Alan.” She was conciliatory immediately. “I heard screaming. A woman.” There was no point in denying it. “She sounded hurt, in pain. I rushed out to find her, to help, but I don’t know my way around and I got lost.”
His fingers bit deep into her arm, his grip hard enough to leave bruises. “Call me next time you think you hear something. This entire floor is wired.”
