“Madelaine, maybe we shouldn’t talk about this over the phone.”
He didn’t deny it.
“I knew I’d seen him somewhere before.Why, Christien?Why did you have me followed?”
“This isn’t the time—”
“Never mind.”She hung up and stared blankly at the wall in front of her.
Giselle appeared in the doorway.“Since you’re staring at the wall, I assume you’ve finished your work.”
Lainie looked down at the stack of paperwork.Disappointment tugged at her—she’d trusted him and he hadn’t trusted her.The bubble of happiness she’d been living in since yesterday afternoon popped, leaving her feelings shredded.
“No, not finished yet,” she said.“I was just taking a small break.”
Giselle rolled her eyes.“Stop slacking.There’s more waiting when you’re finished with that.”
Lainie swallowed her retort and pulled the stack toward her.It was better this way.
She managed to get through most of the paperwork, firmly keeping her mind focused on the task at hand and ignoring the depressing thoughts circling.But by midnight her head was spinning and she was so tired she couldn’t see straight.
Exhausted, she stood and stretched.The other offices were dark, everyone having gone home at least six hours ago.She’d put in a sixteen-hour workday.If that wasn’t good enough for Giselle nothing would be.The woman would have to live with it.
On her way down to the lobby, Lainie gave a passing thought to Christien’s bodyguard who’d been waiting outside the building for the last sixteen hours.She probably should have told him she was working late.
She exited the building and looked for Ronald, but instead found Christien leaning against the outside wall.
She crossed her arms and glared at him.“Where’s Ronald?”
“I sent him home two hours ago.”
She shrugged and headed toward her apartment.Christien fell into step beside her.
“The blond man you saw was one of my men.Hired to protect you.”
When she didn’t say anything he sighed.
“I told you in the hospital I was afraid someone would try to use you to get to me.”
“You keepsayingthat but you won’t tell mewhois trying to get to you.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it, his gaze sliding away.Lainie wanted to scream in frustration.
“Trust goes two ways, Chevalier.”
“I know that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me I was being followed?”
“And what would you have said?”
“That I didn’t need a babysitter.But it doesn’t mean I didn’t deserve to know.”
“I apologize.You’re correct, of course.Sometimes I forget that you can take care of yourself.”
The chagrined, boyishly forlorn look on his face cooled her anger, leaving her more exhausted than before.“You make it hard to stay mad at you.”
“I try my best not to make you angry, but it’s a hard thing to do.”He tried to smile but she could see in his eyes how hurt and frightened he’d been.The loneliness had crept back in there too.Something she hadn’t seen in days.Despite his heavy-handed ways, deep down he was a lonely man at heart and that saddened her.
