A wig, a pair of glasses she didn’t need, and baggy clothes to start. Add in some cleverly applied makeup, a few well-placed shadows, and a non-descript background, and even Coulter would have a hard time recognizing the brilliant woman.
And he knew her on a personal basis.
“Come on, Rafe,” he attempted to convince theother man. “At least say you’ll agree to run it by Shadow. If she doesn’t think her programs are sophisticated enough to do the job and keep her safe, we’ll scrap the idea and never discuss it again. But just know that the agency’s been working Crawford for years, and my gut says our time is running out. The only hope we have of taking this son of a bitch and his twisted friends down once and for all is to have his next sale be undermycontrol.”
And the only way that would happen is if Coulter brought him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“I’ll call Shadow and fill her in,” Rafe finally agreed.
“Thanks, Rafe. Let me know what she says.”
He ended the call and released a deep sigh as his gaze slid to the wall he shared with Alex. He smiled softly, hoping she was already sound asleep.
CHAPTER FIVE
“What about this one?” Alex stepped out of the dressing room so Colt could give her his opinion.
If someone had told her a week ago that she’d be dress shopping in Beverly Hills with Coulter Morgan, of all people, she would have laughed in their face. Yet here she was, in the most upscale boutique she’d ever stepped foot in, trying on dresses that cost double her monthly rent.
“It’s okay.” Colt had barely looked up from his phone to assess her appearance. “Better than the last one, but I think you should try on a few more, just to be sure. Maybe something with a little bling.”
She snorted. “Did you seriously just say ‘bling’?”
From the fancy, high-back chair where he’d been waiting patiently, he suggested, “Try that one Margo brought to you with the last bunch. The one with the shiny belt.”
Margo was Alex’s personal shopper. All customers of the fancy boutique got one to aid in their search. Wellthe ones with enough money to actually buy something, that is.
Speaking of which, Alex recalled the dollar amount on the tag of the dress with the belt. “That one is even more expensive than this one.”
“So?”
“So that’s a lot of money Co—” She caught herself, clearing her throat before mistakenly using his actual name. “That’s a lot of money,Cole, and it’s literally for one dinner.”
“One dinner with the richest, most influential art dealer in the world,” he reminded her in a very nonchalant way.
Her gaze held his blue stare long enough to understand the man’s vague point. Gordan was the best in the business. As such, he expected the best from those in his circle. Especially if they were to be seen together in public.
Lucky me.
“Fine. I’ll try on the other one.” Alex spun on the balls of her bare feet.
With a sigh, she pulled the privacy curtain closed to shield herself as she got undressed. After hanging up the “okay” dress, she grabbed the other one from a nearby hook.
Alex unzipped the back and stepped into the opening before shimmying it up over her thighs. It was longer and tighter than the one before it. It was also strapless, though modest in its design.
She secured the thin, rhinestone belt, and much to her own surprise, Alex found herself smiling.
He was right.
She studied her reflection in the dressing room’s long mirror. Colt’s opinion about this dress compared to the previous one was spot on.
Alex turned to one side and then the other, checking out every angle of the black, shin-length dress. It was simple, yet elegant. And as Colt had suggested, the belt added a perfect amount of subtle shimmer.
“Okay, Cole.” She remembered the right name that time. “As much as it pains me to say it, I think that you were?—”
Alex stopped mid-thought when she stepped out of the dressing room to find Colt talking on his phone. His voice was low so, even from a few feet away, she couldn’t hear what he was saying.
He stopped talking long enough to flash a smile her way, accompanied by a quick thumbs-up.
