Page 49 of Keeping Eveline

Chapter Seventeen

Eveline smoothed down her new skirt and hitched her new handbag higher on her shoulder. Today was her first day back in the office. She paused outside the front of Triple Z’s office. Was she making the biggest mistake of her life?

Should she have done what she’d planned to do and quit and live off her savings?

No. I’m doing this.

Since the meeting at Kyle’s office, the time had passed in a blur. They’d gone shopping after she’d declared she’d spy for Alliez, although it hadn’t been as fun as she’d imagined it.

Kyle had been tense but he’d carried her bags and had followed her from shop to shop. In the end, she’d only gotten a few new work outfits, her excitement about hitting the stores having dissipated.

The rest of the time she’d had off, she’d worked from Kyle’s apartment and helped Alliez with their investigation. Eveline had provided names of employees and had looked over the list of people who’d provided the extra services for Gerald in the hopes that something stood out. Something that she’d missed the first time—nothing had.

“Eveline! Lovely to see you back. Why are you standing outside?”

She jumped because she hadn’t heard Gerald come up behind her. For a second, she was transported back to her attack where she’d been pushed against the wall. However, her face and the brick wall didn’t meet.

Eveline smiled at her boss. “Morning. And thanks. It’s good to be back. I was just enjoying a moment in the sun before I went inside.”

Not the best of excuses but whatever, she wasn’t about to tell him that she was having second thoughts about walking into the building.

“We’ve missed you. You keep us all in line and on schedule. I’m sorry to say it’s a bit of a disaster inside.” Gerald smiled, yet it didn’t reach his eyes. In fact, they were studying her as if trying to see into her soul.

Was her guilt on display?

Could he tell that the necklace adorning her neck had a tracker in it? Kyle had insisted that she wear it. Or that in one of her earrings was a tiny microphone that was transmitting everything she said back to the Alliez office.

When Eveline had been presented with the items, her mouth had dropped open. These items were next-level spy stuff. Things that Gerald would salivate over if he got the chance to see them.

It hit her that she hadn’t acknowledged what Gerald had said, and they were still standing outside she shook her head. “I should’ve known you all would be lost without me. I’d better get inside and get it all straightened out.”

Eveline went to grab the door, but Gerald reached past her and turned the handle.

His hot breath was against the back of her neck, and she willed her body not to shiver in revulsion at his closeness.

“I would hate to lose you, Eveline.”

Any other boss saying that and she’d believe them. With Gerald, however, there was an underlying threat to his words.

“Not going to happen,” Eveline responded and scurried inside, wanting to put as much distance between her and Gerald as she possibly could.

Two hours later, and the pile of papers on her desk appeared to be just as large as it was when she’d first sat down. Which it wasn’t because she’d worked through a lot of it, but it still seemed excessive.

Gerald had informed her he was going back to paper copies of requests, orders, and reports. He said he didn’t trust the computer. As he explained this new procedure, he’d kept his focus on her.

Eveline had made sure expression had been interested. Thank goodness he couldn’t hear the way her heart was pounding, lying in wait for him to say he knew she was the reason for this change in procedure. That it was because of her being nosy that he didn’t trust the safety of the computer.

Didn’t he know it would be just as easy to photocopy or take photos on her phone of anything that seemed out of the ordinary?

Her cell phone rang, and she grabbed it, grateful for the reprieve. She glanced at the screen No caller ID flashed up, and Eveline was tempted not to answer it.

After everything she’d gone through, taking a call from someone she didn’t know wasn’t smart. Part of her, though, was curious if it was Kyle, and he’d had Cass do something on the computer so that his name or number didn’t flash up.

She took the risk and hit the green circle. “Hello?”

“Evie, it’s me, Ox, umm Kyle.”

She smiled at the way he’d stumbled over his name. She wasn’t the only one who called him Kyle. Cass and Yolanda did, but the guys called him Ox.

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