Page 67 of The Billionaire Babe

Her doorbell rings, and I strut to the wall and pick up the phone.

“Victor?” I ask. We have gone through this with him all day, practicing exactly the key words he needs to say so he remains inconspicuous to anyone else. We need Val secure and protected, and that includes anyone who has access to this building.

“AJ. George is here. Miss Van Cleef’s associate,” he says. I run my hand over my face, because there is still so much I need to know about her contacts. I look at the time, noting it is almost six, not late, not early.

“Send him up,” I say, putting the phone down and going to the front door to wait.

“What about comms?” I ask Cody. All three of us went through training years ago to become the security team we wanted to be. In addition to working in the field either at shopping malls or recently Club Vine, and the physical training we do, over the years we have completed everything from defensive driving training, first aid and medical, to various gun licenses, and terrorist training. This kind of job, protecting Val, is the kind of job we always wanted to do. The shopping malls and nightclubs were merely for revenue until we could find out how to get into the fold of personal and business security. Seems like Val has fast-tracked that for us.

“Got the team cells so far, and still working on other comms,” Cody says, and I nod. There is a knock at the door, and I look through the peephole and see an older man with a briefcase.

“AJ, I presume,” he says, looking at me with a raised brow as I open the door.

“George?” I ask, and he nods. I put my hand forward for him to shake, which he does. If Val trusts him, then so will I. I step back to let him in.

“Right, boys, what do you need?” he asks as he walks to the kitchen, places his briefcase on the counter, and sits on a stool near Cody.

“What are you offering?” Brady asks, standing from the sofa and walking over to him, watching him closely.

“Well, I have arranged cars, a few Escalades. One is downstairs already and the others are on their way; they should be here tomorrow. The glass is bulletproof, and each car has a tracker. I have wired a few hundred thousand to your account to help pay for any incidentals, and I have secured a three-bedroom apartment one floor down here in this building so you are always close to Valerie. You can use it as an office, for meetings, and can take breaks, or have privacy as you need throughout the day. It also has direct access to this floor with a private staircase in case you need to get here quickly.”

“Um, thanks?” Cody says awkwardly as we all look at George in surprise.

“Security of one of the wealthiest women in the country doesn’t come cheap, and Valerie has made it clear that you are the team she wants. She has put me in charge of helping her manage her business affairs, and her safety and security is paramount, especially now,” George says, and I sigh. The help is great, the money even better. I feel odd taking it from Val, but it is for our services, and we can’t protect her if we don’t have what we need. And we need to pay staff, as we are down to our last few dollars already.

“I appreciate your foresight,” I tell him.

“I have also had an offer from the Rothschilds,” he says, looking at me, and I frown in confusion.

“What's that for?” I ask.

“They have a great security team, one of the best. Harrison is currently president, as you know. They have been through this kind of thing before. I am not sure if you are aware, but their mother often ruffled their feathers, not unlike Valerie’s father is currently doing. Seems the boys and Valerie have a fair bit in common. They offered to send a few of their security guys over to help out, talk through strategies and the like.”

My eyes widen. The first family offered us security team members?

“Sounds like something we would be interested in,” I say diplomatically.

“Shit, yeah, that would be great,” Brady says like a teenager, and I shoot him a look. He sees my reaction and clears his throat. “I mean, that is very nice of them,” he mumbles, and I shake my head at the guy who wanted Fortress to secure jobs in the top end of town, because he needs a fucking etiquette lesson.

“Oh! Hey, George,” Val says as she walks out from her office, and my eyes rest on the woman that I can’t believe is mine. She is wearing jeans and a white shirt, and her hair is up and she has glasses on that make her look like a naughty librarian. My hunger for her is instant. The past few days we have made up for my absence, but with the current issues and the continuous people in this apartment, we have barely been alone. Not as much as I would like to be.

“Hi, Valerie. I am just sorting out the security financials and getting the boys what they need,” George tells her, and she smiles.

“Thanks, George. I have no idea what I would do without you.” I watch their interaction as she gives him a hug. They are close, almost looking like what a father and daughter should be like.

She pulls back from him and instantly comes to me where I am on the arm of the sofa, sitting on my lap and falling back to rest on my chest. My arms curl around her waist, pulling her to me, keeping her secure.

“Boys, let me take you downstairs to your new apartment. I have the kitchen already stocked with food, and you can set all this up down there and we can leave these two to it for the night,” George says, and I smile. He might be pushing seventy, but he knows what needs to be done, and I nod at him in appreciation.

“Can I take Bordeaux?” Levi asks from where he is still sitting on the sofa. He has barely moved for days, his head stuck in the computer, the dog near his side. I never thought the name of a wine region in France would fall from Levi’s lips.

“Sure. Keep him close to you, though. He doesn't like strangers,” Val tells him, and I watch Levi pick him up, hug him to his chest, and follow the three others out the door.

“Ahhh, do you hear that?” Val asks, looking at me with a small smile.

“No, what?” I’m on alert in an instant.

“Silence…” she whispers and takes in a deep breath, relaxing into my arms.

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