Page 12 of Beau and the Beast

The couple fixed him with a stare for most of the ride up, the woman tapping one stiletto heel impatiently.

I know, I know, he thought at them, wishing they could understand.It's exactly as unlikely as you think that I’d be headed to this penthouse for any good reason.

He let out a long-held breath when they got off the elevator at their floor, but any relief was short lived as the elevator doors closed and there was nothing left between Beau and the penthouse.

What if someone was waiting for him and they robbed him?

Noah had given him hard copies of the stills from the video and he'd folded and tucked them into his jacket. He also had the thumb drive with the only copy of the video on it.

Noah may be a brash hacker, but he was honest. Beau had watched him delete the file off of his computer after transferring it to the thumb drive and then write over the filespaces so that the video couldn't be recovered.

But that meant that if the person—or people—Beau was meeting decided that it was a better plan to just hurt him, take the files, and give him nothing, Beau and Noah would have no recourse.

But at least it will be over, Beau thought. At least Noah would be safe and they could move on with their lives.

His heart hammered in his chest. The elevator seemed to be moving in slow motion. Why had he chosen the exact wrong time to break up with his beefy, overconfident boyfriend? Surely if they were still dating, Lincoln would've come along to provide protection.

Lincoln might not be the greatest fighter in the world, but he looked intimidating as all get outandhe owned a handgun.

Finally, the elevator halted with a sickening creak and the doors to the penthouse lobby opened.

* * *

The staff stayed justinside the door at first. They'd agreed to wait for the person to step out before making their move.

Violet watched them from a monitor inside of the penthouse, flanked by Song.

The person who stepped out of the elevator looked like a teenager.

"Christ, he's just a kid," Song said.

He looked frightened, which made Violet's gut clench.

"We probably overestimated the intimidation tactics," she said. "He looks scared shitless as it is."

"Seriously," Song agreed. "Is this really the person who figured out how to blackmail us?"

Violet shrugged. "Maybe he talks a big game. Easy to be brave when you're safe behind a computer screen," she said, realizing the irony of her words given their current position.

The kid had big blue eyes and a baby face. He was slight, which added to the impression of being particularly young.

He's beautiful, she thought in spite of herself. There was something ethereal and arresting about him.Or you desperately need to get out more,Violet.

He stepped cautiously into the penthouse lobby, one hand on his big umbrella and the other fishing inside of his coat. The kid didn't look like Violet's mental image of a hacker.

Since none of them could step into the lobby without the curse kicking in and stopping their hearts, the plan had been to lure him to step into the penthouse. And like clockwork, someone opened the door.

The man jumped, looking over to the door. It had swung inward just a few inches. He looked around himself before taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

Song switched the monitor to the camera filming just inside the door. Alfie stood to one side where he couldn’t be seen when the man entered. James and Geoffrey were a few steps inside the door.

Cautiously, the man walked into the penthouse.

Geoffrey stepped forward, doing his best to be intimidating, puffing up as he approached the kid. The leather bag on Geoffrey’s shoulder sagged with the weight of the cash they'd put together for the exchange.

"What do you have for me?" Geoffrey asked, holding out a hand.

"I've got the hard copy and a thumb drive," the kid said, still fumbling in his jacket. His voice was clear but shaking. "Do you have the money?"

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