Page 18 of Beau and the Beast

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To his credit, Violet thought that Beau was handling everything particularly well.

She knew that their proposal was anything but standard. But it was easy for them to offer him a life-changing sum of money in exchange for a manuscript that may very wellsaveall of their lives.

At Beau’s request, James produced two bottles of their best red wine and poured glasses for the six of them assembled at the dining room table. He uncorked and poured it in Beau's sightline so that the kid could be sure they hadn't done anything to poison or drug it—and Violet was the first to take a sip.

Beau had asked to have one of his pencils back and Violet slid it to him. As he drank his wine, he wrote in the little notebook. Violet couldn't read it all but she could see the headings he'd created on the small page: "PRO VS CON"

She wondered what the pros and cons of the offer really looked like to him.

They had explained a few more details to him after they poured the wine, like the fact that he wouldn't be allowed to contact anyone outside of the penthouse or have internet access during his stay. If he needed something looked up online, one of her colleagues would be happy to do it.

His contract would start immediately and he wouldn't leave the penthouse quarters until it was done...Ifhe accepted.

Violet hated that Geoffrey had threatened him, but all they could do was offer vague threats. Beau could walk away at any minute and they'd have no recourse. Wolfram wouldn't let them do anything as sketchy as holding someone against his will, so they could only threaten and cajole. If he tested their limits, Beau would find that in reality they had none.

After a few minutes and plenty of sighs, Beau rubbed the back of his neck.

"Can I at least call my brother and let him know where I am?"

"Certainly," Violet said quickly. She heard the others begin to balk but raised her hand to quiet them.

If Beau was willing to risk his life for his brother by coming to make the exchange with them that day, he would most certainly be willing to pass up the money if he felt like things weren't right with his brother. It was clear to her that the brother was a pivotal point and they couldn't risk it.

"You can call him immediately," Violet continued, "although I would consider it a professional courtesy if you'd leave out the specifics of your work assignment."

He looked frustrated. "What am I allowed to say, then?"

"That you've been offered a large sum of money to work on a specific contract that will keep you away from home for several weeks. Several months, maybe. Hell, tell him the dollar amount," she offered. "I'm sure he'll be excited by the idea if $50,000 was enough to take the risk that he took."

Beau nodded, apparently satisfied. Abruptly, he stood up from the table and extended his hand.

"Then I'll do it," he said.

Violet felt the ripple of energy make its way through the room. He was their ticket out of the penthouse—she could justfeel itwhen she looked into his eyes.

"Very good," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it firmly. "Really, very good, Beau. Thank you. You won't regret it."

Chapter Five

The conversationwith Noah was understandably strained.

"What the hell kind of contract means you won't be home forweeks?" Noah said. "And what happened with the money from 330 West?"

"I really can't talk about it, Noah," Beau said. "They weren't even going to let me make a call at first."

"They? Who the hell isthey? The government?"

Beau let the guess hang in the air. It would probably be easier for Noah to accept if he thought that Beau had stumbled into some sort of top-secret government project.

"I can't say," Beau admitted, finally. "But it's fiftymilliondollars, Noah. Surely you can understand why I'm doing this?"

"This sounds way fishy," Noah said. "How am I going to know that you're okay if I can't even call you?"

"I wouldn't be taking the job if I thought it was dangerous," Beau lied. "I have to do this for us."

There was a long pause. It made Beau nervous. Quiet Noah never meant a satisfied Noah.

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