Page 19 of Beau and the Beast

"Please, I need you to trust me, just this one time," Beau begged. "No hacking to try and figure out where I am, no calls, no snooping."

Noah sighed. "You promise me you're not getting hurt. You're not going to leave me?"

"I pr—"

"Because without you, I've got nobody," Noah said, his voice going ragged with concern. "Don't forget that, Beau. There's nobody else here for me but you."

"I promise, Noah. Just stay out of trouble until I get home. Things are about to change for us—they really are."

"I'm trying to trust you. I'm really going to try."

"Thank you," Beau said. "I'll be home as soon as I can. Would you call The Ledger and tell them I quit?"

"Is that a good idea? I could just say you're sick or got in a car accident or something—"

"It doesn't matter. They're so hard-up for reporters that even if I have to go back there, they'll hire me on the spot."

"Okay. You got it. I'll talk to your editor," Noah said. "I can't believe I'm about tonottalk to you for a month."

Beau couldn't believe it either. Since their parents had died, they had never gone more than a day without talking—and they'd always lived together, traveled together.

"I know," Beau said. "If this contract could go any other way, you know I'd push for it. But they're... strict. I promise it's going to be worth it."

"I love you, Beau. Be safe."

"Love you too."

Beau hung up the landline and swiveled in the desk chair. The woman—who had finally introduced herself as Violet—had brought him into a small office off of the living room and stayed seated across from him during the call.

"Do you have siblings?" Beau asked.

Violet looked shocked at the question. After a moment, she shook her head slowly.

"No. But I do have a family. Two kids."

"What would they do if you just disappeared like this? What would they think?"

"They would think that I was dead," she said.

Her voice was thick with emotion, almost choked off. Had he struck a nerve? Maybe she'd lost a parent like he and Noah had.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "Off topic, I guess."

"It's fine," she said, a sad smile slipping across her face. "We'll be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks. We might as well get to know each other. Would you like to see where you’ll be staying?"

Violet led him down several hallways that branched off before they came to the line of rooms where Beau assumed he would be staying. The penthouse was gigantic and Beau had the distinct feeling that he was going to get lost in the maze of hallways and rooms soon enough.

Best not to go exploring alone, he thought.

"These are our chambers," she said. "There are a few empty rooms at the end of the hall. You can take this one on the left. That way I'll just be one door down if you ever need anything."

"Ourchambers?" Beau asked. "You live here?"

"Everyone you've met so far lives here," Violet said, nodding. "We all have rooms off this hall."

"And who haven't I met? More staff?"

"Just Mr. Wolfram," she said.

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