Page 34 of Heart of Stone

“Yes, she,” I confirmed. I knew that the request was probably more than a little odd, especially for me. I made a habit of conducting as much business as possible at Cornerstone Tower. I pursed my lips, waiting for the questions to flood. To my relief, they didn’t.

“I’ll go out this afternoon and get the things that I’ll need to put a dinner together. I should have the place ready for you by six o’clock.”

“That’s perfect. Thanks. See you soon.”

“Ciao!”

Confident that Matteo wouldn’t disappoint, I hit the end button and made my next call. This request would be even stranger than the first.

“Hale. Get a hold of Gavin from Tech. Have him pull up the GPS tracker for the company phones. I need to know where Krystina Cole is right now.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Hale spoke again.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes, I’m fucking serious,” I snapped, thoroughly irritated that I had to tell him twice. “Just do it. She had an interview today that she didn’t show up for.”

It was an absolute lie of course, but there was no need for Hale to know that I was completely bordering on stalking.

“Right, boss. Give me a minute and I’ll text you the location.”

I have to be out of my goddamned mind.

CHAPTER 10

I sat at a little table in La Biga, staring at the heart shaped pattern on the foam of my cappuccino. This was espresso number two, and my already frazzled nerves were jittery. I forced myself to look back at my computer screen and scroll through the job listings, attempting to keep thoughts of Alexander Stone at bay.

It was practically impossible.

Maria came over to my table to check on me, a worried expression on her face.

“You look lost. Where is your beautiful smile today?” she asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

“I’m okay. I just have a lot on my mind,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Tell Maria. Maybe you will feel a little better.”

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I just need to get rid of an annoying little problem, that’s all.”

“Difficulties with a man?” she assumedly asked, her eyes kind as she sat down in the chair across from me.

“Oh, you could say that,” I admitted.

“Ah! Say no more. I understand. Men! Impossible to live with, but we need them all the same,” she said with a knowing smile.

“No, we don’t need them,” I said firmly. “Men are nothing but trouble – the whole lot of them.”

I heard the bells jingle on the café doors, signaling the arrival of a customer. Maria looked over my shoulder to see who had come in.

Oh, thank goodness!

That sound meant that Maria would have to busy herself with another customer. I appreciated her concern for me and I felt a twinge of guilt for wanting her gone. I just wasn’t up for conversation at the moment, even if it was with the kindhearted woman.

“Maybe you’ll change your mind when you see the handsome man coming our way,” she said as she stood up, pointing her finger at someone behind me.

I turned to see whom she was pointing at, and felt my stomach plummet to my feet. Alexander Stone, wearing blue jeans and black t-shirt, casually strolled towards my table.

As much as I didn’t want to look, I couldn’t help but take in his godlike appearance. His denim fit loosely around his hips, while his black shirt was fitted, stretching tight across his pectorals and around his bronzed biceps. He looked irresistible and self-assured, his blue eyes piercing through me like knives. If I had once thought that he was mouthwatering in a suit, the man was undeniably deadly in a pair of jeans.

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