Page 14 of Always Been Mine

“Screw this,” Beatrice snapped. “I don’t care if you two kill each other.”

She turned and stalked back into the condo.

Eric started to follow Beatrice, but Gabe blocked him.

“Be a good boy. Get back into your overpriced car and get out of here.” His hands were itching to squeeze the life out of this little shit.

“We’ll have to ask both of you to leave the premises or we’re calling the cops,” a building security guard announced firmly.

Gabe sighed. The last thing he wanted was to get arrested. He raised both his arms in acquiescence. He looked in the direction of the condo and saw Beatrice with her arms folded over her chest, staring at them. He lifted his hand to give her a two-finger salute and walked away.

“So, how about some dinner?”Zach Jamison asked Beatrice after they concluded their first meeting of Senator Mendoza’s security detail. The senator was busy with senate committee hearings and couldn’t make the appointment.

Beatrice had dreaded the question throughout the whole meeting because Zach had hinted at it earlier when he arrived at the BSI office. Doug was frowning at Zach. Nate pretended he didn’t hear the question, and excused himself politely, heading into his office.

“I’ve got a load of paperwork to do.” Beatrice hoped her smile softened the lame excuse. She’d been tense as violin string ever since Gabe had returned. Two days had passed since that confrontation in front of the condo. Eric continued to hound her with phone calls, but hadn’t shown up at her building again. There was no contact from Gabe, which was adding more to her uneasiness.

Zach shrugged. “Some other time then. Great meeting. The senator will be pleased.” The senator’s Chief of Staff grinned brightly before heading out to the reception area.

When he was out of earshot, Beatrice said, “That smile of his gives me the creeps.”

“Something is not adding up with that guy,” Doug said.

“Huh? How so?”

“He’s coming on to you in public—”

“And?”

“I was pretty sure he was eye-fucking me three nights ago.”

Beatrice stilled, her lips were twitching. “Maybe he’s bi. Look, he’s all yours if you’re jealous.”

Doug huffed. “Don’t be silly. I just don’t trust a guy who does that.”

“Maybe he’s making you jealous?”

“Well, he’s not my type.”

Beatrice had to agree with her assistant there. Doug preferred blue-collar. For all his clean-cut, neatly pressed look, he favored rough-looking guys.

“I’m heading out. I need to drop a couple of contracts with our attorney for them to look over,” Doug said. “You leaving?”

“Nah. I need to catch up with Nate.”

“See you next week then?”

“Enjoy Florida!” Beatrice stepped toward Doug and gave him a hug.

He held her tightly. “I won’t go if you need me here, sweetie. There’s way too many things going on with you.”

“Don’t worry, Nate will take care of me.”

Beatrice foundNathan Reece going over some building blueprints. He was the other partner in Blake Security Incorporated. Because he had been a clandestine agent with the CIA, he preferred not to be identified with the company name. Nate worked more as a silent partner, having Travis handle most of the face-to-face meetings with the client—or the principal—as was the term professionally used in the security business.

“So what do you think of Zach?”

Nate looked up briefly from the prints before him. “Uh . . . seems like a nice guy.”

---