Page 38 of The Money Man
“Shit!” Derek leaped out of his chair to take up pacing where Tully had left off, his stomach a knot of fear. “You’ve got to send a team to protect her now.”
“I’ll set it up the minute you leave my office,” Tully said.
Derek stopped walking as he considered Alice’s reaction. “I’m not going to tell her she’s being watched. She doesn’t understand how risky this could be.”
“Maybe if you tell her to be careful where she goes, especially after dark, she’ll take it more seriously.”
She’d taken it seriously enough to call him rather than Barsky, but Derek wasn’t sure she would believe that anyone would harm her physically. Her optimism was one of the things he valued about her. On the other extreme, Tully was trained to see danger everywhere, so maybe he was overreacting. Derek hoped ...
“I’ll give it a try, but Alice has her own views,” he said.
“You seem to know her pretty well.”
Derek gave his friend and partner a long, level stare.
“Just an observation,” Tully said with a shrug.
“She’s come to the attention of an unknown criminal organization, so I’m naturally concerned for her welfare.” The truth of it kicked him in the gut. “And I don’t like it when you’re nervous. It doesn’t happen often.”
Tully grinned. “I’m only nervous because I have to leave the action to a bean counter like you.”
Alice had showered and was working on a client’s books by the time Derek called back. “We’re set up to go to Texas on Friday. Can you get away that soon?” he asked without preamble.
“Of course.” She was a little hurt by his businesslike tone. “What time?”
“Early. We’ll be flying out of Teterboro, so we should leave at six thirty a.m.”
We.She liked the sound of that. “Where will we be leaving for the airport from?”
“If you don’t object, your place.” His voice had softened. “It’s closer to Teterboro, with no tunnels or bridges to get through.”
“No objections at all,” she said as she gave a little wiggle of joy in her chair.
“In fact, I hope you don’t mind if I stay at your place tonight too.” He sounded oddly uncertain of his welcome.
“Want me to order in dinner from Nick’s?”
“My turn to choose the cuisine. I’ll bring something with me,” Derek said. “In the meantime, be careful about where you go until I get there. Don’t let any strangers in the door and don’t wander down any dark alleys.”
“Do I seem like the kind of person who hangs out in alleys?” But she felt a cold brush of alarm.
He didn’t laugh. “No, but you don’t seem like the kind of person who exposes embezzlers either. You are a woman of surprises.”
He disconnected, leaving her openmouthed at his erroneous description of her. She lived her life to avoid surprises. She avoided risk like the plague.
Until now when risk had somehow found her.
Unease shivered through her as she hit another number on her phone. “Dawn, do you have some time to give me a refresher class on self-defense?”
By the time Derek arrived, Alice had taken a hot shower to ease the bruises Dawn’s self-defense moves had inflicted on her, changed her clothes four times, and eaten a banana to silence the hunger grumbles emanating from her stomach. The bruises and hunger were forgotten when Derek stepped through her front door, dropped a large, insulated bag on the floor, and swept her into his arms. He lowered his head to slant his lips against hers until her bones practically melted. Fortunately, she was sandwiched between his big, hard body and the foyer wall so she didn’t sink to the floor in a puddle of sheer pleasure.
He lifted his head to leave an inch of space between his mouth and hers. “God, I needed that!” he said.
“Tough day at the office?” she joked, sounding slightly breathless.
“Tough day worrying that you might get waylaid by evil hackers.” His hold on her tightened. “I needed to see you in person to know that you’re alive and well.”
A thrill of equal parts delight and apprehension shivered through her. For the first time, it sank in that his worry about her safety was real.
