Page 72 of The Money Man
He sauntered out of the kitchen.
Ivan shifted his position slightly so that he was facing them full-on. Tension snaked through Derek as the big bodyguard’s gaze bored into them, almost as though he could see their hands through the wooden tabletop.
“Are you planning to kill us anyway?” Alice asked. “I mean, once you get your money?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t ask questions like that,” Derek said, his eyes locked on Ivan as he tried to gauge his reaction.
“Well, I’d like to kiss you again before they shoot us,” Alice said. He caught the slight tremor in her voice but he understood that she was trying to keep Ivan’s attention above the tabletop.
Not that the bodyguard was responding, but he had stopped glaring and was leaning against the island rather than standing poised to spring or to shoot.
“At least I got to fly on a private jet once in my life.” Alice continued to babble. “And to visit Dallas. Not that I saw much of it, except from that wonderful restaurant. Thank you for taking me there.”
He turned slightly to catch her look of adoring gratitude. She might be laying it on a little thick. “I was happy to, darling,” he said, smiling down into her eyes. He meant it, even the “darling.”
Real tears glistened in her eyes. “I was thinking that I need to travel more because just that little glimpse of a new place was exciting.”
“When this is all over, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” he said. “Where to first?”
He snuck a glance at Ivan, who looked bored. Bored was good.
“I know everyone says Paris,” Alice said, her expression pensive. “But I want to go to London and Bath to see the places my favorite books are set.”
“Your favorite books?” He wanted to know this about her.
She looked down as color rose in her cheeks. “Oh, they’re just for fun. Regency romances by Georgette Heyer.”
What had he expected her to say?A Tour of the Calculus?Only hard-core mathematicians would call it a favorite. Still, he wouldn’t have guessed historical romances were her choice. Another fascinating facet of Alice. “I once played an English king. InHenry V. ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends’ and so on. Not my finest performance since it required classical theater training I didn’t have.”
“Shut up,” Ivan snapped.
Alice jumped, her hand jerking in Derek’s. He realized that she was more frightened than she appeared. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze around the phone just as it began to vibrate. Ivan’s command of silence was well timed since Derek needed to concentrate on the Morse code coming through at high speed. “S-e-r-v-i-c-e-l-i-f-t-i-n-2-0.” So they were coming up in the service elevator. Leland must have taken back control without Myron knowing it. They would have to override the security camera too, but they would think of that.
As the phone went silent again, Alice tapped on his hand, “T-o-o-f-a-s-t.”
It had been almost too quick for him, even though Tully made him practice occasionally, so he repeated the message for her at a lower speed.
“Y-e-s,” she answered.
Myron strolled back in just then. “You had some very good computer equipment in your home office. I feel bad that I had to destroy it. Just as a precaution. Judging by the size and location of this place, you can afford to replace it.”
Derek fought down a wave of fear. That left him with just his cell phone as a conduit to Leland and Tully. He’d better take good care of it.
“They keep talking,” Ivan said to his boss. “Maybe in code. We should tie them up and gag them.”
Derek heard Alice’s sudden inhale and her hand tightened around his like steel, even as he began to plan and discard ways to keep his phone where he could reach it.
“May I have something to eat first?” Alice asked in a small, pleading voice, earning her a hard glare from Ivan and silent kudos from Derek for quick thinking.
“Does someone as important as you eat cereal?” Myron asked, directing a snarky look at Derek. “Otherwise you’re out of luck.”
“Granola in the pullout to the right of the refrigerator,” Derek said, keeping his tone even. “Bowls in the cabinet to the left of the sink. Spoons in the middle drawer of the island.”
Myron nodded to Ivan, who yanked the ingredients out of the various storage places and plunked them down in front of Alice and Derek. “You have five minutes,” he growled. “No talking.”
Derek squeezed Alice’s hand again and she returned the pressure before releasing her grip. Under cover of shifting in his seat as he fiddled with the bowls and utensils, he slipped the phone into the front of his jeans’ waistband. Relief loosened the fist in his chest, but now he needed to find a way to keep his hands free until the cavalry arrived. He did not want Alice or himself to be used as a bargaining chip.
Alice nearly whimpered when she had to let go of Derek’s hand, despite knowing that help was on the way. The strength and warmth of his touch helped her fight the panic that threatened to wrench the breath out of her lungs. The thought of being immobilized and helpless at the hands of Myron and Ivan sent her throat into spasms. She sucked in several deep breaths as she made a show of filling her bowl with granola. Her hand shook so much that a dusting of grains spilled onto the tabletop. Derek must have noticed because he picked up the jug of milk and poured it over her cereal before serving himself.
