Page 21 of Mile High Baby

Ian arched a brow as he popped a loose chip into his mouth. "I doubt there's very many people you'd be safer with. Alex is old school. One of the legends."

"Legends?"

Ian swallowed his food, washing it down with water. "Yes, one of the OG here at Saint Security. It was started by Noel St. Martin, who is now retired. In fact, many of the people in that original crew are gone. Dax, who you met, is still around. And then there's Alex. And there was one guy who broke bad. Bastion something. They should have known by his name, eh?"

I nodded. "But if they're the original group, and most are retired, don't you think Alex is a little old?"

I wasn’t really an ageist. Everything I knew about Alex, including everything I had discovered on the airplane, suggested that he was sharp of mind and fit of body. But I was looking for any excuse to find somebody else, and age seemed like my best option.

"In this case, his job is going to make sure that you don't need to be protected from anything. He’ll anticipate all the possibilities and make sure that you're completely safe. So, unless you go off script, it's unlikely he’ll allow you to be in a dangerous situation. Of course, your outings are probably going to be limited, but that's the price you have to pay when you're dealing with a man like George Pitney."

Ugh. I didn’t want my world to be smaller. "My dad says there's some sort of investigation going on and that an arrest might be coming soon. Do you think that will make us safer? And how long do you think it will be?"

Ian smiled, but I could see behind his eyes that he was about to tell me something that wasn't completely the truth. "Once George is off the streets, you should be able to go back to your normal life." What wasn’t he telling me?

I'd seen enough Mafia movies to know that the bad guys could often still get to their victims even when they were incarcerated. George had avoided prison all these years. If the rumors were true, part of that was because anyone against him went missing. For a moment, I wondered if I was going to be in danger for the rest of my life, whether George was in jail or not.

"Were you able to get anything on my phone?"

"Oh, yeah." He reached into his pocket and pulled out my phone, handing it to me across the table. "I don't have any details, but our tech people believe they got all the information they need to figure out what's going on. But George Pitney and his people are clever, so it may be some time before we can track down who sent the message.”

The door opened, and Alex strode in. His pale blue eyes took in me and Ian eating lunch. "You two look cozy."

Ian straightened and began to pull his sandwich together, shoving it into the bag. "Just keeping her company."

I wasn't sure if it was fear of Alex or reverence for him that had Ian acting the way he was, but as soon as his food was packed up, he excused himself and left. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry anyway, so I wrapped up the rest of my sandwich and put it in the bag along with the chips.

"If you're ready, I can take you home."

I nodded and stood. "Good."

For all the flirting and banter that had gone on between us on the plane, the elevator down to the street and the ride in the car that Alex had arranged were silent.

That is until Alex said, "I know that if we had known who each other was on the plane yesterday, our hookup would never have happened. And because of that, I think we need to avoid telling your father."

I completely agreed with him but still found myself irked by his comment. "No worries, Sterling. I got it. One and done. Like it never happened."

His eyes were intense as they stared at me. "Good."

His gaze drifted down to my lips, and my hormones took notice, fluttering in anticipation. Inwardly, I told them to knock it off.

I turned my head to look out the window. How was it that my libido had a mind of its own? This man was rude and obnoxious, and any of the sexual chemistry I had felt before should have died out. So it made no sense that just a look, or his nearness, could make the desire flare up again. I realized that having him stay in my home to protect me could become a problem. He would be a constant source of irritation, and while my place was nice, it was difficult to find an area of it where I could be completely alone without knowing he was there. I needed a change of plan.

When we arrived at my apartment, I waved to Jonesy as he said hello but didn’t stop to chat. Alex and I rode up the elevator and entered my apartment. I left Alex in the living room and went directly to my bedroom, taking out the bag I'd taken to Europe and dumping it out to repack it. Ten minutes later, I carried my bag out to the living room, finding Alex looking out the window.

"I've changed my mind. I want to go stay at my father's house."

He turned around, his body seemingly relaxed as he put his hands in his pockets and looked at me. "Finally seeing reason, are you?"

My jaw tightened. Why did everything he said sound like he was talking to a petulant teenager?

"It'll be a whole hell of a lot easier to avoid you at my father's house."

His eyes narrowed as he studied me. "Worried about what might happen between us?"

Now why would he say something like that when in the car he was clear that nothing would happen and that what had happened was to never be mentioned again?

"You’re not that appealing. You know, for an old man, you sure act like a teenage boy."