Page 64 of The Ice Queen in the Corner Office

CHAPTER TWELVE

Alex

I watched the evening sun paint shadows on Jill’s gorgeous face and wondered how I’d ever thought I could keep our relationship casual. The idea seemed beyond foreign to me in that moment, beyond comprehension.

A knock at the door interrupted my musing and I realized my cheeks hurt because of my idiotically happy grin. I shifted under Jill, but she didn’t bat an eyelash. She was out cold, exhausted from our afternoon of love-making.

I pressed a light kiss to her forehead and slid out from under her. I pulled on baggy sweatpants, the only pants I had that would fit over my cast, and a t-shirt.

I hobbled to the door and pulled it open to see May. With a finger to my lips, I stepped onto the porch, shutting the door gently behind me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Someone named Agatha called and said you need to turn on your phone. She said there’s an emergency.”

I nodded. The only thing that surprised me was that she hadn’t called sooner. I hired the most amazing people I could find, but I was still the boss and the person who made the final decision on most things. When I was in the office there was an ‘emergency’ at least once a day.

“I’ll do that. Thanks, May.”

She nodded and took a step back but seemed hesitant to leave the porch. “Jill’s older than me, so I don’t know her as well as I should, but I do know you make her happy. And I will kick your ass if you hurt her.”

“I thought you were on my side.”

“I am. It’s just that I’ve come to realize Jill isn’t as tough as I’d always thought she was. As a kid, I thought she was this pillar of strength, that nothing could hurt her. She was like a superhero. I think she likes people to think of her that way, but…Now, I think she’s a marshmallow on the inside, and I don’t want to see my sister hurt.”

“I won’t hurt her. I promise.”

She smiled. “I thought so. I’ve got a good feeling about you.”

She skipped down the steps. I hobbled back inside, grabbed my phone and hobbled back out onto the porch.

There were a ton of missed calls and texts, but my heart froze to see Lee as the most recent caller. The most recent caller ten times in a row. He only called if there was a problem with my family.

I didn’t bother listening to the messages he’d left. I hit his name and waited, gripping the phone so tight I was sure I’d crush it.

“Alex, man,” Lee said, his voice hushed. “Where the hell are you?”

“I’m on vacation. What’s going on?”

“It’s Willow. They took her.”

My heart pounded so hard I was certain it would pound out of my chest. “Who took her?”

“Rick owes Hunter’s crew money and, when they couldn’t find him, they took Willow. They figure you’ll pay off his debts to get your sister back.”

“Shit.” I ran a shaking hand through my hair. “Where the hell is Rick?”

“No one knows. He’s disappeared. Left Willow to take whatever shit they want to do to her.” His voice was a growl. “You know what they could do to her.”

I knew. I didn’t even want to think about it, but I knew. I also knew Willow would fight like hell and probably get herself killed. “How much does he owe?”

“A hundred and fifty thousand.”

I punched the side of the cottage. “Fuck.” I shook out my hand. “What the hell was he thinking?”

“What he’s always thinking. About how to get more for himself and screw everyone else.”

I knew my brother was an idiot and an asshole, but I never thought he’d do something so incredibly dangerous and stupid. “When do they want the money? Where am I supposed to bring it?”

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