Page 62 of Nothing to Beat

Dinner was dinner, and she was hungry.The least she could do was help him out with Roxie.Ben would give her time off, of course, but it would raise questions.Her boss may not press for details, but his wife, his son…?Could be she’d face her own hard time in the not-too-distant future.

TWENTY-TWO

TURNED OUT BASTIAN’S presence helped when leaving the hotel suite in the morning.His company gave her a reason to request Tripp and Roxie stay behind.They couldn’t barrel into Ackley’s office like a posse.A show of force wouldn’t win her any grace.And, to be honest, the fewer people who knew what she intended to say, the better.

Her hands were clammy; her fingers wouldn’t stay still.It wasn’t nerves, she’d been in plenty of high stakes meetings.She could keep her cool, be articulate, persuasive—this wasn’t just high stakes.This was forever.This meeting could dictate the rest of her life.Not just hers.Breck’s, his whole family’s.It could be the difference between them having a child, and her giving up on the idea for good.

In Chicago, she may not have known the reason for their destination until it was upon her, but Roxie had personal capital with Porter.Like love and affection type capital.If he’d shot her down or tried to kick her out, Roxie could’ve stepped in.With Ackley?She didn’t have the same safety net.She couldn’t fuck this up.

“I’ve never seen you anxious,” Bastian said from her side as they strode down the marble floored hallway.

Yeah, uh huh, because that was a helpful observation.

“I’m not anxious.”Clenching her fists, she pulled back control.“There’s a lot riding on this.”

“Have you spoken to Breck?”

“Not yet.”There was nothing to tell.Nothing more than she’d known that morning or yesterday.Though she’d feel better right then if he was holding her hand.Which she couldn’t complain about because it was on her that he wasn’t present.“I told you he doesn’t need to know about this.”

“He said your phone is off.”

Stopping suddenly, she caught him almost off-guard by body-blocking him to a halt too.“You’ve spoken to him?When?If you told him you saw me—”

“Yesterday, before I knew you were in town,” Bastian said, the picture of calm.“He told me yesterday your phone was off.Which is something he said you only do when you don’t want him to know your location.”

“Did you tell him?That I’m here?”

“No, but if he knows you’re with Roxie, the world knows where she is.”

Yeah, she’d been trying not to focus on that.Damn her conversation with him in Tripp’s bed.

“I’m with Tripp, I’m safe, he knows his brother won’t abandon me.Breck will give me time to figure this out.”

He’d said as much, though hadn’t put a number on just how much he’d give.

Bastian frowned.“Wouldn’t it be easier just to turn off the tracker?”

“That makes no difference when he knows the man who designed the phone.”She started walking again.“My guy can be overbearing.”

He ducked a little, still in stride with her.“Protective.It’s a sign of love.”

“So I’m told.Do you say the same thing to Keely?”

He laughed.“All the time.”

“Poor girl.”

His sister was anything but poor, in every sense of the word.Yet she was also one of the kindest, most dynamic women she’d ever met.

In the middle of the corridor, she stopped again, this time to face the doors that would take her to Ackley.Time for business…

“Do I have to remind you that you don’t have to be in this?”she said to the man at her side.Focused straight ahead, her scrutiny zeroed in on the handles that would grant her access.“Get me in and then you can walk away.”

“Haven’t forgotten and I’m not going anywhere.”

Nope, of course not, these billionaires could be audacious to the point of rude.

“Promise me this won’t change anything.”

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