Page 19 of A Midnight Romance
River
“That’s interesting.” I nod, taking all the information in from my secure landline.
My mind works overtime learning as much as I can about Lux. There’s a force motivating her to keep going and I’m determined to figure out what it is.
“I’m sending over all the documents. You should have them any minute now,” Christian, my FBI contact, tells me. His hacking skills, combined with TI technology, has been instrumental with each one of our missions. His father used to work with mine and Sebastian’s parents while they collaborated on government contracts overseas. “I almost lost my shit when I saw her dad is the homicide lieutenant.”
“Yeah, I’m still in shock,” I say, pulling up our secure email server. As I tuck my phone between my ear and shoulder, I scroll through the first few pages. “Thank you, Christian.”
“You know you can always count on me.”
“You’re the best,” I mumble, scanning through the documents.
“So, outside of this woman, what are we working on next?” he asks.
In his own rogue nature, his participation in what we do is limited, but I believe it’s driven by the guilt he still holds from his father’s participation in the job that cost my parents their life. But whether he is willing to admit it, his own cravings for the hunt hasn’t manifested into something big enough for him to get his hands dirty.
“You know Andrew Hughes, the hotel heir, we’ve been watching?”
Papers rustle in the background. “Yeah?”
“Well, he’s part of an operation a little bigger than I thought,” I tell him, shoving Lux’s information into the top drawer of my desk. I’ll get back to her later.
“Go on.”
“There’s a group of men who appear to be mimicking the college sex ring from two decades ago.” I slump into my chair, glancing out over the ocean through the panoramic windows in my office. The night sky is black and welcoming, which means I have an hour left until midnight—the time I come alive. The urge to escape the manor and head into the city streets intensifies by this time. If I’m not on the hunt, I’m usually chasing the next one. And with uncovering Andrew’s sex operation, I’m foaming at the mouth to get my hands on him.
“I’ll need their names,” he states, preparing to dive into what he does best.
“Andrew Hughes, Nolen Pierce, and Richard Smith,” I name them off, aware that Christian will unearth everything we need to know about them to help us expect their next move the moment we end our call. “Oh, and Duncan Jones.”
He blows out an audible breath, the sound of his rapid typing filtering through the phone. “That’s a random bunch of guys.”
My eyebrows raise with the same thought I had when Hughes introduced them to me last weekend. “Right?”
“I’ll see what I can find,” he tells me, and if I had to place a bet, I’d say he’s about to pull an all-nighter.
“River?” Aunt Mae calls on the intercom through the entire house. She’s lived with Sebastian and I since we were kids. Then when we built the manor, it only made sense for her to come with us then too. Now shemanages the manor and our daily calendars, including my obligations with Thompson Innovation.
“Wonderful. Talk soon.” I end the call before answering Mae. “Yes?”
“Ben is about to head home for the night. He wants to review the meals for next week with you,” she informs me.
“I’ll be right there.” Getting out of my seat, I walk over to the wall where computer screens cover every inch of it. Typically it usually only displays the other rooms in my house and the outside of my twenty-three-acre compound, I focus on the few new feeds I have become captivated by and realize she’s not asleep yet.
Although I was unaware of Lux’s nocturnal habits before I began watching her a week ago, I’m positive now she sleeps all day and stays awake at night. A behavior I’ve been familiar with for most of my life.
At first, she tries to fall asleep, but ends up tossing and turning for hours, until she gives up.
I examine every inch of her body as she lies on her side with one leg under the blankets, the other resting on top. Her shorts ride high, exposing a smooth, toned thigh.
Blinking a few times, I pull myself away to leave as to not get trapped staring at her from my office all night. Walking through the house on the main level, I head right into the kitchen to find Mae, Ben, and Sebastian gathered around the large island, looking at printouts of meal options.
“River,” Ben greets. “I won’t take too much of your time.” Ben’s worked here for years and has learned my taste in food, but still insists on me approving the menu.
“How are the wife and kids?” I ask, rounding the island.
“Great as always.” He smiles.
