Page 107 of The Billionaires' Gamble
From the backseat of my SUV, I sort through the remaining messages I need to handle today. And then I call Ben Carpenter, the bodyguard King is concerned about because the vibes haven’t gotten any better. Normally, there are layers and levels of hierarchy, but everyone on their detail is hand-selected by me. Answers to me. Will be dealt with by me.
Katherine half-jokingly told me to come with them, but I’d never do that to King. The man has earned his date with her.
But letting her travel halfway around the world without keeping an eye on her personally? Well, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done by far.
Doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes and ears everywhere. Some that they’re aware of, and some they aren’t.
“How’s everything? Any trouble?” I ask, like I haven’t had a half dozen reports today. They report every two hours, which is the only reason I’m sane and stateside.
There’s a beat of silence before Carpenter fills me in, but there’s nothing I haven’t heard. No trouble. No media attention. King and Katherine are safely in their own little world, and, for the moment, the world seems to be letting them enjoy their bubble.
I couldn’t have asked for more than that. But there’s something in his tone that isn’t quite normal. Like there’s something on his mind. Something he’s not saying.
“On a personal note…” He sounds resigned. “You should know that Miss Montgomery and Mister Saint are… involved.”
Well, that explains the undercurrent of tension King picked up on and the weirdness I was picking up on.
“I’m aware,” I say.
There’s another beat of silence. I expect him to drop it with a quick ‘very good, sir.’
But that’s not what I get.
“I don’t understand,” he counters, confusion and frustration lacing his words.
I release a sigh. “Which part?”
There’s an element of trust needed with all my employees. This isn’t the military, where soldiers are expected to take orders and be almost robotic about it. I want my people to think and feel, know when to draw the line with themselves, withour clients and even with me. Personal protection can be an incredibly intimate endeavor. I want my team to be able to come to me with their concerns.
But I’m just not used to the concerns being about my personal life.
“You’re okay with it?” he blurts.
Ahh. So he’s incensed on my account.
I should have seen this coming. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I will my headache to go away.
Katherine, Gabe, King, and I really need to sit down and talk about how we’re going to handle things. And by things, I mean the inevitable questions that will come our way. Even with people we trust, and NDAs and such, we need to be on the same page.
“I am.”
“Why?” he asks, not missing a beat.
“I don’t think that’s any of your concern or business, Ben. Take the next few hours and decide if you can still do the job. Fully and to the best of your ability. I’m not going to risk Katherine or Kingston because you don’t like their relationship status. I’ll expect your text by eight my time.”
35
ALEX
We pull up outside the brownstone just in time to see Gabe carry a box from a van to the front door, then disappear into the house. His team is stationed along the sidewalk, and from their grim expressions, they’re not happy with what he’s doing.
Cocking my head to get a better view, I watch another man and a woman struggle to get a large potted plant, almost a tree, onto a dolly. It wobbles as they push it up the cobbled walkway.
Curiosity eats at me, and I hate the disconnected feeling. It’s like Gabe and I aren’t in sync anymore. Almost two decades into our friendship, and a few days without speaking might as well be a thousand.
He’s always been there. Always needed me. And it’s not like that was a master plan on my part. I didn’t see this lost, teenage brainiac and think, ah-ha, there’s my next project. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like being needed.
I was too hard on him the other day. That business is his baby, and someone betrayed him and threatened everything he’d worked for. Of course, that was wildly traumatic. In some ways, even more so than having my sister snatched away. I loved my little sister. Adored her, most days. But I didn’t create her. I had a familial bond, a brother’s love.
