Page 30 of The Cinderella Secret
Ella – Lilly
The judge made his way out of the courtroom as Ella reloaded all her papers into her brief case. She glanced up, pretending to scan the crowd, and took another look at the two gray-suited bodyguards at the back of the courtroom, hoping Aiden hadn’t noticed them. She couldn’t help feeling that the presence of bodyguards was a massive embarrassment. She was now paying for going to the fight in Jersey with security guards loitering in her shadow.
In all her years of searching for Number Nine, it was the first time that she’d gone home and cried. Six years had only made Number Nine a better fighter. He was graceful, fast, harder than ever and achingly beautiful. Watching him had brought everything rushing back, every tumultuous feeling, every mixed up, heady delirious and crazy dream about him she’d ever had. And he had been right there. She’d been within twenty feet of him and, once again, even if he hadn’t known who she was, he’d still tried to help her by throwing that stupid chair. Number Nine was, as always, her hero. And she’d left him behind. Again.
Ella had woken up determined to try to find his trainer again. If Number Nine had gone to the fight in Jersey and if his trainer was in New York, it meant that he had to be close by. She was not going to be deterred.
Except she was being deterred. She wouldn’t be doing any investigating any time soon because she had goddamn babysitters dogging her every step. Not that she had time for investigating anyway. Not with Aiden Deveraux countering her every move.
Across the aisle, she heard Aiden make a comment to Jerome and she stole a glance at him from under her lashes. As usual, he looked carelessly fashionable and utterly, annoyingly gorgeous.
It was possible that Aiden might not notice that hisrespected opposition council,as he occasionally termed her, was being followed, but considering all the things he noticed in court and pointed out with maddening persistence, she really couldn’t count on it. And if Aiden saw those two bodyguards, then he would know for certain that her uncle really was holding her leash.
She took out her phone and dashed off a message to her uncle.
Tell them to stop following me.
Bai’s reply was almost immediate.
You needed them last night.
She hadn’t needed them. They had been nice to have, but she could have gotten herself back to her car just fine without them. And because of them she’d missed Number Nine.
I didn’t need them. They scared off the DevEntier employee I was trying to find.
It was a lie, but at least it justified why she had been there. Not that Bai would believe it.
Call them off. They are embarrassing and it makes me look weak in front of the Deveraux team.
I want you to be safe.
It’s a New York courthouse. What do you think is going to happen?
If I call them off you have to promise not to go somewhere dangerous.
That was Bai, always willing to negotiate. On the other hand, she actually couldn’t think of anywhere else she would go that would be dangerous. At least not until she got a lead on the trainer or Number Nine. Currently, she had zero leads, so it was an easy promise to make.
Fine. I promise. But I want them to leave now.
A moment later, the security guards stood and exited the courtroom. Ella felt smug, until she saw Aiden looking thoughtfully after them.
“So, Mr. Deveraux,” said Ella, stepping out into the aisle, hoping to distract him, “will you be in attendance at the bank?”
“Of course,” he said with a smile. She hated that damn smile. It was too nice. Too charming. Too… Aiden Devereaux. Why did he have to be so good looking? “Were you thinking I didn’t belong there?” There was something chilly in his tone that hadn’t been there the previous day and it puzzled her.
“Well, considering your track record of late arrivals, I had you marked down as a maybe at best,” she replied tartly.
“I beg to differ,” said Aiden. “My timing is impeccable.”
Ella actually laughed in surprise. “Your notion of perfect timing is… unique.”
“I’m always there for the exciting bits,” said Aiden, giving one of his lazy smiles that she was beginning to think he only used when he didn’t feel like smiling. She frowned, perplexed. Was he mad at her? In the entire time that she’d known him, she didn’t think he’d ever actually been mad—even when she’d surprised him with the stack of DevEntier records earlier in the week that indicated that Bo had indeed been an employee.
“Well, better to be lucky than good,” said Ella with a shrug. “I suppose.”
“I specialize in being both,” said Aiden, taking a step closer to her, using his height to loom. Whatever was going on he was definitely aggravated about something. “Do you always travel with bodyguards?”
Ella tried not to react. “New York is a dangerous city,” she said with a fake smile of her own. “My uncle likes to make sure I’m safe.”
