Page 93 of Discretion at Its Finest
My heart skipped a beat as I finally turned to look at him. It was Alexander, dressed in pressed slacks and an open-collar shirt, sunglasses pushed into his hair, looking painfully out of place among the lawn chair bleachers set up, juice-boxes and toddlers covered in grass stains.
I hadn’t seen him since the day the Feds took Reid.
Turning back to the kids, I let out a soft sigh. “If that’s what you’d call this… sure,” I murmured. He offered the faintest nod of acknowledgement as quiet settled over us. “I thought you’d be back in California,” I said after a moment. “There’s nothing left of Newman Trust worth staying for.”
A humorless laugh left him. “No, not much… but my boss is in FBI custody.” His shoulder lifted in a faint shrug. “Can’t exactly abandon ship just yet.”
My heart raced at just the mention of him. I glanced over my shoulder to see Alexander already looking at me, his gaze locking mine in place.
“How…” My voice faltered, the word breaking before it even formed. I swallowed, trying again. “How is Reid?”
Alexander’s jaw clenched. “He’s doing… just as well as someone thrown into a federal holding facility can be doing.”
My stomach twisted. That wasn’t an answer. Or maybe it was… just not one I wanted to hear.
“…Why are you here, Alex?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t answer right away. His gaze drifted to the field where Eugene was running, laughing and blissfully unaware.
“Cara was worried about you and Eugene. Gave me a nudge to check in. But before I did, I realized your accounts were frozen. Thought it was a part of the raid, but it happened only a few days ago. To add to it, news of Newman Trust collapsing is beingsuppressed, your name being quietly redacted from every major press release in the last few months.” My heartbeat stumbled. “I came to make sure you were still alive and well.”
A chill crawled up my spine. “You make it sound like someone wants me gone…” Alexander stayed quiet. I pressed again, voice tighter, “You think Raymond did it?”
“I’m not saying he did,” he answered carefully. “But he cares about appearances. And someone in the Newman circle is paying a hell of a lot of money to silence the media frenzy… and moving funds around that shouldn’t exist right now.”
My throat went dry. “I—I would have noticed if my accounts were locked,” I said, but it sounded weak even to me.
Alexander narrowed his eyes at me. “Would you?” he asked softly. “You’re not paying bills. Not using your cards. Not leaving the house without someone knowing. And Raymond controls Newman IT.”
Another shiver ran straight down my spine.
Right.
Of course I wouldn’t know.
Because I hadn’t been living for myself, I’d been coasting. Playing my part, smiling when needed. And now I was being contained like a public relations risk, not a fiancée or a mother or a woman whose world collapsed in front of her.
Alexander didn’t offer me any comfort as we turned back to the field. I swallowed hard. “Do you… know where he is?”
He didn’t move or say anything, the gears in his mind turning, debating whether he should tell me before he finally answered, “Yes.”
Hope flared in my chest so fast it almost hurt. But it barely had time to form before he added, just as quickly—
“No.” Already answering my unspoken question.
“Alexander, I need to see him,” I whispered, and it wasn’t even a request. It was a result of yearning for the man I so desperately loved.
That made him sigh. “Genevieve,” he said slowly, “it’s not that simple.”
“Please.”
He exhaled sharply through his nose, pinching the bridge of it. “He doesn’t want to see anyone.”
“I’m not anyone,” I answered without hesitation.
Alexander cursed under his breath, raking a hand through his hair, a crack in the composure he always kept airtight. “He doesn’t want to seeyou.”
The words gutted me. For a split second everything around me felt hollow. I could still see his face in my mind. The way he watched me go after him like it was the last time I’d see him. The way his eyes lingered on mine till the very last second when those elevator doors closed.
