And Eve thought about the future with a smile on her face for once.
Chapter Two
Alex looked around the space, trying to judge just how many ways he could get screwed here. The sun gleamed into the elegantly appointed mall. NorthPark Center was a testament to Texans’ love of all things shiny. It was exactly the type of place Eve used to adore when they couldn’t afford to buy a damn thing. They would browse through stores like Versace and Gucci, and she would complain about her weight. He would point out that they couldn’t afford the clothes anyway and then feed her a cupcake because she loved chocolate and he loved her every curve. She was thin now, and she dressed beautifully, but she never smiled. Naturally, now that he could afford just about anything, she wouldn’t accept a gift from him.
Alex glanced around the large walkway that had been designated as his meet spot. He didn’t like it. There were too many ways in and out. He counted at least seven ways a person could come up on his back. Two of the stores in this section had both interior and exterior exits. Of course someone might notice an armed crazy walking through Williams-Sonoma or Tiffany. And hell, he had the ducks to protect him. He was standing by an interior duck pond, waiting on intel about the most dangerous man he knew.
What the fuck was he doing? He should walk away. If he met with this contact, one of two things would happen. Either she would be working for Evans and he was screwed, or she was on the up and up and he would be drawn right back into the world that had cost him his marriage. He knew it all intellectually and yet he stood there, watching and waiting.
A little girl was squatting down not five feet away from him, her big blue eyes studying the small ducks who called this indoor pool their home. Her mother was talking on a cell phone as she twirled her multitudinous shopping bags around and complained about her latest round of Botox. As far as Alex could tell, she shouldn’t complain. The Botox was totally working. Her expression never once changed even as she bitched about her nanny requiring a day off to attend a funeral. Welcome to the wealthy side of Dallas.
He glanced to his right. Neiman Marcus was up ahead. To his left was a long line of shops and not a single sign of his contact. He was stuck here with Momma Frozen Forehead, a young woman in a suit and nametag eating her lunch, and two dudes in smart suits showing each other what they’d bought at Brooks Brothers.
Fifteen minutes. He’d been waiting for fifteen minutes, and now all he could think about was the cake pop stand near the exit. Eve would love that. They used to joke about food on a stick. Everything was better when it was on a stick. Now she just ate yogurt and salads. Her eyes never lit up over a salad.
Ian was right. His head wasn’t in a good place for this. Five more minutes and he would call it fate.
He glanced up at the shop girl. Woman. She was probably thirty-five, but she had a sweet smile that made her seem younger. She kept talking to the little girl who was studying the ducks, her face shining as she did. Only the small creases around her eyes gave her away as older than thirty.
Damn. He was actually thinking about how pretty she was. It had been a long time since he’d noticed another woman. Even as he realized how her strawberry blonde hair caught the light, it was an intellectual study. His cock wasn’t engaged at all. She was just a pretty girl with a brilliant smile.
He only wanted one woman.
And then Red looked up and winked at him.
Fuck. What did he do about that? He got hit on at Sanctum a lot, but that was an easy thing to deal with. He just gave the subs a decisive shake of his head and they melted away. He had no idea how to deal with a woman who wasn’t a trained submissive. Did they follow orders? He rather thought not. The wives of his friends were all subs, and half the time they didn’t follow orders. Grace was known to laugh when given an order she didn’t want to follow, and Serena had a potty mouth. Avery just smiled and agreed and did whatever she damn well pleased.
He wasn’t even wearing a ring to prove his off-the-market quality. He didn’t have a ring. Well, he had it, but he felt like a freak when he wore it now. Maybe he should still wear it.
Would the contact run when she saw he was being hit on by a cute redhead?
She waved his way.
Damn it. He was trained to kill, to track, to run large investigative units, but he hadn’t flirted in almost twenty years. He didn’t even want to.
She rolled her eyes and sighed and then pointed to her nametag.
Kristen
Yeah, he hadn’t really been trained to profile. She was his contact. This whole thing was more Ian’s speed. Alex had been a cop at his heart. He felt himself flush as he walked toward the pretty woman who was only interested in his connections.