“Here,” she said, handing them a piece of paper. “I know you don’t have a phone, but if there’s ever an emergency, you can get ahold of me at that number.”
“How will you reach us?”
She sniffled and looked away. “I don’t know.”
“When will we see you again?” Drew asked.
She shook her head. She didn’t know that either.
“I’ll miss you,” she whispered. Then she pulled them both into a fierce hug and quickly disappeared into the tinted car. She had wanted to prolong her goodbye as long as she could, but it hurt too much. It hurt leaving them behind.
As they drove away from the Warehouse District, Reyna twisted in her seat and watched her brothers’ bodies slowly fade into the distance. When she could no longer see them, she turned back to the front of the car and tried not to cry. She needed to put on a good face for Beckham. She had almost an hour to practice.
* * *
—
It took less time to get back than it had to get to the Warehouses. She figured Beckham had put the fear of God into the driver.
If he even believed in God.
If God even believed in him.
Her one friendly face wasn’t working valet, and she walked briskly across the entrance to the elevators. She knew that she didn’t look presentable. All the people who had stared at her so enviously just this morning now looked on with disdain. She didn’t even want to see what she looked like.
She slipped her black card into the slot in the elevator, and it rose up effortlessly. It dinged open to Beckham’s spotless penthouse. She took a deep breath and then walked uneasily on her wedge heels.
Beckham wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen when she arrived. She glanced over at the door that always remained closed. She wondered if it was to his bedroom or if it was another corridor. Either way, she wasn’t planning to find out when he was already pissed off at her.
She tiptoed toward her room, hoping to change into something more presentable before she had to face him down.
“Reyna.”
Her feet stilled on the carpeted floor. Her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to rein in her fear. She couldn’t face him like a scared puppy. She would get through this.
She slowly turned to face him. “Hi.”
“How was your trip?” Beckham’s voice was like ice.
“Fine.” She swallowed and held her hands at her sides. “How was work?”
“Fine.” He moved toward her with such ease and grace that he was almost floating. She tried not to shudder at his approach. She would not fear him openly, but she was sure that he could practically smell it.
“Reyna,” he said, stopping directly in front of her. “You are the most insubordinate employee I have ever had, and you’ve only been working for me for twenty-four hours.”
“You must have a very predictable work environment.”
She couldn’t believe she had just said that. Provoking him was at the bottom of her list of things she wanted to do.
“I like my work that way. I like my life that way. You, however, are not fitting into my life.”
“You haven’t given me much time. I had to leave. It was really important.”
“I shouldn’t have to give you time,” he growled. “Tell me why you went down to the Warehouses.”
She swallowed hard. She didn’t want to talk about her brothers. The more he knew about her the more he could use against her. This was a professional relationship, and she didn’t have to share anything about her life with him.
“Well…?”
“Look, if you’re going to fire me, just get on with it.”
Beckham tilted his head. She stared up into the depths of his eyes, which appeared almost as black as onyx. When he looked at her like that, she would give almost anything to know what was running through his mind.
“Fire you? Is that what you think?”
“What am I supposed to think?” she asked helplessly.
“I just want answers. You work for me. You missed an important meeting. I deserve to know where you were.”
Reyna looked away for the first time. She couldn’t stand there and lie to him, but she couldn’t say anything about her brothers either. She didn’t think he was going to let her off the hook. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t immediately fired her. So, things were already looking up.
“I…went to visit my brothers. I didn’t tell them I was going to Visage, and so they didn’t know where I was once I got the position with you.”
Beckham visibly relaxed at the news. “Your brothers.”
She sagged. “Yes. I just needed to tell them where I was. I didn’t want them to worry.”
“And that’s all you did? You look like you’ve been rolling around in the dirt.”
“I…well—“She cringed. “—I did run into my ex.”
All the tension returned to his shoulders. “You look like you literally ran into him.”
“It was nothing. He just…” Reyna shook her head. She couldn’t even bear to say it. How could she explain to a vampire that she was getting judged for living with him? Simply for doing what was right for her family.
“He just what?” Beckham spoke in such a forceful command.
“Nothing. People don’t always have high opinions of women who work for Visage.”
“Was he rude to you?”
Reyna actually laughed. Rude. “Now that I think about it, he’s always been rude to me. Or more like he’s never been rude, he’s always been a jackass.”
“And yet you went to see him?” Beckham asked.
What was with the third degree? And why was she answering his questions anyway? He just looked so interested…enthralled. In fact, it was kind of hard to tear herself away from his eyes. They were so captivating. She should have been shaking in her heels while talking to him about this, but he seemed tense not enraged. It gave her the courage to continue.
“No, I didn’t. He works at the warehouse. I ran into him when I went there looking for my brothers,” she explained.
“And what is his name?” Beckham demanded.
“What? Why?” she asked, snapping out of her trance.
“I won’t have anyone threatening you. You are very valuable.”
Valuable. Like a diamond or a piece of art. An object. Not a human at all.
She turned away from him, the words stinging. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Don’t turn away from me.”
Her body stiffened at the command. She swallowed hard, worried that the fierce predator would return and he’d start looking at her as if he was going to break her in half.
“We’re not finished here,” he told her, forcing her to look back up at him. “We have to lay some more ground rules. I can’t let you leave the building unless you are with my driver at all times. Additionally, I want to be informed of where you are going, not just that you are leaving.”
“I don’t need a minder.”
“You’ve proven that to be false.”
Reyna sighed. Though she wanted to be angry that she had these additional restrictions placed on her, she couldn’t manage it. He had seemed so concerned, in his own way, with her safety. She almost felt a little guilty for scaring him. She could have laughed at the absurdity of it all.
She had scared a vampire.
“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered.
She hadn’t been before. She had been angry. Now she felt bad about her actions. She had needed to see her brothers, but she hadn’t thought it was possible to upset Beckham. Not that he looked upset exactly. It was just a feeling she got from him.
“I accept your apology. That’s all.”
He strode back toward the hall as if that was the end of everything for the evening.
“Excuse me,” she whispered. “Didn’t you want to speak with me about something? Or was that all?”
He stopped walking, but didn’t turn toward her. “Actually, yes. We have plans tomorrow morning. Be ready to go by eight.”
“Plans?” She lifted an eyebrow in question.