last two days, did we have a chance to come in here? Besides, you were safe with me. I never thought he’d hit your neighbor.”
The phone rang on Wilson’s desk and he answered it. Eve returned her attention to filling out the paperwork.
“They’re right here,” Wilson said into the receiver. “Yes, of course. I’ll tell them.” He hung up. “Raguel will be calling in ten minutes. He wants you to take the call in his office.”
Alec nodded. Eve passed over the clipboard.
Wilson’s gaze was sympathetic behind his glasses. “I’ll send someone out immediately.”
“Send two people simultaneously,” she suggested, “so there’s no one to follow from my house to my parents and vice versa.” She set the pen on his desk. “Will whatever you’re doing keep my parents safe?”
“The Nix doesn’t know where they live,” Alec reminded. “If he did, he would have gone after them instead of Mrs. Basso. Can he find another way in? Yes. If he finds them and he has the time, he can work it out. But this will slow him down. Hopefully long enough for Hank to find him.”
She nodded. As far as feeling better went, it wasn’t much, but what else did she have?
“One thing at a time,” Alec repeated in a murmur. “We’re dealing with the Nix. Now, we’ll go upstairs and deal with Raguel. We’ll get it all done. Trust me.”
Her mouth curved ruefully. “You’re good at this, you know. It’s a shame you’re stuck with someone clueless like me. You should be managing bigger fish.”
Alec’s face closed, although his pleasant mien did not change. It was more of a feeling she had of a sudden withdrawal, as if she’d struck a deep chord.
The sensation set her mind spinning. By the time they returned to the elevator, she’d thought of something she hadn’t before: if nothing was a coincidence, how was it that she lived in a building for which Gadara was the trustee?
Had he been lying in wait for her? If so, what was the event or purpose that set her marking in motion?
And what would it take to be free of it?
CHAPTER 16
Hello, Cain. Ms. Hollis.”
As the elevator emptied Eve and Alec into the antechamber of Gadara’s office, the archangel’s secretary greeted them with a wide smile. He was an elderly man, one who appeared a wee bit past the retirement age. He smelled like a Mark, though, which made Eve wonder what he could have done to get into trouble so late in life. “Can I get you both something to drink?” he offered. “Coffee, perhaps? Or a soda?”
Eve declined. Alec simply shook his head.
The secretary led them into Gadara’s office and gestured for them to occupy the two chairs before Gadara’s desk. He used a keypad to lower the projection screen and dim the lights. Eve was once again taken aback by the size of the room. It was cavernous and richly appointed. As an interior designer, she was well aware that a person’s preference in room size and shape said a great deal about him. Gadara obviously felt a need to astonish and impress. How much of that was directed toward the mortals he did business with? And how much of it was for the benefit of the Marks under his command?
“A penny for your thoughts,” Alec said, once the secretary had left.
“I’m not sure they’re worth that.” Her tone was as dry as her palms. After all she had been through the last several days, she should be a nervous wreck.
“Are you okay?”
Eve looked at him, noting that even in poor lighting Alec was drop-dead gorgeous. The planes of his face were strong and bold, but softened slightly by his overly long hair. She could get used to seeing his face every day. If she let herself. “I don’t think everything has sunk in yet. Ask me again, once we’ve had a chance to settle down.”
A soft beeping noise filled the air, then the screen flickered to life. Gadara’s face appeared. His dark skin and eyes held a wealth of majesty and a touch of divine refinement that was enchanting. Eve was once again arrested by the sheer force of his charisma, evident even across the digital signal that broadcast him. Behind him was a window, and beyond that was a view she recognized immediately—the Las Vegas strip. He was dressed in a suit and tie today, and the more formal look suited him. It complemented his air of power and affluence.
“We’ve got a problem,” Alec