Big Ben (See No Evil Trilogy #1) - Nana Malone Page 0,18

to keep up that place, and every now and again I got it in my mind that I needed to make it a home… but then I didn’t. What was the point when there was no one to share it with?

I didn’t occupy a penthouse, though. I had one of the corner loft units. Besides, it was more convenient to stay at the hotel. East’s penthouse was fully lived in,?unlike my loft. There were flashes of color everywhere.?Art on the walls.?Photographs by Xander Chase and Z Con.?We’d gone to a Z Con exhibit in New York two years ago.

East was the sort of bloke who had colored pillows and candles and things.?I’d never understood how he even knew or cared about that shit. On the shelves, he had photographs. So many of us, Drew, and Toby that I couldn’t count them all.? There were several of his mother and sister?but none of this father.? His place looked lived in.

My place was where I slept. His place was where I came to watch a football match or to hang out. It never even occurred to me to host football viewing parties at my place. I knew it was sterile,?but I liked it that way.? Minimal.?Less to get attached to.

When we walked in, East tossed his keys onto the mantle and we all took up our usual positions.?East grabbed his laptop and plopped himself dead center on the couch.?I always picked the massive oversized leather chair,?and Bridge always seemed to like the chair by the fireplace.?But this time, he stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out over London.

East tapped away at the keys.? “Okay.?Let’s see about the security cameras.”

From the window, Bridge said,? “I remember a woman in a red dress.?There were a few people wearing red, but she was noticeable.?Bloody thing was backless.?Sexy as hell.?Great arse.”

I glowered at him.?I didn’t want him thinking about her arse.

Why not??You did.

And it was true.?She had a phenomenal ass.?Like a peach.?I wanted to take a bite—?No.?No. No. No. No.?Get the drive and move on.

Likely easier said than done. The chances that she wouldn’t get nosy were slim, and it was going to get dangerous.? The guilt ate at me, knowing she’d ask a good deal of questions and I wouldn’t be able to give her answers.

East tapped away.? “She didn’t give you anything to go on?”

I shook my head. “Not a thing.”

“Okay, there, I see her.?She is talking to Fenton Mills and someone else. One sec… let facial rec do its thing.?She’s linked arms with Dexter Ford. He works for Mills at Mills and Crawford Investments.”

I snorted at that.? “What kind of name is Dexter Ford? Sounds like a git we might have gone to school with.”

And then Bridge reminded me why we’d been mates all these years.?He turned to me and nodded his head.? “That’s a knob’s name if I ever heard one.”

I gave him a nod of solidarity.

East chuckled. “Ah, okay, there we go. We have her. Her name is Olivia Ashong. Her mother was the Ghanaian ambassador to the United States for most of her youth, then she was eventually assigned to the UK. She was a diplomat for twenty years. Her father was English and died when she was nine. Her mother passed away six months ago.”

I forced my face into neutrality. “Rough go.” I kept staring at the photo with her and Ford and his hand dangerously close to her ass. Where my hand had been earlier that night.

My hands fisted and I forced them to unfurl. Didn’t matter that I didn’t know her. She felt like mine.

East scanned her information.? “Oh, she’s been with Ford for two years.?As far as I can tell, they’re not engaged.”

My chest loosened. As if all of a sudden I could breathe. Game on. If he wasn’t going to put a ring on it, she was mine for the taking.

East whistled low. “Well, what do you know?”

I sat up straighter.

He grinned. “It seems that we will have no problem finding Olivia Ashong.”

Bridge frowned before heading over to the bar and pouring himself a whiskey. “Why is that?”

“Because she works for us. She’s an admin to Kennedy Bright.”

She had been under my nose all this time? “How long has she worked there?”

East held up a finger.? “Looks like she started as a temp right around the time her mother died.?And then Kennedy hired her on as a full-time executive assistant three months ago.”

“Okay, great. I’ll make the approach and get back the data.” I was