Each day, Alec came on duty as usual, but things weren’t the same as they had been. He was cordial and friendly, but he was keeping his distance. There was no more teasing, and he avoided any situation where they would get close to each other. When a discussion became too personal, he changed the subject. He was acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them. Did he already regret their night together? If she’d had the nerve, she would have asked him that very question.
Regan wasn’t sure if she had caught a virus or if the stress had made her sick, but she started throwing up one evening after Alec walked her to her suite. She had a horrible night. By noon the following day, she was feeling better.
She met Aiden late that afternoon to give him the signed contracts. He was waiting at a corner table in the atrium. Regan ordered iced tea and sipped it while she half listened to him talk about the new hotel.
“Are you paying attention?”
“Not really.”
“Are you still sick?” He sounded suspicious, as though she were trying to pull a fast one by getting out of bed too soon.
“No, I’m fine.”
“According to Alec, you sure didn’t look fine last night.”
“Excuse me? How would he know what I looked like?”
Aiden shrugged. “He heard you were sick. I’m not sure who told him,” he said, “but he came back to the hotel, and he spent the night.”
“In the hotel? Alec stayed in the hotel?”
“Didn’t I just say he did? He stayed in your suite. He slept on the sofa.”
She was astonished. And all she could think about was how horrible she’d looked with her hair hanging in her eyes and her pasty complexion. Had he been there when she was throwing up? Lovely, she thought.
“Aiden, why did you let him see me looking half dead?”
He smiled. “I didn’t have much to say about it.”
She decided to change the subject. “I ran into Paul. He told me he’s cutting back on his hours.”
Aiden nodded. “He’s tired of so much traveling, and he needs to be home more with his family.”
“So you’re okay with his decision?”
“Yes. I told him he can have any job he wants. We don’t want to lose him.”
She was handing the contracts to Aiden when she looked up and saw Alec walking toward her. He stopped to talk to the officer assigned to her for the day to get a report. She didn’t want him to catch her staring at him, and so she hastily turned around.
Now Aiden was watching her. His cell phone rang, but he ignored it.
“You should answer that.”
He picked up the phone, turned the power off, and then tucked it into his pocket.
“Did you want to tell me something?” he prodded.
She bowed her head. “I did something stupid.” She made the confession in a whisper.
“What did you do?”
I fell in love. And how stupid was that? She didn’t say what she was thinking, though. “I’m tired, that’s all. I need a vacation.”
Her brother was far more astute than she realized. He looked at Alec who couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Regan, and then he looked at Regan again.
The two of them looked miserable.
“He told me he’s going into the FBI.”
Startled, she looked up. Aiden was smiling. She didn’t pretend not to know whom he was talking about. “Yes, he is. And what is so amusing?” she asked, frowning.
“I was wondering how Alec will feel when Walker hires someone to do a background check on him.”
Her eyes widened. “He wouldn’t…”
Aiden shrugged. “He hired someone to check out Dennis, and you weren’t serious about him.”
“Aiden, he’s leaving.”
“Yes, I know.” He stood then and said, “Here he comes.”
She practically overturned her chair when she bolted to her feet, and if Aiden hadn’t grabbed her glass, it would have crashed to the floor.
She took a breath, slapped a smile on her face, and turned around. He was at it again, she thought, looking even more handsome than the last time she’d seen him. The man could clean up when he wanted to. He’d already proven that last Saturday night when he’d worn a tuxedo. He had on a navy blue blazer and khaki pants, and he was wearing loafers, not beat-up tennis shoes.
She couldn’t believe how rattled she was, and he hadn’t said a word to her.
Alec nodded to Aiden and smiled at her. “You’re looking better today.” She guessed the pleasantries were over when he turned to Aiden, abruptly dismissing her. “Your attorney hasn’t called Gil Hutton back yet. He told me he’s left two messages for him. I think maybe you need to talk to him again.”
“I’ll get right on it,” he promised. “Sam was on vacation, but I was sure he’d be back by now.”
Regan decided to go up to her office. Aiden and Alec followed behind. “I want Gil to hear from him by tomorrow afternoon. If he doesn’t, I’m going over to his office and look through those files myself.”
“He’ll call.”
Regan was holding the elevator for them. Alec stood in front of her on the way up to the third floor.
“I talked to Lieutenant Lewis this morning,” Aiden said.
“That had to be fun,” Alec commented. “You’d better not mention my name, or it could be bad for Detective Wincott.”
“What does that mean?”
Alec explained. “It means that Lewis would ruin his chances for promotion if he found out I’m helping him.”
Aiden nodded. “He’s not going to find out from any of us, and certainly not from Sam.”
“So I guess the lieutenant doesn’t like you,” Regan said.
When he didn’t answer her, she poked him in the back.
He flashed a grin, then reached behind him and grabbed her hand. When he realized what he’d done, he immediately let go.
Aiden pretended he didn’t notice. “From what I understand, they really don’t have any leads. He told me they’re looking at Peter Morris.”
“That could be another dead end,” Regan said.
“They’re not just looking at him,” Alec said. “They’re looking for him.”
“He’s hiding?” Regan asked.
“Yes, but he can’t hide forever,” Alec said. “He’ll surface, and then they’ll get him.”
“But that could take forever.”
As it turned out, Morris was apprehended one hour later.
Chapter Forty
Peter Morris made two mistakes and both of them were doozies.
His first mistake was to give in to temptation. He walked into a bar in downtown Chicago and started drinking hard liquor, and lots of it, which not only impaired his judgment but also gave him a false sense of security. The more he guzzled down, the more convinced he became that he was safe, and for the moment, untouchable.
The second mistake he made was to call Regan Madison. It took him several tries, and by the time he finally got through to her, he had worked himself into a froth.
Regan had told the operator to hold her calls and that she would be back in her office by three. Time got away from her, though, and when she and Alec reached her door, Detective Wincott was waiting. She assumed he was there to talk to her.
“Is there news?”
He shook his head. “I’m just here to pick up Alec. We’ve got a thing to go to. Sort of a going-away party for Alec,” he explained.
She noticed a policeman standing down the hall. Her phone rang. Wincott was turning to leave, but Alec lingered. She picked up the extension on Henry’s desk and answered. “Regan Madison.”
“This is your last chance to do the right thing.”