As she strode down Fifth Avenue with her mocha-colored Calvin Klein silk tank dress, vintage floral opera coat, and blond hair wafting in the breeze, her thoughts turned to the man who had impacted her life.
In cryptic fashion, her boss, Garrett Wheeler, had asked her to meet him at The House of Harry Winston, giving her a specific name to contact at the prestigious store. When she did, the saleswoman only smiled and gave her a magnificent velvet box containing the most beautiful diamond necklace she had ever seen. Her fingers shook as she held it to the light, each perfect gem holding tight to its precious trace of rainbow.
Garrett perplexed her. Her boss one minute, her amazing lover the next. He had opened her eyes to life in a way she had not expected—through her sensuality. And she’d been grateful but had come to recognize her addiction to his ways, making her hungry for her own experiences. Up until now, she had only played out her fantasies in her mind, imagining sexual encounters with strangers.
No names. No talking. Only satisfying her urgent need.
Somewhere along the way, she’d accepted Garrett as her teacher rather than a lover with the promise of a future together. It had been a painful discovery over the last several months—to accept their relationship for what it was—not for what she once hoped it would become. But once she let go of that hope—that conventional anchor—she gave in to Garrett’s needs and discovered a few of her own. And perhaps she had known all along that he had a more-demanding mistress.
His job.
At first, after the way he’d phrased the message to meet him, she had thought it might have something to do with her job as an operative working for the Sentinels, a covert and well-funded international organization. She had never met the men behind this group, but Garrett had. He served as a go-between to protect their anonymity. These men waged a private war against criminals who’d found refuge in a global arena where multijurisdictional boundaries had created havens, making it impossible to prosecute. The Sentinels took matters into their own hands like vigilantes and remedied the problem, discreetly. And she was a cog in that wheel.
But Garrett loved surprises and had a knack for creative liaisons with her in the most unexpected places. As she walked, she only half expected to see him, unsure where he’d make his move. The man had been that unpredictable. Yet something reflected in a store window had caught her eye.
In a sea of yellow cabs, buses, and the occasional bike messenger, she spotted a sleek black limousine making its way toward the curb. Eventually, it trailed behind her, not making a secret of its presence. When she stopped, so did the limo. And as the rear door opened, Garrett grinned from his seat inside, that slick disarming smile that always took her breath. He was dressed in an elegant charcoal gray suit and hoisted a crystal champagne glass toward her.
“Care to join me?” His low voice teased her ear, making the city fade until there was only him. Even in an urban jungle, she would have recognized the familiar caress of his voice anywhere.
She climbed in next to him, ignoring the curiosity of people on the street.
“You really know how to make an entrance.”
He kissed her and handed her a flute of champagne. The drink warmed her body as she sipped, but she wondered if Garrett had more to do with that.
“Nothing’s too good for you, Alexa.” He poured himself a glass as the limo pulled into traffic. “I had intended to catch you for dinner this evening, but something has come up. We need to talk.”
Garrett had a way of mingling business with pleasure that made both very palatable, but his face looked more somber than usual. His steel gray eyes appeared darker in the subdued light, a color she imagined existed on the fragile edges of the sky before it turned to the pitch black of infinity.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“I’d like you in Chicago by tonight. I’ve made all the arrangements. By the time you’re packed, you’ll have your itinerary and accommodations. But I’m leaving the trip up to you. Once you hear what I’ve got to say, you can decline if you’d like.”
“Oh? What is this about?” She raised an eyebrow.
“It hasn’t hit the papers yet, but it will. And I thought you’d want to know.”
“Now you’ve really piqued my interest.” She smiled. “And your network never ceases to amaze me.”
Garrett had “associates” in key positions domestically and across the globe, those men and women sympathetic to the cause of the Sentinels. Such a network had taken years and perhaps decades to cultivate. Alexa had the impression it had existed before Garrett and would endure long after his influence. They appeared to be an ancient order of overseers who had adapted to the times.
“Jessica Beckett. You remember her?”
The bounty hunter. How could she forget? And hearing her name from Garrett’s lips sent a ripple of jealousy through her that she had worked hard to suppress. Three months ago, the woman had helped her bring down Globe Harvest, a worldwide predator organization that bartered in human lives online. For them, everything had a price until the Sentinels dealt a crippling blow to their clandestine operation. Thanks in no small measure to Jessie Beckett.
Garrett had implied an interest when he’d first learned of Jessie and called her an “interesting woman,” a term he had used to describe Alexa shortly before he hired her to work for him. Being intimate with Garrett had made her vulnerable to a pang of jealousy at the time, but she had gotten through the last assignment and put it behind her. Now the coincidence of his request for her to travel to Chicago made her question Garrett’s real motives.
Was his request for legitimate reasons or did he have another more personal agenda in mind?
“Yes, I remember her.” She forced a smile. “What’s going on?”
“Her friend Seth Harper has been arrested for murder. He worked for her.”
Alexa recognized Harper’s name as someone connected to Jessie.
“Worked? As in past tense?” She narrowed her eyes. “Have you been keeping up with her?”
“Yes. She’d make an excellent asset,” he replied without hesitation. “I thought you agreed.”
“So we’ll be capitalizing on Seth Harper’s hardship to recruit Jessie. Is that what you had in mind?”
“Is that how you see it? Jessie could probably use the support, and if it nets us a new operative, I see no reason to pass up this opportunity.” He cocked his head in question. “Do you have a problem with this? Like I said, you don’t have to go, but I thought you’d want to.”
He was leaving it up to her, but what choice did she really have? She respected Beckett and would want to help if she could. She had to deal with her unexpected jealousy to move on with her life. Perhaps a trip to Chicago wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“No, I’ve got no problem with it. I just know how fast you seize an opportunity. And since you find Jessie Beckett an interesting woman…” She used his words from three months ago, words that had triggered her jealousy then. “…Seth Harper’s situation may position us to take advantage of his troubles to gain leverage with her.”
He considered her point as if it had never occurred to him, but she knew better.
“I suppose you’re right. If we help Beckett’s friend, she may be…grateful. Our organization could come off in a favorable light. And yes, she’d make a great addition to our team.”
“Then I’d say the timing of this murder is perfect. Count me in,” she said.
“You act as if I arranged it. Do you really think…” He laughed and took a sip of his champagne, not finishing his thought.
A part of her suspected Garrett was ruthless enough to do just that. When it fit his agenda, she knew him to be capable of far worse. All business, Garrett raised his chin and fixed his gaze on her.