Chapter Eight

EIGHT

Azelie used the private side entrance that was for employees only. Not all employees. One had to have a special microchipped card to gain entrance. An armed guard sat in the hallway behind a desk supposedly to check IDs. She knew he was there to ensure no one took that small left corridor that led beyond the underground Adventure Club. The door was built seamlessly into the wall, impossible to see. If one didn't know it was there, the entrance to the underground offices would be difficult to find even when looking for it.

The guard looked up as she approached. It was always the same. He recognized her, she knew him. His name was Bobby Aspen, and he'd been working the security in that corridor for as long as she'd been working for Alan Billows. At sixteen, she'd been silly enough to find the intrigue exciting—thrilling even. She wanted to help her sister by paying for her own clothing and also to give something to Janine toward the household expenses. If she was being honest, she had wanted to show off. Few people had her skills, and even fewer had them at her age.

"Hey, Bobby," she greeted and pulled back the hood of the sweatshirt she wore so he could see her face and clearly identify her. "How are you?"

"I'm good, but Sandra has a nasty virus," he said. "Being a schoolteacher, she gets every single illness those kids bring to the classroom."

Sandra was his wife. They didn't have children, and after getting to know Billows and understanding the extent of his criminal activities, Azelie thought it was a good thing he didn't have a large family. Anyone associating with Billows lived under a threat—including her. Maybe especially her, since she had been doing his books for so many years. She knew if she quit, she would have to disappear for a while. She knew too much about their activities. Not really what they were doing so much as that the amounts he brought in were massive and came from illegal activity.

Over the years, she'd been in the office working while Billows had visitors, seedy men dressed in suits. They smiled at her when they greeted her, but their eyes were speculative and moved over her face and body, leering and giving her the creeps. Billows had hustled them from the office she was working in and later would come back to reprimand her for not locking the door. He had a policy that she was never to lock the door. It was a direct order, but the few times she had locked the door after he yelled at her, he seemed to change his mind.

She detested Billows' mood swings. She detested him, but she'd learned to stay calm and act friendly and a little spacey, as if she didn't have too much in the brain department. She knew he had begun to believe she was gifted when it came to making his books look legitimate, but he also believed she wasn't quite bright in any other field.

"Tell Sandra I hope she gets better," Azelie told Bobby.

Bobby lowered his voice. "He's in a mood and he's texted four times to see if you're on your way down." There was concern in his tone.

Whatever the problem was, Billows was really acting out of character. He had never come to her house before or waited by the bus stop for her. Something was really wrong. Clearly, Bobby thought it was unusual for Billows to text him about her arrival time or he wouldn't feel the need to warn her.

"Thanks." She lifted her hand at him. "Let him know I'm on my way." She gave Bobby a vague smile. She knew from experience not to trust anyone no matter how friendly they seemed. If Billows employed them, he bought that loyalty and kept it through fear and money. She'd learned that much about him.

Billows tended to surround himself with men like her brother-in-law. Yes-men. Men who had addictions and failings and could be taken advantage of. It seemed to be Billows' specialty to spot men and women he could use.

When she'd first been shown the door that fitted so seamlessly into the wall, she thought it was super cool. She'd been so excited to discover that beneath two dance floors was a maze with hidden rooms. The idea of it sounded so much like spies and fantasy. To a sixteen-year-old, the concept of secret passageways, guards and special IDs was intriguing.

"Fantasy versus reality," she murmured as she started down the narrow steps lit only by LED lights. "Not so fun when you know your boss is creepy."

She had been working alone in the office one night when she heard screams. She had worked up the nerve to investigate, even though Billows had ordered her to stay in her office and go nowhere else. She'd never once broken his rule until she heard someone screaming. It had sounded like a woman in pain, and she couldn't just ignore it.

The office she always worked in was soundproof. The entire floor was soundproof. Above them, music played constantly, and customers played in the lavish dungeon-themed Adventure Club. Above that were more music and even more customers, dancing and talking in the Pleasure Train Club. Despite the amount of people and noise above the office, it was absolutely quiet in the underground maze. That was why hearing someone scream was so shocking. And frightening.

Azelie had leapt up, knocking over her chair. She was ashamed that it took a few seconds to force her terrified brain to stop panicking and allow her to move. She had never been shown around to the other offices. She knew there were hidden doors and cameras everywhere. Billows would know she'd run out of her office into the corridor rather than heading back up the stairs. He would be able to view the security tapes even if someone wasn't monitoring and informing him she was breaking the rules.

The screams increased in volume, sending chills down her spine. She ran toward the sound, but it was abruptly cut off. The ensuing silence seemed worse than the screams. She found herself facing three walls as the corridor dead-ended. That meant there had to be hidden doors in the wooden panels. Whoever had screamed was behind one of the walls.

"What the fuck are you doing, Azelie?" Billows sounded furious. "You aren't to leave that office."

She leaned against the wall, one hand supporting her, her palm seeking to reassure the woman when she had no chance of finding her. She found herself trembling.

"I'm sorry, Alan." She was conciliatory immediately. "I heard screaming. A woman." There was no point in denying it. "She sounded hurt, in pain. I rushed out to find her, to help, but I don't know my way around and I got lost."

His fingers bit deep into her arm, his grip hard enough to leave bruises. "Call me next time you think you hear something. This entire floor is wired."

He began walking her back toward her office.

"I don't know what that means."

"It means if you step wrong, you could set off a bomb."

She paled, the color draining from her face. "Do you mean you have active bombs down here? If I accidentally set one off, would it kill the people above us?"

Billows' fingers bit even deeper. "Don't you dare get hysterical on me. I was watching a fucking horror movie in the office next to yours and I had the door open a crack. You heard the screaming and, like an idiot, didn't bother to text me to see what was happening."

He was lying. She knew he was lying. Worse, that woman had stopped screaming. Azelie had no idea who she was or where she was. If she called the police and they came and searched the maze, they might set off bombs. She wanted to go home and pull the covers over her head and pretend she'd never met Billows.

He practically flung her into a chair, his face a mask of anger. She knew he could feel her trembling; there was no way to stop it. He hadn't answered her question about the bombs. She absolutely believed him that there were bombs. What was he doing besides rearranging his books to make his businesses seem legitimate?

"I'm sorry, Alan," she said, pouring contriteness into her voice. She didn't feel contrite. She just felt scared. "I won't leave my office again."

"You'd better not." He sounded menacing.

Now, each time she descended the narrow stairs to the office where she worked, the atmosphere beneath the dance floors always felt tense and oppressive. It felt sinister and dark, as if a thousand ghosts cried out for her to join them.

She ignored her overactive imagination and headed straight for the office she always used. The door was open, and Alan Billows was waiting for her inside, one hip to the desk. His dark eyes jumped to her face as she pushed back the hood and shook out her hair.

"Someone has been stealing from us," Billows announced as she entered the office. He waved her toward the chair behind the desk. "I need you to find out who, and I don't want you to leave until you have."

To give herself time to think of a response that wouldn't trigger his temper, Azelie moved around him to do as he wanted, seating herself at the desk. The computer was already running, the books open for her to inspect.

"Alan, of course I'll do my best to see who is stealing from you, but I'm a numbers person. Just looking at the books probably won't initially give me answers. I'll be happy to work on it until I find the culprit, but it could take weeks. Or more. Depending on how clever they've been."

"Then you'll stay weeks or more," he snapped.

He began pacing, his movements quick and angry, much like a trapped tiger. She forced air through her lungs, refusing to give in to panic. Billows was very angry. The atmosphere in the room felt sinister. Ominous. A giant storm ready to break right over her head.

"I understand your anger. You work hard for your money, and no one has the right to steal it from you. I'll find them, Alan, but I need to go home when I'm tired. I don't sleep well anywhere else. To do this for you, I have to be alert."

Billows abruptly stopped moving, swinging around to stare at her. Her stomach dropped. There was far too much speculation in his eyes. Something else as well. Lust maybe. Certainly interest in her as a woman, not just his bookkeeper. His steady stare was unnerving, but she forced a pleasant smile as she pulled a notebook from her backpack.

The weird thing was, she'd seen that look a few times before. Not often. Mostly he was terse and dismissive. He didn't spend a lot of time with her. Usually, he barked orders and left. She was uncertain why he would have sudden bouts of interest in her. She didn't flirt. She dressed in baggy, shapeless clothes. No makeup.

"Why didn't you allow me up to your apartment?"

It was the last thing she expected him to ask. Her heart accelerated at the dark shadows creeping over his face.

"Did you have someone up there?"

His tone indicated she had better not have had someone in her apartment. Worry for Andrii sent a shock wave of panic through her mind.

"I'm quite capable of making someone disappear," he added.

He wasn't joking with her. She kept her expression serene, with effort. She'd practiced the look a million times in her mirror after hearing those screams coming from somewhere in the complicated maze of secret rooms. Her eyes met his, and she made certain she had a look of inquiry.

"Alan." She kept her voice gentle and sweet. Deliberately, she acted as if she didn't understand. "That isn't something you should say to me when I'm looking for the criminal stealing from you. I know he might deserve whatever he gets, but I can't know about it. It wouldn't be safe for you."

He frowned and took a step closer to the desk. "What is it with you? I don't like bitches as a rule. I have a hard time getting you out of my mind."

Her heart continued to accelerate. Her mouth went dry. That wasn't good. She'd begun to suspect he was looking for more than a working relationship, although he never dated anyone for more than a week or so. His women didn't last.

"Perhaps you could refrain from referring to me as a bitch. I am not a dog, nor am I in heat. I'm your employee, and you're skating very close to a pet peeve of mine." She stuck her nose in the air and regarded him steadily with as much annoyance as she could muster.

What could have been a smile touched his mouth. "A pet peeve? Damn, woman, that's it right there. That attitude you have. We can talk about that later. Right now, I want to know about the other night. Why you didn't let me come upstairs."

She sat back in her chair. He was expecting her to say she had company, and she feared if she admitted Andrii was there, Andrii would mysteriously disappear. She had to give him something or he would get angry. She decided on a partial truth. And she was going to give it to him without attitude because he seemed to like attitude. She didn't want him thinking about her, let alone liking anything she did.

Her lashes fluttered, and she took a deep breath, letting him see it disturbed her to tell him. She wanted to give the impression of reluctance and a little bit of shame.

"I haven't gotten over it." That was the stark truth. She would never get over witnessing Quentin murder Janine and her niece and nephew. She would never get over the trauma of the three bullets tearing through her body. Still, she poured embarrassment into her tone.

His eyebrow lifted. "Gotten over what?"

Andrii would have known immediately without making her say it. Billows was that obtuse. Really? She wanted to get up and walk out. But then, she'd wanted out for years. She knew that wouldn't happen with consent. Billows would threaten her and possibly kill her before he would allow her to quit.

"Quentin murdering my sister, niece and nephew. Shooting me three times, attempting to kill me."

His eyes lost the blaze of anger. "You were still a kid."

She decided to act as if she was powering through. She allowed her eyes to shimmer with tears before she dropped her gaze from his, as if hiding her shame. "I don't feel safe when anyone's in my personal space." That was true, and she hoped he believed her. Everything she'd told him was the strict truth.

She caught at the drawstrings on her hoodie and twirled them nervously around her finger. "I don't even invite women friends to my apartment. I'm not ready yet." She wasn't certain she would ever be.

She hadn't invited Andrii, but once he was there with her, she hadn't been afraid for her life, more for her heart. Fortunately, Billows dropped the idea of thinking someone was in her apartment.

"That makes sense, Azelie." He seemed much more relaxed, the harshness and cruelty fading from his expression. "You aren't going to get over something like that quickly."

"It didn't stop when I was in the hospital. There were so many reporters and cops forcing me to relive it over and over. I have nightmares. If someone came up to my apartment and could see where I keep everything, I would never be able to fall asleep." That was true as well—with the exception of Andrii. She didn't know why he was the exception when danger emanated from him. She felt physically safe, just not her heart. She desperately needed to guard her heart from him, but she knew it was impossible.

"You realize, working for me in the position that you do, adding someone else into the mix would be seriously dangerous for them."

Billows stated it casually, as if it was a foregone conclusion that she would never date anyone.

She forced herself to meet his gaze. Again, he had a strange look in his eyes. This time he looked possessive. She had no idea what that was all about, but she didn't like it.

"I'm far too busy to add anyone into my life." She was. That was the truth as well.

Studying Billows' hard expression, she suddenly was terrified for Andrii. She would have to convince him she was too busy or not interested. But she wanted at least one night with him. Just one. It would have to last her a long, long time. She wasn't going to take chances with his life. Billows was a criminal, and by his own admission, he was willing to kill people.

That made her think of the woman who had screamed. Billows could say he was watching a movie all he wanted, but she didn't believe it. She hadn't believed his explanation then, and she didn't believe it now. If anything, she was more certain than ever that he had hurt someone while she was working in her office.

She refused to put Andrii in danger, not even if he was her one chance for a perfect relationship, or as perfect as one could get with both people having issues. She wasn't going to take all the blame. She knew she was screwed up after what Quentin had done. Her parents had started her down a road of mistrust and her brother-in-law pushed her over the edge. But she saw things in Andrii's eyes when he wasn't guarding himself. Bad things. He definitely had issues, so no, she wasn't going to shoulder all the blame for being the only one screwed up.

"It's good you don't want to put anyone else in danger, but I think it's time you had someone looking after you."

Her heart jumped, began to race. She worked at breathing normally, at settling her pulse. She had to handle this just right. "I'm quite capable of looking after myself, Alan. I've been doing it since Quentin took my entire family from me."

"That's not quite true," Billows disagreed. "I've been looking after you, making sure you're safe when you go running around that park in the evening. I'm going to put a stop to some of the things you do that are dangerous. You don't seem to have any real concept of self-preservation."

Her brows drew together. "You're my boss, Alan. You're not my partner. No one tells me what I can or can't do."

"That's about to change." He made it a statement.

She didn't pretend to misunderstand his meaning. "Getting into a relationship with your boss is always a bad idea. When things go south, and they always do, you no longer have a job." She used her primmest, snippiest voice.

Billows burst out laughing. His reaction was totally unexpected, and for the first time, she could see why so many women were attracted to him.

"Right there is why we're going to have a relationship."

She'd forgotten he liked attitude. Mostly, she was amenable and preferred pleasing those she cared about, but she had no trouble expressing her opinion when she didn't like something or thought the other person was wrong. Being in a relationship with Alan Billows was so wrong.

"We are not . I'm not risking my job, and you have a bad reputation with women. I'm sorry to say this, Alan, but you're never with a woman for more than five minutes. Gorgeous women. Models. Actresses. You date celebrities and heiresses. I'm none of those things. They couldn't keep your wandering eye from straying, so there would be zero chance that I would keep your attention."

"We'll see."

"We won't see," she corrected firmly. "You need to let me get to work. This isn't going to be easy. If someone has begun to siphon money from your accounts…"

His dark scowl was back. "They took it. All of it. Drained the accounts. This isn't a little siphoning off of the profits. This isn't one of my business associates deciding to steal from me, skimming from the top. This is blatant, finding my hidden accounts and wiping them clean."

Azelie sat very still, her mind racing. No one should have been able to find his concealed accounts. They were buried under so many layers and companies, it would be a miracle for someone, even the Feds, to find them and identify that they were Billows'.

"Alan, if they wiped out every one of your hidden accounts, they targeted you specifically. Do you have enemies? Someone who would want to destroy you and your businesses?"

He shrugged. "No one gets where I am without stepping on people. The answer would be yes, I have multiple enemies."

"Ones capable of hiring someone elite with a computer?"

"Yes," Billows said. "Strange thing is, they didn't touch my legal business accounts, only the ones where I stash the money from illegal businesses."

She dropped her forehead into her palm. "I'm not elite on a computer, Alan. I am with numbers, but not with tracing someone that good. We should find someone to help us." Deliberately, she aligned herself with him in the hopes he wouldn't go ballistic on her and insist she could find the culprit. She could not. Whoever had done such a thing was far, far better than she was on a computer.

She dared to raise her gaze to Billows' face. He was beyond an ordinary storm and had gone straight to a level-five hurricane. His face was flushed, eyes dark and scary, and he was actually gritting his teeth.

"That's bullshit."

Azelie knew she had to make him understand, even if it meant his wrath would descend directly on her head. She feared it already had with the way he was looking at her.

"I wish it was, Alan. There are some very gifted individuals who stay in the shadows. They don't work for the government or anyone else unless they are paid a great deal of money. They have skills far beyond what I have. Sometimes their skills exceed anyone the government employs. They hack their way in and out of very secure websites. At times they work together. Again, I don't have those kinds of skills and I never will have them."

"You fix the books and come up with solutions in the shortest amount of time possible. I've never seen anyone with your skills." He was back to pacing, quick angry steps, his glare directly on her. "When there were shortages before, you found how much and where that leak was coming from."

She shook her head. "I'm telling you, it isn't the same thing. I have a gift for numbers. I can see patterns in the numbers that make sense in my brain, but I don't have an affinity with computers. Some people are good on a computer. A few are great, even rarer are the ones who can do just about anything on them. Whoever did this to you is one of those people. I'm not one of them. If you have enemies, they could have hired the person or people. It wouldn't be cheap. It's possible I can start looking into some of those you say are out to harm you. I might see payments going out to someone."

"You do that," Billows snapped.

"Just know it's possible someone hacked your accounts on their own. These people like challenges, and they like to see if they can do what might be considered impossible."

"I don't care how it was done. I want the money back, and I need to know who my enemies are. Find them."

Azelie knew there was no making him see reason. He was incensed over the loss of his money. She couldn't blame him. He thought his ill-gotten gains were safe in anonymous offshore accounts hidden beneath layers of companies and misdirection. The money should have been safe, and most wouldn't be able to trace it back to Billows. She had a sinking feeling whoever had taken the money knew exactly who they stole it from. The fact that they hadn't taken a cent from his legitimate businesses was worrisome to her. She was surprised Billows hadn't questioned that further himself.

She knew Billows was shrewd and cunning. At times, he exhibited knowledge in areas she was rather shocked he knew anything about. Other times, he appeared to be totally obtuse. Whether he just affected ignorance or whether he really couldn't understand didn't matter. He insisted on everything being his way, and he didn't seem to care how he made that happen.

"I'll get to work, then," she told him, hoping he would go away. Deliberately, she turned her attention to the computer.

Billows didn't leave her office. He continued to pace, casting her speculative looks as he stalked from one side to the other of the relatively small room.

She pretended to be engaged in her research, but who could possibly work with a lethal tiger in the room? She was terrified that at any moment he would erupt into violence. Even though it had been months since she had heard the woman scream, she thought of it often. The sound echoed through her mind whenever she was alone in the office, but it was worse when Billows was there.

She thought of the woman and what could have been happening to her. It wasn't sounds of pleasure the unknown woman had been making. The screams were animalistic, as if she suffered great pain. Billows' anger toward Azelie when he discovered her trying to hunt down where the horrendous sound was coming from made her feel as if he had something directly to do with the woman's pain and fear.

Azelie didn't like being alone in the soundproof office with only Bobby as a witness to her entry. She was acutely aware she could disappear, and no one would know where to look for her. She knew from experience that a man who supposedly loved his family could turn on them in a moment. Billows was inherently cruel and selfish. She had no doubt that he would beat his wife and do so casually if he ever married. Being in the small room with him was distracting and a little terrifying.

She finally sighed and looked up. "I can't concentrate with you in here, Alan. I need to be able to pay attention to the numbers and names. Time stamps when money arrived or disappeared. You're going to have to leave."

Azelie forced herself to be firm with him. She poured confidence into her tone and carefully adjusted her expression. All the practicing in front of her mirror would hopefully pay off.

There was silence as Billows stopped his relentless pacing and once again swung around to confront her. She couldn't read his expression very well. He didn't look quite so angry, but he was frowning. He also had that same look in his eyes that told her he was looking at her differently than he ever had before. She really wanted to go home and maybe hide under her bed.

"It has occurred to me you didn't understand what I was telling you, Azelie. It's important you are perfectly clear so there are no mistakes made."

It was her turn to frown. She pushed back away from the desk and turned fully to him, folding her hands on her lap so she could twist her fingers tightly together.

"What did I misunderstand? I thought I was on the same page with you trying to find who stole your money."

He shook his head and settled one hip on the edge of the desk, too close to her. She was grateful she'd already pushed her chair back. There was a small distance between them, but she doubted if she could outrun him. She went through the weapons on the desk she had available to defend herself with. A stapler. It was heavy. She could wrap her fingers around it like a fist and clock him in the head. She went over the maneuver several times in her mind, never once looking at the stapler. She didn't want to give the impression of being nervous, or that she might lunge for that weapon.

"I'm not talking about the money. I want you to look into it, but you're right. I need a computer expert to figure out who stole that money from the accounts. That isn't your gift."

She hadn't expected him to acknowledge that he needed someone else. He sounded grim but resigned. She braced herself for what was coming. She had a very bad feeling.

"I'm talking about you needing a man to take care of you. And I want to make it very clear that the only man you're going to have in your life is me."

Her heart jumped and then went crazy. She was in so much trouble. She pressed her lips together to keep from blurting out the hell no that pounded through her brain.

"I thought we agreed that would be a bad idea. I'm not looking to lose this job anytime soon." She forced her eyes to meet his. "Do you have someone else you want to do the books? Have I let you down and you didn't say anything?"

Swift impatience crossed his face. "No one else is going to touch the books. That's been your job for the last seven years, and it will always be yours. I think you get that you can't just walk away after working with me all these years. You know more about what I do than anyone else. It wouldn't be safe for you to decide to leave."

There it was—a clear threat. She didn't pretend to misunderstand. Her chin went up and she glared at him. "I don't appreciate the threat, Alan. I've always been loyal, and I don't understand where all this is coming from. Why after all this time you suddenly feel the need to threaten me. I've gotten you out of trouble more than once. I found the people who were supposed to be loyal to you, skimming money off the top, and reported it to you." Mostly, she'd done that just in case he was testing her. That would be like him. She didn't like that those people had disappeared. She felt the weight of responsibility for them, although he could have simply fired them. She hadn't heard in the news about bodies appearing. "Why the sudden problem with me?"

He was silent for so long that she didn't think he would answer. He just stared at her, and she didn't like the way he was doing it. Again, he had that speculation and a little too much lust, as if he suddenly saw her differently. She wanted to pull her sweatshirt around her and check to make certain her body wasn't on display. She sat quietly, keeping her fingers twisted tightly in her lap, her mind on the stapler and going through the steps she would take if she had to use it.

"I don't have a problem with your work, Azelie, but let's be real. You've grown up, and you look…well…the way you look. I'm surprised that some man hasn't tried snatching you. It will happen though. We both need to face the fact that you're not going to spend your life alone."

She frowned. "The way I look? I've always looked this way. Men aren't falling at my feet, Alan. Nor do I want them to. I'm going to school and working. I babysit a couple of children when their parents are in a jam. I write because it's important to me."

He didn't ask what she meant by writing or what she wrote. He fixated on one thing only. "I don't like that you watch kids for Bradley Tudor. He's single and he definitely wants to fuck you."

Her heart accelerated again. He knew about Bradley, even his last name. He'd been watching her—or he'd hired someone to do it for him. That wasn't good. That was putting Bradley in jeopardy. The twins had already lost their mother. They didn't need to lose their father, and the threat was there. She feared for Andrii now. Had it been reported that she was seeing him? She'd gone out with him. Did Billows know, and that was what this was all about? Her breath caught in her lungs and refused to move. It took her a moment to calm herself so she could sound natural.

"You're very much mistaken, Alan. I think Bradley is dating someone. We have no interest in one another. If he feels differently, he wouldn't get anywhere, because I don't look at him that way. You know what happened with my sister and her husband."

Deliberately, she pressed her hand to the one scar close to her heart from the bullet that had nearly ended her life. "I have no wish to be with anyone right now. I like my life just the way it is." That wasn't just a half-truth, it was a lie. A blatant lie. Since meeting Andrii, she desperately wanted to take a chance with him. To see if she could possibly have a real relationship. Now she knew, in order to protect him, she didn't dare continue to see him. She just didn't know how to tell him.

"I'm just letting you know, there had better be no dating. When you're ready, you'll be with me."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the computer.

"Do you hear me?"

"I hear you. We can take this up again at a future time. Just not now."

He seemed to take her at her word and walked out, allowing her to breathe.