13. A Surprising Lunch

One year later

"You still need to go over two more project requests. One of them is for the new hospital."

Alice placed two heavy files on Gabriel's desk, the hospital project on top. Then she double checked her tablet. "The budget review meeting is at four this afternoon, so you should have plenty of time after lunch to review these."

Gabriel groaned and slumped in his chair. "Why did I accept this job again?"

"Because you're the strongest alpha in Portugal, and you're expected to lead," Alice replied dryly. Bruno had loved this kind of work. Finance and management were his favorite games, and he had played with abandon. Gabriel already had the groundwork laid for him to keep the country on the right track, but sometimes he sulked like a teenager who had to do homework. Gabriel had officially been Bruno's replacement for a year now, and Alice had expected his attitude to improve, but Gabriel had remained true to himself.

"Also, because you are stuck with me," she teased.

He grabbed her hand and gave it a small kiss. "I'm not stuck with you." Then he focused on the hospital file.

"Should I order us something for lunch?" She was already checking her tablet for delivery options.

Gabriel placed a hand on her arm. "Not today. We are having lunch with someone today."

"Oh? You didn't warn me. Who are we meeting?" Curiosity poked at her. Usually they had lunch by themselves or in the office. Meeting lunches were usually just for Gabriel and whatever visitor wanted to talk off the books, and she would go somewhere with the other assistant instead.

"It's…" He hesitated. "You'll see."

That was unusually mysterious. She frowned at him. "Am I dressed okay?" If she'd known they had a work lunch, she would have dressed up.

"You look fine." Gabriel smiled at her as he played with a pen in his hands. He was nervous. Very nervous. It was usually hard to sense what he was feeling, but his nervousness was clear today.

"We should leave in twenty minutes. Could you ask Lemos to bring the car around?"

"All right." She left his office and placed her tablet on a dock in her desk, linking it to her PC. Gabriel's other assistant had already left for lunch.

She called the driver and got ready to leave.

Gabriel left his office and went straight for the elevator. Alice started getting nervous too. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes."

It was an unusually curt answer. There was tension in the way he walked, and he wouldn't look at her.

The car left them at the restaurant's entrance. Gabriel placed a hand on her back and guided her in, directing her straight to their private table. Everyone greeted them politely and let them pass without interruption. Not only were they regulars here, but everyone also knew Gabriel was First Chair.

Their table was away from the main floor of the restaurant, in a private nook on a closed balcony. Gabriel didn't like to have a crowd around while they ate, so all his favorite restaurants had quickly learned to make accommodations for them.

The table was very private. It was one long U-shaped couch with a raised back, so one couldn't see who was sitting here unless directly in front of it. Because of that, she couldn't see their guest yet.

Gabriel placed his arm around her shoulders. "Our company today is another alpha, so I have to ask you to sit between us. I'm not comfortable sitting next to him."

"Okay," she said quietly. Stuck between two alphas—not a comfortable place to be. Gabriel's tension picked up even more as they approached the table.

A man got up from his seat to greet them. He had deep-set eyes and almost no eyebrows. She tried to step back, but Gabriel's arm kept her in place.

Her mouth pursed. She was furious. "You jerk."

Gabriel looked sheepishly at her and gave her a tentative smile. "If I had said who it was, you wouldn't have wanted to come."

"You're right. And now I don't want to be here," she whispered back.

Matts Hansen watched them with a polite smile on his face. She assumed he didn't understand Portuguese, but he could probably guess she wasn't happy to see him.

He offered her a hand to shake, or God forbid, to kiss, like alphas liked to do now. She looked at the hand and back at him, ignoring his offer.

"Alice, you remember Matts?" Gabriel tried to make an introduction.

"How could I forget?" She didn't smile back at either of them.

Hansen offered his hand to Gabriel, who shook it quickly and let go. "A pleasure to see you both again."

She doubted it was a pleasure for any of them. This explained why Gabriel was so nervous, but why did he set this trap for her?

Gabriel guided her to the seat. Oh, no. She was going to have to sit between them. And she couldn't get up unless one of them did. She could feel her cheeks getting hot all the way to her ears.

"Alice?" Gabriel asked gently, inviting her to sit.

She took a deep breath and scooted along the seat. The men sat on either side of the table, Gabriel on her right and Hansen on her left, so they were face to face. Neither of them seemed to be pleased with the other alpha's presence, both tense and trying to look imposing. Still, they made awkward conversation about things like the weather and Lisbon's airport security. It would have been comical if it wasn't so dangerous.

She looked between the two. What kind of Twilight Zone hell was this? Each man was talking to the other with forced politeness, both holding back their aggression as best they could. If she was a psychiatrist, she could probably write a whole paper on alpha pissing-contest tactics, just based on the behavior of these two.

"I see why you like to eat here. The view in this place is beautiful." Matt peered outside the big balcony window. The restaurant was on top of a hill, and Lisbon was displayed in all its glorious urban mess before them. They could see all the way to the castle and the river.

"Did you have a chance to see any of the sights yet?" Gabriel asked politely.

"Not yet. Perhaps you could show me around your city, Alice?" He turned to her with an affable expression on his face.

She forced a smile of her own. "Sorry, I'll be busy."

"I didn't say when yet," he teased.

"I know."

Gabriel tried to suppress a chuckle. She expected Hansen's face to drop, but his smile increased into a grin. Was the bastard enjoying making her uncomfortable?

A beta waiter came to get their orders. He was used to serving Gabriel and Alice, but he probably wasn't prepared for the alpha tension the men were exuding right now. He had a big grin on his face that slowly fell as he noted down what they wanted. Poor guy.

Matts glanced down the menu, but it was in Portuguese, so he asked Gabriel to select something for him. Alice suggested the spicy chicken, but Gabriel ordered steak. As soon as Gabriel was done choosing a wine for the three of them, the beta hurried away. She wished she could go with him.

The men fell into an uncomfortable silence, avoiding each other's eyes. That would have been fine if it didn't mean most of their attention was focused on her instead.

The waiter came back to serve the wine, and Matts gave an appreciative nod when he tasted it, the forced conversation falling into Portuguese wines and spirits. She took a deep breath. The hostility both men were feeling was making her extremely uncomfortable, and the poor waiter was having a hard time with it as well. She could feel his distress and reluctance to approach their table.

"Why are you here, Hansen?" she asked, interrupting their pointless chitchat.

Hansen exchanged glances with Gabriel. Some silent understanding passed between the men that excluded her.

"Please, call me Matts," he replied with a charming smile. Not charming enough for her, though. "I'm sure you know I was the one who helped your late husband set up all the security for you."

"Yes, I remember him mentioning something. I'm not a fan of your security ideas."

He chuckled. "Yes, Bruno did say you were quite vocal with your opinion of them."

"So you are here to discuss security?"

"Yes, among other things."

"You didn't need to come all the way to Lisbon when you helped my husband. Why come now? Did your phone break?"

He shuffled in his seat and straightened his cutlery. "Did Gabriel explain what happened at the hearing?"

"I explained that you are now second on the list," Gabriel offered dryly. There was a warning there. She could feel it.

"Yes, I'm second now on the list, and if for some reason I end up responsible for you, I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

"You mean, when you tried to take me away from my friends and family, and scared me so much I almost ended up falling off a roof?"

He looked embarrassed, and Gabriel gave her a small kick under the table. She was aware she was being rude, but for the first time in her life, she thought she met someone who deserved it.

"I apologize for that. I'm sure Gabriel explained why that happened."

"Yes, you were a cunt."

Gabriel almost spit out his wine, and Matts stopped his glass halfway to his mouth. To her surprise, he started laughing. She looked at Gabriel, surprised at Matts's attitude, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

"In short, yes, I would say that was it. I was a cunt, and I apologize." He winked, as if she could forget how scary the hearing had been.

"You'll have to understand if I don't rush to forgive you."

"Fair enough."

"So you came here in case you need to kidnap me again?"

Matts grinned at her. Damn bastard was enjoying the battle.

"Kidnap is a bit of a strong word, no?"

"I think it's quite appropriate."

"Alice…" Gabriel warned. He wasn't happy with how she was dealing with this situation, but in all honesty, he deserved a kick in the butt for springing this on her without warning.

"I'm not here just because of you this time. I also want to ensure Gabriel's security."

The server arrived with their orders, appearing more relaxed. Both men had their attention on her instead of on their pissing contest, so tension was eased. It was a small achievement, but no beta deserved to put up with this clash of alpha egos.

"You didn't bother with my husband's security, so why Gabriel's? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I don't want to be passed on to the next man on the list."

Matts took some time cutting his steak before replying. Was he figuring out what to say? She was getting tension from him, and, for some reason, guilt.

"We didn't see much need for Bruno's security at the time. But Gabriel may be the target of some envy from the men in the first list."

No need for security? Maybe if they had given more thought to her husband's security he would still be here.

"Do you think one of them killed my husband?"

Both men stopped eating and stared at her.

"Did you tell her?" Matts wasn't happy.

"No. Alice, why do you think someone killed Bruno?"

She rolled her eyes. Did they really know so little about omegas?

"I had my suspicions, and Jerome practically confirmed it to me."

Matts leaned back in his seat, swirling his wine. Gabriel went to take her hand but apparently changed his mind halfway.

"I didn't want you to find out this way," he told her softly.

"No, you didn't want me to find out at all. I'm an omega, Gabriel, not a child. Although alphas seem to have trouble knowing the difference."

Both men were uncomfortable, and ate their meal quietly. Matts was the first one to break the silence. "What is that you're putting on your food?"

She looked at the Piri-Piri sauce on her plate and gave him a charming smile. "It's my favorite sauce. Would you like to try it?"

Taking the small bottle she offered, Matts put a bit of it on the side of his plate, and dipped a piece of steak in it. When he tried it, Alice had to make an effort not to laugh. His eyes watered, and his face was full of regret.

"It's… strong…" Matts said between coughs.

She smiled at Gabriel, but her friend was divided between amusement and concern.

Matts gulped down a full glass of wine and stuffed his mouth with fries.

"I would like to check your new home today, to spot any possible security breaches." Matts said to Gabriel when he finally recovered his voice.

"All right. What about the new government building?" Gabriel replied.

"That, I can check tomorrow." Matts drank more wine, probably still feeling the burn of the sauce. "I would also like to discuss the arrangements for your trip to France."

"We are going to France?" Alice asked Gabriel. She had always wanted to visit France. Maybe she could see Sophie too?

Gabriel looked at her kindly, but spoke in a very firm tone. "You are not going."

"What? Why?"

"It's not safe. Other First Chairs from Europe will be there, and it will be chaos."

Disappointment flooded her. She should know better by now. "Is Matts going with you?"

"Also no." Gabriel set down his knife and fork. "He is going to keep an eye on you while I'm gone."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"He will stay at our house with you while I'm away."

She looked at Matts. "You are going to babysit me while Gabriel is having fun in France?"

"It's not going to be fun," Gabriel clarified. "We are going to discuss new laws and ideas, now that the first phase of population conversion is completed in Europe. Don't know why they chose France for these talks."

"And I won't be babysitting you." Matts huffed, not giving her any time to reply to Gabriel. "We can get to know each other better while Gabriel's away."

Gabriel glared at him. If he was so unhappy with the idea of Matts watching over her, why was he allowing it?

She slumped in her seat. "When is your trip happening?"

"Not for another six months. But I want to have everything well planned and prepared before I go."

"Including his babysitting duties?" She nodded towards Matts.

"It's not babysitting." Matts repeated.

Gabriel chuckled. "Yes, including his babysitting duties."

"It's not babysitting…" Matts muttered under his breath. It was the first time she saw a grown man sulk.

Matts walked around the apartment Gabriel and Alice had moved into. It was at the top of a new elegant building near the Tejo River, higher than other buildings around it. It was not the tallest building in Lisbon, but it was a more secure location than the temporary apartment he had arranged for her and Bruno. Gabriel had made sure that only select people were allowed to live on the other floors. And by select, he meant that many who knew Alice was an omega, like her security team and their families, other members of the government, and her doctor.

They had entered the building via an exclusive gate that led to a private parking space with a direct elevator for the apartment. Several levels of security ensured no unauthorized person could get in.

The apartment itself was a duplex. The living and dining rooms, kitchen, and Gabriel's office were on the first floor, and the bedrooms and family room were on the second floor.

Matts inspected the entire lower floor for possible entry breaches, and was happy to find none. He didn't like the windows, however, as top-to-bottom windows were not as secure. Why did modern buildings have to be all steel and glass? While he walked around, he gave every single housekeeper and cook that worked at the apartment his most charming smile, and shook their hands. He had helped to select all these people, but there was no harm in double checking. All ordinary betas, no one with gaps in their memories.

"You are really fond of shaking hands, aren't you?" Alice was his reluctant guide around the house.

"Yes, I am." He smiled at her comment. "It allows me to see clearly who can be trusted and who can't."

"Wouldn't it be safer to have less staff instead?"

"I'm not the one who decided how big the staff for your new home would be. That was Gabriel's decision."

Alice rolled her eyes. She clearly wasn't happy to have so many people around. But on the other hand, he could understand why Gabriel wanted to hire so much help. It was a big apartment, and the more people to help in its maintenance, the less Alice would have to do, leaving her more time to focus on him instead.

He had the feeling Gabriel had missed the mark somewhere with this. Good. More likely that he wouldn't succeed, then.

"Nothing of note down here. Could you take me to your bedroom, please?"

"My bedroom?" Alice blushed in surprise. "Why do you need to see my bedroom?"

He loved that blush. He wanted to see it again, preferably brought on by something flirtier.

"I have to make sure it's safe." He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He expected her to blush again, but she took a step away from him instead.

"I will check Gabriel's room as well," he tried to reassure her.

She guided him up the stairs and down a corridor. When he entered the room, he had to resist the impulse to take a deep breath. It smelled wonderfully of her. When he was near Alice, her scent would tease him, calling his attention, then eluding him when he tried to capture it more deeply. In her bedroom, it lingered. It had greeted him when he entered, and it didn't run away. He could spend all afternoon here, admiring the view and breathing her in.

Her bed was away from the windows, nested into a padded alcove. It looked soft and inviting and it was perfectly made. He looked around the room. There was a desk and chair pushed against another wall, and a comfy-looking chaise longue near the window. There was a pile of books on the floor near it, and he itched to read the titles.

Focusing on his work instead, he looked out the window from Alice's bedroom. No other high-rise buildings in sight from this side of the apartment—only the river. The other side of the river was too far away for anyone to be able to use binoculars or anything similar to watch her. Good; he didn't want to give the strays after the omegas any opportunities to spy on her.

When he turned around, he accidentally bumped into the pile of books, scattering them on the soft carpet.

"I'm so sorry." He quickly crouched to pick them up. Alice knelt next to him and helped pile them back.

"It's okay," she replied politely.

He looked at each of the titles. Horror, science fiction, fantasy. He put a beat-up edition of Lord of the Rings on top of the pile, and she put TheCount of Monte Cristo on top of that one.

"This is one of my favorite books," he said with a smile, pointing at the last book. He took a better look at the cover and found that it was a French version. "You speak French?"

She straightened the pile and got up. "Yes. I've been learning new languages since my conversion."

"To help with Bruno's work?"

"No. I started learning so I could talk with the omegas who don't know English. I found it was easier to learn new languages after I was converted, so I challenged myself to read my favorite books in their original languages."

"Any chance of learning Norwegian?" He would love that.

"Maybe one day, but I don't know any Norwegian authors." She gave him an acidic smile. "And I can't think of any other reason to learn the language."

He chuckled at the barb. He liked it when she defied him. It was far better than indifference, and he enjoyed trying to get under her skin. Once he got there, it would be hard to get him out.

She turned to him to say something but hesitated, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"By the way, thank you." She looked like she had a hard time saying those words, but the tone was honest.

He was surprised.

"Thank you for setting up the chat for the omegas. We all appreciate it," she clarified.

"Did they ask you to thank me for the chat?" he asked, curious.

"No. I don't even think they know who you are."

"Then how do you know I was the one who it set up?"

"Jerome told me."

"Ah. I'm surprised he did. He wasn't happy about the chat, you know?"

"I know." Alice chuckled. "He told me that too."

"That man is full of surprises."

"That he is. I think he told me more than he intended to."

That was Jerome's bad habit. Funny how fast Alice had caught on to it.

"Which leads me to ask, how old are you?" she asked.

Now, that surprised him. Did she think he was as old as Jerome?

"I'm forty-three years old," he told her honestly. There was a big age gap between them, but with the Tube technology, he didn't believe it made much of a difference anymore. "But I know I look older. It's the hair, right? Maybe I should dye it."

She turned to the window and chuckled, shaking her head.

"Men can be vain too, you know?" he said.

Now she really laughed. "Of course I know. I live with Gabriel." She looked back at him. "I'm starting to think it's a requirement to become an alpha. Vanity and a big ego."

"Can't think of an alpha that doesn't have both," he agreed.

He realized he didn't know how much she knew about him. Gabriel clearly didn't tell her about the deal between them, which was good.

Alice's expression made him think she had more questions but was afraid to ask. He didn't insist on her asking. He would have her all to himself when Gabriel went to France. It could wait until then. He had promised he would give Gabriel his chance to bond with Alice, but that didn't mean he would help. He would help himself only.

"Shall we go to Gabriel's room now?" he asked her.

She nodded and opened a door that led to a walk-in closet.

He entered, confused. She then opened another door that led to another closet, this one filled with men's clothes.

"Sorry, it's faster than going around," she apologized but didn't seem sorry at all.

They came out of the closet into Gabriel's room. He understood the not-so-subtle hint. They were connected, Alice and Gabriel. But like their rooms, there was a door between them. They were friends, not lovers, and if Matts could, he would keep it that way.

Alice waited while he checked the windows. Gabriel's room was smaller and, on this side of the building, had a view of the city. No apparent threats, although this bedroom was more exposed.

"Where else do you spend your time while at home?" he asked.

"The family room."

She took him through another door into a bright corridor, and from there into an open space. He loved this room immediately. The walls were covered in bookshelves as tall as the windows. It had comfortable-looking sofas and chairs turned to a small fireplace. One of the sofas had a throw blanket carefully folded over its arm. He casually approached it while scanning the room, and took a deep breath. It smelled of Alice. Her scent was all over this room, but here, it was mixed with Gabriel's. He itched to check the books, and wondered which ones were hers and which were his. Was there a clear separation, or were they all together? He got closer to one of the shelves and noticed the books were odd. He tried to pull one, but part of the shelf disappeared into the wall and a television appeared instead. Clever…

"Do you want me to open the shades, so you can do your window thing?" Alice asked.

"Yes, please." He chuckled.

The window shades opened slowly. No visible threats here either. He hated to admit it, but Gabriel had done his job right with this apartment.

"I think that's all I needed to check today. Thank you for showing me around."

"You're welcome." She was distracted, putting some books back in their places.

He took the opportunity to browse around again, eager to discover more about Alice. "I like this room," he said casually, almost to himself.

"Thank you. It's one of the few rooms I had a say in."

He turned around. There was a little bit of bitterness in her voice.

"Are all these books yours?"

She laughed. "Gosh, no. Most of them are Gabriel's."

"How do you know which belong to whom?" He got closer to the books and read the titles.

"I know my books." she said as she picked one up with a gentle smile on her face. He tried to read the name of the book, but it was in Portuguese.

The books were divided by theme, and then by the author's name. The shelf he was near had a lot of art books. The next one was all cars.

"Those are all Gabriel's. He has a thing for cars."

He put the book he'd picked up back in its place, and walked to a record player. He couldn't see the speakers anywhere.

"Maybe you could recommend some Portuguese music. I'm sure you have good taste."

"Really?" She walked over to him and put a new CD in the player. "Gabriel hates my taste in music." She gave him the CD case, and walked to the window.

A sad melody started playing, and a beautiful feminine voice sang in Portuguese. It was a melancholic song, and although he couldn't understand the words, he understood the emotion. The CD case had Madredeus written on the cover. Something else to look up as soon as he had the chance.

He thanked her again for the tour of the house, and went downstairs to join Gabriel in his office.

Matts knew so little about her. He had been a cunt indeed, thinking he could just take her away, and that she would eventually end up loving him like she had loved Bruno. He had seen her as an omega first and Alice second. Now he was waking up from the dream of having an omega and seeing what was really in front of him: Alice as a person.

Entering the office, Gabriel greeted him with a somber expression. He wasn't happy to have another alpha poking around his den, but he didn't have much of a choice. Jerome had agreed that as second, Matts was entitled to be part of the decisions surrounding Alice, her security most of all.

Alice entered the office after him.

"I'm going to make some coffee. Would you like anything?" she asked Gabriel.

"A cappuccino would be wonderful," Gabriel requested.

She hesitated, but then she offered a charming smile that reminded Matts of what had happened at lunch.

"Would you like one too?"

"I would love one too, thank you." He wasn't going to back down, even if she gave him the spiciest cappuccino in the world.

He silently watched Gabriel work until Alice returned with a tray. She gave a cup to Gabriel, who thanked her with a sweet smile.

"Aww, you made a little leaf. So cute." Gabriel gushed over the cup, making Alice blush.

Then she offered Matts the other cup, with an innocent half smile on her face.

He took the cup and thanked her.

"If you need me, I'll be in my room," she told Gabriel before disappearing.

Matts peeked into his cup and chuckled. There was a leaf shape in his drink too, but it was distorted to appear as though it was giving him the finger.

He had gotten under her skin, indeed.

"Satisfied with your visit?" Gabriel asked him without lifting his eyes from his computer.

"Yes. You've done a good job with this house."

He carefully tasted the cappuccino. It was delicious.

"Good. Let's see what you think about my club tonight."

"You're planning on taking Alice to the nightclub?" he asked, perhaps more roughly than he had intended.

"Yes." Gabriel looked him in the eyes. "I want her to go everywhere I go, the club included. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yes!" He set down his cup and leaned on Gabriel's desk. "There is a fucking pack of strays after the omegas, and you intend to take her to a nightclub?"

Gabriel relaxed into his chair, not intimidated by Matts. "I intend on making sure she feels free. She's not a fucking bird to keep in a golden cage."

Matts straightened and took a deep breath. "I agree with you there, but not a fucking club, Gabriel."

"At least, reserve your judgment until you see it. And then tomorrow we can go to the beach house."

"Beach house?" Gabriel was giving him a lot of unexpected news today. More than he liked.

"Yes. It's still under construction, and it's a surprise for Alice, so I would kindly ask you not to spoil it." Gabriel got up and took some papers from a drawer, passing them to him. House layouts. "She hasn't gone to the beach since Bruno died, and she stopped swimming. I want her to have a safe space for both."

Matts had to admit, if only to himself, that it was a good idea. He shuffled through photos of the terrain. It was right on the coast, but the terrain ended abruptly with rocks. The house was on top of a cliff. There were stairs winding down, carved into the rock, and in another photo he saw the stairs went directly to a beach, nestled between two cliffs. It looked very private.

"How far away from Lisbon is this?"

"Just forty minutes on the highway. It takes longer if you go on the back roads."

Matts had an idea of his own. "You are still quite a few months away from going to France, right?"

"Yes." Gabriel lifted an eyebrow.

"Then I'll make you a deal. I will be honest with you about the club, and if it's really safe, I'll approve Alice going there."

Gabriel scoffed but didn't reply.

"But in return, I want your permission to build something."

Now Gabriel lifted both eyebrows. "To build what?"

Matts grinned at him. He wasn't going to like this.