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took her hands and held them.
 Alicia, I can t live without you or Gran. The thought of any-
thing happening to either one of you terrifies me but she made me
see that her agreement with your idea is for the best.
 She s good but& 
 You have to get to know her better, he said.  She has a way
about her that a look can speak volumes. I know better than to
doubt her intentions which I did and she s not happy about it.
Please, don t leave. Come back and we ll wait for the attorneys.
 Are you sure?
 Am I in love with you?
 I m not sure are you?
Blake pulled her into a kiss, Alicia melting in his arms.
 Well?
84 
No Deal
 I believe& 
* * * *
An hour later, both attorneys shook hands then left. Alicia s
family lawyer looked as if ten years had been added to his life
thanks to the knowledge the family fortune would be safeguarded.
It had taken him a few minutes to finally understand how Alicia had
come to know Leighton Waverly but once he did, he wholehear-
tedly agreed it would be the best for Alicia and the family.
 Your grandparents never accepted your father s decision to
push you into a marriage with Billings but they didn t have a lot to
say about it. You know how your father acted when he got hooked
up in something.
 I know they tried to change his mind and that s why the fi-
nancial arrangement came about.
 Your grandfather would be pleased. You ve got a good head
on your shoulders.
 One day he took me aside and told me it would either be an
intelligent decision or the stupidest one I d ever make.
 Mrs. Waverly, it s been an honor to finally meet you. I ve
followed you in the business world for years.
 It s been a pleasure. Arthur, as always& 
The men left the condo, Alicia nearly collapsing with relief.
 Alicia?
 I m fine. I just never expected to be free of such a virtual
weight on my shoulders.
 You re amazing, Blake said as he came around the door from
the next room where he d listened to the entire meeting.  I feel a
little left out.
 Never, Leighton said.  I knew if you suspected something
adverse about to happen, you would have been in here in a
second.
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No Deal
 You know me so well.
 I should, she said.  Now, seeing as the luncheon should have
been over a while ago, I suggest that Alicia leave so she doesn t
draw any more suspicion. If her husband is having her watched,
he ll know her family s lawyer has been somewhere in the building
and more than likely here if he recognizes Arthur.
 My God, I forgot about Bruno, Alicia gasped.  I d better get
going.
 One thing before you leave, my dear. I bought you this& 
Leighton said, handing a small cell phone to Alicia.  It ll make
things easier when I need to contact you for a meeting or what not.
We should have several more plus some time to look at the arena
and so on, she added, giving Blake a knowing wink.
 I don t know what to say.
 It s set on vibrate so keep it in your pocket. I ll text you
about times unless I send Edward over with a personal invitation.
 Thank you so much. I just hope I can figure it out.
 It s simple and I had the man write down the directions on
how to use it. Going on my own experience with these things I
figured it might be easiest.
 I haven t a clue. I m not allowed near the computers in the
house, have no clue about the Internet and a cell phone has been
out of the question.
 If you re asked about it, just say I wanted you to have one so I
could deal with you as things came up. Oh, and I will understand if
you do not get back to me right away.
Alicia nodded as Leighton Waverly rose to leave the room.
 I m advising Edward to get the car ready. He ll be waiting
out front so you can make a public exit.
86 
No Deal
 Thanks, Gran, Blake said. Turning to Alicia, he marveled at
the innocent child in a woman s body who stood before him.  For-
give me?
 What? she asked.  Oh, my God, yes always.
 Good, he said.  Now, may I have the phone for a moment?
She handed it to him, obviously curious. She watched him as
he added something to the phone, his fingers gliding over the small
keyboard.
 What& 
 I ve just added my cell number to Gran s. It s under The Doc-
tor.
 Okay but who& 
 Exactly. Doctor Who is one of my favorites plus if anyone asks,
you can always tell them you re seeing an allergist or something.
 Blake, I m& 
 Call me anytime you need to. Text me if you have to, I ll be
here for you and if you need me& 
Suddenly, Alicia threw her arms around Blake s neck, pressing
herself against him.
 I don t know how to thank you& 
 For what?
 Letting me feel like someone loves me and that I m actually a
human being.
 You re more than that, trust me. You are going to be my
wife so what can I say other than I love you?
* * * *
Blake walked her to the elevator, ruing the moment the doors
closed and she disappeared from his sight. Rejoining his grand-
mother, he poured them both brandies, handed her a snifter then
sat down on the couch across from her.
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No Deal
 I m asking for the last time are you sure about this? I know
you ve signed the papers and you are extremely careful and astute
but going against Billings could be dangerous.
 What new information do you have on him?
 He s in business on the side and owns an illegal fight club. Pa-
trick found out about his nefarious dealings by accident and dug
deeper. It s not good.
 Does she know?
 Yes but only because I told her a few hours ago.
 And how did she take the news?
 If you mean do I think she lied to me about her knowledge
about the clubs no, she didn t. Alicia might hide things from her
husband but I can tell if someone s lying to me and she didn t. She
went white when I mentioned it and declared her disgust for it.
 When I went out, I went into the office and had my investiga-
tor look into things and he learned some disturbing figures on the
legitimate side of the man s finances. From what we could tell, if
she doesn t give him the money, he will be bankrupt in a few
months if not sooner. He s hanging on a very thin rope and more
than likely is becoming desperate not a good combination. What-
ever your plans are, they d better have the capability of moving fast
and without notice.
 Forgive me for doubting you?
 Of course, she said.  I would have been extremely surprised
then disappointed if you hadn t questioned it, although you scared
the shit out of poor Alicia with your vehemence.
 For that I m sorry but you know how I feel about you. Gut
reactions took over when I heard her idea because I refuse to allow
anything to happen to you and now her.
 You needn t worry. When you walked her out, I called Ar- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]