Baddest Bad Boys(74)

It didn’t take long for Ellie to give her statement. It was sobering to realize the actual incident had occurred in a matter of minutes. The memory, the fear, would stay with her forever. Uncertainty gnawed at her. What would she have done if Max hadn’t shown up tonight? Could she have escaped?

She’d like to think so, but listening to the officer’s recap of the events had been disturbing. The power to the house had been cut off by throwing the main switch.

“Overriding the burglar alarm was fairly easy because it’s an older system,” the officer said. “The guy probably bought the tools to do it over the Internet. You should have the system replaced.”

She nodded. “Trust me, I’ll have everything replaced after this.”

“Based on what you’ve told us, I’d surmise that someone followed you here from New York,” the officer went on. “When you get home, you should call the detectives there. Let them know about this.”

Max came up then, nodding at the officer before sitting beside her. “How’s the foot?”

“Throbbing.” Like her head. “Could be worse, though.”

“Look, why don’t you go back to Boston with Gerard. When the police are finished, I’ll secure the house and meet you there.”

She started to object, then stopped and looked around. Staying here was no longer an option. And if she were going back to the penthouse, she’d prefer to get there ahead of Max, to have a little time to gather her wits.

“I’ll see you there, then.”

As soon as she reached the penthouse, Ellie curled up into a ball on the sofa, physically and emotionally exhausted. I’ll just close my eyes and wait for Max, she told herself.

When she woke, sunlight streamed in through the terrace doors. As she lowered her foot to the floor, a dull ache climbed her leg. A check of the time confirmed it was after ten.

Disappointment rolled over her as she sensed that Max hadn’t returned. Had something else gone wrong? Or was he having second thoughts about their deal?

Was she?

No. Not exactly.

Her reasons for wishing Max was present were complex. Tangled. Last night he’d made her feel protected, which she wasn’t sure she liked. She lived alone by choice and the experience at the beach house made her realize how much she took her sense of personal freedom and safety for granted. Damn it, she wasn’t going to let some creep rob her of that, either!

Then there was the other issue. Max wanted a week. At first she’d felt flattered to think one day wasn’t enough. But seven were? She frowned.

An indistinct beeping startled her from her reverie. Her cell phone. Where was it? She pushed off the sofa, slowed by her injured foot. By the time she found her phone, she had missed the call.

The screen blinked, indicating she had a voice message.

She checked the caller ID first. It had been Max. She listened to his message. He sounded tired.

“I’m back in New York. An urgent business matter came up and I went straight to the airport. Gerard’s got orders not to let you out of his sight. If you’ve got a problem with that, tell me. Not him. I’ll call later.” She started to disconnect, but then she heard Max’s voice continue. “I’m really looking forward to our week together, El.”

Those last words melted the annoyance that had crept in over his high-handedness. She was disappointed he hadn’t indicated how long he’d be in New York. Last night he’d promised they would discuss the details of their deal later. She’d assumed he meant this morning, but in the harsh light of day, reality encroached.

They were both business people. There were schedules to be considered. Arrangements to be made. Calendars to be coordinated. More so on Max’s end. He ran one of the largest multinational shipping companies in the world. In an interview he’d joked that his office was his private jet. Which meant he could be in New York for breakfast and Rotterdam for dinner.

Since Ellie was just beginning to resume her career, her schedule was wide open. Her successful career as a designer had imploded following the lawsuits that erupted after Stefan’s death. No one wanted to risk scandal by association, so she was shunned by most. The one exception was a friend, Peter Fourakis. Peter had even asked her to prepare a proposal for a hotel chain, but that wasn’t due for a month.

And even though her schedule wasn’t busy, it could be weeks before her agreement with Max was sealed. Viewed like that, their deal now seemed, well, perfunctory. Not exactly what she had in mind.

After showering and changing, Ellie made coffee. Gerard joined her in the kitchen and offered to rebandage her foot. She let him.

“It looks better,” he said. “Not as bad as I’d first thought.”

“That’s good news.”

“By the way, Mr. DeLuca’s been trying to reach you. He sent an e-mail regarding your itinerary. Have you had a chance to review it?”

Ellie set her cup aside, sloshing coffee as she nearly missed the tabletop. Max had sent an itinerary already? “No, I haven’t seen it, but I’ll check my laptop now.”

Ten minutes later, she logged into her e-mail account. Forty-seven new messages. She paged down, holding her breath, half expecting another threat. Last night she’d given Max her e-mail password so the police could monitor it for new messages. Knowing Big Brother watched didn’t make her feel better.