Hiding From Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 2) by Olivia Jaymes

the news website. Alan had been looking for her for two goddamn years without much luck. She’d pay for putting him through this. Once he had her under his control again she’d be lucky to see the light of day for a decade. She needed him to keep her safe. It was that plain and simple.
    Poor and struggling when he’d met her, he’d turned her into a lady with elegance and class. Someone he could dress up and show off. But she’d never been happy and had fought at every turn her prescribed role in this life. She wanted to have ideas and opinions. Just like Anna.
    Georgette wanted freedom. A highly overrated state of which he would cure her of. Real freedom was a lie and an illusion. Everyone answered to someone in this world.
    Georgette answered to Alan.
    Alan answered to Caleb Deardon. As long as he kept Caleb happy Alan would stay rich…and alive.
    “Why don’t we just use–”
    “No.” Alan cut off Joe, knowing what he was about to suggest. “We’re not that desperate yet. I’m keeping that in my pocket just in case. So Georgette has a boyfriend now? Don’t make this into a big deal. We take him out and get her back. This isn’t fucking rocket science. Just make it happen.”
    “Got it.” Joe turned on his heel. “I’ll report back when I have something.”
    Joe disappeared and Alan dug into the bottom of a desk drawer, pulling out a manila folder. He spread the contents in front of him before picking up a snapshot of Georgette taken a few weeks before she’d left him. Dressed in a long white gown with her blonde hair piled artfully on top of her head and diamonds around her neck and wrist, she might have been mistaken for a princess or perhaps a movie star. She was that beautiful. Unsmiling in the photo, she was looking off into the distance completely unaware he’d been watching.
    He hadn’t thought much of it at the time but now he knew she’d been dreaming of something other than a life spent with him. At his side.
    She needed him to take care of her, to love and protect her. She simply didn’t understand how dangerous the world could be and that he would make sure she was safe.
    It was time to bring her home.

Chapter Thirteen
    ‡
    G igi’s eyes fluttered open and then closed again, the sun pouring through the bedroom window. She could have sworn the drapes were closed last night but now they were wide open and clearly showing her she’d slept in quite late.
    “Finally awake, sleepy head.”
    She cautiously opened one eye to see West striding out of the ensuite bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. How did he manage to look so damn good this early in the morning? A few rivulets of water ran down his muscular chest and she had to quell the urge to run her tongue over his washboard abs and lick away the moisture.
    “What time is it?”
    With a big yawn, Gigi sat up and rubbed at her eyes. The pillow next to her own was dented so it looked like West had joined her in bed at some point last night but she’d completely slept through it.
    If it had been Alan she’d either be dead or on her way to Chicago tied up in the trunk of his car.
    “A few minutes after nine. Throw on some clothes and we’ll go down for breakfast. Travis is a really good cook. He’ll make you his famous ham and cheese omelet.”
    Her stomach gurgled optimistically at the mention of food. She was starving.
    “What time did you get in?”
    “About three.”
    He had a strange expression on his face, kind of closed off as if he didn’t want her reading his emotions. Normally he was completely open, so it looked like whatever news he had wasn’t good.
    “Just tell me. I can take it,” Gigi sighed. He might as well just hit her with it. She’d survived worse and things were definitely not looking up after last night.
    West scratched his chin and then sat down next to her on the bed. “Someone broke into your apartment last night. I’m guessing they went there first and when they couldn’t find