“Have you even looked at the stem of this thing?” Max held it out to her.
“I’m a little busy here with my arm buried to the hilt.” Alicia rolled her eyes. She was far too busy trying to figure out how the little box could have no bottom when she saw it sitting on the table. Looking under the table she didn’t see her arm. How was this possible?
“I don’t think anything has eaten it. Just pull it out.” He handed her the mirror. “You have to look at this.”
She sighed as she straightened herself up. The mirror had a sturdy weight, reminding her she had to use two hands to lift it as a child. She studied the stem like he asked and noticed gems pressed into the metal. The one that leapt out at her was a red teardrop shaped one. “Oh my God, that looks like a Tear.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Bring the box.” She dashed out the door, down the hall and raced down the stairs to the lab. With a flick of a wrist she turned on the large, lighted magnifying glass. The moment Max came close enough she ran her tests on the stone. It didn’t take long for her to confirm it was a Tear. She rested a hip against the table.
“All this time I had it in my possession and didn’t even realize it.”
“How come you never opened that box up?”
“I don’t know.” She looked at Max. “Grandma’s death was hard on me. When she passed I stuffed the bag in the back of my closet and left it there. The moment I opened it I knew it would make her death too real for me. Something I couldn’t handle.”
“So you never came back to it?”
“No. After a while I sort of forgot about it. I guess I wasn’t in the right place to open it, until now.” She picked up the mirror and looked at it again. A soft smile played on her lips. “Grandma kept this in a drawer and whenever I came over to visit she would make a big show of checking to make sure no one could see us and interrupt our special time together.”
“You think she might have been protecting the Tear?” Max leaned against the table next to her.
“Not until you mentioned it.” She laid the mirror on the table. “But I bet that was what she was doing. She would take my hand and we’d work our way through the house, pulling down shades and throwing locks.”
“How are you planning to get that stone out of the metal?”
“The stone has always been a little loose.” She took a pair of jewelry pliers and pulled the stone right off, then held it out for him to take. “Grandma warned me every time I tried to touch it.”
Max’s fist closed around it. “I’ll get a replacement for the mirror.”
“No. I want to do that. It will keep my Grandma alive for me while I search for the perfect stone.”
“Alicia, I can find it in no time.”
“I know, but the search will help me come to terms with my Grandma’s death.” She placed a hand on his arm. “There are some things I need to do myself.”
“All right.” He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “But I’ll still try to help. It’s my nature.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
***
Monday morning, Alicia walked into the front door of her building, juggling her briefcase, coffee and breakfast. She hated the days when she skipped breakfast before going to work, but she got caught up in her research on the Tears again and found she only had enough time to dress and get to work when she did look at a clock this morning. Even though Jacob had made her something light to eat, she had to bring it with her or she would be late.
“Miss Braswell?” A well-dressed young man stepped into her path. “May I speak to you?”
“You’ll have to call my secretary and set up an appointment. I’m sorry. But I must get to my office.” Who was this guy? She tried to move around him, but found her path blocked once again.
“Please? It’s very important.”
“I’ve heard that many times. You have to go to the main office secretary. They’ll find someone in the company to help you.” She looked at one of the guards sitting at the security station. He stood the moment they made eye contact. Thank goodness, he had been watching and knew the man was being a little too forward. A slight nod from her had him moving toward them.
“But I need to speak to you.”
“Sorry. I don’t have time for any new clients, but I’m sure the office will assign a very capable researcher.”
“It’s about the Tears.” The man looked toward the doors leading to the outside and blanched. Stepping out of her way, he gave her a slight bow. “I’m very sorry to have bothered you.”
Max had to be behind her. He had this effect on a lot of people.
The man started to run toward the doors, spurring the guard to charge after him. He tackled him at Max’s feet.
“Officer, it’s okay. I know this man. I’ll vouch for him.” He forcefully helped the guy to his feet.
“You do?” asked Alicia after she joined Max near the door.
“All too well. He works for Sonora.” Max grabbed the guy by the elbow and propelled him to the stairs. “I’ll meet you upstairs in a few minutes.”
“And him?”
“We’re going to have a little conversation before I send him back to Sonora.”
Alicia headed to the elevator. Max was going to dislocate the man’s arm if he hiked it any higher.
***
Max shoved the guy against the stairwell wall. He heard the wall crack a little from the force he used. “Why do you threaten my mate, Joseph?”
“I’m not. Sonora plots to kidnap her. I came to warn you.” He kept his eyes down, showing proper respect.
“Why would she be so stupid?” he growled. “I would track her and kill her if she did that.”
“She doesn’t think you would.” Joseph swallowed hard. “You’d have to reveal your secret if you did.”
“Why?” When Joseph didn’t answer right away Max pressed his forearm into the guy’s throat. “I expect an answer.”
“Because she’s going to set a trap.” He looked up at Max.
“And why are you telling me this?” Max kept a steady pressure against Joseph’s throat. “Out of the goodness of your heart?”
“Not all of us who have been recruited believe everything she tells us.” He swallowed. “I have my reasons for my loyalties, but I don’t believe someone should suffer just because she hates you.”
“Joseph, tell your leader I won’t bite. Alicia has protection and I trust her guards.” He released him. “Now get out of here before I change my mind and have you detained by the police.”
He waited for Joseph to squirm out the door before heading up the stairs. Was he telling Max the truth? Catherine was the best at her job, yet Max couldn’t help but worry. This was his mate.
Max opened the door to the stairs the same time Alicia stepped off the elevator. “So how did I beat you?”
“Slow people, slow elevator and the doors opened on every floor.” She walked into the office and kicked her shoes off. “So what did you learn from the guy you harassed in the stairwell?”
“Harass is such a harsh word. We stepped into my temporary office to have a little one-on-one.”
Alicia rolled her eyes as she plopped into her chair and swung her feet up onto the desk. “You still haven’t answered my question. And don’t tell me not to worry my pretty little head about it or we’ll go to the mat again.”
He didn’t answer right away so she knew that was exactly what he had planned on doing. “It wasn’t important. He just wanted to let you know Sonora wasn’t giving up on trying to recruit you.”
“You know she’s really not that bad.” Alicia pulled her feet off the top of her desk and pulled her bag up on her desk.
“You’d switch sides?”
“Not what I mean.” She looked at him as she pulled out her computer from the bag. “It’s just I don’t see her as the evil villain you have painted. Maybe a little misguided, but you strike me as a bit paranoid.”
“Hey. I’m just as paranoid as everyone else. I’ve known her all my life and I have reasons for not trusting her. If you knew her as well as I do you’d understand.”
“You’re probably right, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.” She searched for the coffee she had brought in but didn’t see it anywhere. Did she leave it downstairs?
About that time Stacey came in, carrying her drink. “I figured you’d be looking for this. I even freshened it up with the coffee in the break room.”
She turned to Max. “And I didn’t forget you either.” Stacey handed him a small Styrofoam cup. “We only have the one size.”
“Thank you, Stacey.” He took the offered cup and took a sip.
“Yeah, thanks, Stacey. You’re a lifesaver.” She raised her drink to toast her then took a sip. “Any meetings I need to be aware of?”
“Mr. Duncan has called for a department meeting, but you’ve been excused. He wants you to focus on the task at hand.” Stacey waited to see if Alicia needed anything else.
“Right. Is there anything being bandied around that I should know about?”
“No. It’s the same old thing.” She glanced down at the day planner she had in her hands. “Some changes in staff, which department heads are on vacation when.”
“Then I guess I’ll listen to my boss.” She plugged in the laptop and booted it up. “I’ve got a lot to do today anyway.”
Several hours later Alicia looked up from her computer screen to find Max watching her. “How can you sit there for so long and watch me?”
“Why does it bother you so much?”
“It’s just a little creepy. It’s like having a cat watch you for hours. Can’t you stay at home and let me call you when I find something?”
“No. You insist on coming here even though you have everything you need to do the work at home. Plus I enjoy watching you and being here when you find the information. It saves the time it would take for me to travel to your office so we can follow whatever trail you might pick up.”
“Whatever.” She sat back in her seat. “Well, I’m not finding any information on what Mr. O’Connor told me. I have a feeling the only way I’ll be able to figure out where he might have thrown it is to go to your little island and do the research. I’m sure someone there must have seen something.”
“It will take me a couple hours to arrange everything.” He stood up and walked to the door. “You coming?”
“What for?”
“To pack.”
***
They stood on the tarmac, waiting. Alicia had no idea what for. The private jet from Max’s corporation stood there with the door gaping open. “What are we waiting for?”
“I’ve invited a few friends to join us.”
She wanted to punch him. Why would he bring people with them when they were searching for the Tears? He wanted to keep the information secret. It just didn’t make sense.
“Ah, there they are.”
Patrick and Catherine walked toward them, carrying a couple of travel bags.
“I should have known,” she mumbled.
“They’re from the same island.” He signaled for Patrick and Catherine to join them. “I couldn’t go there without giving them an opportunity to see their family.”
She didn’t answer. The one thing she had noticed was since the party Patrick had been at his side, and now that she knew Catherine she didn’t seem to go anywhere without her. They were their shadows.
“Ready?” Patrick climbed into the jet and headed to the pilot seat.
Alicia looked at Max.
“Did I forget to tell you that Patrick is my pilot?” He climbed in next.
“Okay. I can tell already I’m not going to enjoy this flight.” She climbed into the plane and turned right to go into the passenger section. It didn’t look like any aircraft she had ever been in. The seats were spread out. It looked more like a lounge. She could really get used to this.
“Why?” Catherine came in behind her and pulled the door closed. “Our flight will take about seven hours and those two will be in the cock-pit the entire time. I find this time relaxing. You can watch a movie, listen to music, take a nap. Whatever you want.”
That sounded good to her. A little music and a nap would be nice. The chairs were very comfortable and reclined to a nice prone position. She pulled out her phone, put in her earbuds, and turned it on. With her favorite tunes playing, she closed her eyes. The music relaxed her and she drifted off to sleep. The plane descending was the next thing she remembered.
“Where are we?” she asked groggily.
“Home.”
Alicia rubbed her eyes and peered out the windows. “I slept all the way here?”
“Like a baby. It’s the first time you’ve been able to relax in a while, right? I figured you needed it.”
Her dream didn’t bother her the entire time. Maybe it was finally going to leave her alone.
The plane continued its descent. They secured their seatbelts and waited for the plane to land. It didn’t take long before Catherine opened the door to reveal the lush green landscape.
“Wow.” Alicia took two steps out of the plane and paused. The majesty of her surroundings had her gazing about in awe. It was like she had stepped back in time. No tall buildings, no cars, no pollution. Nothing but lush greenery surrounded them. A deep breath filled her lungs with peace.
“That’s how we feel every time we come here. It’s pretty awesome.” Catherine came out of the jet behind her, forcing Alicia to move down the rest of the steps.
Energy raced up her feet and through her legs the moment her shoes touched the ground. A sensation she had never felt before. It seemed to affect the other three too; because each paused as they stepped off the plane with a smile on their face and their eyes closed.
Once Max had said his hello to the island, that was the way it looked to her anyway, he came to her side and clasped hands. “Ready to see my world?”
She nodded. Now maybe she’d get to see the side he always seemed to lock away from her.