The Seventeen. Joel Arcanjo

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ and he was not worthy to be One. But there was no way One would fail One would bring down the entire Archer family. Lex would be just the first.

       Chapter 6

      Lex was waiting for Belle to confirm his alibi with the police. Sweat dripped down his brow. The cool, calm and collected vibe he was going for was all just an act. Inside he was freaking out. What happened if Sammie had no record of him? Or worse yet, what if something had happened to him? Lex knew he had powerful enemies. What if they had gone after Sammie? All the guy had done was fix his man claws and now he might have a target on his back. Lex wouldn’t let that happen. They could come after him but dragging innocent bystanders in was unacceptable.

      He heard a click and looked up to see Belle enter the room, head down, looking somber.

      “Did he confirm it?” he asked.

      “Erm...” she mumbled.

      “Wait, what is it?”

      She gave him a look which virtually answered his question.

      “Ah, God dammit!” he shouted. Angry with himself for getting Sammie into this situation.

      “Just hold up. I never said something had happened to him. It’s just that we can’t contact him. His cell is off and so is his work phone.”

      “Then we need to go there now,” he insisted, standing bolt upright and marching towards the door.

      “You can’t leave here Lex. You’re under arrest. You leave this room and five officers will be on you in a second. You know that’s true.”

      He did know that. But he had to do something. Then he got an idea. He couldn’t leave. But Belle could.

      “Belle, hear me out for a second...”

      She already knew what he was going to say. “No, no no no no NO! I am not going to put myself in danger to save some shady manicurist.”

      Lex just grinned at that sentence.

      “This isn’t funny Lex. I am not going to put myself in danger for you. I agreed to get you out of danger, not land myself in it.”

      “A man’s life is at stake here Belle. Just because of me. Do you know how that makes me feel? And what’s worse is I can’t do anything about it. I’m stuck here because of some false allegation and the only way to prove my innocence is to get a statement from him. Please Belle,” he said, willing to drop to his knees if necessary.

      She considered it for what seemed like a full minute. But like any sane person, she declined. Unwilling to risk her life for someone she did not know. Lex did not blame her. I mean what did she gain from this? People always seemed to ask that question. True altruism was hard to find. Some even believed that it did not exist. Not him. Altruistic acts happened every day, you just had to know where to look. But clearly Belle wasn’t in an altruistic mood. Which was fine. It just meant that he needed to give her an incentive to help him out.

      “I really didn’t want to have to do this, but I can tell I’m going to have to. If you do this for me, ArchiTech will invest in your firm. Up to five hundred thousand dollars.”

      She collapsed into the chair. Her eyes flashed left to right. Probably thinking about what she could do with it.

      “Lex, are you trying to bribe me?”

      “No, I am bribing you. You’ve already made up your mind. I saw it in your eyes. You don’t want to do something for nothing. I respect that. So I’m giving you something. It’s what you wanted, I can tell. Let’s skip the games. I am a business man after all. I know the games.”

      “I feel bad. You’re letting me stay in your building and now investing in my firm. I bet you must think I’m being ungrateful by not helping you out without something in return?”

      “On the contrary. I think you are smart business women. The right type of people for ArchiTech to put their money behind,” he said, beaming at her.

      She smiled back. They had an agreement. Even at university in Exeter she had been one tough girl. Like a girl from the bronx with all the looks and class of a girl from the upper east side. She had wavy brown hair shorter now than it had been at uni, but still down to her shoulders. Stunning deep green eyes that always shone with confidence. She’d always had a flawless complexion. She tanned in the sun but had a naturally pale skin tone, which made the contrast of her lips even more astounding. Her lips were bright crimson. Not too big, not too small. The perfect size. She still had an exceptionally elegant physique. She had been an accomplished tennis player and had obviously kept her fitness up. She was a vision. A vision that he would like to keep around for a while. As he gazed at her he mentally slapped himself on the wrists for not contacting her sooner. She had been in the city all these years and he’d known that but failed to follow up on it. Their complicated past had stopped him. He was glad that fate had brought them together. Even under these circumstances.

      She stood up abruptly. “I’m going to need that address, Lex.”

       Chapter 7

      Bella hailed a cab and headed to the address Lex had scribbled in her notebook. She was nervous. Her heart was pounding and her hands were cold and clammy. What would she find there? Please not a dead body, please not a dead body, she thought. She could handle most things, but a dead body was probably not one of them. She didn’t want to find out… but it was worth it. Half a million dollars was now hers. They had sealed it with a handshake. A long, mutually extended handshake. But she still felt a little guilty. Even at college Lex had been extraordinarily generous. Lex was a do-gooder. Some of his friends thought he did the generous acts for admiration and recognition. But his real friends knew. He was a good guy to his very core. In the winter he would come home with a different homeless person most nights, let them sleep in his bed, then wash the sheets twice the next morning. That is how she knew he was innocent. Lex wouldn’t hurt a fly.

      She hoped.

      Before she had left the station she had let the ginger gorilla know that Lex Archer had an alibi for the murder, gave him the address just in case something happened to her and told him to prepare Lex for release. She was confident she could get him off. But the thought of a dead body still clouded her mind. She didn’t have far to go but in rush hour traffic it took her an extra ten minutes. She was happy to shell out the fare. She was five hundred thousand dollars richer. She got out, closed the door and stood for few a minutes trying to get her bearings. She was in lower Manhattan, unfamiliar territory. She felt the rush of warm air behind her as the cab pulled away. Alone and without a ride. She looked around searching for the name Lex had given her, ‘Sammie’s Salon’. When her eyes finally met with the sign she let out a silent giggle. The shop was bright pink all over. Not exactly the kind of place a billionaire tech wizard would frequent. Then again, who would know they got manicures?

      She crossed the road, looking left, looking right. Really there was no need. Traffic was at a crawl now. Frustrated drivers were honking their horns. Bella squeezed through the bumper to bumper cars and was nearly knocked down by a bike messenger who didn’t stop and apologize. She managed to reach the sidewalk in one piece and headed for the fluorescent pink door. All the time still thinking, please not a dead body, please not a dead body. The walk up the steps felt like miles. Like a long slow trudge. She placed her foot on the last СКАЧАТЬ