He's Captured My Trust (Captured Series Book 2) (2 page)

“Alex, for fuck’s sake. You need to focus on the job at hand, or you’ll lose this deal and all the money you’ve ploughed into it. I get that you’re upset, angry, whatever you want to call it, about Libby, but do something about it.”

“Like what? I’m still needed here to sort through this mess.”

“You are, but if you don’t get your act together, there will be nothing to deal with. You are losing the plot. Do something. Anything. Phone Phil. Maybe see if she can come here. I don’t care what you do, but tomorrow I want you back in the office with your game head on, and I want you to get the details ironed out for this deal before you lose any more staff—or
friends.
” Michael walks out of the boardroom, leaving me to my own thoughts.

My thoughts in the last few weeks have all been about one beautiful Scots girl who has stolen my heart. Fuck. It broke when I had to walk away from her and come home to deal with this mess. Michael is right—I know he is. For the first time, Michael does really make a good point.

I was a complete ass leaving her the way I did. A fucking note, telling her I was gone. It still surprises me she’s given me the time of day. She was ill after the attack from that bastard Jeff, and I left her. I still managed to leave after saving her from him. Fuck, I have my own nightmares about that day.

I hear a scream. It sounds like Libby. Michael and I look at each other and dash through the kitchen. I crash through the door to the store room. The scene in front of me. Is unimaginable. Libby on the floor, lots of blood and that bastard Jeff with his pants open. ‘Get the fuck off her’ I shout as I lunge toward him. Dragging him as far away from Libby as possible. ‘You. Think. It’s. Okay. Just. To. Take. What. You. Want.’ I shout in-between every punch I throw at him.

An idiot, that’s what I am. But I need to stop dwelling on the past; try and focus on the future. The sort of future I want, and Libby has to be a part of that. I just need to find a way of making that happen.

I leave the boardroom and head back toward my office, passing Grace, who is getting ready to leave for the night. Don’t know what I would do without her. She always goes that extra mile.

“I’ll be off now, Mr. Mathews. See you in the morning.”

“Before you go, could you get Phil Stewart on the phone?”

“I’ll try, but you do realise it will be nearly eleven in the UK?”

I nod as I walk back into my own office. I slump into my chair. I do need to sort my head out. Michael is right, and what’s more, he’s the only one who dares tell it to me straight.

“Mr. Mathews, I have Mr. Stewart on the line. Will there be anything else before I leave?” Grace asks through the speaker.

“No, Grace; that will be all.”

“Alex,” Phil says, “you need to sort out timing issues. I was heading to bed. I’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

“I know. Sorry. How’s Libby?”

“I’ve not seen much of her, but I know how busy she is at the hotel.” He pauses. “I’m sure you’ve spoken with her more than I have.”

“Yeah, I’ll get to the point. Libby must be able to take a few days, right? A long weekend, even?” I ask, sounding hopeful.

“Of course it could be arranged. Why?” Phil sounds sceptical.

“I want to bring her over here.”

Phil agrees that the short break will do Libby good. We talk for a few more minutes, trying to sort out details for Thursday if I can arrange the flights. We agree not to tell her until the last minute.

When I hang up, I am pleased, to say the least. Maybe this will keep Michael off my back. God, I have missed her. I then realise I haven’t heard from her yet today. She usually texts to say she’s on her way home. I phone her, and a few moments pass before she answers.

“Libby, is everything all right?”

“Sorry, it’s been a long day. I am still at the hotel,” she replies, sounding tired. “Not sure when I’ll even finish.”

“You sound tired, baby. How nice would it be to get a back massage when you finish?”

“It sounds great, considering I’ve been here since before six this morning. But keep hold of that thought for a few more weeks for when you’re here. I’m sure I’ll be looking for a whole lot more than a back massage when I finish work.” I can almost see the wicked smirk that would be on her face.

“You have a wicked mind, Miss Stewart.”

“Only where you’re concerned.” She sighs. “I better go. I still have some work to do. I might even end up spending the night here. Can we talk longer tomorrow?”

“Of course. Till tomorrow. I love you.”

“’Night.”

Fuck, that girl drives me insane. The number of hours she’s putting in at the hotel is not healthy. She’s going to make herself sick, and she’s still supposed to be recovering . If she were here with me, she wouldn’t need to put the hours in at work. She can’t hide it. I know she’s using work to escape, but fourteen-plus-hour shifts are no good for anyone. Now, will a few days here with me help or hinder that? Only time will tell.

Thursday, 13th November

“ALL PASSENGERS, PLEASE RETURN TO
your seats and fasten your seat belts. We are about to begin our descent.” The voice echoes through the plane, rousing me from my sleep. A sleep I’ve obviously needed. I stretch. The nerves are settling in again. I was nervous as I boarded the plane on my own at Glasgow airport for the first leg of my journey to New York. I can’t remember the last time I took a trip alone; actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been on my own. Now I’m not far from my final destination: JFK airport in New York. I glance around the cabin, and, from what I can see, I’m the only woman travelling on my own. It’s all businessmen and a few couples.

I still can’t believe I’m doing this. I still have doubts. Not about my feelings but about how this will work out, if it can even work out. Truth be told, I’m pushing the doubts to the back of my mind, because I do want to try.

I’m also excited.

“You managed to get some sleep, then?” a man with a thick American accent asks.

“Excuse me?” I turn to the man sitting smiling across the aisle from me.

“I always have great intentions of sleeping on the plane but never manage it,” he tells me. “So how’d you manage it? You’ve slept since the flight took off from London.”

“I am so sorry if my
snoring
kept you awake.” I snigger at him.

“Your snoring was the least of my problems. Have you seen who’s sitting beside me?”

He seems rather rude!
I lean forward a little to look over. An elderly couple is sound asleep. The man’s hand is in what I presume is his wife’s lap. I let out a small, nervous laugh.

“These two, between the snoring and the shouting,” the man says. “He has a hearing aid, and his wife shouts every time she speaks to him.” He smiles. “By the way, I’m James. And you are?” He holds his hand across the aisle.

I shake it. It’s only polite. “Libby.” He’s a bit on the forward side and rude. It kind of adds up, then. He does remind me of a certain someone
.
Forward. Rude. American.

“How do you do, Libby?” He still has a grip on my hand. “I’m sure if you hadn’t been sleeping, my journey home would have been much more enjoyable.”

I can feel myself blush at his words, but I’m also a bit uncomfortable.

The last man who held my hand this long should be waiting at the airport for me when we land. Alex. I can’t wait to see him; and from his phone calls, he feels exactly the same way. I’m hoping James lets go soon.

James maybe senses my discomfort, as he lets go of my hand.

The first week after Alex left was hard. Really tough. I wasn’t on speaking terms with my parents or Ethan, and I was still recovering from the attack and subsequent infection in the wound on my back. I’ve been led to believe is healing up nicely, but I know I’ll be left with a nasty scar. Then again, I still count myself lucky. A lot worse could have happened that day. My anger with my parents didn’t last long. I can’t stay angry with either of them for long, so after a lot of tears were shed, we all made up. I was still hurt that they had kept the truth from me, but they are my family after all.

As for Alex, his note left me devastated. Kieran sat and comforted me for hours. I was so glad I had him that night. He comforted and took care of me when the only arms I wanted to be in were gone. Alex called me the minute he landed back in the States after seeing my message. He was gutted that he had to leave, but then, it was business he left for. He then made good on his promise. He called me every night when I finished work, and we talked for hours, which must’ve interfered with his work commitments, considering the time difference.

He was persistent, as he had said he would be. He was determined I was coming to the States, and now, here I am, even though he’ll be back in Scotland in two short weeks. I didn’t even know I was coming here. He and my father plotted with Kieran, organising my time off and making sure the hotel was covered for my long weekend break away. I only found out about it last night when my father handed me my flight tickets.

Talk about a surprise.

“So, Libby, you didn’t tell me how you managed to sleep,” James asks.

“Just overtired, I guess. I suppose the fact that I’ve been working a lot lately helped. I didn’t know I was coming to New York until yesterday.” I don’t want to divulge too much information. At the end of the day, I don’t know this man.

“I can only presume with your beautiful accent that you’re from bonnie Scotland.” He’s a big flirt. He is also quite good-looking. Not on the same scale as Alex, but, then again, I don’t think there’s many who would be, not in my eyes anyway. James reminds me a bit of Stephen, with his blonde hair and tanned skin. Stephen and my brother have been friends for years, and he has always openly flirted with me, always hoping there would be something more between us. I have only ever seen him as another brother. He also runs the fitness club in the hotel.

“I thought that much was obvious,” I say.

“So what is it you do back home?” he asks.

“I’m a hotel manager.”

“Where about? So I can keep you in mind the next time I’m in the UK. Sometimes my work takes me to Scotland.”

“I run a hotel on Loch Lomond. Stewart Hotel and Country Estate.”

“Ah, a lovely part of the world.”

“Yes, it is.” I have to agree with him because I’ve not seen anywhere in the world that comes close to matching the stunning scenery I am surrounded by on a daily basis. I would love a house, with views of the Loch, but they rarely come onto the market. Maybe one day.

I lean forward and go through my handbag for my hairbrush, a clip, and some face wipes. I don’t want to see Alex looking like I’ve just woken up; that is the case, but he doesn’t need to know that. I take the wipes first and cleanse my face. That makes me feel a little better already. Fresher, it is a little stuffy on the plane. Now to try to tame the hair. I only brush it and pin it back in the clip, leaving a few wispy bits down.

“You know, Libby, you looked great the way you were,” James says with a slight smirk.

“Thank you,” I reply, embarrassed.

I don’t take compliments well at all. Alex is forever telling me to take a compliment.
I can’t wait to see him.
So much has happened these last four weeks. I’m not sure what we’ll find to talk about after all the long hours on the phone, but I’m sure we’ll find something else to do. I feel myself blush at the thoughts now running through my mind.

God, it’s no wonder I managed to sleep on the journey. I’ve coped with little sleep these last few weeks. I worked longer hours than usual lately; I didn’t leave the hotel until ten or later most nights. The drive to my new flat at that time of night doesn’t take long, and then I sometimes spent a few hours on the phone with Alex. Listening to his voice at the end of the day had a soothing effect on me.

I love my new place—I still think it’s a bit on the big side for just me, but I love it all the same. I only moved in last week, and I’ve not yet agreed to Kirsty moving in with me, but she is working on me. I have all my own furniture in, but it still looks bare, so I’ll need to do some shopping when I get back home and have some time off. But who knows when that will happen, with Christmas around the corner.

“Libby, you seem deep in thought. You okay?” James’ voice catches my attention again.

“Yes, I’m fine—just looking forward to landing.” I smile as I think of how soon I’ll be seeing Alex.

I have to admit I’m kind of glad I slept most of the flight, because I’m not welcoming the attention James is giving me and am not sure how I would have coped with this the whole flight. I genuinely don’t think he means any harm, but then again, I am not that great a judge of character.

Jeff.

Thinking about Jeff sends shivers down my spine for all the wrong reasons. I suppose that’s another reason I’ve not slept much in recent weeks: nightmares. Most nights I wake up screaming and in a hot sweat. It’s the same nightmare most nights. The only difference between the nightmare and the reality of that day is that in the nightmare, no one is there to save me. I’ve not told Alex about them. What would be the point? He couldn’t do anything about them.