Demon’s Little Lamb: Chapter 3

“She’s leaving the conference room,” Giovanni said. Azriel adjusted his earpiece once more before rounding the corner. Perfect timing. Lamb hurried out of the room and nearly ran into him. James wasn’t far behind her.

“Woah, there,” he said as he reached out to steady her. She’d seen him in time to back up with a start, but had trouble keeping her balance in her heels. The dress she wore was a classic black. Simple, but elegant. Her arms were bare, and the contact with her skin nearly made Azriel sink to his knees. “Everything all right here?” Azriel looked up at James and subtly pulled Lamb closer, inhaling deeply of her clean, fresh scent. She let him.

He almost smirked. He doubted she knew who he was. If she did, she’d likely have shown some kind of reaction to him. He was, after all, one of the owners of a trillion-dollar company. Not likely she’d just waltz into his arms with no reaction whatsoever. Which meant the lover’s spat he’d set up with Luxemberry had worked. She was moving closer to a man she didn’t know instead of going to him for protection or support. It was a win either way. Either way, she was still in his arms, her soft body pressed intimately against his hard one.

“Everything’s fine, Mr., er, Azriel.” And there was James’s attempt to pretend they were good friends. “Lamb and I were just discussing how she loves working here. I’m trying to convince her to come work for Rush when she’s finished her internship, but I’m not sure I’ve managed.”

“Given she’s running away from you, I’d say you haven’t.” Azriel let his voice stay light, but inside something ugly was clawing to get free. Something that said no one scared this woman enough that she sought protection from a stranger. When James had said his name, she’d stiffened, and put her hands on his chest, pushing slightly. Azriel didn’t let her go, though. In fact, he’d tightened his arms around her just that little bit so she knew he wasn’t giving her up so easily.

James shrugged. “I’m afraid I did corner her. But, you have to admit, she’s a very intelligent woman and damned good at her job.”

Azriel’s eyes narrowed just that little bit. “You know what she does here?”

“Here? No. But I know she’s very technically minded. One of the brightest engineers in her class. Having looked at recommendations from her professors and the projects she worked on in grad school? Well. Anyone with any sense can see she’s going to be a great asset wherever she ends up.”

“Of that I have no doubt.” He looked down at Lamb. The girl was playing her part well, ducking her head and avoiding eye contact with James like she wanted to be anywhere else, trying to make both men forget she was there. As if that could ever happen. “Are you considering an offer Rush Developments has put on the table, Miss Newsome? One of the agreements you made when you took the internship was that you gave Argent the first contract. If we want you, you have to stay here.”

She glanced up sharply at James, her expressive features angry. “I am not. I don’t deal with people who lie to me.” She shrugged subtly out of Azriel’s arms before acknowledging both men. “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen. I have an important meeting tonight.”

“But you’ve not been here very long, Miss Newsome. Won’t you stay and dance? The staff here puts on a fabulous feast for these events.” Azriel didn’t want her to leave. He knew he needed to let her go, but, Goddammit, he wanted her in his arms! If she stayed, he could romance her. Show her how a woman of his would be treated. Fuck!

“I’m sure they do, Mr. Ivanovich. The hospitality and the food have been wonderful thus far. I appreciate the invitation, but I must decline.” As she turned away, Azriel saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. For some reason, those tears were like daggers to his chest.

Azriel wasn’t the only one watching her leave. Luxemberry looked like he might try to follow her. Like he wanted to take her away from Azriel’s house with him. “Not happening,” he muttered. “I suggest you either return to the party with your wife or take your leave. Either way, you will not approach Miss Newsome on Argent properties again.”

“She’s a grown woman, Azriel. She can decide for herself if she wants me or not.”

“She already has.”

“In any event, she’s not your woman.”

“Perhaps not, but she’s my employee. At Argent, employees are family.”

Luxemberry looked like he might argue the point, but, with one last glance at Lamb’s retreating form, he shot Azriel an angry look and headed back into the ballroom.

Giovanni didn’t need to give instructions to keep anyone in the area from getting too close to Azriel. His staff subtly moved everyone away from them without the guests realizing they were being herded. If people couldn’t be maneuvered away and back into the main part of the ballroom, security let know they were too close to an off-limits area. This was Azriel’s one shot at a good impression. He had to gain Lamb’s trust in this brief window if he intended to turn her into a double agent.

She stood at the end of the driveway. Azriel knew she’d called a cab. He also knew Giovanni had canceled it the second she’d hung up. As he approached her, he noticed she was hugging herself. Also, that her slim shoulders were shaking. Crying?

“Miss Newsome,” he said as he approached her from behind. “Is everything all right?”

She sniffed and hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You asked that before.”

“You didn’t answer. When I ask a question, I require an answer. Little Lamb.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she was still visibly trying to get herself together. “Yes. Everything’s fine.”

“Hmmm,” he said, drawing out the word. “I’m a bachelor, so I admit I could be wrong, but from my observation of women, when they say everything is ‘fine,’ it usually means things are in no way ‘fine.’” That got a twitch of her lips, but nothing else. “If you talk to me, I promise if I can’t make it all better, I can at least shoot someone. Might not right a wrong, but it can be greatly satisfying.” That got him a surprised laugh, though he had actually been serious.

“Really. Any problems I have are of my own making. I’d prefer you not shoot me.”

“Now, that I can promise.” He held out his hand for her. “Let me take you home. I don’t want you leaving by yourself when you’re upset.”

Lamb gave him a startled glance before her gaze skittered away. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve already called a cab.”

“Nonsense. Cabs can take forever, even in this neighborhood.”

“I won’t impose on you, Mr. Ivanovich. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

He nodded his head. “I wouldn’t imagine it would be otherwise. But I’m a bit old-fashioned in some ways, I guess. I have a need to make sure every member of my family is safe and cared for.”

“I’m not a family member,” she said, an adorably confused look on her face.

“You’re an Argent employee, are you not?”

“Well, yeah. At least, I’m an intern.”

He shrugged. “Same difference. At Argent, we are all family. Alexei, Giovanni, and I see it as our duty to protect every single person working with us. Their spouses and children as well. It’s something you should think about before you consider an offer from Rush. There’s a reason Argent Technologies has one of the lowest turnover rates of any company out there. We only hire the best, but we also only hire people who work well with us and have the capacity to care for their coworkers.”

Azriel couldn’t help himself. He raised his hand to stroke her jaw. She sucked in a breath, but didn’t move away from him. “At one time or other, all three of us have been on our own. We swore first to ourselves, then to each other, that when we found a family, we’d protect them to the death. As we built Argent, we decided that was the kind of relationship we wanted among everyone who worked with us. We’re all family. If someone is hurting, we help make it better. As head of the family, the three of us expect to know when there is trouble with anyone under our care.”

“Sounds a little out there,” she said quietly. She looked like she wanted to believe it but didn’t dare.

“It’s true. Ask anyone you work with. Anyone. A chemist. A physicist. A janitor, or a maid in my home. Everyone has a role to play, and we all have each other’s backs.”

She cleared her throat and made one more delicate swipe at the corner of her eye with her finger. “I can appreciate that, Mr. Ivanovich. Hopefully, I’ll have the opportunity to belong that tightly to your family.”

“Keep working as hard and as well as you have been the last couple of months, and you will, my sweet.” He grinned down at her. “Now. If you won’t let me take you home, I’ll simply have a car take you.” He tapped something on his watch. A few seconds later, a Rolls-Royce pulled up to the gate.

“Wow,” she said. Azriel smiled.

“Rolls-Royce Phantom,” he said. “One of the most luxurious cars in the world.”

“Wow,” she repeated. He chuckled as the driver got out and stepped around to open the door for her. “Sean, my driver, will take you anywhere you want to go and wait for you until he drops you safely off at your home. Anything you want, you tell him. He’ll take care of it on my behalf.”

She looked at him for a long moment. “You realize I just want to go home. Right?”

“I do. However, if there is anything you need on the way, I’m making sure you have it. Even if it’s just a quart of Ben and Jerry’s.”

Once again, she giggled. God, he was in trouble. Was there anything he wouldn’t do, anything he wouldn’t endure just to hear that sound from her? Given that he was pretty sure she was an industrial spy, that was not a good position for him to be in.

He guided her to the car, his hand at the small of her back. She turned abruptly and stumbled. Azriel caught her, wrapping his arms around her for the second time that night. This time, however, he had a better hold on her, and his grip was tight by necessity. She looked up into his eyes, her own wide and round. Electricity seemed to arc between them. Everything protective and possessive in Azriel rose up, trying to be unleashed. This was his woman. In that moment, he knew he had to have her. Not just for a few hours. He wanted to take his time with this one. Days at least. More likely weeks. Or months. Or years.

Finally, he relaxed his hold slightly. She took a shaky breath and pushed slightly at his chest once he’d given a sign he would let her loose.

“I appreciate it, Mr. Ivanovich.” Her voice was shaky. She cleared her throat delicately.

“Azriel,” he said as he helped her into the car.

“Family. Right. Somehow, I doubt everyone calls you Azriel.”

“You’d be right,” he conceded. “With you, however, I find I’d prefer to be a little less formal.”

Just like that, she shut down. Giving him a tight smile, she said, “I appreciate that, Mr. Ivanovich. But it’s just not appropriate.”

Azriel tried not to wince and nodded. “Understood. Before you go, however,” he held out his hand. When she looked at it, a lovely confused look on her face, he smiled. “Your phone, please, Miss Newsome.” She hesitated, but shrugged and handed it to him. She didn’t have the latest phone out there. In fact, it was an off brand she probably used with a no-contract plan. Azriel quickly figured out how to operate the thing. “I just sent myself a text. Which means you have my phone number.” He pulled out his phone and showed her the screen which showed a text message to him from her number. “I expect you to use that number if you need anything. Do you understand me?”

“Not really, but whatever,” she muttered.

Instead of insulting her by explaining himself, he simply smiled. “Have a good evening, Miss Newsome. If you lose my phone number, I’ll be exceedingly displeased.” As he shut the door, Azriel decided it was time for him to really delve into Lamb’s background. If she was working with Luxemberry, wouldn’t he have seen to it she had a phone with encrypted security or something? He’d surely want her to have something capable of capturing more high-resolution images if necessary. One thing was for sure, Azriel wanted to make fucking sure she was what he thought she was. If she was innocent, he was in a world of shit. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt someone who wasn’t deserving. Especially not a woman. Especially not a woman who seemed as sweet and innocent as little Lamb Newsome.

Lamb tried to get Sean to drop her off at the end of the block from her house. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t want the man reporting back to Azriel where she lived — he probably already knew. She didn’t want her neighbors thinking she had money, because she was sure she’d have a break-in soon after, and the few things she did have, she wanted to keep. Finally, she just broke down and told him. The man hadn’t been happy about that, but had agreed with the provision she allowed him to see her home.

“Mr. Ivanovich won’t be pleased if I don’t see you safely inside with the door locked.”

“Mr. Ivanovich might be my boss, but he’s not my keeper,” she retorted.

Sean only grinned. “No. But he’s my boss, too, and part of my job tonight is making sure you get home safely. Are you trying to get me fired?”

She sighed, frustrated because she knew he had her. “Fine. Just try not to look too much like you work for a billionaire. I’d rather not have anyone sniffing around just in case they think I’ve acquired a rich boyfriend.”

“You know I have to report your concerns about a break in. Right?”

“Oh, please. Like Ivanovich doesn’t know where I live. I seriously doubt there is an employee of his anywhere he doesn’t know exactly where they are at, what they are doing, and what their plans are for the rest of the week.”

“Picked up on that, did you?”

“Wasn’t hard.”

They walked the block to her apartment at a brisk clip. She’d secured the place soon after returning from the Keys. She unlocked the door before turning to Sean. “Thanks for the escort.” She smiled. “I’d invite you in, but you really should get that car out of this neighborhood.”

Sean smirked. “You’re not wrong, but I promise you, no one will touch that car.”

“I suppose it could only belong to one of three people, huh?”

“Well, there are several people at Argent who could afford that car, but the point is, they’d know it was someone who worked at Argent. There are very few people in this city who would chance the wrath of anyone associated with Argent.”

That startled her. “Are they bullies? Doesn’t sound like they’re very well thought of in town.”

“On the contrary. Most people in the city love them. Argent has brought much needed employment to this city. It’s thriving under its influence. But Argent Tech is a worldwide deal. As such they have added security measures. For the everyday things, they bring in some friends from out of state. They’re often rough-looking, but they are all highly trained military types. They form two clubs. MCs. One from Palm Beach, Florida. The other from Somerset, Kentucky.”

“MCs.” She thought for a moment. “Motorcycle clubs?”

“Exactly.” He smiled at her.

“Seems kind of a ghetto solution when they’re so rich.”

“You’re overlooking the highly trained military-type thing. There’s a paramilitary organization that specializes in security details both domestic and foreign. You’ve been here long enough you might recognize the name. Ever hear of a company called ExFil?”

Lamb thought for a moment. “Sounds familiar. Weren’t they involved with something in Rockwell a month or so before Christmas?”

“Yes. They were. ExFil and Argent work closely together and often help each other out when one of the two companies, or any of the associated MCs, is in need. Not sure, but I think the owners are old military buddies. I know the clubs are called Bones and Salvation’s Bane, and that there is a whisper the bosses might work even closer with a group called the Shadow Demons.”

Lamb’s eyes grew wide. “You mean, that’s a real thing? The Shadow Demons?”

“It is.”

“I’ve heard people talking about them. Some say they’re vigilantes, others say they’re the saviors of the city. All sounds very Dark Knight-esque.”

Sean chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but I know they guard Argent and every person working for them zealously. I also know more than one person has died when they crossed the Demons.”

“Well, they sound like a mixed bag.”

“They are. My advice is to keep your nose clean. Don’t talk about your work at Argent unless you’ve been given specific permission.”

That was odd. Lamb cocked her head to the side, trying to puzzle out his words. “That was in my NDA. I signed it long before I actually got here. I was allowed to make known I had an internship, but not to discuss anything I did for the company.”

“Look. I like you, Miss Newsome. I’ve watched you interact with other team members, and you’re a good influence on everyone. You make people around you smile. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She sucked in a breath, suddenly not feeling safe. “Are you threatening me?”

“No,” Sean said immediately. “Not at all, and I don’t want you to take it that way. It’s just that James Luxemberry works for a rival company who’s tried on more than one occasion to get entry into Argent Technologies. He’d taken an interest in you even before you officially started with us.”

“You have no reason to worry about Mr. Luxemberry. Certainly not about me revealing any secrets to him.”

“Good. I know you were seen at the party with him. I just wanted you to know he’s bad news around here.”

“Bad news here, too,” she muttered. “You can tell your bosses no worries here.” She smiled brightly, but she was on the verge of tears again. Could this day get any worse? James had hinted at them being a team. What did he mean by that? Did she even want to know? “Thank you again. Have a good evening.” With that, she shut the door and turned both deadbolts before latching the chain in place.

What a fucking night!