Page 5 of Cross Me

I was already out of my seat and making my way down the hall. Norris knew better than to try to stop me. Not after I’d received this piece of intel. Not with the threat of an attack on the symposium.

Not before I reached my wife.

CHAPTER TWO

CLARA

It was proving to be the longest car ride of my life. My plan to send X a clear message—that I wasn’t going to be sitting at home gestating for the next eight months—had backfired. Now, instead of a peaceful ride with Norris, who knew the value of solitude, I was stuck listening to incessant bickering.

Brexton Miles was an old army friend of my husband’s and one of the few men Alexander trusted. But he wasn’t assigned to my personal security team. Alexander had made it clear that Norris was the only acceptable escort for public outings. I intended to make it clear that I could make that decision on my own. Except I hadn’t counted on Brex bringing along his partner? Girlfriend? Colleague? It was impossible to tell. Not girlfriend, I decided. There was far too much tension in the front seat, and it was clearly of the haven’t-slept-together-yet variety. It was perfectly obvious to anyone with eyes or ears that they wanted to shag.

I couldn’t imagine what was stopping them. Brexton was good-looking by anyone’s standards—tall and well-built with a quick smile and chocolate brown eyes. He was also too charming for his own good. Perhaps that was what had put Georgia Kincaid off him. She seemed the type to hold something innocuous, like charm, against a man. I could see why Brex was obviously into her. She was gorgeous in a way that stoked my inner inferiority complex. She’d had a relationship of sorts with Alexander once. I wondered, not for the first time, if Brex knew that or if he would even care.

We’d taken the Range Rover, mostly because I used it as a family car. I’d never grown accustomed to the veritable stable of luxury vehicles that came with my title. Unfortunately, my choice of vehicles meant I had very little distance between me and the brewing conflict between them.

My phone rang, and I exhaled a silent sigh of relief.

“You’re saving my life,” I said as I answered my best friend’s call.

Belle laughed, but it sounded off, as though she was trying to force it. “Don’t you have a team to do that?”

“I do,” I whispered. “That’s the problem. They won’t stop fighting. What’s up?”

“Nothing,’ she said, and I knew she was fibbing. Belle, who’d spent the last year deeply immersed in her honeymoon phase, rarely called without a reason. It was one of the ways our relationship had changed dramatically since we’d both gotten married. “I shouldn’t bother you.”

“Anything is better than continuing to listen to them debate the benefits of entering through the front or back of the building,” I whispered. “Maybe they should stop arguing and enter as quickly as possible.”

“I get the impression we’re not discussing security arrangements,” Belle said.

“I get the impression they aren’t, either.”

From the front seat, Georgia shot me a look over her shoulder. Maybe I should be having this conversation over text.

“Don’t you have a doctor’s appointment today?” I asked Belle, remembering I wasn’t the only one who had plans for the day. That was why she sounded strange. My heart seemed to lurch to a stop. Had she already been? I couldn’t bring myself to ask more. Instead, I waited for her to continue.

“Of course, I do. Why do you think I’m calling you?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t been yet. I mentally began rearranging my life to see if I could be there for her. “Isn’t Smith coming with you?”

“He is,” Belle jumped in before I could get too far in my theoretical rescheduling. “But he’s just so confident.”

“And you’re not?” I guessed softly.

Belle lowered her voice as though Smith could hear through multiple walls. “He’s so excited. I don’t want him to know I’m scared. We don’t know why we lost the first baby. What…what if something’s wrong with me?”

“I’m not going tell you all of the statistics again. I’m sure you’ve looked them all up anyway,” I said. “There’s no reason to think that’s the case. Plus, the sooner you go, the sooner you’ll know.”

“You’re probably right,” Belle admitted.

I knew it wasn’t enough to alleviate her concerns. I wished I was there to help her get her mind off things.

“I’m always right, except for when I’m wrong, which is very rare,” I said. This earned a genuine laugh. “I have that symposium today, but call me as soon as you hear anything. I’ll have my phone with me. I’ll check my messages.”

“I completely forgot about that.” It sounded like she was banging her head against the wall. I didn’t bother urging her to calm down. I knew how stressful early pregnancy was. “Why am I bothering you with this?”

“Because you’re my best friend and because it’s not a bother at all. No matter what happens I’m here for you. You’re my family.”

“I know. I love you,” Belle said.