He walked out of the club. What was the point of living a life if you could never discuss it with anyone?
It wasn't like he wanted to shout from the rooftops that Draco had tied the knot.
No, but it might be nice to have a picture of the occasion or to be able to even tell someone,
"Hey, my brother got married,"' without having to be afraid they might say, "Hey Ace, I didn't know you had any siblings."
Not to mention, Zee had just made him crazy thinking he might not be able to publically date Alice. There was no way that woman who was followed around by cameras—because of her gourmet home cooked meals, not her rice-crispy treats—was going to want to be with anyone she had to hide. He was certain Zee was correct in her judgment.
He ran two steps and took off into the air. When he got high enough for no one to hear his roar, he let out his frustration with a giant yell. Fuck Zee for acting like he wasn't doing his job.
He had uncovered in almost no time at all who had hired The Mask. He had kept Alice safe. He
would find the man and he would do it without hurting the woman he was paid to protect.
Although Zee did have a point.
If they could find a way to absolutely protect her but still use her as a means of bringing out The Mask...
No, he wouldn't consider it. Alice was everything. His everything. He'd find another way.
He spotted his house below and landed, keeping his footsteps steady. Lael would hear him and know just by the way he set down that he was angry. There was no point in getting the kid any more upset than he must already be to have spotted Ace and Alice together on the couch. He supposed he was going to have to discuss that with him.
He opened the front door, took off his shoes and set them beside the hallway. "How was the club?"
Looking up, he spotted Alice sitting in a lounge chair, her feet crossed over each other, her head tilted to the side. He felt one brow arch. Was it his imagination or did her tone sound downright hostile?
He crossed the room until he stood over her. For a second, he let her vanilla scent seep into his pores. It was heaven to be this close to her.
"How did you know that's where I went?"
She stretched her arms upwards, giving him a good look at her breasts. He could remember how soft they felt when he squeezed their supple weight in his hands.
Instantly, his dick was as hard as a rock.
"Lael told me that's what you always do after a mission."
He sat down on the arm of the chair so he could stroke her cheek. She flinched away from his touch. His heart beat fast and he was less concerned with his erection than her reaction to him.
What the hell was going on?
"What's the matter?" He tried to think quickly for possible explanations for the utter change in Alice's demeanor in the hours he'd been gone. "I didn't go there to meet women. I went there to calm down from the adrenaline issue."
She pushed back on the chair and stood. "I don't care what you did, Ace. You're welcome to fuck as many women in one day as you want."
"Hey." Now his patience was running out. "That belittles what happened between us and you know it."
"I don't know anything." She shrugged, her eyes cold. "I know that I spent part of the afternoon having sex with an adrenaline junkie. It was clearly a big mistake."
"Adrenaline junkie? I'm not that at all. I thought I had explained to you—"
She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. "It was good sex, fine. Really.”
“Fine?" He picked her up in his arms, carrying her until her back was against the wall. "You and I both know it was better fine. I can smell a lie."
He wanted to kiss away her attitude, take it from her and throw it away where it would never be spotted again.
Her eyes flared. "Good for you. Must be a real convenient freakish ability to be born with."
Her words hurt. Badly. They stung like she'd just put a knife in his chest. How had she known? Deep inside, where he hid everything, he'd always thought of himself that way. He swallowed. "What has gotten into you? Why is the bitch back?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." She kicked, catching him in the shin. It didn't hurt.
Still, she'd gotten her message across. She wanted to be put down, and he wasn't in the habit of abusing women. He placed her gently on the floor.
"The last time you behaved like this it was because you were scared. What's frightening you now?"
She slapped him hard across the face. He imagined a normal guy would hurt for hours after a smack like that. To him, it stung, but the pain didn't linger. He backed up. Even if she couldn't hurt him, that didn't mean he had to sit around and wait for her to keep trying.
"Don't you dare psychoanalyze me, Ace Hudson." Her eyes were molten pools of lava. She was really, really angry.
"Don't you put your hands on me in anger again.”
“Or you'll do what?"
"Nothing. I'll do nothing because I'm in love with you and I don't hurt the people I love. I'm just asking you as one reasonable person to another that you control your temper. I get that you're scared."
He'd never sounded so calm in his life and even he couldn't believe it.
"In love with me?" She took two steps to her right and he wondered if she was going to attempt to escape from the room. "You're not in love with me and even if you are, I'm not in love with you. You think I want this?" She pointed around the room. "I want to live in this house with
you and all your family hiding from the world while you flit about above the city with your hair dangling down so everyone knows it's you?"
Ace wasn't sure he could breathe anymore. Was it possible for someone to cause endless, never ceasing amounts of pain in one conversation? He'd just told her he loved her. Something he'd said to no other woman in his entire life—except his dead mother—and Alice had said— ?
He must be breathing or he'd be dead. Or maybe he had died. He blinked a couple of times.
Maybe that's why he couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't seem to do anything but stand there and take the abuse from someone who, foolishly, moments earlier, he'd imagined having a future with...
She wasn't finished. "I want to be done with this, Ace. You obviously can't get the job completed. Find me someone who can."
With her final statement delivered, she stormed from the room like a tornado, leaving nothing but destruction in her path.
He wasn't sure how or when he moved, but he found himself standing in front of the phone.
He picked it up and dialed. She wanted someone else. He would get her someone. And then, he would find a way to make sure this never, ever happened to him again.
Chapter Ten
Alice didn't sleep the entire night. Rolling around in the bed in Ace's guestroom, she knew she'd gone too far with her terror disguised as anger. He'd told her he loved her. She swallowed, staring at the bright morning sunlight filtering in around the bottom of the window shade.
When he'd said those words —I love you— it had been the most frightening thing she'd ever heard. Not because she hadn't liked it but because of how much she did. She shook her head.
How did you love someone when you knew they would betray you? She closed her eyes on the tears threatening to spill.
Every member of her family who had ever "loved" her had ended up hurting her, deeply. One had put a madman after her. But heavens the things she'd said...She needed to get up, to apologize, to explain, to tell him...but what? To tell him that she would never be able to love him because she was defective.
Hell, the words she'd thrown at him, she might as well have used on herself. She just had to explain. Ace was incredibly forgiving. She bolted from the bed and rushed to the door. Right before she reached it, she heard a loud knock.
Oh thank god, Ace was there. Feeling a sagging amount of relief in her shoulders, she threw open the door.
Ace stood in the hallway, his arms crossed over his chest. He met her eyes
for a moment before looking away, but what she saw there made her heart skip a beat. They were bloodshot, tired, and distant.
"Good morning." His voice sounded hoarse. "Ace, thank god. I need to speak to you.”
“I've done as you asked."
He stepped away from the door, revealing another person standing in there. He was tall, dark, and severe looking. She gasped as she recognized Draco Powers from his pictures. This was Ace's brother, the original owner of Powers, Inc. The man the media called "The Capitalist Guardian."
"Um..." She wasn't sure what to say in Draco's presence. "I thought you were on your honeymoon."
Draco's head whipped around as he looked at Ace. "How much more of what she shouldn't know does she know?"
Ace shrugged. "Too much. Lael screwed up, maybe more than once. I'm not sure." Ace turned his cold eyes back on her. "I'll leave you in his capable hands. I'm sure he'll have your problem fixed in a matter of hours. Powers will be refunding part of the cost of your payment to you based on my inability to get the job done."
She shook her head. "No, Ace, I need to speak to you."
He whirled around and walked from the hall. He called over his shoulder. "You can deal with Draco now."
Oh no. This was going very, very badly. Ace rounded the corner and before she could think better of it, she ran down the hall after him. He wasn't running but with his long legs he was much faster than she was. She ran smack into the hard, teenaged chest of Lael.
"Oomph, I'm sorry, Lael. I need to get to Ace."
He shook his head. "Sorry, I think Ace just told you to speak to Draco.”
“This isn't about work. I need to speak to Ace about personal stuff."
Lael looked over his shoulder. "Guess you missed him. He flew from the building about three seconds ago."
Pain invaded Alice's head like a mislaunched missile. "Lael, I know you heard our argument last night. I was so out of line with your brother, I need to apologize. I need to explain."
Some of the hostility left Lael's posture and his shoulder slumped a little bit. "How could you hurt him like that?"
"Believe it or not, and I rather think you of all people will believe this, adults make mistakes all the time. I don't do well when I'm scared. I say stupid, cruel things."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Styles." Draco's voice from behind her caught her off guard. "My teenaged brother shouldn't be speaking to you about personal things. Lael, upstairs, Wendy will make you breakfast."
"I'd rather Alice make me breakfast.”
“Nope." Draco shook his head. "Upstairs."
Grumbling, Lael turned and stormed up the stairs.
Draco walked slowly toward her and Alice knew instantly what all the criminals in the world must feel when Draco Powers approached them: utter and complete terror. His gaze seemed all-
seeing, like he knew every one of her secrets without her having to say a word. His posture stiff, he gave her a threatening glare.
"Ms. Styles, I'm not sure what went on between you and Ace, but I think you would agree that the person to discuss it with is not my sixteen-year-old brother."
She felt her cheeks heat up but not with embarrassment. Anger coursed through her veins and fired her blood. "I beg to differ, Mr. Powers. Lael has been intrinsically mixed up in this whole mess from moment one. I think he deserves the courtesy of my explanation as much as any adult would."
"Ah, hell." Draco sighed loudly. "I go away for two weeks on my honeymoon, which, by the way, I am going to have to get you to sign a contract saying you won't reveal to anyone, and everything goes sideways. Ace is a mess; I have no idea what kind of situation he got involved in with regards to you, and Lael is bitching and moaning about everything."
Alice shrugged. "Family sucks. What can I say?"
Some of the heat disappeared from Draco's eyes. "I used to feel like that. Then I learned better." He shook his head. "Let's go. Get dressed. I'm getting rid of the psycho on the television who is screwing up Lael's television watching. If he doesn't get his hour every day he gets cranky."
"Is The Mask still saying the same thing?"
"Yes." Draco nodded as he walked her back to her room. "Ace tells me the guy hasn't made a move since he thwarted the subway incident. That tells me he's crazy but not all that competent."
She swallowed. "It scares me to think we might be underestimating him.”
“I assure you, this will end today."
"How are you going to do that?"
Draco smiled a wolfish grin. "I'm going to use you as bait to lure the sucker out." Alice leaned against the doorframe. "Will Ace be there?"
"No. Ace has asked for an extended period of absence."
She closed her eyes. Some way, when this was over, she would find him. The need felt imperative, but she wasn't willing to explore the reasons why.
* * * * *
Standing in the middle of her studio, Alice felt more vulnerable than she had in her entire life. Even when she'd been first attacked she hadn't felt this alone. True, she hadn't known the complexity of what had transpired. Now she did, and all she wanted in the world was Ace Hudson not to fight The Mask. No, she wanted him to hold her, to look at her like he'd looked at her during their days together.
"Is Ace okay?" She whispered into the small transmitter radio Draco had affixed to her wrist.
"I haven't heard from him. I assume he's fine."
Draco's voice was as it always seemed—brisk, efficient, and totally devoid of any interest or sympathy, as should be when dealing with a client he wanted to be rid of.
She wanted her Ace back.
"Do you think if I gave you a note you could get it to him?"
There was a pause. "This is not gym class, and no, I will not pass a note to my brother."
She wasn't sure she followed all of that but the general idea was clearly no. She sighed.
"Ms. Styles." Draco's voice came through. "We're going to begin now."
The story they put out to the press was that she was going to film some taped shows, different from the live audience performances she usually gave. One of Draco's Guardians worked the camera. She thought the woman called herself Zee, but Alice wasn't sure. The whole morning was a giant haze of confusion.
God, she really wanted to see Ace...
Finally, she spoke into her transmitter. "Tell me again how this works.”
“Again?" Draco's annoyance came through loud and clear.
"Yes."
"When The Mask tries to take over the camera, the camera's beacon will transmit to us his exact location and then I will go and get him."
She cleared her throat. "How does the camera have a beacon?"
"Ace installed it. I guess he stayed up most of the night working on it."
Oh god. She covered her face with her hands. What was wrong with her? She'd had this guy—this really wonderful guy—who saved people for a living and had wanted to be with her, and she'd let her tremendous amount of baggage weigh her down to the point she'd not only rejected him, but also had shoved him three continents away.
There had to be a way to fix this. There just had to be. "Are you ready?"
She uncovered her face and sniffed. It wasn't like she had to particularly get ready to do anything. All they were going to do was turn the electronics on and wait for The Mask to locate and try to assault her. "I'm ready."
The lights switched on, illuminating the room in a bright assault that showed the dark circles under her eyes and the redness of her nose. She laughed, covering her mouth so no one would see her. Not that it mattered. Only Draco and Zee were present. She didn't really care if they saw her crazy snickering.
Clearly, she was losing her mind.
"You okay?" Draco's voice hissed over the intercom. "Great." She held up her hand in a thumbs up salute. "You don't seem okay."
Zee interrupted their exchange as she grabbed the camera. "This thing is attempting to move forward on me."
"I'm coming." Draco stormed through the door
to examine the camera with Zee.
It looked to Alice like Draco and Zee had the camera under control. Really, what did The Mask expect to happen with the device? Was she going to be strangled to death with the cord?
Draco mumbled something she couldn't hear.
"What did you say, Mr. Powers?" She sniffed, rubbing her arms as goosebumps raced over her exposed skin. Did the temperature in the room suddenly drop five degrees?
"Something's off here." She gulped. "What is it?"
As fast as she could blink, Alice watched Zee lift Draco off the floor. The Guardian had no time to react before Zee, using her other hand, zapped him with some kind of laser. Draco roared as his body seized and he hit the floor. Alice gasped and backed up a few steps.
"Hello, Ms. Styles." Zee cocked her head to the side as she regarded her. Alice's hands broke out in sweat. "Now that we're alone, we can finally speak."
"You?" Alice didn't recognize the sound of her own voice. It seemed like she heard it from far away. "You're The Mask?"
"I am." She nodded, holstering the laser she'd used to zap Draco. "Oh, don't worry. I didn't kill him. I don't want him dead. That was so last year. We just want to discredit his entire organization."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Who better to kill than a high profile client? The elite will never trust Powers, Inc. again,
not even to find their lost dogs. And the fact that Draco won't even die saving you...even better."
Alice backed away another foot. Heavens, she needed to get out of there right this very second. There was no way she could overpower a Guardian. She was going to have to find another way.
"I still don't understand what this has to do with me." Keep her talking, keep her talking.
"You fell in my lap. I take these jobs all the time, waiting for the perfect opportunity, waiting for a well-known celebrity to need help since Draco would automatically step in to protect someone in the spotlight." She shook her head, a frown marring her brow. "I had no idea it would be Ace who took the job. I had to get rid of him. Discrediting Ace is a lot easier than destroying Draco. So I made him doubt himself. Apparently it worked."
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