The Call (Alpha Billionaires Book 4)
By: B.L. Brooks“Oh, t-thank you,” she softly stutters, regaining her breath, her eyes wide in shock.
“You’re most welcome, Miss. Are you alright?”
She stands gingerly, her hands still gripping my arms with full force. “Y-yes, I’m fine,” she nods. “Thank you again.”
“Of course.” Although her gratitude isn’t necessary. “I’m Eli, by the way. Eli Williams. I’m Leroy’s uncle.”
The crystal-blue eyes in front of me dart over to my nephew, only to sweep back with an appraising look I’m getting a kick out of. “Well, I’m Megan Daniels. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eli,” she says with a hint of confidence, her cheeks reddening by the second.
“The pleasure is all mine.” And there’s not a damn thing she could do to have me believe otherwise. The girl is practically beaming now. Her fingers loosening just a touch on my arms, despite her feet keeping her steady once again.
“I should…I-I have to go. I have a few more decorations to grab.”
I nod, releasing my gentle hold on her as she does the same.
But as soon as a reckless thought comes to mind, I can’t find the willpower to push it out. I slip a hand inside my pocket, sliding a business card out in return and handing it over to Megan, who accepts my offer without thought.
“If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
She fingers the card stock, flicking her bright green nail over the corner while slowly nodding, her cheeks deepening in color furthermore.
But I’ll leave the girl alone—for now. With a grin, I stride off to meet my sister, who seems to be standing to the side of the group with a few close relatives nearby. Why we feel the need to gather the family for these sort of functions still beats me, but at least this time, I found a reason to want to stick around…
3
MEGAN
The walk home is long, and did I mention tiring? My day has only seemed to worsen by the lingering anger from Roy and his stupid friends…
I mean, I really do try to hold myself to a higher standard more often than not, but for the guy to be the same age as me, he’s wildly immature, childish, and driving me closer to calling it quits with men altogether, directing my unclaimed love towards cats instead. I’ll just be the girl forever known for her bunch of fur friends, and really, that’s fine by me.
My fingers graze over the card in my pocket, reminding me of the look on Eli’s face when he handed it over…
I pull the card out, running my thumb across his name stated in bold lettering:
Eli Williams, Chief of Police.
The Chief of Police…seriously?
I’m not only having a hard time wrapping my head around that, but also around the fact the guy is strikingly handsome, charming, and delightfully respectful—unlike any other man I’ve ever met. I swear I can still feel the warmth of his arms on my skin from when he practically saved me from giving my knees two fat bruises.
What a day.
Ready for a hot bubble bath and lights-out, I round the corner to my flat with a pep in my step, only to quickly halt when catching shadows dancing all along the front of my place.
What the hell?
Keeping low, I hear hissed whispers echoing through the night. My main window suddenly shatters, and immediately, I clamp a hand over my mouth, suppressing a scream.
Squatting lower, I shuffle closer to the line of hedges surrounding the neighboring apartment block. I hate this. It’s like I can’t do a thing about the guys jumping through my window, breaking into my place like my stuff is just theirs to take. The nerve!
I’m being robbed, and all I can do is watch.
Fumbling for my phone, my fingers slide across Eli’s card again in the mix. Oh, shoot. That’s right!
Unthinkingly, I dial his number instead of 911, holding my breath until he answers, “This is Eli.”
“Hi,” I sound breathless; it’s rather embarrassing. “I-I’m sorry to have called, but I didn’t know what else to do. It’s Megan. Megan from the ice rink, and like I said I’m so sorry but—”
“Megan, what’s wrong?” Eli cuts me off, his tone stern. “You sound frightened. Where are you?”
