Signs of Love Page 10

  "Unknown? In this day and age, how can that even be a diagnosis anymore?"

  Well, that was one thing he and Marcus agreed on. "Yeah, it was kind of hard for me to accept that myself."

  "But you have?" Marcus asked.

  Justin shrugged. "I didn't want to, but you know, the bottom line is that Genevieve is still healthy. There could be so many other things wrong that wouldn't have the outcome this one does. I try to keep that in mind whenever I start to get too angry about it."

  "If there's anything I can do, let me know. We're family after all."

  Yes, they were even if it didn't feel that way most the time. Justin wasn't altogether sure why he held Marcus at arm's length. They hadn't been close even before the tragedy, but it hadn't been this awkward then.

  "If something comes up, I'll let you know."

  He saw a flash of surprise on Marcus's face. Justin understood it since he usually rebuffed any offer of help from him. But they were talking about Genevieve here. Justin would do pretty much anything for her. Including make nice with Marcus and learn sign language.

  ~*~*~

  They'd ended up having to walk a couple of blocks from the bus stop, but since the day was nice, Alana didn't mind. Caden was nearly dragging her along the sidewalk in eagerness to see Justin. He'd been thrilled when she'd revealed the plans for the day, and even though the hours had seemed to fly by for her, she had a feeling they'd dragged for her son.

  She hadn't been sure what to expect from their visit to the BlackThorpe offices, but as they got closer to the address Justin had given her, Alana was a bit taken aback by the large wall that ran next to the sidewalk. Her grip on Caden's hand tightened as she spotted a sign reading "BlackThorpe Security" and then just beyond that was a large black iron gate. Justin hadn't given her any instructions on how to get inside. She'd just assumed she'd walk into a building and give his name.

  "Can I help you?" A man's voice interrupted her thoughts.

  She turned to see who had spoken to her. A large man in a black uniform stood in an opening beside the gate that led into the compound. It didn't escape her notice that he was armed and had a build much like Justin's.

  Caden pressed against her side as she took a step toward the man. "I'm here to see Justin Morrell."

  "And your name is?"

  "Alana Jensen."

  "Just a moment, please."

  The man stepped back and closed a smaller black iron gate. She wasn't sure if she hoped they were in the right place or the wrong one. The level of security around the tall building was a bit overwhelming.

  The man reappeared, a clipboard in his hand. "Do you have some ID?"

  ID? She clutched her purse. "I only have stuff like a bank card."

  The man arched a brow. "No driver's license?"

  Alana shook her head.

  "Passport?"

  Another shake of her head. Even if she had one of those, she wouldn't have been carrying it around with her. "I didn't realize I'd need ID."

  The man looked her up and down then said, "Just wait one minute."

  When they were alone once again, Caden tugged his hand free. Alana looked down to see him signing to her asking what was going on. As best she could, she explained what the guard had asked her. She saw the worried look on Caden's face and any thoughts she'd had of just walking away and not bothering with the hassle vanished. Until the guard told her they wouldn't be allowed inside, she'd stand there with Caden.

  He continued to pester her with questions as they waited for the man to reappear.

  "Alana?"

  She saw the huge grin on Caden's face just before she lifted her head to see Justin standing in the opening through which the guard had disappeared.

  "Hi, Justin. I'm afraid that I didn't know I'd need ID to get inside. I don't have anything like that on me."

  "It's fine. I'm sorry I didn't check with you about that when we talked last night." He stepped away from the entrance and waved them forward. As they walked passed him, he held out his hand to Caden and gave him a high five. "Hi, buddy."

  Caden grinned and let go of her hand long enough to sign, "Hi, Justin."

  They walked into a guard shack where she spotted the man who'd been talking with them earlier. He smiled at her and gave a nod of his head.

  She glanced at Justin. "It's okay that I don't have ID?"

  "I vouched for you, so no funny business or it's my neck on the line."

  Alana's eyes widened until she saw the corner of his mouth twitch up and his eyes spark with humor. "We'll try to behave."

  They walked along a sidewalk that wound its way through a couple of parking lots to the doors of the closest building. Once inside, Justin addressed the two men sitting behind a counter. "They're with me, guys."

  The men both nodded their heads, clearly aware of who Justin was.

  After they had stepped into a nearby elevator, Justin waved a card over a scanner and then punched a number. The silence in the elevator was thick, and it was at times like this that Alana wished Caden could talk. He would no doubt have a billion questions.

  Once the doors slid open, he motioned for them to precede him out. As her feet sank into the plush carpet, she was struck by the subtle elegance of the decor.

  "You don't work here all the time?" Alana asked as Justin led them toward a set of doors not far from the elevator.

  "No." Justin reached out and opened the door. "Most my work has to do with training out at the compound. I'm here once a week for an administration meeting. That's more than enough for me."

  They walked into a huge open room that was obviously the gym he'd spoken about on the phone the night before. Different types of equipment ringed the perimeter, but there was a large open area in the center of the room. At that moment, a few of the machines were in use, but there was no one in the open area. This was where he'd teach her self-defense? Right out in the middle where anyone could see her?

  As if reading her mind, he said, "Once we settle on a schedule, I'll make sure that everyone knows the gym is closed for that time." He motioned them to follow him as he walked to the right. "There are change rooms here so you can change if you need to. Sweats or something similar would work best."

  Though Alana preferred skirts, she had some sweats that would probably work. "Is there a place Caden can sit to watch?"

  "Sure. There are some benches around the room, but he can also sit on the floor near where we'll be working."

  "Do a lot of people use this?" Alana asked as they walked back toward the door they'd come in.

  "Not as many as should. We do try to encourage anyone who does field work to keep fit. Everyone in the first couple levels of management is required to take weapons training and self-defense."

  Alana looked up at him, trying in vain to not notice the way his muscles stretched his shirt. This man took his job seriously. Craig had mainly done his workouts to compete in bodybuilding championships. Justin's were clearly there because of his job—not so he could pose in minuscule briefs and win awards. "Do you teach them all?"

  "Not all, but quite a few. If they choose to come to the compound, I'll usually be the one working with them." As they approached the elevator once again, Justin said, "I'll take you up and introduce you to Marcus. I think you heard us talking about him the other day."

  Alana nodded, remembering that it hadn't been a good conversation on Justin's part. She also recalled what Beth had told her the night before about exactly who Marcus was to her and Justin.

  If she'd thought the elegance had been subtle on the previous floor, it was a bit more overt on this one. There was a large desk just outside the elevator, and the woman behind it looked up and smiled as her gaze took them in.

  "You're still hanging around, Justin?"

  “Just giving a tour. Alana, this is Kelsey. Kelsey, this is Alana and her son Caden."

  Alana looked down at Caden and quickly fingerspelled the woman's name so he would know it. When she lifted her head, her gaze met
Kelsey's and she saw the curiosity there.

  "Nice to meet you, Kelsey," Alana said.

  "Nice to meet you, too, Alana." She looked at Caden, a smile on her face. "And you too, Caden."

  He smiled at her and gave a little wave. Caden always responded to friendly faces.

  She felt a touch on her back and looked to see Justin holding his other arm stretched toward a hallway. "Marcus's office is this way."

  As soon as she and Caden began to walk, his hand fell away. Alana told herself that was how it should be. They'd only walked a short distance when Alana spotted a man coming toward them. He had dark hair and eyes and a broad smile on his face as he came close. He wore a suit that looked like it had been made specifically for him.

  "Well, Justin, who do we have here?" Like the woman at the desk, this man's expression held more than a little curiosity.

  "Alana, this is Than Miller. He works here as well. Than, this is Alana and her son Caden."

  Than held out his hand to her and when Alana slipped her hand into his he gave it a firm shake. He then turned to Caden and held his hand out, palm up. Caden grinned and slapped it and turned his hand palm up so Than could return the greeting. Then he looked up at her, an expectant look on his face.

  Once again she fingerspelled Than's name.

  "Is he deaf?" Than asked.

  Alana looked up and said, "Yes."

  Without any hesitation, Than lowered himself so one knee rested on the floor and began to sign with an ease that told Alana he was likely as fluent as she was. Caden's face brightened even more—if that was even possible—as he responded to Than.

  "Seriously?" Justin crossed his arms and stared at Than. "You know sign language?"

  Than didn't answer right away as he watched what Caden was signing then he said, "Yep. You know languages are my thing."

  "Yeah, but I didn't know that included sign language," Justin commented.

  "I don't use it much," Than said as he got to his feet. "But I initially took a few lessons because I met a cute deaf girl when I was a teenager."

  Justin gave a snort of laughter. "Of course."

  Than grinned without shame. "Even after she rejected me, I decided that it was interesting enough to continue learning."

  Justin turned to Alana. "Than is our language expert. The guy knows more languages than anyone I've ever met."

  "Maybe he should be the one to teach you," Alana suggested.

  Than looked at Justin. "You're learning sign language?"

  Justin shrugged. "I'm going to try. We just found out that my niece has experienced permanent hearing loss. My sister and brother-in-law are learning as well. Alana is teaching them. And me."

  "It's tempting to teach you," Than said. "Considering how much I've suffered at your hands during our sparring, a little retribution might be nice."

  Alana wasn't sure what she hoped at that moment. She'd expected to feel relief at the thought of not having to spend that kind of time with Justin, but instead, all she felt was disappointment.

  "Actually, I think I'll just stick with Alana. I have a feeling she'll have more patience with me, because, unlike you, languages are not my thing."

  "I'm sure you'll do just fine." Than slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm available to practice if you ever need it."

  When Than turned to her, he had a twinkle in his warm gaze. He signed, "Don't go too easy on him. He is merciless when he spars with us."

  Alana laughed and quickly signed back, "I'll do my best."

  Caden captured Than's attention and asked him if he wore guns like Justin. When Than's brow furrowed over the sign for Justin's name, Alana explained the name sign Caden had given him. Than gave him a thumb's up and let Caden know he'd chosen well. And then to answer his question, Than swept one side of his suit coat open so that Caden could see the gun harness there.

  Empty? Caden signed.

  Than explained that when he was in his office he usually didn't wear his weapon, but when he left the building, he had it on. As Justin interacted with both Than and Caden, Alana had a chance to watch him and realized that while Beth might think he didn't have friends, he most certainly did. The easygoing communication between Than and Justin spoke of something more than just co-workers.

  "Well, I'd better go." Than smiled at Alana. "It was a great pleasure to meet you and Caden. Hope to see you again."

  After he had left, they continued down the hallway until they came to a large desk. A woman sat there much like Kelsey had at the front, but this one looked a little frazzled.

  "You must be new," Justin said to her as he held out his hand. "I'm Justin Morrell."

  "Yes. This is my second day. My name is Janice."

  "Has he bitten your head off yet?" Justin asked as he motioned to the door.

  The woman's eyes widened. "He really does that?"

  "I'm sure you'll do just fine. His bark is worse than his bite. Seriously." He gestured to the door again. "Is he in?"

  The woman nodded. "Should I let him know you're here?"

  "Sure. Just tell him Justin wants to see him for a couple of minutes."

  She lifted the receiver of the complicated looking phone on her desk and stared at it for a moment before punching a button. "Mr. Black, Justin is here and would like to see you for a couple of minutes." She listened for a moment and then replaced the receiver. "He said to go on in."

  Alana was curious about the man that seemed to be something of an enigma. Justin opened the door, but this time he walked in ahead of them and then waited for them to join him.

  "Justin? What's up?"

  Alana looked toward the voice and saw a man stand from behind a large desk. Once again she felt Justin's touch on her back as he moved them toward where the man stood. She felt his intense blue gaze sweep her from head to toe and then move to Caden. When he looked back at Justin, his expression revealed nothing.

  "Hey, Marcus..." The words of a new male voice trailed off behind them.

  Alana turned and saw another man in a suit. This man had blond hair and icy blue eyes. Like Marcus, he looked her over but unlike the other man, he made no attempt to hide his curiosity. However, his expression changed as he looked at Caden. His gaze seemed locked on her son as his mouth tightened, and it wasn't until Caden took a step toward her and she slipped her arm around his shoulders that he looked away.

  "Justin," he said with a nod at him.

  "Hey, Alex. I was just introducing Alana Jensen and her son, Caden, to Marcus."

  Alex walked past them to stand at the edge of Marcus's desk. He held out his hand to Alana. "I'm Alex Thorpe."

  The name registered in her brain. Marcus Black and Alex Thorpe. Top guys in the company, Alana realized. She shook his hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

  Marcus held out his hand as well. "Marcus Black."

  She leaned across the desk to shake his hand as Justin said, "Alana is working with Beth, Dan, and Genevieve."

  Caden chose that moment to tug her hand. She looked down at him, and he asked her if these were Justin's friends. His brow furrowed then he signed that they were scarier than Than. Alana quickly explained who they were in relation to Justin.

  When she looked up again, she noticed both Alex and Marcus were watching them. Marcus looked like he'd put the pieces of the puzzle together once he saw Caden signing to her. Alex, on the other hand, still looked a bit perplexed.

  "Anyway, I won't keep you guys from your work," Justin said. "See you next week."

  Alana was relieved to leave Marcus's office, and she sensed that Caden was too. Justin led them back to the elevator.

  "Sorry about that. I didn't expect Alex to show up too. I was going to introduce you to Marcus since you already knew a little about him, and he is aware of the situation with Genevieve."

  "They're the two top guys?" Alana asked just to make sure her assumptions were correct.

  Justin nodded as he motioned for her and Caden to step out of the elevator when it stopped. "He and Alex founded th
e company when they got out of the military just over ten years ago. It was originally a group of four of them, but the other two left when they had a difference of opinion on some things. Not sure exactly what, but that's the story. They changed their name to BlackThorpe, and the rest is history. It was small at first but then grew as they made a name for themselves."

  Alana looked around at the floor the elevator had brought them to. This one appeared to be empty.

  Justin waved his hand. "The main boardroom is down there. There are also several smaller boardrooms along the wall. Sometimes we use this middle area for larger events." He walked to the closest door and turned the knob to open it. "I thought maybe we could meet in one of these rooms for the sign language lessons. They all have televisions so I could bring a gaming system for Caden if he likes to play video games."

  Alana smiled down at Caden and signed to him. When Caden's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously, she said, "Well, I guess you can probably figure out his answer without my help."

  Justin laughed. "Yeah. Seems he likes the idea."

  She wished she had a gaming system for him, but it was just a treat he got when he went to spend time with Peter. Maybe she'd be able to save up enough money to get him a used one for Christmas. A gaming system had been at the top of his list for birthday and Christmas ever since he'd figured out what one was.

  Justin crossed his arms over his chest and said, "So? Do you still think this is something you want to do?"

  The main reason to do it centered around Caden—being able to defend him. Of course, he would also be thrilled to spend more time with Justin and to be able to play video games. The reasons not to do it all centered on her, which meant that of course she'd do it. Every decision she'd made had been with him in mind. She hadn't left Craig in spite of the abuse because she believed the lifestyle he provided for Caden was better than anything she could. But once he'd started to hint that he'd use Caden to keep her under his control, she started her plans to leave. And the day he'd come right out and said that Caden could benefit from a little more discipline especially if she didn't fall in line, she'd packed their bags and left.