24

FOURTEENTH HOUR

"Stephen Morton? Did you just say that?" Anastasia sat up abruptly, her eyes wide open and she looked wide awake. "I would never dream of interfering with your work, Christian, but this guy, I really gotta ask."

"Yeah," Christian answered, alarmed at her reaction. "I thought you were going to sleep through storm."

"No, not this one." She grimaced, she would agree to his statement under any other circumstance, but this was just not one of them. "Gotta sleep with one eye open when this man is concerned."

"What do you mean?" He asked her, now confused and alerted. "Is he a threat?"

"It depends," she said after thinking for a moment.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Christian glanced up at the rear view mirror to meet Taylor's eyes, he was listening to the whole exchange intently and he, too, had found her reaction to the name more than alarming.

"I have to tell Pig." She muttered.

"Ana," Christian called again when she obviously wasn't going to answer his questions. "I'm confused here."

"You don't have to concern yourself with anything. Keep doing business or whatever you're trying to do with him. Just forget that I had this reaction." She twisted her body, looking around and searching for something. "Where's my phone again?" She wondered under her breath.

"It's in my pocket." He answered but didn't bother getting it for her since he was irritated that she just brushed him off like that. Still, that didn't stop her from reaching into his pocket to feel for her phone.

"It's nearly four thirty, he must be up already." She mumbled, unlocking her phone, completely ignoring all the messages that covered her lock screen from her various friends. Opening the text message app, she contemplated texting or calling, but if she called she wouldn't know what she should say, so she opted for text.

Grey's doing business with Morton???!

She sent to his private cell. She knew his work cell would be monitored and what she was going to tell him would be somewhat private and unknown but Christian, just yet.

Just as she had suspected, the reply came back instantly.

Ye

Why didn't you tell me?

She typed back furiously. Her brows were furrowed and her fingers were gripping at the edge of her phone tightly.

You told me to low-key look out for him

Never told me to tell you anything about him

She huffed and rolled her eyes.

I assumed that you don't know anything about him

Why didn't you tell me that he's in business with Grey?

You know what, remind me to call Ray, you're useless

She didn't know what to think of this miscommunication, but she had other important matters, such as explaining to Grey what the situation was.

His reply was blatantly ignored by her, and she didn't even bother to read them. She just left them unopened and groaned out loud.

"I go way back with this fucker." She tossed her phone randomly toward the seats and turned to Christian, leaning back against the window to face him. Christian frowned at her.

"Is he a threat?"

"Not to you."

"So he is one to you then."