7 Degrees of Alpha (a collection of seven new BWWM, Alpha Male Romances) by et al Phoenix Daniels Sara Allen Page B

each time a traffic signal stopped them from reaching their destination faster. Jones’ jaw ached with the pressure of gritting his teeth for so long, but he couldn’t relax; not yet. Not until he knew that Val was okay and that nothing more had happened to her, but simple lack of understanding that he meant what he said!
    He fought hard to relax and not throw caution to the wind by driving like a maniac through the busy streets of London. The threat of a severe warning from his bosses made him ease up off of the accelerator.
    They finally reached the narrow road that ran down the side of the gallery. Jones barely had time to lock the doors behind him before he was bounding through the busy crowds that were always in attendance at the world famous gallery. He didn’t want to push anyone out of the way, but did because he had to get inside; each minute being one that he could have spent preventing something from happening to her.
    Jones finally reached Val’s office and found the door locked and the corridor silent. Jones shook the handle vigorously until he lost all patience and began pounding on it, calling out to Val. If she were inside unconscious or something, that would explain a lot, and he could clear up where she'd disappeared to.
    “Excuse me, sir! You can’t just come in here beating down doors and shouting like that!” shouted the secretary Jones had met on a few occasions. “Oh, sorry, Detective Jones,” she said in surprise once she recognized him.
    “Where’s Val?” he asked, not giving her a chance to chit-chat.
    “She didn’t come in this morning. She didn’t call either,” she informed him.
    Jones felt as if someone had doused him with ice water. “Say that again?”
    “I said she never came in.”
    “Where do you generally come in before the front doors open?” Jones asked.
    “I’ll show you.”
    They were following Christen as she led them down to the lower floor, where the back entrance exited the building and allowed deliveries and staff to come and go. However, between Val talking to Jones and her arriving at her office, something like an hour and a half ago, she hadn’t made it inside. In fact, it looked as if she’d dropped off the face of the earth.
    “Could she have gone home?” Doug asked, seeking clarification.
    “She didn’t go home, Doug,” Jones told him matter-of-factly.
    Jones cautioned himself. He wouldn’t panic or jump to conclusions. It would ruin his clarity. He needed to think coherently, rather than act irrationally and lose sight of the goal. He wouldn’t go overboard and start breaking things. First, he would find Val. Second, once he had her in his arms, all hell would break loose.
     

****
    Jones and Doug entered the security office, flashing their police I.D.’s.
    “Where’s the list of staff who came through the back doors at around nine o’clock this morning?” Jones enquired.
    “It’s here. What’s the problem?” the guard in charge asked as he handed the list over.
    Jones scanned the list. Val’s name wasn’t on it. She hadn’t signed in, which confirmed that she hadn’t entered.
    Where the hell is she? Jones frantically thought as he asked, “Video surveillance?”
    “I can’t show you that without a warrant,” the guard said, indignant.
    “Listen you; a woman is missing! A woman who should be here and she’s not. Now show me that fucking video surveillance stream!” Jones shouted.
    The guard could see that it was serious, so he conceded, “If anyone asks, I'm telling them you requested to see it, we aren’t allowed to show this too anyone without a warrant!”
    “Tell them what you want. Show me the recording now . Wind it back to before nine o’clock!” Jones demanded.
    They watched as the recording showed nothing but the empty doorway until Val came into view speaking into her phone. She appeared angry when she punched the screen to end the call she was on. Jones knew that she’d been talking to him, and cursed under