“You can’t beat up everyone that isn’t nice to me.”
“Watch me. And how did you know that’s what I wanted to do?”
She rolls her eyes. “Because you’re super fucking predictable.”
Oh she is in so much trouble.
I practically kick open the door to the house and usher her in. “Get in there.”
“Yes, sir,” she says in that sickly sweet tone reserved for nothing but sarcasm. I slap her ass.
“Cain,” she says, abashed.
“Violet,” I mimic. I take out my phone and dial Henri. “You find anything else out?’
“Was just about to call you.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“We found out some more information. It wasn’t Violet’s father who killed anyone. He was their I.T. guy, not an assassin.”
I blow out a breath as I meet Violet’s eyes. This intel challenges something she’s held as truth for years.
“Any more intel?”
“We’re working on it, sir. I’ll let you know as soon as we have anything. Joe’s got one of the security guys to talk.”
“Excellent.” I don’t ask how. I don’t need to know anything at all.
When we enter the house, the rest of my security detail swarms around me. Violet’s swept out of my arms and inspected; someone swabs antibacterial ointment onto a cut I didn’t even know I had. I grunt my way through updates and get another call from Team Alpha. The investigation is under full swing, and Henri’s trying to get camera footage from the chase we had.
“Okay, kids,” Violet says, shooing away anyone else who tries to come anywhere near her. “Leave mama be.”
I shrug off Skylar, who’s holding gauze in one hand and glaring at me. “Sky, babe, leave him be,” Violet says over my shoulder, but we both know what Skylar’s been through and sometimes we don’t know what will trigger a response.
Skylar’s eyes fill with tears. “You guys scared the shit out of me,” she sniffs, angrily wiping her eyes. “I saw that car come after you, and I—”
“Wait, what?” Violet says.
Skylar’s eyes widen. “What? Did I do something wrong?” She’s not normally this skittish, but something’s got her worried.
“Skylar, how did you see us? What footage?”
“There’s that camera in your car, Cain.” She flushes. “You told me I could play around with the surveillance footage, get familiar with it, so I did. That one wasn’t turned on, but…” her voice trails off as a cold trickle of sweat falls down my neck. The surveillance footage. Skylar’s been able to access it because I gave her permission and the password. I thought it was the easiest job to give her, one that wouldn’t trigger any response…
But there’s more than our standard footage on those recordings. Goddammit, I’ve got every video I ever took of Violet on those. If she saw them…
“Cain!” Violet turns to me. “We have to go see what she found. If there’s anything on there that gives us a better view of the person following us, we need that intel, and now.”
“I’ll get it.” I give Skylar a sympathetic look, as she’s staring at me as if I have two heads. “When Henri’s done with what he’s doing right now, I’ll have him contact you. Thanks, Sky.” I tug a lock of her hair and give what I hope is a reassuring grin. “I need to talk to Violet alone.”
“Why?” Now Violet’s giving me the confused look.
“Vi. Upstairs,” I say, and I feel like a total douche when I actually feign limping. “I have to get off my feet for a bit.”
Douche.
DOUCHE.
Violet nods and takes my hand. “Alright. Sky, I’ll be in touch. And thank you.”
“You guys need something to eat?”
“Yes, God, please,” Violet says with a smile. I grunt in agreement. “Send up sandwiches or something?”
We head upstairs. I quickly shoot Henri a text.
Sky found our archives. Delete. You know what. I slide my phone in my pocket.
“You know… some days, I feel like we just met. Other days feel like we’re an old, married couple.”
My mind is focused on the footage, what’s on there, what Skylar could’ve easily found if I wasn’t careful.
Did she already find it?
“Yeah?” I’m distracted.
“Yeah.” On the landing, she spins to look at me, her voice wary. “Okay, Mr. Master.”
My heart does a little leap.
“Yeah? Violet, move.”
“Move? Now I’m your employee?”
Her voice takes on an edge.
“I am not letting you bait me.”
“Oh, don’t I know it,” she says, her violet eyes snapping at me. “You’d just as soon haul me over your knee, wouldn’t you? Hmm?”
“What the actual hell has gotten into you?”
“The better question is, what the hell got into you?”
Oh no, she does not turn this back around on me. “I’m warning you. Knock it off, or you do not like where this is gonna go, babe.”
She stands her ground, hands on her hips. “And now you’re threatening me? Oh, no sirree.”
I’ve had it. I bend, yank her over my shoulder, and finish walking up the stairs. She predictably scissors her legs and slaps my back.