Chapter22
Knight
I stepped back. The last time I had seen Kennedy work a business meeting she stole the Vieux Carre from my father. This should be interesting. I gave her a minute to straighten her suit jacket into place. It was a shame she had all her clothes on again. I had to keep reminding myself we had time together. There would be more afternoons like this. In this exact spot. Our secret office.
“Oh shit.” Her eyes widened. She looked alarmed.
“What’s wrong? What is it?”
“Oh my God. I forgot. Oh shit. Crew is with me.”
“He is?” I was confused.
“Yes. He’s in the car. He drove me over. If you look over the side, you can see where he’s parked. See? Right there. He’s been waiting down there while we’re working on stress relief, as you call it.” She pointed to the lone car next to the sidewalk. “He wanted to talk to me about Seraphina.” She stopped.
“And what did he say?” I hadn’t expected this curveball today.
“He said enough to change my mind. I agreed to help them.”
My eyebrows rose. I’d been trying for two days to get her to launch a plan to help my sister. “What did he say to convince you?” I asked.
“I’m not some kind of monster. I don’t want anything to happen to him, or your sister. Isn’t that enough?” She posed the question.
“It is. It’s plenty of reason to get them out of the country. I’m just glad we’re on the same page. Things are always better if we’re on the same page”
“We are. I’m not sure how we’re going to do it. The Castilles have a tight rein these days. They’ve been grooming your brother-in-law to take over the steak empire.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not going to be pretty whatever we do.”
“It doesn’t have to be pretty. It only has to work.”
“I agree.” She walked to another corner of the open floor. “Which corner office do you want?”
“I do like the sunsets,” I answered. “How about the west corner? You take the east?”
Kennedy smiled. “And that room leaves the secret room in the middle.”
I laughed. “You agree we the plans I have for it?”
“I completely agree.”
Her phone dinged. “Hold on. That’s Crew.” She stopped to respond to a message from him.
“Why don’t you have him come up?” I suggested. “Maybe we could call Seraphina. We could at least talk together. I noticed Kimble wasn’t lurking today. That’s a nice change.”
“He doesn’t lurk,” she retorted. “He is a bodyguard. Not a lurker.”
“Same.”
“He’s out for a while. Doing some security work. It’s his job.”
“I thought he just liked to follow you everywhere.” My teasing was beginning to make me sound like a dick. “Sorry.” I walked it back.
“I’m hoping some day you two kiss and make up.” She batted her eyes.
“That is unlikely.”
“I thought you would at least be happy he agreed to remove the tracker.”
“He did a shitty job. That mark is going to leave a scar.” I didn’t like the idea of Kimble taking a knife to any part of her body.