“Maybe if you worked instead of filing your nails all day, you wouldn’t be so bored,” Tech teased as he grabbed a box and filled it with the laptops and other electronics.
Bridget threw a pen at him.
Tech caught the pen, tossing it in the box he’d just filled. “It’s cold outside. I’ll start your SUV.”
He carried an overflowing box under one arm and left through the garage door. Bridget finished filling the last box, and the dining room table was once again clear.
I sipped my coffee.
“Aren’t you coming?” Bridget asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Kelsey Harrison,” Hattie scolded, taking my cup of coffee from me, “get your butt out of that chair and over to Headquarters.”
I sighed, stood, grabbed the third box, and followed a giggling Bridget out the door.
“There better be coffee in the War Room,” I said before I slid into the back seat and let Tech drive me over.
~*~*~
I didn’t make it to the War Room before Grady spotted me and jogged over to block my path. “Can we talk?”
“Maybe later,” I said, holding the box up. “I’m busy at the moment.”
“Hey, Kelsey,” Wayne said as he walked over. “Let me get that for you.”
Before I could protest, Wayne took the box I was using as an excuse and followed Tech and Bridget up the stairs to the War Room. I sighed, turned around, and started walking back toward the parking lot.
“Come on, Kelsey,” Grady said, stopping me with a hand on my elbow. “It’s been two weeks. Even Nicholas isn’t mad at me anymore.”
“Nicholas is better at getting over his anger than I am,” I said, shrugging. “But there’s one thing we’re both alike in…” I leaned closer, smiling through my anger up at Grady. “We never forget.” I jerked my arm away from him as I stepped away. “My son might not be mad at you, but he no longer trusts you. If he needs advice or comfort, he’ll find someone else–Bones, Donovan, Whiskey–because he knows it’s only a matter of time before you betray us again.” I turned my back to him as I walked toward the exit. “We know who you are now, Grady,” I said over my shoulder. “And there’s no room for your brand of bullshit in our lives.”
I threw the door open and stomped across the lot toward my SUV. My hands shook from the emotions coursing through me. This was why I didn’t want to be here. It didn’t matter what he said or did, he’d betrayed me. Betrayed my son. He could spew his nonsense of protecting us until the cows came home, I wasn’t buying it. He cheated on me with his ex-wife. And worse, he threw away our relationship already knowing what an evil bitch she was.
“I take it that went well,” Donovan said, jogging over from his vehicle to talk to me.
“I shouldn’t have come over here. I’m still too angry.”
“I’m thinking your anger isn’t going to diminish anytime soon.” Donovan playfully nudged my shoulder. “What now? You going to let him drive you away from the work you love? Leave Aces?”
I paced back and forth. “No.” I glanced back at the building. “Maybe. I don’t know.” I ran a hand through my hair, tugging at it in frustration. “I just don’t want to be around him right now.”
Donovan shrugged. “We can work with that.” He threw an arm over my shoulder and steered me back into the building.
Grady’s eyes locked on me as we entered.
“New rule,” Donovan said to him. “Stay the hell away from Kelsey so she can work in peace. Until I say otherwise, the second floor is off limits to you.” Donovan shoved me ahead of him as we moved past Grady.
“Now, wait a—”
“Shut up!” Donovan said, spinning to the side and thrusting a finger at Grady’s chest. “Don’t think that because I’m still your friend that I’ve let you off the hook for the shit you pulled! You’re forgetting that Kelsey is part of my family. And if she wants you to leave her alone, then damn it, that’s what you’ll do! Or else, I swear, Grady, I’ll end our partnership. I’ll tear Silver Aces to the ground and rebuild a new company without you.”
Grady took a small step away, shocked by Donovan’s words.
Donovan turned back and ushered me across the gym, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “You go do your thing. I got this.”
I stood on my tippy toes and kissed Donovan’s cheek. “Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. I meant what I said. You’re family.” He turned away, heading back toward the entrance.
I watched him a long moment as he walked away before I climbed the stairs and entered the War Room. “What are we working on today?”
Before anyone answered, an unmanned laptop started beeping from the end of the table. I walked over and saw it was flashing a code.
Tech pushed me aside and started performing his magic, maneuvering through screens at lightning speed. “Call Charlie for me. Put her on speaker.”
I pulled my cellphone and called Charlie.
“Yo,” she answered.
“Tech told me to call you.” I set the phone on the table, already on speaker.
Tech glanced at the phone as he spoke. “I’ve got a rough location for the burner phone you wanted me to trace. It’s bouncing off a tower in south Miami.”
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked Charlie.
“Nothing’s wrong—yet. But I need to get a woman to a safe house. Tech, anything else you can tell me about the phone or its owner?”
“The phone was activated in Georgia, but that’s all I’ve got. Sorry. Want me to keep monitoring the cell towers?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. Thanks. I gotta run. Chat later.”
“Hey—” I started to say, but Charlie had hung
