Cuckoo (Kindred Book 3) (17 page)

He tapped a button on the laptop, and Kahlil’s pants and grunts echoed into the room. That enhancement was more than she could stomach. The foul performance made her close the laptop to cut off the audio. Flopping back on him, his hands pressed into her breasts as she tipped her head to look at him.

He’d succeeded in his goal of grossing her out, so she took a turn at doing the same to him. “Want me to blow you and we’ll see who finishes first?”

His face distorted in disgust and his hands disappeared from inside her top. “Ok, that’s just wrong.”

Tuck laughed and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m gonna jump in the shower, then I’ll go out for coffee.” He pointed at Brodie. “You ok for a bit, Bud?”

Brodie waved him away then opened up the laptop and logged it in. “I’m good.”

Tuck grabbed some things from their supplies bag and went into the bathroom. The shower went on ten seconds later. It was on for less than two minutes, and two minutes after that he was bidding them goodbye. She was still curled in Brodie’s lap. They hadn’t even spoken to each other.

“He’s quick,” she said after the room door closed.

“Speed is required for necessities,” he said, holding her body when he leaned forward to check their subject again. “If you can’t be quick, you don’t shower.”

“Do you want to shower?” she asked, stroking his shoulder and nuzzling closer to his neck, but he smelled clean and given what they’d done last night, she was surprised.

He explained before she asked. “I showered before Tuck got into bed with you. I’ll get naked when there’s someone on watch.”

“I can be on watch,” she said.

“Yeah, but if I’m naked you’ll be watching the wrong thing. We’re not doing surveillance on my dick.” She wouldn’t mind that job, and when his lip curled, she knew he was aware of her thoughts. Pushing her onto the couch, he got up. “I’m gonna wash my face. You keep watch while I do that.”

He was humoring her, giving her a chance to steer the car while he still worked the pedals, but she would pay her dues and do grunt work. It took time to work through the ranks, to prove she was capable of protecting these formidable men.

“You won’t be naked?” she called over the couch when he walked toward the bathroom.

“No, I won’t,” he said, and she was glad to be amusing him. “When I am, you’re distracted, and you need to focus.”

Pointing at the window before he went into the bathroom, she followed his silent instruction and turned to peek through the sight. She’d missed Kahlil’s climax but was completely ok with that. On the desk beside her was a notebook with notations in it and the computer with a program open, the background was black, and there were a bunch of options along with the main audio visualizer.

She leaned forward, expecting to see Kahlil getting ready for the day. But what she saw was Kahlil walking toward his front door. Grabbing up the headphones, she plugged them in and hit record just before he opened the door.

One of the guys in the hallway shoved Kahlil inside, and the other came in to close the door. “Did you get it?” the first goon asked and she squinted to peer closer. These were the guys from the parking garage.

“You can tell your master to go fuck himself,” Kahlil spat out, and for a man wearing nothing but underwear, he showed a surprising amount of gumption.

This pair had been on Kahlil’s protective detail when she’d met them. Seeing that they were on opposing sides now corroborated Kahlil’s story that he’d been cast out by his former employer.

The goon didn’t appreciate being disrespected, and he threw his fist into Kahlil’s face making her yelp and Kahlil fall on his ass. “Get dressed. We’re going on a trip,” he barked.

Throwing the headphones from her ears, she scrambled off the couch and ran to the bathroom. This wasn’t news that could wait. Bursting through the door, she saw that Brodie was bent over the sink splashing water on his face. It ran down his neck and onto his bare chest when he stood to clock her reflection to the left of his.

“He’s leaving,” she said, holding the door in one hand and the frame in the other.

He snagged the towel from the rail and rubbed his face as he came out. She walked backward in front of him as he dried off and moved into the room. “Two guys showed up, said they’re taking him on a trip. They’re the guys from the parking garage. The ones that attacked us. Except they’re not protecting him anymore.” Brodie bent to pull a tee shirt from the supplies bag. He pulled it on then went over to grab his jacket from the desk.

“Why do you think that?” he asked, bending over the back of the couch to look through the sight. “He’s getting dressed.”

“The bigger guy punched him in the face,” she said.

Brodie leaped over the couch and began to take Maverick apart. He pulled out the case and put all the pieces inside but left the case and took a handgun from the same bag.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I’m gonna follow them,” he said, standing up and checking the clip of his gun before digging it into the waistband at the back of his jeans.

“Is that smart?” she asked, again walking backward in front of him as he came around the couch with the door in his sights. “You haven’t slept. There’s three of them. And if they have a vehicle—”

“They will. Kahlil’s vehicle is the silver coupe parked down the street. But they’ll probably have their own transportation. My bike is parked around the corner. I’ll tail them.”

Pushing her aside, he opened the door but paused long enough to tip her chin up with a curled finger to kiss her. “Stay here. Swift will be back in a minute.”

“Be careful,” she said, but he was already out of the room.

Closing the door, she paused then rushed over to the window, but there was nothing to aid her view now. The original scope they’d used was still in the bag. Rooting around until she found it, she picked it out and propped it on the tripod they’d used for Maverick. Kahlil was putting on his watch and picking up a cellphone. He lifted the cellphone to his mouth, and she put on the headphones to listen to what he was saying.

“Possible final recording,” Kahlil said into the device. “GPS activated. TTX poison secreted in timepiece. If I get close enough, I will eliminate the enemy.”

Enemy. Poison. Damn, she wished that Brodie had stuck around long enough to hear those facts. Kahlil tucked the phone into his side pocket then touched the watch on his wrist. Zara stood up with the scope and tried to see if Brodie was on the street, but she couldn’t see him.

Kahlil went through his apartment to the door where his chaperones were waiting. When the door closed, she lost her view, so dropped the scope to the couch, and grabbed her cellphone. Ringing Brodie, she closed her eyes and begged for him to answer. He didn’t. Kahlil was packing a deadly toxin. A gun wouldn’t keep Brodie safe from an attack like that.

Prevention was out, so the next option was cure. Hanging up on Brodie’s line, she pressed Thad’s speed dial. It went to voicemail, but at least he had voicemail. He was probably still on a plane, but she needed him working as soon as he landed. This situation needed a hasty response.

She waited for the beep. “It’s Swallow, nothing to worry about, but I need an antidote for TTX poison on hand.” Didn’t that sound ridiculous, keeping her voice breezy and telling him not to worry while asking for a cure to a deadly poison that she’d never heard of before. “Can you put something together for us on the down low? Call me back.”

She hung up and tried to see any of the players through the window. She spotted the trio of men from the apartment emerge onto the street. Kahlil was bundled into the back of a black car near the building entrance. One of the goons got in the front, the other pushed in beside him.

The car was moving a breath later and as the sound of the car engine faded, the engine of a motorbike revved as it shot past the hotel. He gunned the engine when toying with her, but as she flopped onto the couch, she didn’t feel like smiling.

Brodie was out there following people who could kill him in any number of ways. He might be lucky and get a bullet through and through, or he could die a painful death all alone languishing in the effects of a toxic substance. All she could do was sit here and wait for coffee and for Tuck.

She wished that she’d been the one to go for the drinks. Pushing the balls of her fists into her eyes, she cursed herself for not taking Tuck’s place. The two men should be together, looking out for each other. Her cellphone chirped, and she sat upright to snatch it to her ear. “Rave?”

“Having some trouble locating your boyfriend, are you?” Cuckoo drawled down the line.

Like she wasn’t having a bad enough day, now she had to deal with the ex-girlfriend too. “We’re just fine,” she said and sighed. “What do you want?”

“I had an interesting meeting last night.”

“If you’ve called to tell me about how Rave just couldn’t stay away, it’s fine, I know all about it, ok?”

“I doubt that,” Cuckoo said with her accent so thick even Zara had to admit it was sexy. “But I wasn’t talking about our mutual lover.”

Past for Cuckoo, present for her, but Zara wasn’t in the mood to rise to the bait. “What are you talking about?”

“I want you to come in. Meet with me.”

“Meet with you?” Zara asked, surprised by Cuckoo’s stern tone. “At CI?”

“Why not? It’s a safe space for you, if you’re afraid of me.”

Narrowing her eyes in a glare, Zara was glad of the opportunity to vent her current frustration. “I’m not afraid. Just don’t see why I should take the time out my life for that place or for you when I’m no longer on payroll.”

Cuckoo returned to doing the sexy thing. “Trust me, you want to come to this meeting.”

It was probably engrained in Cuckoo to flirt and seduce, she used her allure to her advantage. Shame for her that Zara was immune. “I don’t think I do,” Zara said, glancing at the door, wishing one of the men would come back so they could get on with tracing Kahlil. “I’m busy today, getting my nails done, you know.”

“Be here at noon. The future of the world may depend on it.”

The line died before she could get in another word. She threw the phone down on the couch and shot to her feet. “Damnit!” she shouted in the same second there was a knock at the door.

Hurrying over, she pulled it open and grabbed hold of Tuck to pull him inside. “Something wrong?” he asked her.

She took the tray of coffee and the bag of food away from him. “You have to go after Raven.”

“Where did he go?” Tuck asked, switching from jovial to serious in a heartbeat.

“Kahlil went out,” she said, stepping aside to let him rush across the room. “Two guys came and took him, said they were going on a trip.”

Tuck began to pack everything up, and she fizzed with the need for him to hurry up. “Will you please go after him, you’ll have him on GPS, right?”

“I have him,” he said. Taking his phone from his pocket, he typed on it while the laptop they’d been using for audio surveillance shutdown. “We can’t leave evidence here. I’m not leaving the kit and I have to take you home first.”

“I can pack everything away,” she said.

He stood straight. “You have to stage the place. The room’s still ours, and we might need to come back if Kahlil does.”

“I will,” she said, witnessing his conflict.

“What about Caine? What if he’s lurking?”

She didn’t know he knew about that, but it was probable that the men had spoken into the night while she slept. “Caine approaches me at night. I will deal with this place and go back to the manor, I swear to you.”

“Ok,” he said, grabbing up the bag with Maverick in it. He’d leave her alone but wouldn’t risk abandoning Brodie’s first love. If she wasn’t so worried about her love, she might laugh at his innate priorities.

“Hurry,” she said, holding the door open. “Swift, come on, you know, be quick like the name.”

“Straight back to the manor,” he said. Striding over, he ducked to kiss her cheek. “And if you need me, call.”

She nodded and gave him a nudge out the door. With two men out there to worry about, she should probably be twice as concerned. Instead, her panic halved. They would look after each other, and that made her feel better about their safety.

Facing the room, she took in the view. Stage the place to look like there had been a party, then get home to the manor to tame her hair before she had to face Cuckoo. Cake.

Bringing their things back to the manor gave her something to do that didn’t involve worrying about Brodie and Tuck. It also prevented her from thinking too much about what Cuckoo might want from her. Zara didn’t see Zave at the manor, but she didn’t seek him out either. If Brodie or Tuck had gotten a reprieve from what they were doing, they no doubt would have clued their teammate into what was going on, if he needed to know. Given that he was hardly a Chatty Kathy, Zara couldn’t be bothered trying to force a conversation that would just be awkward for both of them.

Zave was a world-class mind, she’d seen evidence of that herself in the gadgets she was given on a regular basis. Zave was the one responsible for building the Kindred tech that got them out of jam after jam, so she was grateful for him. There was no alternative; they needed him. But the guy still made her uncomfortable. It would just come off as peculiar if she made a point of trying to hang out with him while no one else was present.

She made a note to ask Bess how she managed to live with the guy. Thad had his own place and his own job, so Bess and Zave had to spend most of their time alone in the manor that matched Brodie’s. It was probable that the kind, warm woman left the master of the manor alone as Zara had chosen to do. Despite what might be considered negative opinions, Zara did respect Zave. One of the most positive things about his character was his refusal to make himself out to be something he wasn’t.

Zave didn’t put on false airs or make bullshit conversation. If he had something to say, he said it. If he had nothing to say, he stayed quiet. Her awkwardness came from his unvarnished manner. He was never mean, though some might consider him rude. But Zara liked knowing he would never present himself in a lie, even if he did do stoic better than anyone else she’d known.

Her own curiosity made her want to quiz Brodie about his brooding cousin. Every once in a while, someone made a comment about Zave and all those occasional tidbits did was intrigue her further. When all of this was over, she and Brodie should get the chance to take a vacation, depending on how it all played out. Then there would be time for lingering conversation, and that was when she planned to get her answers.

Brodie might not like her chatter, but there would be nowhere for him to run and hide if they were overseas together, providing that she didn’t make so much of a nuisance of herself that he ditched her in some foreign corner.

Thoughts of Zave dwindled while she showered and worked to return herself to her usual appearance. Seeing herself in the mirror again was refreshing and gave her the invigoration she needed to face the new head of CI.

If Cuckoo’s meeting was company related, Zara would take pleasure in showing the superior bitch how things were done at CI. Even if it turned out to be another gloating session, Zara was happy to partake, it beat sitting around the manor waiting for Brodie to return. One thing she’d learned about watching Brodie charge into potential danger was that she wasn’t good at being idle.

Just as the cab dropped her off outside CI, her cellphone buzzed in her purse. Retrieving the device from beside her gun, she hoped that the caller would be her love. When an actual phone number flashed up on the screen, she knew it wasn’t him.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Miss Bandini,” a voice said, and although it was faint, she recognized it.

“Mr. Samara?” she asked, assuming he’d want an answer for his proposal. Though if Brodie and Tuck had been captured, this mission could be taking a grave turn.

Hurrying up the external concrete stairs that led to the CI main entrance, she diverted her trajectory away from the grand CI doors. Instead, she stayed outside and went to shelter herself in one of the steel arches that towered around the lobby of the skyscraper. Wishing that she’d heard from Brodie or Tuck, she didn’t know what they knew, which could lead to her making a mistaken assertion. Still, if her cohorts had been made, as she’d previously considered, this could be Kahlil calling to issue his demand of ransom.

“I trust you’ve had sufficient time to think about our offer,” Kahlil said. “Have you discussed it with your colleagues?”

Taking a silent moment to appreciate her relief, she felt her heart return to its normal pulse. Kahlil wasn’t angry or accusing, he was a man making a business call. He could be playing her, except she couldn’t fathom any reason he’d have to deny discovering the Kindred tail.

Talking business, whether legal or not, was something she had plenty of practice in, so she cleared her throat and matched his efficient, professional tone. “Yes,” she said. They’d talked about it, but they hadn’t come to any conclusions.

She anticipated he would request a definitive answer. “I would like to meet to discuss it. I tried to contact you at CI yesterday and was told you’d been terminated.”

Well, that was one way to put it, and at least she didn’t have to worry about Cuckoo begging her to come back to work. A meeting with Kahlil also bought her time to vamp and to maybe find out some new information from him.

“New management,” Zara said. Cuckoo might not be within earshot, but she wouldn’t pass up a chance to make a jibe. “You know how it is.”

“Yes,” Kahlil said, showing no concern for her lack of a position at CI. But he knew the Kindred had Game Time. CI was a conduit for him to get in touch with her, to get the wheels moving on this deal. They didn’t need the corporation, and Zara appreciated that she didn’t have to explain why she no longer worked there. “Can you meet this afternoon?”

Yes, she could, she was out and about anyway. Lining up another meeting after her one with Cuckoo gave her a great excuse to depart CI on her own terms. Whatever Cuckoo wanted from her, Zara didn’t imagine it would take any longer than thirty minutes.

“There’s a bar down the block from CI, Purdy’s. Meet me there in half an hour.”

He agreed without hesitating. He had to be within thirty minutes of Purdy’s, he might have followed her here or been watching CI. Zara scanned the plaza for any signs that her colleagues might be around. If they’d been tailing Kahlil since this morning, then they should still be with him. If Kahlil was nearby, her people wouldn’t be in plain view, unless they wanted her to see them.

Now she was thankful that she hadn’t heard from Brodie or Tuck, their lack of contact was inadvertent confirmation that they were still on Kahlil. They didn’t have time to talk and plan, but she’d been on enough Kindred missions to know the deal. Following Kahlil to the meeting meant that she would have backup because they’d be around to observe the meeting.

Putting her cellphone away after disconnecting the call, she took out her compact mirror to reapply her lip-gloss. Facing Cuckoo’s perfection armed with a tube of lip-gloss wasn’t much of an arsenal. Their firepower might not be a match, but Zara was here now and refused to let this woman affect her emotions.

It didn’t matter that this building was no longer her place of employment, it still felt like her territory because she’d graced its halls for more than five years. In the lobby, she got smiles and waves from the reception girls and security men. She was recognized, connected, and Cuckoo wouldn’t have the same relationships with the staff as she did.

Holding her breath in the elevator, Zara reminded herself not to turn her lips into her mouth because of the gloss. There was no point in swiping it on if she was just going to lick it all off. Pressing her thumb to the security panel, she closed one eye and waited to see if it would flash or not. It did.

The elevator began to ascend, and she smiled. Tuck was good, she’d have to get him a gift for fulfilling her personal request. Cuckoo might have tried to revoke her security credentials, maybe it was her goal to cause embarrassment when Zara had to go and request a guest pass. Tuck had made sure to thwart that objective.

The moment she stepped out on the executive floor, she turned the face on her watch to record. She doubted Cuckoo would say anything relevant to their mission, but Zara was learning to be prepared for every possibility. Brodie would also want to know why she’d come here, and Zara didn’t trust Cuckoo to be honest.

In that brief pause just outside the elevator door, Grant’s other assistants spotted her and began to surround her. It started with one noticing her, then another, and another. They came from offices and desks until she had pulled a dozen women into her orbit. But she couldn’t stop and answer all of their questions, it wasn’t her job to do that anymore.

She kept on trying to walk and got as far as the CEO’s office, where she was pleased to see the blinds were open. Cuckoo would be able to see how people around here trusted and respected her. Zara knew her former colleagues well enough to understand they wouldn’t take to Cuckoo’s superior attitude kindly.

Her entourage couldn’t come into the meeting with her. She had a time limit here, as Kahlil would be waiting in Purdy’s for her soon. “Hold on!” Zara called.

Some of the women were asking questions, others were shaking papers at her. They all wanted answers, and she was so unaccustomed to this type of concentrated attention that for a moment she felt like a celebrity being hounded by the paparazzi.

She didn’t like to see these women floundering, full of questions. Losing their beloved CEO was enough of a shock for them, now they were working without their director. Under Grant, she’d delegated tasks and guided staff. They could always come to her for help or advice, except it wasn’t her responsibility anymore.

“Sorry, guys,” she said, raising her hands to squeeze out from the throng. “Direct all of your queries to Ms. Corvi. Good luck.”

Pushing into the office, she was greeted by Cuckoo glaring across the room from behind the desk. Her tight expression betrayed how unamused she was. “Isn’t that cute,” Cuckoo said.

“You should get someone into that office next door,” Zara said, nodding toward her old office. Pretense fell and she sidelined her ego. Zara did care for this company and those people. Someone needed to be looking after them. “They’re used to working from one set of instructions. A single go-to gal, you know? Do they have those in Italy?”

“My focus is not so narrow. I have worked in corporations all over the globe. I was educated at Oxford. I’m far more worldly than you,” Cuckoo said, folding her hands on the desk, but her shoulders were too tense for Zara to believe she was relaxed. “And they do work from one set of instructions, mine.”

Cuckoo was on form, so Zara donned her snide cloak again. Cuckoo wasn’t interested in putting their differences aside for the good of the company, all she wanted to do was play games. “Grant never had time to delegate all the things he needed done to run this office smoothly,” Zara said. “I suppose you’re not quite up to speed. You probably don’t have that many balls in the air. The board is probably going easy on you, you know, because you’re…”

“Italian?” she offered.

Zara began to walk across the room. “No, not that.”

“A woman?” Cuckoo offered another option, but Zara shook her head and continued to ponder until she reached the desk and sat in the guest chair.

“A bitch,” Zara said with a triumphant smile. “That’s the word I was looking for.”

“Raven didn’t think so last night.”

Scanning the room, Zara understood that this woman didn’t like to be ignored and was used to commanding attention, so the less of it she could give her, the better. “He’s been distracted recently with real life. You know, actual important concerns. He doesn’t have the time to consider your attributes negative or otherwise.”

“If you’re not curious about the time we spent together last night, why did you come?”

Now Zara couldn’t avoid looking at the European or absorbing the satisfaction reeking from her. It was pungent beneath the expensive perfume she seemed to have bathed in. “I came because you told me the world depended on it. If your preferred topic of conversation is Raven’s cock, I think the sun will rise tomorrow whether we discuss it or not. I’m going with not.”

Preparing to stand and leave, Zara began to think about her next meeting. Cuckoo spoke before she was all the way up. “Game Time,” Cuckoo said, and the temperature dropped in the room by twenty degrees.

Sinking back into the seat, she watched Cuckoo push back and unfortunately, she had everything to be smug about now. “What?” Zara asked, and the time for playing was a distant memory.

“Tell me everything you know.”

She owed this woman nothing. Cuckoo was the perfect example of a person they didn’t want to be in command of Game Time, so Zara had no intention of telling her anything that may titillate her unwanted attention.

“Not a chance,” Zara said, exhaling a snigger behind her words.

“You have an obligation to this company—”

That was a joke, it had to be. “I have no obligation to you,” Zara said. “If you want to get the majority shareholder in here, he can ask me all the questions he has and I’ll answer every one.”

Brodie knew everything about Game Time and would take Zara’s side in this fight. Cuckoo didn’t appreciate being reminded of her former lover’s allegiance.

Zara sensed anger simmering around the frustration. “I am in charge here,” Cuckoo said.

Examining the fraught nerves trembling below Cuckoo’s perfect exterior, Zara noticed the lock grip of her interlinked fingers was making her knuckles white. Zara would like to take credit for causing Cuckoo’s state, but it had come too quick and too intense to be all her responsibility. The only person who would have the skills to affect the European so deeply was Brodie. This random meeting and Cuckoo’s insistence took on new significance.