Raiden (The Kent Brothers #2) - A.M. Hargrove Page 0,39
Cruze called.
“What’s up?”
“I think Acer needs to be in on this too since he’s moving with us on the new software.”
“Fine. He can observe. Let him know.”
Acer had been a surprising bonus for us. Initially, we’d brought him on to help us develop software for law enforcement agencies on uncovering human trafficking. But his role had expanded into other areas. His brilliant mind was perfect for the think tank. He assisted in cyber security and other programs we developed. We’d already enhanced several older programs with his help, and we were working on new ones because of his creativity. We’d never given him much credit while he was growing up, because it seemed he didn’t care about education. But with Acer, his problem was finding what his interests were. Give him something he cared about and he was one hundred percent focused.
Wrapping up the last slide of the presentation, I prepared to leave for the day. We made two stops on the way.
Before I left, I called Scottie to see if she wanted anything special for dinner.
“I’m fine with anything.”
“Do you mind if I choose dinner then?”
“Not at all. I’m not picky.”
“I’ll see you soon, then.”
The team of men surrounded me as we left, and I instructed them where to go. I was lucky at the first stop and quickly found the perfect gifts. Then I called in a food order for everyone while the sales clerk wrapped up the items.
We stopped at the restaurant on the way home to pick up the food. Scottie was waiting for us when we got there. She appeared more rested than when I left.
“You look better.”
“I slept away most of the day. I hope I can sleep tonight.”
“You will. Your body is healing and needs it.” Then I handed her the giant gift bag. “This is for you.”
“What is it?”
“Open it and find out.” She went into the living area and sat down. Then pulled out item number one, which was bulky. When she got all the paper off of it, she cackled. It was a stuffed Holstein cow.
“This is brilliant.” She hugged the creature to her chest.
“I couldn’t resist. There’s something else.”
Her hands pulled out another wrapped item, and her slender fingers ripped off the paper. She held up a nightshirt with the same Holstein pattern on it. “This is the best.” Then she hugged it to her face. “And it’s so soft. I love it.”
“It’s not exactly something I’d love to see you in, but it will be comfortable.”
“How would you like to see me, Mr. Kent?”
“A Holstein thong with a cute cow tail and a matching bra.” My expression was dead serious because I was dying to see her reaction.
Her mouth opened, then closed, opened, and she swallowed. “Um, well buy that for me then.”
“Scottie, the truth is I prefer you in absolutely nothing.”
“That can be arranged.”
“Not just yet. I want you better first.” I ran a finger from her chin to the hollow of her throat. “I can’t wait for you to model the cow shirt.” I held out a hand. “It’s dinnertime. Are you hungry?”
“Um, yeah. But I’m not sure what for.”
We headed to the kitchen where the food was.
“Holy cow! No pun intended. How much did you buy?” she asked.
“Enough for everyone.” I handed her a plate. The guys had already started. I’d gotten Tex-Mex, so there was an array of everything. We filled our plates and took seats at the counter.
“Tell me about your day,” she said.
“Busy as hell. Meetings, calls, and so on. We have clients flying in tomorrow.” I filled her in on the rest.
“I talked with the team at WI today. They caught me up on everything.”
I stiffened with the fork halfway to my mouth. “Scottie, are you planning to go to Belfast?”
“So you know?”
“Yes.”
“I am.”
Setting my fork down, I turned to gaze at her. “Scottie, this is dangerous.”
“It is, but we’ve exhausted all options.”
“Talking you out of it won’t work. I get that. But promise me something.”
“What?”
“Don’t take any unnecessary risks. I won’t sleep a wink until you get home and are safe again.”
“Raiden, that may be awhile. We’ll stay there until O’Brien turns himself in.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“That’s the chance we’ll take, but he will. If he’s not concerned about her, why did he hide her away with a fake name?”
She had a solid point. “If you don’t come home, I’ll fly there and bring you back.”
Her hand covered mine. “I’ll come back to you. I promise.”