Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Sam Kage, Chief Deputy of the Northern District of Illinois.”
Both he and Jared were quiet a moment.
“I met your husband last year,” Jared told me. “I had an issue, and he very kindly stepped in and helped. May I ask what precisely the issue is with Owen?”
“He knows that Owen was kidnapped, and I think he believes that Aaron didn’t do all that he could to protect him. My understanding is that Owen was lost on Aaron’s watch.”
“No,” Jared said, shaking his head. “I mean, yes, the bodyguard that was assigned to Owen was killed but––”
“Oh God,” I gasped, feeling like crap, turning to Owen. “I’m so sorry.”
“So am I, but really, my kidnapping went beyond what Sutter Incorporated knew at the time. Meaning, they had no idea that I was being used to get at Jared.”
I nodded. “The kidnapping was about Mr. Colter, not you.”
“That’s correct,” he told me. “If Mr. Sutter had known that I was being targeted over a vendetta, well, clearly he wouldn’t have hired me and I would have never been in Bangkok.”
“So if Aaron had known, even late in the game, then do you think that he would have been able to protect you?”
“Yes,” Jared chimed in. “Mr. Sutter’s head of security, Miguel Romero, do you know him?”
“I do.”
“Well, he was Army Intelligence, and I can tell you, there’s no one better at keeping people safe than him. The issue was that he had no idea who he was up against when he lost his own man and Owen was taken. We were all in the dark.”
“Okay.”
“But I promise you, I will speak to your husband and explain.”
“You will?” I seized on his words, excited that the fix was in sight.
“Of course I will.”
“Thank you.”
“May I ask why your husband would care?”
I smiled at him. “Aaron Sutter is my daughter’s godfather, and as such, she travels with him all over the world. If he can’t guarantee her safety, and if Sam loses his faith in Aaron’s ability to watch out for her—then we have an issue. Mostly, at the moment, I suspect that not being told the whole story is eating him alive.”
“I understand.”
“And even though she has a wonderful bodyguard, George Hunt, Sam still––”
“Amazing,” Jared interrupted me. “You’re not going to believe this, but George Hunt was on the op to retrieve Owen.”
“Well, nobody ever tells me anything,” I teased him.
He smiled at me. “You’re very charming, but I’m sure you’re told that a lot.”
“No. I get annoying quite a bit, though.”
Owen chuckled. “We’ll call him right away.”
“Thank you both so much.”
Jared stood up from his desk and offered me his hand. I grabbed for him quickly.
“And do please give us a proposal on this”—he waved his free hand at his computer—“situation with our offer-to-help page.”
“I’ll get right on that,” I promised, giving his hand a final squeeze before letting go. I shook hands with Owen as well before I turned for the door. “You know, the girl answering the phones and greeting people when you come in is like a breath of fresh air. Just lovely.”
“She’s a medium,” Jared informed me. “Did she tell you that?”
“I suspected from the whole aura comment.”
“Christ,” he muttered.
Owen snorted.
I liked them both very much.
That evening, Hannah was going to an event downtown, the first one with the new mayor, a fundraiser for more homeless shelters that was being held at the Field Museum. George arrived early and was sitting in the kitchen, talking to me while Hannah was upstairs finishing getting ready. She hadn’t taken the bulk of her clothes to school, and she always left and returned for events from the house because she liked to tell us everything that happened when she got home. Plus, George picking her up from school in the tricked-out Chevy Suburban with tinted windows or, alternatively, the black BMW, always raised eyebrows. Easier to leave from home.
“You’ll never guess who I got a call from today,” Sam said as he walked into the house through the back door.
“Who?” George asked playfully as Sam crouched down to greet Chilly, who had walked over to see him. Our cat used to run, but as he was now almost twenty, he moved a bit slower. Regardless, he lifted his head, and Sam leaned down and they met in the middle. It was so cute when he put his paw on Sam’s knee to steady himself.
“Where’s the dog?” Sam asked me.
“Upstairs with Hannah, watching her get ready.”
“Got it,” he said, walking over to give me a kiss before turning to George. “Why are you here?”
“Normally, I would take offense at such a tone, but since I know how you meant it, I will not allow my feelings to get hurt.”
Sam turned to me. “What?”
“Why are you here?” I repeated, shaking my head. “Sam Kage, what kind of conversation starter is that?”