Page 87 of Keeping Kasey
“Taking care of you isn’t something I’m ashamed of.”
She leans in, and the kiss is slow and so sweet. I’d be content to spend the rest of my day right here, but I came to get Kasey for a reason.
Reluctantly, I pull away. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” she asks, though she takes my hand and follows me down the stairs.
“It’s time to tell you why you were really hired.”
We enter the office, and I’m relieved to find that Damon is nowhere in sight. Just because sobriety has made him slightly more valuable than a wet tissue doesn’t mean I appreciate his input.
James is leaning against my desk, and I pull Kasey to sit beside me on the sofa.
“All right,” she says, dropping her hands on her lap. “Lay it on me.”
“You already know that Moreno kidnapped Elise a few months ago,” James starts, and Kasey nods. “Mason is the one who told him where to find her.”
“He’d been working for Moreno for five years,” I confirm. “While Moreno used Elise to blackmail my father, Mason used the entire situation to initiate a hostile takeover.”
“That’s how they died?” she asks with a furrowed brow. “Mason and your dad?”
I nod. “He tried to kill the rest of us, too.”
“We know that Mason has followers across the bases between our two families, but we need a way to draw them out,” James says. “There’s no way he only communicated with them outside of the bases, and if they used an external program, Ford or Kade would’ve found it by now.”
“You think there’s a comms program embedded in your database,” Kasey concludes.
“And we need you to find it without raising suspicion so we can get a list of exactly who aligned with Mason,” I finish.
Kasey nods, but she doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and her concentration makes me think she’s in more pain than she’s letting on.
“So?” James draws. “Think it’s something you can do?”
Her face breaks into a sardonic smile.
“It sounds like something I could’ve done from the comfort of my home,” she notes dryly.
I drape an arm over her shoulder and pull her into me. “And deprive us of the pleasure of your company?”
She rolls her eyes but relaxes into me.
James pretends not to notice our teasing. “Moreno has agreed to spare Kade to finish the security installation in Detroit, and we’ll have you start this project as soon as you’re back.”
“Tomorrow,” she says. “I’ll start tomorrow.”
“Absolutely not.”
She gives me her signature challenging glare.
That’s my girl.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’re not going anywhere until you’re better.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’m fine.”
“Kasey, you have a concussion,” James says in a measured tone. “As soon as you’re medically cleared, you can start the project.”
