Page 133 of Misrule
“She’s here.” In spite of Knox’s intense dislike of Kendall, unease slid into him.
Cam nodded, and looked toward the conference room door. It was ajar, allowing no one to see in or out. He seemed as rooted to his chair as Knox. They both knew they were about to set a chain of events into motion that would have far-reaching—and possibly—deadly consequences.
The same hesitation Knox felt showed in Cam’s face.
“Fuck, man. Jordan and Roxanne are best friends,” he said, the look he turned to Knox grave. “If she knows of my involvement should anything happen to Kendall, and Roxanne is hurt, even emotionally, that’ll be my ass.”
“Cam, I swear, this is the right thing to do. Before she curled up on that floor, and we switched to last night’s recording, she stripped, apparently so paranoid that she feels as if she’s being watched. Instead of cowering, she showed her pussy. Who does that?” Knox growled in frustration. He wanted bleach for his brain. “As if anyone but Johnnie is interested in seeing her naked ass.”
“Knox—”
“Hello?” Emily repeated with a touch of impatience.
“I’ll be right there,” Knox responded as both he and Cam stood from their seats.
In the waiting room, the gorgeous blonde stood in black trousers and a blue silk blouse that enhanced the color of her eyes.
He stepped aside to reveal Cam. “This is my partner, Cameron Baptiste.”
Emily nodded. “Good morning.”
Cam cleared his throat. “Hello. Welcome to our office.”
She glanced around. “Are they here yet?”
Before either of them responded, the door opened and Johnnie walked in, wearing his cut, a white T-shirt, a pair of faded jeans, and his motorcycle boots. His hair was windblown and the bandages on his nose gave him a bad boy vibe.
“Christopher asked me to drop this off to you.” Johnnie took out an envelope from inside the pocket of his cut and held it out to Knox. He barely noticed Emily as Knox accepted what Johnnie handed to him, then started to turn.
Knox sidled a glance at Emily.
“Er, don’t leave on my account, sir,” she said in a sweet tone that surprised Knox. She hadn’t been the nicest person the day they’d met. “I have a lot of time on my hand, if you need to speak to Mr. Harrington a moment.”
Johnnie stopped and looked in her direction. He went still, not moving a muscle. Not uttering a sound. He merely stared, before his breath caught, and his mouth fell open.
“Jesus,” he mumbled, blinking.
Emily lowered her lashes. “I didn’t mean to catch you off-guard.”
Slowly, he shook his head, taking in every detail of her face, squinting at her upswept hair. He closed his eyes. “Fuck.”
“Are you okay, Mister…” Emily pressed.
Johnnie drew in a deep breath. “Excuse me, sweetheart.” He grinned, and Knox wasn’t sure if it was forced or not. “Where are my manners? I shouldn’t burn the ears of a lady with my foul language.”
Emily smiled. “I’ve been known to burn a few ears a time or two,” she admitted. She held out her hand. “I’m Emily.”
For the longest moment, Johnnie stared at her hand, before accepting it. When he wrapped his hand around hers, he frowned and released it, as if his skin had been burned.
“Your hands have callouses,” he blurted.
In other words, they weren’t soft like Megan’s.
Emily’s lips tightened before she covered her displeasure with a smile. “I’m a working woman who still doesn’t know your name.”
“Johnnie,” he told her.
He sounded, and looked, as if he’d gone into a state of shock. Once again not moving, he stared at Emily.
