Page 70 of Misrule
Walking around, Knox scoped out places to install his various cameras. He also had listening devices for rooms he couldn’t install cameras. Outlaw had given him blueprints of the house, so he knew where each room was, but he needed to get a bird’s eye view for installation purposes.
The master bedroom had light gray walls and white trimming. The bed—with white sheets and white comforter—was neatly made. A pair of burgundy alligator pumps stood in the spot between the wall and the nightstand. A silk robe lay on the back of an overstuffed chair.
It surprised Knox to see photos of Johnnie, Rory, Matilda, and JJ on the dresser.
A camera in the bedroom meant complete lack of privacy, but Outlaw insisted on it. He wanted to know if Kendall was cheating on Johnnie. Not that he had any reason to believe that. It was just another excuse he used for his spying.
Once again, Knox didn’t like it, but he wanted to be rid of Kendall bad enough to follow through on the orders.
It was easiest to install a light-bulb camera in this room. He’d have a panoramic view, motion detector that alerted him to movement, night vision, and microphone. Unlike in the other rooms, once the subject or subjects laid in bed, he’d get a clear view of a face.
It was easy enough to switch bulbs in the spherical light fixture. He set the old light bulb on the dresser, reminding himself to take it with him, then headed to the master bath. There, he found two wet towels on the floor, makeup and perfume scattered on the vanity. The door leading to the closet stretched wide open, inviting Knox to take a peek.
Her clothes were neatly arranged by dresses, skirts, pants, and tops, further separated by color. A wall of shoes faced him, while belts and purses took up a small section.
Would Outlaw want a camera in here…No. Kendall might walk in undressed. Her bedroom was bad enough. No camera in the bathroom or closet.
Since he needed to get started downstairs, Knox grabbed the old light bulb and returned to the first floor, heading for the kitchen.
He needed a visual of faces. With a panoramic lightbulb recording from above, he’d only see the top of heads, so Knox decided the microwave was the best place for the kitchen camera.
Though Stretch was recovering from his final surgery, he’d still coached Knox on quick and efficient installation. Stretch hadn’t asked why he needed the knowledge, and Knox hadn’t volunteered. If he didn’t know, it was up to Outlaw to tell him. Besides, Stretch had already hacked into her alarm system and created a master passcode for Outlaw’s benefit.
Once Knox installed the microwave’s new start button, the rest of the job should go smoothly.
Chapter Eighteen
“Which hor d’oeuvres did you enjoy?” Joan Harrington asked Roxy with expectation.
She’d had poppy seed and Parmesan cheese straws, tomato tartare stuffed in mushrooms, steak tartare in cherry tomatoes, smoked trout chevrons with dilled crème fraiche, pecan stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto, grape leaves stuffed with shrimp cannel, goose rillettes with French baguettes, pink meringue kisses, white chocolate lavender hearts, and mini kiwi tartlets with whipped cream and candied lilacs.
The entire time they’d eaten, no one said much. Every now and then, Joan would break in with the name of the next food they were tasting—as if the fucking place cards weren’t enough.
“My favorite was actually the steak tartare in the cherry tomatoes,” Roxy answered, undecided as to whether Joan Harrington was happy about Knox’s proposal or not.
If Roxy had to guess, she’d saynot. After the first disastrous meeting with Knox’s parents, they’d made her feel welcome whenever she saw them. Roxy understood that a marriage was permanent, something Knox couldn’t easily walk away from and she believed that made all the difference in the world to his parents.
“I will put them on the menu,” Roxy went on. She looked at the girls. “What do you think?”
“I liked the rillettes,” Bailey said. “I’m going to add that to the menu as well.”
“Darlings,” Joan began, “I didn’t have these dishes made to add toyourmenu. We are taste-testing so we can come up withthemenu.”
“Andthemenu is whatwedecide,” Roxy stated.
Joan tittered. “You’re precious. We want to keep the food elegant and simple. You’re not onlydatingKnox. You are about to marry into the Harrington family. A very philanthropic family with excellent social standing.”
“Roxy is a very good cook, Joan,” Kendall offered. “She probably has the menu all figured out in her head.”
“We don’t want an oyster boat, red beans and rice, gumbo, and fried alligator,” Joan said with a saccharin smile. “That’s fine for New Orleans, but not for Portland.”
“Don’t waste your breath, Joan,” Charlotte had the nerve to chortle. “She’s one ofthem. A biker woman.”
“That’s uncalled for,” Kendall said quickly.
Roxy threw Kendall another glare. What made her think bringing Charlotte’s ass to their meeting was a good idea, Roxy didn’t know. She and Charlotte hadnevergotten along. The few hours of commiseration they’d shared when they’d been taken by Knox’s crazy uncle was long since gone.
However, Roxy felt a little off-balance. All the girls did, she suspected, with the exception of Kendall probably. They were in a high-society mansion of a high-society snob. Even for a goddamn taste-testing, the atmosphere lacked the down-home, easy-going vibe they all liked.
