Page 51 of Keep My Secrets
And even with the disruptions, she has still outperformed every other intern you have. Not my choice, Maddox made the call.
Done. I’ll pull her from the meeting.
Stan pulls up to the front of the building, and I am out of the car before he has a chance to even put the car in park.
“Don’t go anywhere, we will be right down.”
I head inside and ignore the greeting offered to me, and head straight for the elevator that will get me upstairs the fastest.
I make it to Kai’s office. He isn't here, which hopefully means he is already pulling Aria from whatever they have her doing.
I wait at her desk as she walks out of the conference room. She starts to ask Kai something, but I can't make out what he said. He just gestures toward me, and Aria follows.
“Theo, what's going on?”
“Pack up, we need to go.”
“Where?”
“Acadia.” My voice soft, so as not to let anyone who isn't supposed to know hear. She packs her laptop and pulls a stack of paperwork to slide into her portfolio.
“Why?”
“I wish I could tell you, but I can only speculate.”
“What do I tell Kai? Or the team?”
“Kai knows, and everyone else will hear that you had a family emergency.”
“Ok, I have everything. Are we stopping at home?”
“No, Mia is meeting us at the FTO with your bag. I don't think we will need it, but I like to be prepared.”
“Ok. Let’s go.”
We make it downstairs, and I am trying to keep an eye on our surroundings. There are very few things that would require Aria to attend a meeting at Acadia. On the off chance we are meeting because there was a threat to her safety, I need to keep my eyes open.
I usher her into the car, making sure she doesn't hit her head, and I give one last look to our surroundings before entering the car myself.
“Theo, what's going on? You're scaring me.”
“That’s not my intention, I just don't have a lot of information, so I want to make sure I am not inadvertently putting you in harm's way.”
“What information do you have?”
“Garret called an emergency meeting at Acadia and said you needed to be present.” She continues to stare at me, waiting formore information. “There aren't a lot of scenarios that would require you to attend. One of the only things I can think of is if there is a threat to your safety.”
“Anything else?” Her green eyes search mine for a more comforting explanation.
“The only thing I can think of is, if they think you're a threat to The Court.”
Hey, eyes widen, realizing that option one was the more desirable option.
“But I-I didn't do anything, I barely know anything,” she stammers.
I place her hand between mine and look her in the eyes. “I know, baby. Whatever happens today, I will protect you.” She nods.
When we pull up on the tarmac next to the private jet, Mia is standing there waiting with a garment bag and suitcase. I definitely would have just thrown Aria's clothes into the suitcase; I am so glad I had her take care of it.
