Page 42 of Perfect Order
I think for a long moment before ceding the point. “I have a request as well.”
“What’s that?” Sam asks.
“Stop calling me Kylie.”
Everyone appears distressed. “Your sister went by her first name with friends,” Carys reminds me.
“I guess I’ll have to get used to it, then.” Though, privately, the idea of being called Kylie nauseates me. I’ve been called her name by mistake over the years, sure, but deliberately being called my dead twin’s name? No. Just no. My wounds are too raw for that.
“But it’s going to hurt too much,” Caleb observes perceptively.
“Just…call me Lee. We both responded to it.” Deep inside, it’s who we always were to one another despite our lives branching off in such wildly different directions.
“Okay, Lee. Here’s your first assignment,” Sam drawls. “Send me those files, and then get your precocious little fingers out of my network.”
Unable to stop the small curve of my lips, I erase the screen. Immediately after I do, Sam’s and Caleb’s phones ding. “I set you both up with a special email address for this. You won’t be able to admin it, Sam, so I’ll have to be in your network for a little longer.”
“Well, since you’re my newest lackey, set one up for Keene Marshall—Caleb’s partner. If Caleb’s not available, he’s your point of contact here at Hudson,” Sam directs me.
A few lazy strokes of my fingers later and Keene Marshall has a new email address as well. “Done.”
After he jerks up his chin, Sam threatens me, “When this is over, you’re going to close every security hole you’re punching,Lee.”
“I promise.” And I mean it.
I just hope nothing happens to cause me to break that promise.
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Carys and I spent some more time with Caleb and Sam in our client conference. “After all, it makes complete sense you’d be interested in protection after the death of your sister. Sam’s just here because Keene’s at the other office this week, and I wanted another partner around,” Caleb is unperturbed when I worry aloud.
Sam scrawls his name on a form before flipping it around to me. He says cheekily, “This way we can bill you for our initial meeting.”
I don’t even blink at the amount before I scrawl an unreadable signature to the bottom.
During the time we established my reason for being at Hudson, I find out much more about the primarily veteran-operated company. A knot deep inside of me slowly starts to unwind as I receive even more information that was able to be unearthed about the missions Caleb took on behalf of our country. And while it was offered to send info over about Sam, I tell my boss to forget it.I know so much about Sam Akin, I might be able to write a book about the man.
Still, he reminds me,If you’ll feel more comfortable, we can always formally loop in my contact at Hudson.
Why am I not surprised you have one here?Before he can respond, I quickly type back,If it becomes necessary, we will.
Let me know.
Just after, more information flows to my computer to get me up to speed on the rest of the players in this game I will likely interact with, including Keene Marshall and Kristoffer Wilde. I’m understandably quiet as the three carefully plan the next several weeks including Erzulie's public appearances, but the reality is I’m scanning data to learn more about the people I’m trusting my life to.
These people are as solid as they come.
I’m jarred out of my reverie when a knock on the conference door startles us all. Caleb presses a button on his iPad before calling out, “Come in!” A man strides in with a stack of files requiring a signature, which is when Caleb hands him the form I affixed my John Hancock to earlier. After he departs the room, Caleb reengages the soundproofing. “Tony’s our personal assistant. He’s our go-to guy for dealing with red tape of any kind.”
My laconic “Is he interested in a different job?” isn’t appreciated by Caleb, who throws a wadded-up ball of paper at my head.
It bounces off and hits Sam, causing us all to chuckle. Sam’s frowning at something on his screen. “Speaking of cars, how is it possible Lee was driving up in hers when her sister was…”
There’s a long silence before Carys points out. “Sam’s right. How could she have been mugged and parking her car at the Plaza at the same time?”
“One of the many, many questions we’ll be researching. But I have one for you, Lee.” Sam turns his penetrating stare on me. “How did your sister have a copy of your ID?”
