Page 55 of Some Like It Deadly
“Oh please.” Anger surfaced and he bobbed on it like a life raft, it was easier to cling to the fury than to the pain. “She’s someone who works for you.”
“No, she’s someone my brother loves. Which makes her my sister. I’ll treat her accordingly, even if my brother is behaving like a jackass.” Armand stood and dropped a passport on the table. “Go to Europe. Sebastian is in Florence. He’s expecting you. Spend some time on his yacht, rest, recover and then come back here and get to work.”
“You can’t just send me out of the country. I don’t work for you and I have cases.” His interest in the fight waned. Couldn’t Armand just leave him alone?
“No, I asked Daniel for some assistance and his attorney—Grange? He’s taken over the cases at Christine’s Center. All of your papers were filed and taken care of.”
Guilt stabbed Richard. In his need to get blind, roaring drunk, he’d let a lot of things slide.
“As for the foundation, well, your associates will have a true test of their mettle. Fortunately, everything is settled with the consortium deals. You don’t have to be there. Peterson’s men will get you to the airport. My jet is waiting for you. Take a month, figure out what you want to do, and come back.”
“And if I don’t? Go, that is?”
“Well, then you’ll find me here every day and I won’t leave.” His tone stiffened, and grew more formal. Oh, Armand wasangry after all. “Anna is most cross with me about this entire situation. She blames me too. Perhaps you are both right, but I don’t care. I am hardly going to let you kill yourself, nor will I stand idly by while someone else tries to do it. You need time and I can respect that?—”
“But only on your terms.” Richard dared him to disagree.
“In the world I live in? Yes. On my terms. But this isn’t just about you, Richard. Kate nearly died to make sure you stayed alive. She asked about you the moment she woke up. She called your name and she wanted to know that you were alive. She didn’t care about anything else.”
A fresh lance of guilt splintered his heart.
“We told her we’d moved you to keep you safe. She’ll buy that for a little while, she’s on a lot of drugs. So man up, grow some balls, and figure out whether you really love her and can be the man for her. Be my friend again. We’ll wait.” He tapped the passport. “If you’re still here in the morning, expect a roommate.”
Armand made it to the door before Richard reached over to pick up the passport. “You’re getting married in a month.”
“I know. I really hope my best man is there.” The door closed behind him and Richard stared at the blue cover.What the hell did he want?
Kate’s face flashed before his eyes and he sighed. Dropping the passport on the table, he scrubbed his hands against his face. Maybe Armand was right, he couldn’t think here. He hadn’t been thinking—he’d been drowning and the prince threw him a life line.
No, not the prince. My friend. My brother.
Picking up the prescription bottle, he stared at it. Dammit. That woman. From a hospital bed, she was trying to manage him. Walking to the door, he pulled it open and the security guard gave him a questioning look. “Yes, Mr. Prentiss?”
“I want to go to the hospital.”
KATE
“A prince! You have princes coming to visit you in the hospital. And these flowers? Have you ever seen so many? I can’t get over it, Katie. You told me you were working in security. I thought you meant rent-a-cop, instead you’re all Jane Bond.”
If her mother didn’t stop talking soon, Kate thought she might find another gun and finish the job Leonard Braun had started. Shirley Braddock meant well, but she babbled when she was nervous and the constant stream of visitors including a prince, a princess, and the future princess had left her more than a tad disconcerted.
“Mom, its personal security and I don’t know if I’ll be doing it much longer.” Not after screwing her last job up so epically.
“Hmm, I’ve heard that one before, dear.” Her mother stroked her hair back. “I should go down to the gift shop and see if they have more of that freeze dried shampoo.”
“Waterless shampoo? Sure, that’d be great.” Anything to get a break from the chatter.
“Do you want anything else? A magazine? Crossword puzzle book? Book? I know, I’ll just pick you up one of everything.” She rose and kissed Kate’s forehead. “Be a dear and don’t pick on the nurses when they come in to check your vitals.”
“Promise, I’ll be good.”Gooooo.But she swallowed back the snarl. Her mother hadn’t stopped talking since she’d arrived and she’d been a nervous wreck.
Closing her eyes the moment the door closed, Kate sighed.
They’d told her Richard was fine, but she hadn’t heard from or seen him. Yes, it made sense they’d lock him down for a few days to make sure that Braun acted alone. But she didn’t get the feeling from the man that he was part of any larger conspiracy. It didn’t matter that they’d loaded her up on painkillers, or that it was her lung that had been compromised and not her heart.
Because her heart hurt.
Opening her eyes, she stared up at the ceiling and then reached for the leads connecting her to the machines. If they had Richard on lockdown then she just needed to go to him. It was over—and she could tell him the truth dammit. Peterson said Braun was behind the accident and the first shooting.
