Page 1013 of One More Kiss

“Any idea why Abercrombie chose Texas? Seems like there would be plenty of tea drinkers in England.”

This time, it was Connor who shrugged. “He never said—only that there was business to be had here.”

I nodded. Not that really mattered why had started importing tea to Texas. Since the shortage had hit, I had missed my daily afternoon stop at Sonic for a Route 44 iced tea—the largest size available almost anywhere. It would be nice to have the option to restart that ritual.

“So, Houston?” Connor raised his eyebrows.

“Sure—just let me finish this email.”

I closed my laptop and tucked it away into my briefcase, then led Connor to the parking lot, where my hybrid SUV waited.

The drive to Houston was uneventful, a straight shot down I-45, and as boring as highway drives tended to be.

I considered probing Connor for more information about Abercrombie, but my instincts told me he had shared pretty much everything he knew about his boss. But maybe he had more information about the tea itself.

“Were you in Houston when the shipment came in?” I asked.

“No. Mr. Abercrombie hired me to provide security at the Dallas facility, where they were shipping the tea to be blended.”

“Mr. Abercrombie mentioned blending, too. What does that mean, exactly?”

“I’m not entirely sure. But I know who to ask. Mr. Abercrombie hired a tea sommelier, a specialist to run that part of the business. Carmina Ortega. I can get you her number. I don’t know how much help she’ll be, though, since she’s in Dallas. The shipment never made it to her.”

“I like to have as much background information as possible,” I said as we pulled up to the Port of Houston.

“I’ll get her number to you when we’re done here.”

I nodded, though part of me hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. With any luck, I would be able to figure out where the shipment had gone simply by spinning some magic through the port.

I should have known better than to rely on luck.

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