by K T Brodland
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Yeah, I did. I just wanted to make sure I heard correctly.”
“You did. Most of my financial resources are tucked away in Swiss accounts or invested in various charitable organizations. Needless to say, much of that money was acquired by less than legal means. Of course, the people I liberated it from acquired their wealth by illegal means. I just redistributed it, keeping a portion for my living expenses.”
The moment of truth had arrived. She sat back in her chair and waited for Cat to respond. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Interesting story. If you ever decide you need a partner in your ongoing campaign to take down the local gangs, count me in.”
Olivia released the breath she’d been holding. “I think that’s a given. However, what I could really use right now is a friend. I never had one until I met you. Sometimes I wish we could start over, without all the drama.”
“No reason why we can’t.”
“Despite everything I’ve told you about myself?”
“Olivia, I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface of the smart, funny, complicated woman you are. Our shared interests aside, I’d like to stick around to learn more about you because I discovered I like having you in my life.”
“Huh, I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Nope, just the ones who turn my life upside down and inside out.”
Olivia peered into Cat’s face, trying to decide whether she was joking or not. Either way, she liked the idea that Cat wanted her in her life.
“I’m glad to hear it. When we met three weeks ago, I was quite convinced our paths would never cross again once I was back home.” Olivia smiled. “My, was I wrong. And you know, I’ve come to realize I’m not at all sorry.”
“You aren’t, eh?”
“Nope. Until you came along, I had no idea how much I missed the relationship I used to have with Alison. We’d spend hours kicking ideas around, coming up with ways and means of countering the latest wave of terror that was focused on street kids.”
“What was your success rate?”
Olivia grinned. “A lot better than you might think. There are a few mob bosses now serving time at the government’s pleasure thanks to our efforts. Along with more than a few of their underlings, of course. I believe some of them ended up in witness protection in order to stay out of prison. Rats don’t last long in the general population.”
The corners of Cat’s eyes crinkled. “I’m assuming this was all done anonymously?”
“Of course. And if you are wondering where this is leading, I have also been thinking that maybe it’s time I stepped up my game and took on a partner. One who shares my passion for helping the street kids and the homeless who can’t help themselves.”
Cat folded her arms across her chest. “Anyone in mind?’
“Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. You.”
“That’s flattering. What exactly do you have in mind?”
“For starters, I’ll help out in your office two or three days a week in exchange for your assistance with operation rescue.”
“Sounds good so far. Oh, and I still have the NDAs at the office. If you come in on Monday as planned, we’ll sign them, and Anne can witness our signatures. I’ll also print out the photos I took at your place and at the Wilkes house. That way we each have a copy to work with. I haven’t had a chance to run a comparison of the tire tracks we found in front of the mobile yet. In any case, there were several sets of tracks that were probably from the cruisers that were sent out to investigate the break-in.”
Cat got up and poured them each a fresh cup of coffee. “Okay, we still have the little matter of whose system we’re going to use.”
“Since you’re still here after what I told you about myself, I think the answer to that question is pretty obvious.”
Cat’s eyebrows rose. “Then is there a reason why we’re still sitting here?”
“Yeah. It’s called a stack of dirty dishes that need to go into the dishwasher.”
Cat laughed, a warm sound that stirred a longing in Olivia that she tried to ignore. When Cat offered to help, she waved her back into her chair. When she was finished tidying up, she made a fresh pot of coffee and headed upstairs, with an eager Cat close behind her.
Her own eyes sparkled in delight at Cat’s awed expression when she got a good look at the setup in Olivia’s office.
“Wow,” Cat exclaimed as she took a slow tour of the interior with its wall-to-wall display of screens, black at the moment, with a cursor blinking at the upper corners, and the huge desk with the two computers hooked up to dual monitors. “No wonder you want to work here. This is beyond anything I have, even at the office.”
Olivia pointed to the nearest chair in front of a computer before settling at her usual station. She typed in the password for both computers. “There you go. Have at it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
O livia had already connected the cell phone to the computer. She tapped a few keys, then sat back and watched as the cursor scrolled through the text messages being retrieved from Steven’s cell phone.
An hour later, she leaned back in her chair, thinking she wasn’t really any farther ahead now than when she started. There were one or two comments about someone referred to only as R, and it seemed as though both boys considered him an asshole. Steven was of the opinion R was yanking their chain with all his rules. Especially the part where he informed them in no uncertain terms that breaking any of the rules would get them killed.
Sonny wasn’t so sure about that. He’d been with the Alphas longer than Steven and had a pretty good idea as to how far R would go in enforcing the rules. R had given them each a bag of blow to sell, telling them they keep the proceeds for themselves this time. In future they would hand over ninety percent of the take to him. He also expected them to do something about their wardrobe. The Chief didn’t like his people going around looking like street thugs. Steven was told to get a decent car. The model he had was fine for hicks, but a high-end vehicle was more appropriate.
Steven had remarked to Sonny that he’d have a bitch of a time explaining to his dad how he could afford anything more expensive. So far, his only source of income was the allowance his dad gave him once a month. That measly amount barely kept him in booze and gas for the SUV.
He’d grumbled to Sonny that he envied him his freedom to come and go as he pleased.
Sonny had reminded him that he wasn’t as free as Steven thought. ‘I still have my kid brother to look out for.’
“Well,” Steven had texted back. “Tell him to get off his ass. He got the same amount of blow as we did. He can make his own share of money, get his own car and his own place.”
“You know, I should do the same thing. I hate being stuck out there on the farm. Never going to get anywhere pulling weeds and mucking out the barn. That’s all my old man seems to think I’m good for,” said the next text.
“What about your old lady?”
“What about her? She’s almost as big a pain in the ass as my old man is. Always whining about something or other. And just the other day she announced she was pregnant. What am I supposed to do with a knocked-up slash? Sure can’t take her anywhere.”
“Get rid of her then. There’s more where she came from.”
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll do just that.”
Olivia checked the dates. The texts were sent between the beginning of September and mid-October of the previous year. Trish had mentioned she had met Steven in September. And she was now seven months along. Steven hadn’t wasted much time getting his latest conquest knocked up. She exhaled softly. Trish was definitely better off where she was now.
Cat stirred at her side. “Nice guy, this Steven.”
“Yeah. I’m afraid I never gave much thought as to what he was like. He was barely a blip on my radar. Even Trish was pretty disillusioned the last time I spoke to her.”
“No great surpri
se there.”
“I think the stage is being set here for open rebellion on Steven’s part,” Cat said, still studying the monitor. “He certainly doesn’t take kindly to figures of authority. And if this R is an enforcer for the Alphas, and I’ve no reason to think otherwise, if he and Steven clashed, there would’ve been big trouble.”
“Given that Steven was the real target of that drive-by shooting, I’d say that’s exactly what happened. As for the Wilkes brothers, who knows how they got drawn into this battle.”
Chin propped in her hand, Olivia studied the text messages open on her monitor. “I must say, Steven and Sonny had some interesting conversations this past summer. There’s the usual guy stuff, girls, parties, how much booze they drank. Reminds me of that song, “Wasn’t that a party?” Some of the antics their friends got into are hilarious.”
She peered at the date on the message she was reading. “Most of these were sent last summer. At some point, they became few and far between and when they did happen, the language was terse and to the point. No more jokes or talk about parties. It’s as though their relationship had changed.”
Cat nodded slowly. “I know what you mean.” She turned her attention back to the monitor which showed a series of cryptic texts sent between Sonny and Steven. “How you making out over there?”
“About the same as you, I suspect. The boys were being close-mouthed.”
“Probably just as well. Talking out of turn is a fast way to end up with a visit from the gang’s enforcer.”
It was midnight when they both came up for air. The coffee pot had been emptied and refilled several times and they were both starving. Olivia headed downstairs, with Cat close behind her. She found a package of cold cuts in the fridge and threw together sandwiches for their late supper, while Cat made up a salad. They ate in silence, then sagged in their chairs.
Olivia sighed, rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks. “Much as I’d like to keep at it, I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“Me, too.”
Olivia eyed the woman slumped in the chair next to her. “You look as though you can barely keep your eyes open. I don’t have a spare bedroom, but that couch in the living room is still available if you want to crash here tonight.”
“Tempting though that offer is, I’m afraid I’m going to love you and leave you. Tomorrow is a workday and I’m sure Anne has clients lined up for me. Take it easy and don’t overdo it before you put in an appearance. Assuming you are still planning to come by the office, that is. We have plenty of time to work on the remaining emails.”
“I’ll be there. I’m looking forward to meeting Anne.”
Cat chuckled. “I’m sure you are. Goodnight, Livvy. Sleep tight.”
“You too. Goodnight.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
O livia checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was braided and hung over her shoulder. The short-sleeved white top and neatly pressed navy pants she’d picked out looked suitable to wear in an office. Taking a deep breath, she took one final glance at her reflection before heading downstairs. Locking up, she made her way to the shed where the Mazda was parked. At least it wasn’t raining. She drew in another deep breath and keyed the ignition.
By the time she parked in front of Cat’s office, a gymnastic team had set up shop in her stomach and her hands were sweating.
Oh, come on , she told herself. You’ve faced far worse than this. For heaven’s sakes, Anne isn’t going to bite. Anybody would think you were about to take on a new job for the first time.
Since that was exactly what she was about to do, she swallowed hard, reminded herself that Cat would be there, then got out of the car and braced for whatever lay ahead.
A chime announced her presence as soon as she opened the office door.
Any qualms she had about meeting Anne were quickly put to rest when the older woman bustled out from behind her workstation and greeted her warmly.
“Hello, Olivia! I’m so delighted to meet you before I leave on Saturday. I have to tell you, when Cat told me you were planning on coming by this afternoon, I heaved a sigh of relief. I know she’s quite capable of answering phones and so on, but she can’t always be here.”
Cat emerged from her office off to the right, a smile lighting her angular features. “Hi, there,” she greeted Olivia, interrupting Anne’s enthusiastic flow of chatter. “Have you had lunch? We just ate, but I can send out for something for you. Or would you just like coffee?”
Olivia had to laugh at all this good cheer. “Coffee would be wonderful.”
“I practically live on the stuff when I’m on my own,” Olivia said, as Cat disappeared down a hallway.
“That’s good. We have a pot that’s kept going from the minute I open up until we both head out around five o’clock. That will be one of your jobs while you are here. Keep us supplied with that life-sustaining liquid.”
As if on cue, Cat reappeared from the break room at the rear of the office with three cups hooked on the fingers of her left hand, a full pot of coffee in her right. She went back into her private office, indicating with a jerk of her head that they should join her.
Olivia waited until Cat was seated in a leather swivel chair before sitting next to Anne in one of the comfortable looking armchairs on the guest side of the desk. She took a quick glance around the space, noting the wood paneling, the large oak bookshelves that took up one entire wall, the thick carpeting that muffled sound and softened the hard lines of the office. A painting of a cabin set in a lakeside landscape was mounted above a row of filing cabinets. Framed documents flanked the painting. Somehow, she felt the space, a blend of warmth and elegance balanced with the sturdiness of the wood furnishing, suited Cat perfectly.
“Cat was telling me you two had an interesting weekend,” Anne said.
Reminded of how they had spent the better part of the past two days, Olivia let a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. “That’s one way of describing it.”
“We still have more work to do,” Cat added. “There seems to be a strong link between Steven, the Wilkes brothers, and the Alphas. Based on what we’ve been able to find out so far, I suspect the boys were planning on going into business for themselves. Which, in itself, might be reason enough for the gang to come down on them hard.”
“That’s intriguing. Almost makes me sorry I won’t be here to watch the fun.” Anne finished her coffee and turned to Olivia. “Are you ready for me to show you the ropes?”
Olivia dipped her head a fraction of an inch in Cat’s direction, pushed back her chair. “Sure. Anytime you are.”
She was pleasantly surprised to find the office routine wasn’t all that different from what she did at home. Phones had to be answered, bills had to be paid, documents had to be filed, appointments made. She could do this easily.
“So, you’re the young lady who bypassed Cat’s alarm system. I’d love to have been a fly on the wall when she walked into her house and found you asleep on her couch,” Anne said, startling her.
Olivia made a strangled sound that was part laugh, part surprise at this statement. “Trust me, she was not a happy camper. For a while there I thought she was going to throw me out on my ear. Or call the cops. I was betting on the cops when she seemed to have second thoughts about both approaches.”
Not that ending up in a holding cell would have slowed her down more than the five minutes it would have taken her to deal with the locks and waltz out of the police station. Of course, there would have been a little matter of getting past a dozen or more armed police officers, but what the hell? What’s life without a few risks?
“Did she ever figure out how you managed it?”
Grinning at the memory of the baffled expression on Cat’s face as she demonstrated how she had tricked the alarm system into thinking the door had never been opened, Olivia winked at Anne. “Nope. And I doubt she ever will.”
Anne laughed. “That must drive her nuts. She hates not knowing how t
hings work.” She patted Olivia’s arm. “For what it’s worth I really appreciate you offering to come in and help out around here. I’ve been secretary/receptionist ever since my husband died. Cat was already a part of the team by then, which was fortunate, since I was getting too old and too tired to do the leg work anymore. Now about all I am good for is to pay bills and answer phones.” She made a face as the phone rang. “Speaking of which…”
Chuckling, Olivia made herself scarce long enough to refill all three coffee cups while Anne dealt with whoever was on the other end of the call.
When she popped into Cat’s office with her coffee, she sank down into the nearest chair and waited for Cat to look up from the file she was reading.
“How’s it going out there?” Cat asked as she took a mouthful of her coffee.
“Going great. I like Anne. I can see why you are going to miss her.”
“Yeah, I am. She’s been a great friend as well as a business partner for the past ten years. Sorry, no, the past six. She took the business when her husband passed away. Which reminds me…” she pulled open a desk drawer and pulled out two large sheets of paper. “Here are the non-disclosure agreements. Do you still want me to sign one for you?”
Olivia considered the question carefully before replying. “If circumstances were a little different, I’d say oh, to hell with it, but given my…background…I think it best that you do.”
“Fair enough.” Cat drew one of the documents toward her, pushed the other one to Olivia.
While Cat was signing her copy, Olivia scanned the legalese in the non-disclosure Cat had drawn up for her with regard to her employment with the agency. It seemed straight forward enough. Picking up a pen from the desk, she hesitated, her hand above the signature line, then signed her name.
When both documents were signed, Cat asked Anne to come in and witness their signatures. After Anne left, Olivia remained behind.