After Tomorrow (Kingsley series Book 2)

by Haylee Thorne

  It takes me a second to realize that Mr. Ray must be Raeva’s brother, River. I am surprised, as well as intrigued.

  “Send him on in, Ellie. Thank you.”

  I stand and button my suit jacket as I circle around my desk. I have to school my facial features into neutral when River Ray walks into my office. Raeva has told me about her little brother, but I’m still not prepared. He’s wearing some brown shorts, a very loud Hawaiian shirt, and checkered socks paired with flip-flops. His hair is mussed up as if he has just been in a romp or a fight or something. It takes a few seconds longer than usual to collect myself, and before I can open my mouth to greet him, he beats me to the punch.

  “Mr. Kingsley, hello,” he tells me, holding out his hand to shake mine.

  “Please, call me Mika,” I tell him as I shake his hand. “Is it okay to address you as River?”

  He nods.

  “Please take a seat,” I tell him as I gesture to one of the chairs in front of my desk.

  He takes a seat, and I circle back around my desk and take a seat as well.

  “What can I do for you, River? I know you have not come all this way just to say hello.”

  River shifts in his seat. He seems uncomfortable.

  “I was hoping to have a word. I can approach this situation in a plethora of ways, but I won’t beat around the bush. I know you are a busy man.”

  My interest was piqued before, but I am downright on the edge of my seat now.

  “I know you’ve been a lot busier the last few days, and I have to apologize for that.”

  I blink, not understanding where this is going.

  “The trouble you’ve been having with your computer system, that is to say the security breach that has been a problem for you...eh…it’s me. I am the one who’s been hacking into your system.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. I try to keep calm. Are you fucking kidding me with this? I have been stressed out, and I have tripled my security measures not just at home, but at my office building as well. This is Raeva’s brother, and punching him in the jaw isn’t going to go over well, I tell myself.

  “My IT team assures me that it must at least be a team of hackers that are hacking into my system. You are telling me that you are the one doing it, and not a team of hackers? What about the damn messages? Why are you threatening your own fucking sister?” I say as calmly as I can muster up.

  Okay, so maybe not that calm. I’m not a saint. He at least has the decency to look somewhat contrite.

  “Listen, in my defense, I only wanted to make sure that you were properly protected at first since you are dating my sister. I was actually looking into her security when I found that you were tracking her phone. I suspected even you were possibly bugging her. I checked her phone now, by the way, and I know you didn’t bug it. But I was upset. I assumed that you just didn’t trust her, and my sister is the most trustworthy person I know. It pissed me off.”

  He shoves a hand through his hair.

  “I was just going to mess around with you a bit, and it got out of hand. I obviously was never going to do anything to harm my sister or even you. I just wanted to put you on notice, and Rae set me straight.”

  I frown.

  “Raeva set you straight? Are you telling me that she knew about this?”

  River throws me a look that seems to say are you stupid?

  “No, of course not. She will be ready to murder me when she finds out. I meant that she set me straight when I told her you were tracking her. She wasn’t even upset, man. She said she knows why you do it, and she wants you to have peace of mind.”

  The last part of his statement surprises me. And frankly, I’m relieved that she knows and isn’t upset about it. I nod at him, silently urging him to continue.

  “She obviously cares about you, and while I wasn’t a fan of you at first and maybe not even so much now, I know that you care about her and her safety. The measures I see you’ve taken to protect my sister endear you to me. We are on the same team. I need her safe.”

  A few seconds ago, I was ready to deck this man. But right now, I am kind of impressed. Not just because of the fact that he has dumbfounded a team of thirteen of my best and highly educated techies, but because he is sitting in front of me right now, owning up to this fuck-up to my face. I lace my fingers together and lean forward. River initiates eye contact. I like it. I can respect a man who willingly looks me in the eye.

  “Are you telling me that you are single-handedly giving an entire team—the best and brightest that money can buy—the fucking runaround?”

  I swear I catch a glimpse of amusement in his gaze.

  “I gotta tell ya, Kingsley, whatever it is that you are paying them is not worth it,” he says confidently.

  How can I possibly argue that?

  “Raeva tells me that you have chosen not to go to college, yet your skills surpass those that have spent years there. How do you explain that?”

  “Just because I hate the institution that is organized education in the United States doesn’t make me stupid.”

  “Believe me, River, I may have only met you a few minutes ago, but stupid isn’t how I would describe you.”

  That elicits a smirk from him.

  “I should tell you, you need a lot of things changed, and there are a lot of things that need to be patched up. They’ve set you up all right, it just needs to be executed better.”

  This elicits a smile from me. He’s ballsy, smart, and to the point; I admire those qualities in a person.

  River stands and circles around my desk. He goes straight for my computer.

  “May I?”

  I get up and step aside, letting him take a seat in my chair. His fingers fly over my keyboard. I watch him, fascinated for long minutes.

  “Okay, I have disabled the virus I have spread through your software and sent out a cleaning program. I have also added some new firewalls—some of my own design—and I challenge your people to try and break it. I guarantee you they won’t be able to. It’ll be fun to watch them squirm, though.”

  Raeva wasn’t kidding. This kid is something else. I kind of wish I had not dismissed her offer to involve him in such an offhand way.

  “How about we cut the crap, and you tell me what it will take for you to take over the IT department?”

  I have been in enough negotiations in my life to know that I have piqued his interest.

  “Are you offering me a job?”

  “I am offering you a career.”

  “A career that is contingent on your relationship with my sister?”

  “Besides the fact that it would make me a very poor businessman if I based my work relationships on who I am involved with, I also intend to spend the rest of my life with your sister. So even though that point is moot, I will guarantee you right now that if your employ is ever contingent on my relationship with your sister, that will be because you choose it to be so. I can have that to you in writing, if you’d prefer.”

  He looks pleased by my answer.

  “Can I take some time to think about it?”

  “Certainly.”

  “Can we keep my…hacking...need to know?”

  I raise my brow once more.

  “Meaning, can we keep this from your sister?”

  I know he doesn’t miss the amusement that laces my tone.

  “I am not sure how well you think you know my sister, but I promise you that I’d rather spend a decade in jail, being someone’s prison wife, than face her wrath. Believe me.”

  I look at him, amused. I know from firsthand experience that Raeva can be a little tornado when she has to be.

  “Your sister is quite the firecracker.”

  River nods vehemently in agreement, which causes me to chuckle. He doesn’t need to convince me.

  “Think about my offer, River. It’s legit, and I will make it worth your while. Take all the time you need, and get with me when you are ready to discuss your terms,” I tell him as I hand him my business card
.

  He takes it and tucks it inside the front pocket of his busy shirt.

  “I will, thank you. I know this could have gone a whole different way, so I appreciate your response. I am not sure if I would have taken it as well as you have.”

  I smile.

  “You don’t know me very well yet, but let me enlighten you some. I am a very successful man. I didn’t get this successful by myself. Anyone can start a company. It takes a team to build an empire; a true leader understands that. A smart man hires employees that can do the job. A successful, smart man hires people that dominate their respective fields and nurtures their talent. I can do many things well, and the things that I don’t do so well, I pay others to do for me.”

  I stand, and River follows suit. He holds his hand out, and I take it. We shake hands, and I feel as if we have accomplished something here today. River turns to leave but suddenly stops at the door.

  “Oh, before I forget,” he says, walking back to my desk. “I’ve duplicated my sister’s phone, and I have improved your tracking device. It will now even track her if the device is shut off. Oh, and I have added a tracker to her iWatch as well.”

  He places the duplicated phone and the watch on my desk.

  “Make sure she wears the watch.”

  I look at the items on my desk, and to be honest, I am not sure how to respond. But I now fully appreciate the benefit of having River Ray on my team. He has just as much stake in Raeva’s safety as I do, and it seems that just like me, he doesn’t mind stepping over some lines to ensure that safety. The smirk on his face indicates that my loss for words amuses him.

  “You’re welcome,” he says, winking at me as he leaves my office.

  When I wake up this morning, Mika’s side of the bed is already empty. Judging from the coolness, he’s been up for quite a bit. I stretch out and look at the watch that Mika gave me last night. It’s 5:28 a.m, my alarm is due to go off in two minutes, and I intend to lie here in the comfort of my warm bed until the two minutes tick by. I squeeze my eyes shut, wrap myself up snugly in the cover, and try to keep the world at bay just a little while longer. Unfortunately, my brain won’t let me relax, not even for two short minutes. All I want to do is head over to River’s place and see what else we can find out. But I have to work at Hillcrest today, so the best I can do is try and call him during a break or try to stop by after work. I jump into the shower and waste no time getting ready. When I walk into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee to go, Rose hands me a travel mug.

  “Good morning, Ms. Ray. Here is your coffee,” she says as she bestows me with a bright smile.

  I am not sure if I will ever get used to someone doing simple day-to-day things like this for me.

  “Wow, you really didn’t have to do that, Rose. Thank you.”

  “Oh please,” she says. “It is a cup of coffee. I love taking care of more people than just Mr. Kingsley.”

  I return her warm smile.

  “Has Mr. Kingsley left already? Or is he in his office here at home?”

  “He’s already left. He had important meetings with some foreign business associates this morning. He asked me to make sure you got your coffee to go and to tell you that Clark is ready and waiting downstairs. I have taken the liberty of packing you a lunch. I know you have not asked, but I can only assume that it is difficult for you to go out and get your own lunch right now.”

  I’m a little disappointed that Mika has already gone, especially since he didn’t tell me goodbye. On top of that, I feel bad that she has gone through the trouble of packing me a lunch.

  “I can’t remember the last time someone packed me a lunch. It must have been when I was a kid,” I tell her as I gratefully accept the brown bag. “I can’t thank you enough. It is indeed hard right now to go and get lunch quickly.”

  “I hope roasted turkey and potato chips are okay? I have added a container with sliced tomato, cucumber, and lettuce that you can add to the sandwich, as well as some packets of mayonnaise.”

  “Wow, that sounds amazing and delicious,” I tell her, genuinely grateful.

  I gather my things, thank Rose once more, and head down to meet Clark and the rest of the team. They have me at Hillcrest in record time, and I can rest easy knowing that I am even a little early. I stow my things in the locker room and head to Mr. King’s floor. I descend the spiral staircase to the lower level, and my intent is to head straight to the break room to put up my lunch and grab a coffee, but about halfway down I hear Layla’s voice. I instantly stop in my tracks. It sounds like she’s on the phone. The last thing I want is to run into her right now. Unfortunately, this is the only way to get where I need to go. I stand here for a moment, debating whether to wait her out or just go ahead and bite the bullet. As I stand here mulling it over, I realize how ridiculous I am being. As much as I dislike it, the woman works in this building, I am going to have to get used to her being here. I’m an adult, for crying out loud, I tell myself, annoyed. With renewed determination, I start going downstairs. By the time I reach the bottom, she is already halfway down the dimly lit hall, still talking on the phone. All I am trying to do is get to the breakroom as fast as I can, but I can clearly hear her speaking to the person on the other end.

  “I don’t care what you say! We are running out of time,” she barks. “The time to strike is now. I am going to destroy him if it’s the last damn thing I do.”

  Now my interest is sparked. Instead of stepping into the breakroom, I follow her. Is she talking about Mika? I watch her walk into her office before venturing closer. The door is slightly ajar. I scan the hallway, and there isn’t anyone around, so I inch closer and peek into her office.

  “Fine. I’ll come to you. It is too risky for you to show up here. Tell me where to meet you.”

  She writes something down on a little notepad on her desk.

  “I’ll be there later this afternoon. I have patients this morning.”

  She ends the call, and I duck back into the shadows. I hear her plop down into her chair and sigh deeply. I am dying to know who she was talking about and with whom. I try to squash the little nagging voice in the back of my head that’s telling me that I am in over my head. I am almost sure that she is indeed talking about Mika. After all, she has been going out of her way to try and make it look like they hooked up in his office. Just as he will do anything for my safety, I feel the same about his safety. I may not have a ton of money and resources at my disposal like he does, but I can watch his back. Finding out if she is targeting him and finding actual proof is all I can do. I don’t trust Layla one bit, and I want to find out who her accomplice is. I need to get my hands on that notepad. The wheels under her chair squeal a bit, alerting me to her movement and bringing me out of my thoughts not a second too soon because I am standing with my back against the wall next to her door. Anyone could see plain as day what I am up to. I push myself off the wall and make my way to the breakroom. I need to get into her office and try to lift that address from the notepad. I put my lunch in the fridge and head to Mr. King’s suite. I must admit that I am absentmindedly receiving report and just going through the motions.

  “Are you alright, Raeva?” Laura asks me with concern.

  I smile at her apologetically.

  “Yes. I’m sorry, I have a terrible headache,” I tell her, which is true. I have a little headache, just not as bad as I am making it sound. I don’t really want to admit to her that my mind is focused on trying to figure out a way to sneak into Layla’s office.

  “Oh yuck, that sucks. Maybe someone can cover your shift?”

  “Maybe. If it gets worse, I will reach out and try to find someone to cover my shift.”

  She smiles at me, looking at me kindly. I feel bad for not being entirely truthful to her, but the damage is already done. Besides, I can hardly tell her why my head really isn’t in the game. She lingers for a bit, a little longer than usual, and it makes me feel even worse. I know she is staying behind because she’s worried
about me. After I convince her that I am fine and she needs to go home to rest, she reluctantly leaves. I go about my business, forcing myself to focus on my patient. I order a fiesta omelet from the kitchen, and then I get Mr. King ready for breakfast. Tammy helps him eat while I get some of his medications together. I try really hard not to be distracted, but my gut is telling me to get that address. I am composing elaborate plans as to how I may achieve this goal when there is a loud knock. The door opens, and who else but Layla walks in. I blink. It’s Thursday. It’s Thursday morning after breakfast, which means it’s time for Mr. King’s session with Dr. Hayes! For the first time in well, ever, I am elated to see Layla walk through the door.

  “Good morning, Dr. Hayes,” I say brightly.

  She looks at me, taken aback for a moment, I am sure. But as always, she recovers quickly.

  “Good morning,” she replies pleasantly.

  She’s good.

  “Well, since you are having your session, I will take the opportunity to go get some coffee in the breakroom. You can hold down the fort until I get back, won’t you, Tammy?”

  “Yeah, of course,” she replies, smiling.

  “Perfect.”

  It’s interesting how my mood miraculously has done a one-eighty. I step out into the hall and start scanning it as I walk toward the breakroom. There are some employees around, but nobody near Layla’s office. I decide to risk it; I know that I won’t rest until I get that address. I have been obsessing over this all morning, not to mention the fact that this is most likely the best and only chance I have to get ahold of it. I slip my hand inside my pocket, assuring myself that I have the pencil that is key to my plan. I have watched many movies, and they always use pencils to get the indentation of what was written on the paper before it. In contrast to my clammy palms, my mouth is dry. I nervously look around the hall once more and then roll my eyes. I feel ridiculous, and I must look guilty as sin. I am almost at Layla’s office when I notice that the door is wide open. She hasn’t even locked her door! I think excitedly to myself. Well really, why would she? She’s clearly still in the building. I look one more time to make sure that nobody sees me go in before I slip into the office, closing the door behind me. I don’t want anyone passing by and seeing me snooping. It dawns on me that I am basically breaking into her office for the second time in a week. I really need to reevaluate my tactics. I walk straight to her desk, pencil already in hand. I scour the surface for the notebook, and I find it in mere seconds. The address is clearly written down; she hasn’t ripped it off. Now that, I wasn’t expecting. I don’t have anything to write on, and pencil isn’t going to work on my hand. I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and snap a picture of the notepad. I don’t recognize the address at all. I was hoping it would at least be a familiar place.