“The less all of you know the better.”
“I beg to differ. If her being here puts my family in danger I need to know whom I’m protecting them from,” Mika snaps.
“Why can’t you guys just enjoy the moment?” Mikaela says with a sigh.
“Let’s just all calm down for a moment,” I say.
“I am calm,” Mika declares.
“This is calm?” she replies.
“I’m super calm,” Mika retorts.
Rae rolls her eyes. “Why don’t we have some dinner and talk.”
“Fuck that. I’m not breaking bread with that psychotic piece of shit,” he snaps as he points at Mason. “I said I’d hear them out. That is all. And since neither of them seems to want to actually talk about anything but what they can get from us, my patience and my interest level have just about reached their limit.”
Tears pool in Audrey’s eyes.
“I can’t say that I am exactly excited to have him here, but I want mom to stay,” Mikaela pleads.
“Fine. She can stay, but he has to go. He will never be welcome here.”
Mikaela turns to Audrey.
“You will stay, won’t you mom?”
“I’d love that honey, but—.”
“You can calm down. We are leaving.” Mason announces while grabbing Audrey’s arm.
“Why can’t you stay without him, mom?” Mikaela asks.
“I’ll be in touch darling, I promise. But we have been here too long already anyway.”
Audrey steps forward and tugs her arm out of Mason’s grip. She pulls Mikaela into an embrace. “I love you, love bug.”
They hug for a moment and Audrey turns to Mika who steps backward.
“Sorry mom, I’m just not ready for all of that.”
I can clearly see hurt flashing in her eyes and I have to admit, even though I don’t trust her for even a second, I feel for her.
* * *
It’s been a couple of days since the explosive revelations at the Hampton estate, but everyone including myself is still reeling. I’m in my office going over some paperwork when the door flies open. I don’t even bother to look up. I don’t need to. There is only one person in this building that waltzes into my office as if he owns the joint. And that is probably because he does. As he sinks into the chair across from my desk, Mika doesn’t bother with pleasantries, and as usual, when he’s got his mind set on something, he gets straight to the point.
“So, what do you think about all of this?”
While I try to tread carefully when talking to Mikaela about this, I know that Mika will appreciate brutal honesty. So, I speak freely.
“Even if I didn’t know that your father is involved in this, I think something smells fishy. When I tried to ask her questions, Mason kept interrupting, answering for her. It felt like she was putting on a play and was ill prepared. Frankly my friend, right now, I don’t trust either of them.”
“Agreed. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Mikaela is so ready to just accept any of this without explanation. It has been two fucking days and neither of them are answering any questions.”
I press the intercom button and ask my assistant Ash to have River to join us in my office. Mika doesn’t question this, I think he’s got the same thing in mind. River is not only a tremendous asset to the company, he’s also family. And not just because he’s Raeva’s little brother. Barely five minutes have passed when he strolls into my office, and I nearly wet myself. He’s wearing yet another epic ensemble that’ll sure ruffle Mika’s feathers. He’s wearing a crisp white shirt, silk black tie, and fitted navy blue suit jacket. Which looks acceptable. But the beautiful bastard has paired it with some shorts with the loudest Hawaiian print I have ever seen and when I quickly scan him, I notice the white socks and flip-flops. My gaze immediately falls onto Mika’s horrified face. The expression on his face is priceless. And I can’t deny that I take great pleasure in this. Which is probably why I encourage River’s sense of fashion as much as I can.
“What in the actual fuck, River?” Mika blurts out.
“What?” he replies with a shrug.
“Yeah. What?” I chime in.
That earns me a sideways glance and I can barely hold it together at this point.
“Never mind. I give up,” Mika grumbles.
A huge grin appears on River’s face. And I can’t help but chuckle. I have the sneaky suspicion that a lot of his outfit choices have less to do with his actual fashion sense and more to do with what kind of reaction he can get from his brother-in-law. With a victorious look on his face, River sinks in the chair next to the one that Mika is sitting in.
“So. What’s up?”
We fill him in on what happened at the Hampton house and our concerns and suspicions.
“So, do you think she’s lying?”
Mika shrugs. “She won’t say why she was placed in witness protection, or who she needs protection from. That seems shady.”
“Besides that, how did Mason find her? After all the time and money you spend on this, all of a sudden, a man with considerably less resources at his disposal finds her?” I add.
“Exactly,” Mika agrees.
“I’ll see what I can dig up,” River replies.
“Great, and I don’t think I need to tell you that we need to be discreet about this. If there is any truth to this, we may place all of us in danger,” Mika says.
“Understood,” he says as he rises from his seat.
There is a knock on the door and before I can open my mouth the other Kingsley sibling—admittedly my favorite—waltzes in as if she owns the joint. Which is accurate I guess, because while she doesn’t own the building, she does own me, heart, mind, and soul.
“Geez, talk about killing the mood in a room. Did I interrupt something?”
The three of us remain silent, as none of us want to get into it with her. Mikaela scans the room and when I see her eyebrow shoot up, I know that she has sussed out what we were talking about.
“Well?” she demands.
“We were discussing business,” Mika lies smoothly. “I wasn’t aware that I had to run my business deals by my sister.”
“Is that right?” she replies as she fixes her gaze on mine.
I am not sure what to say since I definitely don’t want to lie to her.
“I’m going back to work,” River announces.
He stops by Mik and kisses her cheek. “My boss is kind of a tyrant, ya know?” he says with a wink before strolling out of the office.
“Yeah, this tyrant needs to get back to work too. I’ll see you later,” Mika announces before kissing her cheek and stalking out.
Mikaela hasn’t taken her eyes off of me the entire time and I feel scrutinized.
“Are you going to lie to me too, Eric?” she asks.
“I won’t,” I tell her earnestly.
“What were you guys talking about?”
“We were talking about what happened in the Hamptons.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Don’t play games with me, Hardwick. You know exactly what I’m asking.”
She’s right I do, but I don’t want to argue about this again. I sigh.
“Fine, Mika wants to know more, and I agree that we should investigate.”
“No.”
I frown. “No?”
“Yes, just no. I don’t want you investigating my mother.”
“Listen Mik. Your brother wants answers, and he is going to find those answers whether I help him or not.”
“Don’t help him. Promise me you won’t.”
“I don’t want to make promises that I can’t keep, Mik.”
“Why can’t you guys just let this go? Why can’t you let it go? For me?”
“Mikaela, I love you, more than anything. Which is why I cannot promise that. This impacts your safety, and your safety is my number one priority. Even if it means that you’ll be a little mad.”
“I
promise you, I’ll be more than a little mad.”
“But I’ll be able to help keep you safe, and that is worth it. You’ll get over being mad eventually. I am not sure if I’ll get over losing you again. In fact, scratch that, I know I won’t,” I tell her.
I round the desk and attempt to pull her into a hug. She rebukes my advance and pouts. She actually looks adorable, but I know she’s pissed.
“I think I need a little space,” she announces.
I can’t deny that despite my declaration moments ago, that it was worth her being mad, her words do sting.
“If that’s what you need, I’ll give it to you.”
She swallows hard.
“Fine,” she says as she turns her heel.
It’s never fucking good when a woman says “fine”.
I know I am doing the right thing here, but watching her walk away is definitely rough.
Last night has been the first time since Eric and I got back together that we have spent apart. And I’m not going to lie, it was hard. I almost called him about a dozen times. But my stubbornness won out. I barely slept a wink, and I really didn’t want to come to work today. Unfortunately, playing hooky is out of the question. I have an early morning meeting with a very important client and I cannot cancel last minute. I try to focus on polishing some of the sketches I did for my client, but I am just not feeling it. I get pulled out of my thoughts when I hear someone clear their throat. I look up and my assistant Dana is standing in front of my desk.
“Ms. Kingsley, is everything okay?” she asks.
“Yes. Everything is fine. Why?”
“I pressed the intercom and you didn’t respond. I got worried, and so I came in to check on you.”
I frown. I really hadn’t heard her.
“You seemed miles away, I asked if you wanted coffee. All I got was crickets,” she tells me with a chuckle.
I plaster a smile on my face. “Oh, so sorry. I was deep in thought, I guess.”
“So, would you like some?”
“Would I like some what?”
“I think I’m going to take that as a yes, you clearly need some caffeine. I’ll be back in a jiffy,” she says laughing.
I clearly need to shake it off. I am trying to decide if I should try and call him when my cell phone indicates that I have a text. My heart jumps into my throat. Even though I am still annoyed with him, I’m hoping the message is from Eric. I quickly type the passcode and open the message.
Eric: Good morning, Lady Kingsley.
I missed you last night.
X.
I lean back in my chair and close my eyes. I know that Mika and Eric only want us all to be safe. But I just want to be happy that we have mom back in our lives. Mika has never gotten over her disappearance, and it took years for him to accept that she was most likely dead. So, I don’t get why he isn’t happy now? She’s alive and well. Who cares why and how? It’s a miracle, a gift. And I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I am trying to decide how to respond to the message when Dana walks back in my office baring caffeine.
“Grande White Chocolate Mocha, extra whip,” she tells me as she hands me the cup.
“Thank you.”
I take the hot cup into both hands and inhale the glorious scent of my favorite hot beverage.
“Seriously, thank you. I didn’t even know I needed this.” I tell her with a genuine smile.
“No problem. Anything else you need?”
“No, not right now. Just let me know when Ms. Kelley is here.”
“Will do.”
I take a sip of the piping hot liquid and enjoy the burn as it slides down my throat. I realize that I am acting like a child by ignoring him. Pouting because I didn’t get my way. I push my last bit of stubbornness to the side and reply to his text.
Mikaela: Missed you too.
I press send and place my phone in my desk drawer. Maybe it’s the coffee, maybe it’s hearing from Eric, or maybe it is me letting go of my stubbornness. Shoot, maybe it’s a combination of all the above. Whatever it is, I feel a lot better. I walk over to my drawing table and even start another sketch. I’m so focused on it that it seems that I missed another intercom announcement. Dana clears her throat behind me for the second time this morning.
“Maybe we need some more caffeine?” I joke.
She smiles at me and tells me that my client is here. I get up and put my game face on.
* * *
The meeting lasted a little longer than I thought it would, but it didn’t feel like that. Maybe the fact that my mind was finally off of Mika and Eric’s plan to investigate mom helped me get through this. Sandra Kelley is a very well-known model who is getting married and asked me to design her dress. Based on what I knew from her I made about seven different sketches for her. None of them were really what she was looking for, and I was about to give up when her gaze fell on the unfinished sketch on my drawing table. I made adjustments on the spot and added everything she asked for. All in all, even after the rocky start this morning, this was a very successful meeting. As soon as Sandra leaves I grab my purse and head out. When I get to the front of the building I am greeted by Nico, one of my four security guys.
“Ms. Kingsley,” he says with a nod of his head.
I smile at him. I know that I am supposed to text or call when I am on the move. But I always seem to neglect that part. And honestly, usually, it isn’t even on purpose. But I can’t seem to convince my brother of that. But it has become a habit of mine, to forget. So they’ve adjusted and have taken to monitoring my office building or wherever I am at any moment in time.
“Hello Nico,” I say, my tone contrite. “I’m heading to my brother’s office.”
“Okay,” He says. “I’ll have a car here in two minutes.”
Nico pulls out his cell and taps something onto the screen. And I step aside and fish in my purse for my cellphone.
“Mik!!” I hear a voice calling for me.
I turn just as Nico roughly pulls me backwards and places himself in front of me protectively. Annoyed, I peer from behind him and see Phoenix headed toward me. The annoyance I feel for Nico is immediately pushed aside by the immediate wave of genuine affection I feel when I see my new-found sister approach me.
“Cool it, Nico. That’s my sister.”
He frowns. “Your sister?”
Nico does a double take. And who can blame him? Phoenix is drop-dead gorgeous.
A man I recognize as Leo is jogging behind her with an exasperated look on his face. Like a true Kingsley female, she’s already given her security the slip and I can’t begin to explain how much that tickles me.
“You better watch it, sis,” I tell her with a chuckle. “Mika will have an army following you before you know it!”
She looks confused for a second, which only amuses me more. That’s when Leo reaches us and I see the exact moment when recognition flashes in her eyes.
“Shit.”
“Ms. Kingsley,” he blows out. “You shouldn’t just leave without saying anything!”
Phoenix bites her lip.
“Oops,” she says.
I stifle a giggle.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t even thinking. I have not had to answer to anyone, like not ever in my adult life.”
I feel for her, this must all be overwhelming.
“You’ll get used to it. I promise,” I tell her.
Her eyebrow shoots up.
“How long did it take you?” she asks me.
I laugh. “A lot longer than I care to admit. But, seriously I barely notice them anymore.”
She returns my smile, looking a little relieved.
“Are you leaving? Or coming back?”
“I was actually on my way to go see Eric. Were you coming to see me?”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on it. But something weird happened. And I was close by. I should have called, I’m sorry.”
“We are sisters, you never have to call to come see me. Not ev
er. Got it?” I tell her sternly.
She nods.
“More importantly though, are you okay? What happened?”
She opens her mouth to answer but is interrupted by Nico.
“Ms. Kingsley the car is here. Would you like me to tell him to go circle the block?”
“I tell you what, why don’t you come with me? And you can tell me all about what happened. And maybe we can talk our brother into buying us lunch,” I add with a wink.
“I don’t really have pressing plans, so why not?”
I hold out my arm for her, and she links her arm with mine. We stroll to the waiting town car. I step aside so she can get in and then I slide in next to her.
“So, tell me what happened. Do you feel unsafe? Did someone threaten you?” I ask once we are both buckled in and the car pulls into traffic.
She shakes her head.
“No, no. Nothing like that.”
“Okay, good. So, what then?”
“I was going to grab a few things from the farmers market this morning.”
“Okay?” I say not getting where she could possibly be going with this.
“I had to stop by the ATM because they prefer if you pay in cash. Ya know?”
I don’t really, but I nod.
“So, when I got to the ATM, and I saw my receipt I nearly fell over. I had to go inside and make sure they hadn’t made some kind of error.”
“Oh no. Was your account empty? Do you need some money? We can fix that right now,” I tell her as I reach into my purse.
“No, no. My account has plenty of money in. In fact, it has a lot more money in it than there was last week! I have never seen these many zeroes!” she says eyes wide.
“Honestly, I am not sure if I understand what the problem is here?”
“Mik. That money, it’s not mine. I don’t know where it came from. The bank insists that it was deposited by Kingsley incorporated. I think they might have messed up and sent money to the wrong Kingsley.”
“I doubt it. We will go talk to Mika and get some answers. But I am pretty sure that I already know what happened.”
“You do?”
“Yes, sis. You’re a Kingsley now. You have money. Better get used to it.”
Forever Tomorrow: Kingsley Series Book 4 Page 2
