“Thanks for pushing me to fly today, Ralph, I needed that.” I said, slapping him on the back as I leaned back from the controls. “I’m going to be here for twenty-four to thirty-six hours this time, but then we’re off to Paris. Are you good on hours for Paris?”
“Yes sir, with the hours off while we’re here I’ll be good to go,” Ralph said, switching everything off. “Shoot me am approximate so I can get clearance as soon as you know.”
Kellan was waiting in his limo as I exited the plane. I scanned the area looking for any sign of Asher. I wasn’t really expecting him to be there, but I couldn’t help but want to have faith that he would show up. Gunner, Kellan’s driver, wasn’t the same one I was familiar with, but he gave me a friendly nod and opened the door.
“What’s the deal with the tank driving you around today?” I asked, before said tank got in the car. “He looks like a serious kinda guy. You piss someone off or something?”
“Well, good morning to you too. I’ll tell you about that in a minute,” Kellan said quickly before he put his cell to his ear.
When his call ended, I looked up from my own cell. “You don’t seem surprised that Asher isn’t here with me. Let me guess, Trey called you?”
“More like Parker told Mia, Mia called Poppy, Poppy alerted me, and here I am to find out what’s going on,” Kellan said. “I got a text from Asher that he has been trying to get ahold of you since last night. All I said in response was that you were arriving around ten this morning.”
“Yeah, I saw his ten emails. He says he’s on his way, so we will see.” I stared out the window watching cars pass by. Tell me about this,” I said, nodding toward the driver.
Kellan hit the button to put the dividing window down. “Gunner, meet my cousin August. August, this is Gunner, my new driver and bodyguard.” Kellan smirked at me, he knew darn well he couldn’t drop a comment like “meet my bodyguard” without following it up with more. He wanted me to go wild thinking about it. I kicked at his foot like when we were in grade school and he would do this same kind of thing.
“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find out from Poppy and Mia anyways,” I said, laughing. “Is our meeting still set for noon?”
“Meeting changed to one pm. so I thought we’d go back to the hotel. There’s a few design things that Poppy and I were thinking about and I wanted to look at them with you,” Kellan said, sheepishly. “You don’t have to use them, but I think they might be good for the new branding.”
“Look at you acting all nervous about an idea. Since when is our tough Hawthorne attorney sheepish? Oh wait, is it because the new wife had the idea?” I teased.
Kellan looked away. He’s only been married a few months, but I had been hearing good things from the rest of the family.
“Her background is fashion and she has a good feel for things before people know they like it,” Kellan said. “Just hear it out before you judge who it’s coming from, okay?”
“I like this protective side of you. Is she the reason you have a military ops guy driving your limo?” I spoke softly so Gunner wouldn’t hear.
“Seal special ops, sir. Did a stint in the green beret too,” Gunner answered from the front of the car. “At your service, as well, sir.”
“Holy crap Kellan, this guy is legit and probably has, you know...,” I really whispered now, “killed people!”
“Yes sir, I have killed many people, but only bad ones,” Gunner answered before Kellan could.
I felt my eyes grow wide as I stared at Kellan. He sat there quietly laughing, but not intervening.
“You need someone killed, sir?”
Chapter 13
IMOGEN
“Strewth Crickey, I need to shoot through.” I ran to the bedroom for some shoes.
“Imogen, what’s the matter. What’s going on outside?” Poppy called out to me as I ran down the hall.
Poppy caught up with me in the bedroom where I was trying on a pair of sneakers. “They’re here. They found me,” I cried out. “He’s gonna kill me this time.”
“Don’t run away. I don’t know who they are, but let me make a few phone calls,” Poppy ordered, handing me Lionel. “Take care of him for me. Who are they?”
“The police. There are four cars here at the hotel. He found me.” I laid back on the bed where I had been sitting, tying my shoes
Poppy walked over to the bedroom window to look out, then dialed her cell. “I see police cars out front. What is the problem?” I heard her ask someone. “Thank you. Let me know if you need my assistance. Otherwise, I do not want to be disturbed, by anyone.”
“What did they say? Are they coming up?’ I practically begged.
“They said we need to nosh up and relax and I, for one, would love some chips,” Poppy said, pulling me up from the bed. “Your hands are shaking. Oh boy, listen. Two men got in a blue. Flynn called the police, and that’s all they’re here for. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made a joke.”
“It’s ok, I’m just a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock,” I moaned as I allowed her to drag me to the kitchen. “How soon am I getting out of Australia? I’m about to go troppo.”
I plopped down in a chair while Poppy started pulling things out of the kitchen cabinet. “We have to meet with Asher this afternoon. Is there anything you want to do before that?”
“I think I need to keep hiding, maybe under the bed. Do you have any trap rooms like the car had?” I started my usual pacing. I passed by the windows again to find the police cars had already left. “I’m acting like a lunatic. I’m so sorry.”
“No dramas, girl. I haven’t been in your shoes, but I’ve had some rough times myself. We all go troppo sometimes,” Poppy said, tossing chips in a deep fryer. “You want a saveloy with these chips?”
“No, just the chips. I’m feeling stuffed still. I think I’ll nap again after we eat,” I said, walking into the kitchen to offer my help. “I had a captain cook in the mirror earlier, and I hated how I looked. The least I can do is not look stuffed too.”
Poppy placed a plate of chips on the table, then turned and pulled the frig open. “What do you like on your chips? I’m a vinegar girl myself, but we have everything.”
Lionel came out of nowhere running circles around the table until Poppy lifted him up to a chair. He chirped repeatedly until she placed three chips in front of him, yet he still chirped without touching the chips.
“Yes, you may have those chips now. Thank you for being so behaved.” Poppy kissed Lionel on the head. “He didn’t have these perfect manners when we met, but he learned quickly.”
The three of us ate our chips in silence. Then I excused myself to go lay down. I was halfway down the hall when Poppy called out.
“Kellan just texted that Asher has arrived, and they’ll be here between one and two pm. The dresses will be here any minute, and I have a girl coming up from the salon to do your nails and makeup.”
“Is all this really necessary? I mean, my face is a shemozzle. No make-up is going to fix that,” I said, pointing into the hall mirror.