Some Like It Deadly (4 page)

While he disappeared into the bathroom, she used the single cup coffee maker in his kitchenette. By the time he returned—hair damp, freshly shaven and wearing a black suit with a deep blue shirt and tie—he looked better. His gaze fell on the cup of coffee steaming on his desk and he tossed her a grateful smile.

“About earlier.” He took a drink of the coffee—black with no cream or sugar, she’d have to remember that—and set it down before continuing. “My father will not be something you have to deal with on a regular basis. I am very sorry you had to deal with him at all.”

“It’s no problem,” she told him honestly. She’d already handled the security on that issue. Benedict Prentiss wouldn’t get anywhere near him again on her watch.

A lock of dark hair fell over his forehead and she had the urge to stroke it back into place that went beyond the professional.

“Please, let me apologize. You’ve been swimming like a champion against the riptide. My father is a mean drunk and he can push things. If he shows up again, especially if I’m not here, I want you to alert security and the police immediately. He is
not
your problem and I don’t want him to become one.”

Nothing in the senior Prentiss’s jacket suggested violent offender, but the shadows in Richard’s eyes told an entirely different story. “Absolutely, Mr. Prentiss, and speaking of security, they called. Tomorrow morning, a Mr. Hall will present some updated security protocols and deliver the keycards for accessing this floor.”

“Keycards?” Richard frowned. He took another swallow of coffee before closing the last two buttons on his shirt and fixing his tie.

“Yes, they are updating the elevators this evening. Only employees and residents will be able to access specific floors without checking in at the security desk below. Visitors will have to sign in and show photo ID. The scan of the ID will then be transmitted to Amelia at the front reception desk and to the personal assistant or secretary for whomever they have an appointment with. We’re the ones who will then authorize whether or not they can come up.”

A scowl deepened the lines of his forehead. “That’s a little overkill, don’t you think? We see a lot of clients in this firm.”

“Mr. Hall suggested it’s been in consideration for some time and they’ve been preparing to make the necessary changes.” Especially after she’d finished speaking to him.

Hardly mollified, Richard frowned. “I’ll talk to him. Clients need to feel comfortable coming in here and not like they have to jump through hoops.”

That was the last thing she wanted. “I think it will be more comfortable for the clients.”

“How so?” His eyebrows raised in challenge. Even fatigued he didn’t miss much. That would make her job all the harder as he recovered.

“They will be met in the lobby directly and brought up by an assistant. As it is, we’ll be showing each client the type of attention only given to higher paying clients. This levels the playing field, at least on the surface.” Would he buy that?

Skepticism filled his expression. “Are you handling me, Ms. Braddock?”

“Absolutely.” She had no reason to lie about that. “You have enough on your plate to worry about, I’ll make a point of monitoring the new protocols and if there are complaints, we can address it then.”

“Fair enough.” Richard drained his coffee and circled out from behind the desk. “Is my tie straight?”

Canting her head to the side, she eyed it critically. “May I?” At his nod, she adjusted it a fraction, then smoothed his collar down. Warmth seeped through the fine material.

“Thank you,” but instead of moving away, he met her gaze evenly. Although she wore three-inch heels, he still topped her by a good two inches. She’d always found taller men attractive. “If you wouldn’t mind not mentioning my father’s visit to anyone.”

Odd that he’d make the request considering the non-disclosure, but the hint of vulnerability in his request was deeply personal and had nothing to do with business. “It’s no one else’s concern.” And she meant it. She’d take care of those details. Protectee or not, Richard seemed like a decent guy and deserved some peace of mind.

“Thank you,” he said again, then cleared his throat. “Ready? I promise a very nice dinner to say thank you for today.”

“No thanks required, but do you mind if I drive?” Her car had bulletproof windows and while Peterson’s security had handled the necessary arrangements with Richard’s new car following the accident, she was also trained in counter maneuvers should someone try to run him off the road again. If that were the case, well, she’d rather have their safety in her hands. “You can review the letters I typed up and go over tomorrow’s calendar. That will make it fresh for later.”

“And I’m exhausted.” His mouth twisted in a wry smile. “Considering my recent driving history, I can understand the desire and thank you. I’ll take you up on it tonight.”

Satisfied, she headed back to her office to retrieve her bag and purse.

“But Ms. Braddock?” He stood in the center of his office, hands in his pockets. Gone was any trace of the vulnerable man from before. Instead he studied her with an almost lethal attention.

A purely unprofessional awareness skittered over her. “Yes?”

“Thank you for your concern, but I don’t need a nursemaid.” The coolness in his tone carried a definite warning.

“I didn’t think you did.” She lifted her chin, the corners of her mouth tipping upward. They needed to nip this rebellion in the bud. He’d responded to her honesty earlier, hopefully he would again. “However I would be remiss in doing my job if I didn’t make sure you were utterly prepared to do yours. I won’t baby you and you won’t pull any testosterone-fueled crap with me. This works if we’re a team, Mr. Prentiss.”

His brows crept up and the hard line of his mouth eased. “If we’re going to be a
team
, I think you better call me Richard.”

“Only if you call me Kate.” She didn’t care for Kitty, Katie or any of the other nicknames. Though Kate had earned her a fair number of jokes in high school when they’d studied the Cole Porter musical based on
The Taming of the Shrew.

Warm, masculine laughter echoed from him. “Just Kate?”

Charmed, she grinned. “Yes, just Kate. Thank you. I’ll wait for you out here.”

“I’m moving.” His smile diminished a fraction. “You may not like me much after a few of these events.”

“Oh?” She glanced at him as she picked up her purse. “That sounds ominous.”

“Dull,” he intoned with a half-smile. “Deadly dull.”

* * *

Fortunately, the drive and the event were as dull as Richard predicted. She spent the majority of her attention on memorizing names and faces and making notes after each interaction if Richard asked. At the sixty-minute mark, the lines of fatigue around Richard’s eyes worried her, but he was already making excuses for an early departure. They’d even lucked out because the person he’d been scheduled to meet with was at the event. Two birds, one stone. He went quiet once they were back in the car and she concentrated on traffic.

“Did you want me to drop you at your place?” She tested the waters after several minutes of silence. His car was at the office, but if she dropped him off tonight, then she could pick him up in the morning.

“No.” He straightened in his seat. “Let’s head to The Palm. I promised you dinner and we still have to go over our schedule.”

Stubborn man.
Her grudging respect for his tenacity continued to grow. “You need reservations for The Palm,” she reminded him.

“I have a standing one.” He stretched an arm out along the door, the other pressed palm flat against the side of her seat. Regardless of his relaxed posture, he seemed to occupy all the space in the car. “Some relationships stand the test of time.”

He didn’t expand on his cryptic explanation.

The location and the crowd both set her teeth on edge. She couldn’t slip her gun back into her purse with him noticing. A valet took charge of the car at their arrival and Richard carried his bag and hers on their way in. They bypassed the waiting list and the host greeted him by name before showing them directly to a small, private dining room. When he closed the doors, the noise diminished by two-thirds.

Identifying two potential exits, she took the chair that gave her the best vantage of both and angled it so that she would be between Richard and the doors. The second door opened, admitting their waiter.

Richard glanced at her. “Wine? Or would you prefer something else?”

“Water is fine, actually, and a cup of coffee.”

“Hmm, I’ll take water and coffee as well—make mine decaf, please.” The last part he tacked on with a grimace. Loosening the buttons on his suit coat, he sat, then pulled out his digital tablet and the file folders. Kate mirrored his actions.

“Since you eat here often, what do you recommend?” She asked in lieu of looking at the menu. She rarely ate while on the job, but based on his schedule, she would have adjustments of her own to make.

“I usually get the bacon wrapped scallops, a salad, and the swordfish—it’s quite excellent. Though the veal marsala or the lamb are nice choices as well.”

The wait staff performed efficiently, delivering their drinks and rolls along with his scallops. “Do you mind?” She pointed to the scallops. If he ate here often enough that it was a noticeable habit, poison would be an easy way to go after him.

“Of course not.” He nudged the plate toward her and she speared one with a fork. Nothing smelled off, but a good poison wouldn’t. Taking a bite, she inspected the flavor and swallowed.

Since most of the actual attacks against the royal family had been physical and Richard’s car accident had been lethally direct, poison seemed a far less likely option.

Still, he ate at the restaurant often enough that he could walk right in and his regular schedules made him far easier to clock and target.

When he ordered his swordfish, she murmured she’d take the same. Then they were alone.

“What do you think?” He had reached to take back his plate, but sipped his coffee instead.

“They’re quite delicious. You must eat here regularly if they know your order.”
Keep it light
,
Kate.
The only other routine she’d pinned down was his adherence to office hours. The cases he tackled varied. He met clients at their places of business, homes, restaurants and parties as often as he did in his office. Mobility made him a harder target—
which is why they hit in the car.
And why the grand duke had assigned a second unit to shadow him when he was on the road.

She’d picked them out easily, but she’d known what to look for. At least, they kept their distance.

“I used to come in every Tuesday, but not for a few months.” Glancing up from his tablet, he nodded to hers. “You sync’d the calendar on both of these?”

Small talk was over, time to get to work. “Before we left the office. I’ve taken the liberty of suggesting two alterations for the rest of this week. You have appointments in the same area at two different times in the day. If we move the meetings to a central locale, we can actually cover both in less time and that will give you a cleaner afternoon.”
And more time to rest.

He studied the suggested changes, then accepted them. “Clear it with my clients and that looks fine. We don’t have to be in court this week, but we will next. I have two briefs that need to be filed Friday—”

“—and the third for Judge Ryan on Monday. Also, I compiled the data for Mikelson v Los Angeles and Officer Randall.” She chose the data and flipped it open to the file. She’d earmarked the pages he’d need to complete the brief. “I noticed that one of the depositions hadn’t been added to the digital record.”

“Whose?” He was already scrolling through the notations.

“Officer LaReaux. He’s noted in both Officer Randall’s deposition and Mr. Mikelson’s as being present during the incident, but we don’t have his statement.”

Richard pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dammit. Make a note that I need to contact Greg Chambers at the LAPD tomorrow morning, first thing. In fact, send an email to him tonight and get us on his schedule.” He paused when the waiter delivered their dinners, letting him serve and exit before continuing. Despite being alone, he dropped his voice. “LaReaux was under investigation in an unrelated matter, but we were asked to hold off on his deposition until IAD concluded the matter.”

“And it likely slipped through the cracks during your convalescence.” She traded the tablet for her phone. She’d already added the office email, his and hers, to her phone for easy access. She typed up the email with two thumbs and sent it off to the detective he’d mentioned.

They spent their dinner reviewing the open status of his caseload and he gave her a series of cases to pull first thing in the morning. It was after ten when Richard closed his tablet. “Enough for today and...” he glanced at his watch, “...I’ll have them call a taxi for me. You should go home and get some sleep. It’s going to be an even longer day tomorrow.”

“I have to go right past the office on my way home,” she lied smoothly. “I can take you to your car.”
And after today
,
I’m going to need a raise.
Being Anna’s assistant hadn’t required near the same amount of paperwork, emails and schedule management. Richard Prentiss had enough work for three assistants—she needed to manage that
and
watch his back.

He chuckled. “You’re in danger of spoiling me, Kate.”

“Change your mind at the last minute on any of these plans we’ve made this evening and we’ll see how much I spoil you.” Her light tone and hard look had the desired effect—he grinned wider.

“You realize that’s a challenge.”

“I’d have been disappointed if you didn’t see it that way.”

Blessedly, the ride back to the office went as quietly and dull as the drive out. She waited until she saw him get in his vehicle and dialed the follow car, miming that her phone had rung when he glanced at her questioningly.

“Rebel is flying solo on the home route and it’s twenty-two eighteen.” The follow car repeated their acknowledgement and she waited for Richard to back out of his parking space. “Handing off the ball.”