Noticing I’ve balled my hands into fists, I pop my knuckles to release some of the tension flowing through my body.
“Do you have something you need to tell me?” I ask, forcing a calm mask into place.
“Of course not,” he says, though it feels a little too quick, the eye contact a little too forced.
“Good,” I say. “Because not only are we above doing something as shitty as sabotaging our competition, but it’s also a terrible plan.”
The conversation swirls through my mind like a bad smell. I sit there with Trent, head aching from forcing myself to be calm while dealing with his shit. The idea of him being behind the equipment failures…it’s a stretch, even if I’m now questioning if he’d be opposed to it morally—something I’m going to try not to think about, since I still have to work for the prick.
But why is the suspicion still there, burrowing deeper and deeper into my gut?
I shake my head, forcing myself to focus.
Trent continues to talk, oblivious to the fact that I’m barely listening. He’s rattling on about winning the contract and then winning two others that we’ll certainly get once they know we signed Jaxon. Occasionally, he throws in a sad smile as he laments about it being “too bad Kelsey’s team couldn’t play with the big boys.” I can’t help but tune him out.
I consider whether I should tell Kelsey about my suspicions, but I know she’s already deep down the rabbit hole investigating the outage. If, somehow, it is Trent, her team will uncover it soon enough. It’s exactly what they’re trained for, and they’re good at what they do.
She didn’t come to bed last night, instead taking five minutes to say goodbye to her sisters before holing up in the security room at the stadium to work with her team to find the source of the issue. I’d left her to it, knowing Kelsey needed some time to deal with what sheundoubtedly considers to be a major failure on her part. I texted her a few times, but her responses were understandably short.
I sigh, pushing back my chair, needing some space. “I’ve got everything covered,” I tell Trent. “I’m going to head back to the hotel before the cars leave for the airport. Will you be joining us on the flight to Auckland?” I ask, realizing I have no idea when Trent plans to go back to Colorado.
I still can’t believe he decided to fly his wife and her four best friends here for a couple of days on the beach. I need to ask for a raise if he can afford this spur-of-the-moment trip. The company’s financials are something I’ve never been involved in, but maybe it’s time I start.
As I walk back to our hotel, the sunny, seventy-something-degree weather is a nice change from the winter we’ve been battling in the Northern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, there’s no chance of getting to enjoy it with Kelsey.
As I near the building, Bryn, Lila, JT, and Jameson exit the hotel, suitcases rolling along behind them.
Jameson notices me first, lifting a hand in greeting as he says something to the rest of the group that has them all turning my direction.
“Are you all headed out this morning?” I ask.
JT nods. “We’ve got a flight in a couple of hours. Jameo and I are headed straight to Palm Beach for the Classic next weekend.”
“You guys’ schedule is tough,” I say, only knowing enough about the sport to guess at how frequently the two professional golfers must travel.
“Oh, yes, the poor things,” Bryn offers with a sweet smile. “They fly around the world, only going to warm places, playing a game with their best friend. It’s truly amazing they haven’t simply perished.”
Lila laughs, loud and clear, as Jameo sends a glare at his girlfriend.
“If it’s so awesome, why don’t you travel with me more?” Jameo asks.
“I’m at half, if not more, of your tournaments with you! Plus, I have my own travel for work.”
Their conversation devolves into good-natured bickering as I focus my attention on Lila, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the slight pale hue to her skin.
“Were you up all night with Kelsey?” I ask.
“Yeah. I just left her about thirty minutes ago to get ready for our flight.”
“Did your team get anything figured out?”
“Not yet. We had a couple of false leads, and Kelsey told the team back home to clock out once she realized how late it had gotten there.”
“You guys worked all night!” I reply, indignant on Kelsey’s behalf.
“You know how Kelsey is. She’s willing to run herself ragged but isn’t willing to ask the same of her team. I can’t decide if it makes her a good boss or a terrible one.”
I’m about to rage at her for even thinking Kelsey could be a terrible boss when Lila laughs.
