“You heading somewhere, honey?” she asks softly.
I give her a decisive nod. “I need to check something out. It might take me the better part of the day.”
Her eyebrows lift and her expression shifts to an excited one. “And you want me to stay with Katie, right?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind. She’s still sleeping,” I say. “The puppy’s with her. I didn’t want to wake her unless I had to.”
Queenie reaches out to touch my arm, saying reassuringly, “You never have to ask twice. That little girl is the biggest blessing in my life. Anytime you need someone to sit with her, I want to be the one you come to. I’ll keep an eye on her as long as you need.”
A surge of relief wells up in my chest. I glance away because my emotions are getting the better of me right now.
“You’re doing fine,” she tells me. “Whatever you’re doing today, be smart about it. Take precautions and make sure you come back to her. Katie needs her mom.”
I swallow hard, nodding. “I will.”
“And Christina,” she adds, lowering her voice, “Slate needs you too, even if he is pretending that he doesn’t. That boy feels everything with his whole damn heart. You two will get there because there is genuine love between you.”
Before I can respond, Queenie steps out of her door and turns towards our suite without hesitation.
I watch the door close behind her and feel some of my anxiety melt away. Katie will be safe in her keeping, no matter what happens today. Knowing that makes me far braver than I’ve ever been before. I head downstairs to talk with Rivera.
I turn the notebook sideways and study the notes as I walk downstairs. The company is only a short drive away, around anhour away. I have a lead right here in my own backyard, not across the country or on the other side of the world. It’s right here, within my reach and I mean to make a good faith effort to take advantage of it.
***
Rivera is sitting at a table near the front door. He’s got a clear view of the steps I use to access the rest of the clubhouse. He comes to his feet the second he sees me, open and alert. Even though today he’s wearing a prospect’s vest, he has the attitude of a brother on an assignment. Slate chose him for a reason. Rivera is the sort of man who notices details and can be trusted to protect what’s important. Today, that’s me, I think wryly.
I walk towards him with my notebook held tight under my arm. He steps out to meet me.
“Morning,” he says, respectfully. “Everything alright?”
“Not exactly.” I stop in front of him, close enough that the faint scar under his jaw is clearly visible. “I need your help.”
His gaze flicks to the notebook before coming back to my face. “Slate said you aren’t to leave the property.”
“Yeah, he’s not my keeper though,” I tell him, keeping my voice calm. “I’m a grown woman who makes decisions for herself. Surely, you can respect that.”
Rivera looks all kinds of uncomfortable but responds, “Yeah, I understand.”
“I also have some personal business I need to take care of. It’s actually a lead I want to follow up on. One that might be something or nothing, but I’ve got to know.”
His brows fly up. He crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. “You know, after getting the everlovin’ shit kicked out of me by your stalker, I can’t say I’m wild about you running down leads on your own.”
“I won’t be alone. You’re going to be with me.”
“You’re damn right I am. I ain’t lettin’ you out of my sight.”
“Look on the bright side, Neal can’t pose much of a danger to me if Slate is on his tail.”
Rivera grunts an unhappy response I can’t quite make out. I open my notebook to the page with the circled company name. “I’ve spent a lot of time investigating this organization. The company has dozens of subsidiaries. They’re a huge multinational with branches all over the place, including one in our own backyard.”
He stays silent, but I can see the interest in his eyes when he glances down at my notebook.
“This is my fight,” I say. “Slate is tracking the man who’s been chasing me. While he’s doing that, the least I can do is try to dig up more information on how far this whole thing goes. Was it just the boots on the ground in conflict zones that were grifting or is it a top-down systemic problem? That’s what I want to know.”
Rivera exhales, it’s slow and controlled. “I get that you want this problem to go away once and for all, but Slate’s gonna be pissed if I let you run off chasing down leads.”
“You don’t let me or not let me do things. Like I said before, I make decisions for myself. I’ve already made up my mind that I’m doing this.”
