“Uh… I should mention that Kiki’s not my biological sister,” Harvey hedged with a reluctant glance at Jim. “But, she’s like a sister to us, so that doesn’t really matter.”
“And… she’ll be here soon?” Nikos prodded.
“About that,” Harvey muttered.
“Let me guess,” Nikos said, already picturing the Contessa twins walking out in a huff when he turned them away tonight. “She’s waiting for a grand entrance.”
“Well, no… Actually… she’s not coming. You’ll have to go to her. Later—not tonight.”
A quiet alarm flicked on in his mind, and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Explain, please.”
Jim stepped in, draping a casual arm around Harvey’s waist. “Kiki’s our neighbor. We adore her. She’s like family. But she doesn’t exactly do crowds. Or strangers. Or… nightclubs. Or, well, people.”
Nikos’s brows lifted. “And yet you set her up on a blind date… with me?”
Harvey stiffened. “We thought it would be helpful to her. Like ripping a band-aid off. The deal’s still the deal. You got the intel you wanted.”
“And you got your passes,” Nikos replied coolly. “Enjoy.”
He turned to go—but Harvey grabbed his arm.
In a blur, two of Nikos’s security detail moved forward from the shadows. Harvey never noticed.
Nikos held up a hand to stop them, his eyes narrowing as he registered the flicker of concern in Harvey’s eyes.
“She’s special,” Harvey said, his voice low and bordering desperate. “Please, just give her a chance.”
“Harvey, maybe you should let me handle this,” Jim interjected in a soothing tone. He offered Nikos a rueful smile. “Look, Kiki isn’t your typical girl. She’s smart, funny, blunt, deeply private… and did I mention blunt? But that might charm a man such as yourself. She agreed to one date—one—and it took a month of guilt and emotional blackmail to get that promise out of her. A situation like that will be a novel experience for you, won’t it? All we ask is that you keep an open mind and take her out—just once.”
Nikos stared at the couple. “Let me get this straight. You guilted your reclusive neighbor—who apparently loathes social interaction—into a blind date with a man who has been publicly linked to supermodels, actresses, and the occasional pop diva… in the middle of a high-profile nightclub you knew she wouldn’t be caught dead in?”
Jim shrugged. “We thought it might be good for her.”
“Why me?” Nikos asked, more curious than annoyed now.
“Because everyone else we tried to bribe ran screaming for the hills,” Jim said without blinking. “You were—are… our Hail Mary.”
“You like a challenge, don’t you?” Harvey blustered.
Nikos stared at him in disbelief.
Harvey sighed and excused himself, walking toward the bar as he muttered that he needed a tequila.
Jim stepped closer, slipping a folded piece of paper into Nikos’s hand. “Don’t let her scare you off. One date. That’s all. Just… show her it’s possible for her to get out. She’s a great kid—young woman. Oh, and she only goes out during the daytime—never at night.”
Nikos frowned and unfoldedthe note.
Kiki Reese.
A phone number was scrawled in quick, jagged strokes beneath it. Feminine, but not neat. Confident. Impatient.
Almost daring someone to call.
He felt a flicker of intrigue stir—then a grin tugged at one corner of his mouth.
Scare him off? He co-owned one of the top global security firms with his brother and best friend. He’d faced down arms dealers, cyber terrorists, and blackmailing aristocrats. Did Harvey and Jim really think a woman named Kiki could scare him?
“I made a promise. One date,” he said with a nod to Jim who gave him a relieved smile before heading to tell Harvey.
