Rafe Davis,CEO of REKD Gaming, stared at the computer monitor on his desk. Success might cause him to self-destruct like one of the champions from the battle arena video game that had helped to make him and his partners all billionaires. How could something that had seemed so incredible at the time have turned into a burden he didn’t know if he could shoulder anymore?
His gaze shifted to the folder on his screen that held the emails his assistant had diligently filtered. Maybe two assistants weren’t enough. He did have other staff members who carried a fair amount of his workload, but he wanted to spend more time working with the game’s writing team. His MBA from Harvard made him the perfect partner for the administrative part of the job, and he did it well. He justneededmore, the creative outlet his friends had.
Rafe rubbed his temples against the growing headache. Once their launch into the world of Esports was complete, he could take some time from his admin duties. Until it was, he didn’t dare slack off. Their pro teams from various regions around the world were finishing up their spring splits online and then heading into the International Summer Invitational. REKD expected at least twice as many viewers worldwide as they’d had last year. It was going to be huge.
Glancing out the window, he took in the gardeners who were planting bright annuals in the flower beds. North Carolina had provided a mild morning, and one of the storyline teams sat outside, brainstorming. He wanted to be out there with them.
He let out a deep breath. As his mother was fond of saying,there is no rest for the weary.
“Rafe,” Kayn called as he burst into the office, “I need your help.”
“Mr. Rafferty,” Rafe’s assistant Olaf said, rushing in behind Rafe’s partner and head programmer. “I’m sorry, boss. He wouldn’t let me announce him.”
Rafe raised a hand to indicate he didn’t mind the interruption.
“I don’t know what to do,” Kayn said when Olaf had retreated from the office.
“Sit down.” Rafe’s headache ratcheted up. If Kayn’s programming team had run into a problem, it could delay the update. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s my sister.”
Rafe blinked and then let out a breath. He’d met Kayn’s sister many times when she’d visited Kayn at Harvard and later when she’d attended a few company events. She’d been pleasant, if a little quiet, probably overwhelmed by her older brother’s good fortune. Pretty too. Rafe had found himself drawn to her unusual hazel-green eyes. He reminded himself that she was married.
“What’s going on with Ahri?” Rafe asked.
“She’s in some kind of trouble.” Kayn sat on the edge of his chair, his fingers tapping nervously on his leg. It must be serious if he was this upset. “I’ve told you what I think of her husband.”
“Has she finally decided to leave him?”
“Believe it or not,helefther.” A flash of anger crossed Kayn’s face. He jumped to his feet and started pacing. “It seems Zed’s gotten himself into some kind of trouble, and he told her she needed to get away.” He stopped in front of the desk, his jaw muscles working.
At the tone of his friend’s voice, the hairs on the back of Rafe’s neck stood up. The siblings were close, talking several times a week, but Kayn had never come across as overly protective. Was Kayn angryandafraid? Considering how much he disliked Ahri’s husband, it could be the former, but why the latter?
Rafe leaned forward. “What happened?”
“She said she thought she was being followed on her way to work yesterday.” Kayn started pacing again. “When she got home from work last night, already creeped out, she saw the police there. I guess a neighbor had scared off someone who’d broken into Ahri’s apartment. It’d been ransacked.”
Rafe rose and began pacing too. He wouldn’t allow his reason for being so vested in Ahri’s wellbeing to be anything more than because she was his friend’s sister. It had nothing to do with him being interested in her even before she’d gotten engaged. She was married. Or had been. He gave himself a mental shake.
“And she didn’t tell you about it until this morning?” Rafe asked.
“She said there’s been a rash of break-ins, and the police thought it was random. Then first thing this morning, she saw the same guy who’d been following her hanging around outside her apartment building. That’s when she called me. It’s also when I found out Zed had left her the night before.”
“You can’t trust her safety to coincidence.”
“I’m not going to. I have a mover coming this afternoon—had to pay out my teeth to get them to do it last minute.” Kayn paused and rubbed his face, looking weary for the first time.
“Take the jet and bring her back with you,” Rafe said, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“I was hoping you’d say that. I know this isn’t business, but I’ll pay for the fuel and whatever else the accountants think is fair.”
“Don’t worry about it. You have plenty of room in your suite. Or, she can stay at my mother’s.”
“Boss?” Olaf asked hesitantly over the intercom.
“Good timing.” Rafe took his seat again. “Kayn will need the jet ready in an hour for a flight to Arizona.” He looked up. “Phoenix, right?”
“Yeah.” Kayn shifted uncomfortably. “That’s another problem.”
