“Don’t tell me it was after you got rich?”
“Yup.” By then, he’d known what she was.
“I’d like to have been there when you had that little conversation,” Kayn said a little too gleefully.
“Let’s just say that the idea of getting back together with her stuck in my throat like a hair in a biscuit.”
Kayn burst out laughing and clapped him on the back. “Good. As for you and my sister, I guess I’m okay with that. I wouldn’t mind having you as my brother.”
“You’re jumping the gun.” It was Rafe’s turn to give a flat look. “We don’t even know if Ahri will like me like that.”
“All I saw was the look on her face when you werewarming her hand, as you called it. I think when the time is right, there won’t be any question about her wanting to date you. See ya.” Grinning, Kayn jogged ahead.
Rafe watched him go, bemused. Maybe he was being an idiot to think of getting involved again. If his mother hadn’t been pushing the issue, he might not have considered it. But there was also Ahri herself. He couldn’t get her out of his thoughts. Once she’d moved to his mother’s place, it’d been all he could do not to run out there every day to see how Ahri was, what her day had been like, to spend time with her. Rafe hadn’t felt that way in a very long time, and he liked it. He tried to be pragmatic. They had time to see how things would play out.
9
TWO WEEKS LATER, AHRI ARRIVED at the center to begin her training with Rafe’s assistant, Cass. Kayn had fronted Ahri the money for a new wardrobe since the police had found the stolen truck burning in a field in Oklahoma. It and its contents had been a total loss.
That had led to another day spent crying. If she kept thinking that her precious things, the ones that could never be replaced, had been stolen by the same people who’d murdered her husband, she’d give herself an ulcer.
The time with Francie’s family had helped. During the first days, they’d kept her distracted with their normalcy, and at night, Ahri had been able to grieve alone. Her tears had been for Zed’s wasted life rather than the loss of their life together. She’d finally accepted that it had been dead for a long time.
When she saw Bill waiting at the main entrance, Ahri’s stomach knotted. She doubted all new employees received an escort from the head of security. For such a nice man, he had a way of messing with her nervous system. Would he never have good news for her?
“Don’t worry. It’s not bad,” he said with a chuckle as he extended his arm.
“Then you’re not here to see me?” She shook his hand, the knot loosening a little.
“I am. I have some video I’d like you to look at.”
“What of? That guy who was following me?” When he nodded, she said, “I’m here for training with Cass.”
“I know. I sent her a message that you’ll be late.” He approached the central desk where a security guard watched him expectantly. “This is Ahri Shen. She’ll be filling in for Cass while she’s on maternity leave.”
“Nice to meet you.” The man handed her a guest badge. “HR will have your official tag when you attend your employee orientation meeting.”
Ahri thought it was fortunate that Kayn hadn’t introduced her around when she’d first arrived. Otherwise, showing up now with a different name and pretendingnotto be his sister would have been a problem.
Francie had taken Ahri shopping for work clothes and to a salon to learn to do her makeup differently. Since she usually wore her long hair down, they’d opted to go for a sterner, pulled back look. It made her seem older. With heavier makeup and platform heels to make her taller, she wondered if her own mother would recognize her.
“This way,” Bill said.
“This place is a labyrinth,” she said once they reached the section designated as Security. “How often will I get lost?”
“Frequently, in the beginning, but you’ll get used to it. Just ask anyone. They’ve all been through it.” He said to the people working in cubicles, “This is the Ahri Shen that we’ve discussed.” No one said anything, most merely giving her a nod in acknowledgement.
“They know about me?” she whispered.
“They have to. This way.”
Inside of Bill’s office, he indicated a chair and took his own. He turned one of his large monitors around so she could see the screen.
“These were from the night the moving truck was stolen.” He clicked a button and the video started.
It looked like it’d been taken by an outside surveillance camera. The footage reminded Ahri of the kind on the news, dim and grainy. Recognizing the moving truck, she leaned closer. Three figures approached it, two keeping watch while one of them did something to the lock. She gave a little gasp at how quickly they got inside and had the truck started.
“I’m not too late.” Rafe jogged into the office, a little breathless. “Kayn’s in a meeting and asked me to come for him.”
