Page 30 of Knight Watch

He sat forward when a chat box popped up.

Candy:Hello, how may we help you?

Customer: I need to arrange for four red roses to be delivered to my girlfriend.

Candy: I can help you with that. Please confirm the time of delivery and if you would like them to include a gift card.

Customer: 8 pm for delivery to the address stated on the form. Please include a card with the words from your loving boyfriend. I’m happy to pay if there’s any last-minute delivery fee incurred.

Candy: That is all set up for you. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Enjoy your day.

Sydney had sat nextto him silently, her mouth agape as he used the secret code to talk with the team, now she turned to him with a question in her eyes. “What in the heck was all that about?”

“Not here. Let’s go look for a place to buy a new phone, and I’ll explain as we walk.” Kingsley led her outside, his hand on her elbow as he did.

They walked for a few minutes, headed toward a local store that looked like it sold everything from cement to lingerie. Kingsley couldn’t relax, but he felt better knowing the team were on their way and would be able to offer back-up while he and Sydney looked for the damn clue.

“So we set up Forget-me-Not Flowers as a front for us to make contact with each other. When I was talking to Candy, it was actually one of the team. Ordering four red roses and offering to pay the last-minute delivery fee meant I was asking for back-up from four team members and it was a high-risk, urgent situation. The address was where we would meet, and the time was the meet time.”

“Wow, that’s genius.”

“Yeah, it is a pretty smart idea. The flower shop actually exists as a front in case anyone checks.”

“So we have a few hours before they arrive. Are we safe?” she asked looking around.

Kingsley stopped and faced her, taking her hands in his. “We’re safe for now, but I don’t want us to stay on the street. If you feel comfortable, I’d like us to get a room somewhere so you can get some sleep. I can catch forty winks on the floor, but I want us in the same room. The time it takes me to hear you’re in trouble from another room and get to you could be seconds that matter more than we want. You good with that?”

“Of course, Kingsley, I trust you. I know you would never hurt me.”

“I wouldn’t, sweet Sydney, but as I said earlier, I don’t want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable.” Keeping hold of her hand he walked them toward the store to get the phone and then they could get a room sorted out. After picking up a cheap mobile phone, Kingsley paid cash, and they checked them into a room at the local guesthouse.

One look at the big bed and Kingsley knew he might have overestimated his ability to keep his hands off Sydney. Taking a deep breath, he headed for the bathroom. “You get settled. I’m going to grab a quick shower.” A fucking cold one but he kept that thought to himself.