“I’ll be back, Miss Willis. Don’t open the door for anyone you don’t immediately recognize.”
Then, while her father was looking at her, Larem winked at her and smiled. Then he was gone.
“He’s more than just your bodyguard, Sasha, isn’t he?”
Her father sipped his coffee, obviously prepared to wait her out if she didn’t immediately answer. Fine, but she’d learned everything she knew about being stubborn from him.
“Frankly, what Larem is, Dad, isn’t your concern. All you need to know is that he made sure I was safe last night.”
She smiled sweetly. “Now, I get that you were worried, but why not just call? If you couldn’t reach me, you could’ve called Devlin Bane or his wife for a status report before hopping a red-eye from St. Louis.”
They both knew she’d inherited her temper from him. Her dad’s eyes flashed hot before he visibly put a lid on it. “I’m here because you’re my daughter. I have a right to be a little curious about this new life you’re building for yourself here in Seattle. That coupled with the fact that you were almost killed seemed to warrant more than a phone call.”
“Fine. I’m doing my job, Dad. The one the Regents sent me here to do. I spend most of my time knee-deep in reports and numbers and meetings. I’m making some real progress in reestablishing some trust between the Paladins and the organization. That seems to have ruffled a few feathers in certain quarters.”
She picked at a small thread that had come loose on the arm of the sofa. “I like the people I’ve met here, and the Paladins deserve better than the way they’ve been treated the past few years. Based on prior experience, they have no reason to believe that things are going to change for the better, but they’ve been willing to give me a chance.”
She chose her next words carefully but let more than a hint of her anger show as well. “Kincade was a sadistic bastard who screwed with people’s minds and lives for years. I can’t believe no one listened when Devlin Bane and others tried to tell the Regents what was going on here.”
He settled into the corner of the sofa, turning to face her more directly. “I’m listening now.”
“Only if you promise none of this goes any further until I’m ready to make a formal presentation to the Board itself. I’d appreciate getting your opinion on some things.”
Crossing his heart, he held his hand up. “I can keep a secret with the best of them. Let’s hear it.”
“Kincade was robbing the Regents blind. He funneled money out of every account he had access to, and then played with the numbers to cover his tracks. Over the years, it had to add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not only that, but he stirred up animosity between all the departments out here to keep everyone on edge. What he did to torment the Paladins was nothing short of criminal. We’re lucky there wasn’t an out-and-out rebellion.”
Then she narrowed her eyes. “He wasn’t working alone either. As far as we can tell, he kept most of the money for himself, but the rest was sent to offshore accounts leading back to the Midwest Region.”
Chaz erupted: “Like hell he did!” Then her father paused. “Wait a minute, surely you don’t suspect me!”
“Of course I don’t. But I can’t speak for what Devlin Bane thinks. What I can tell you is that I’ve had two of Devlin’s IT specialists working on breaking the encryption codes on Kincade’s computer. I’m confident we’ll be able to follow the money right back to Kincade’s accomplices.”
Her dad snorted. “IT specialists? Is that the new politically correct term for hackers? I’m guessing you’ve been working with D. J. Clayborne and Cullen Finley. God, Sasha, letting those two have free rein in a computer system is like turning a bunch of first-graders loose in a candy store.”
She gave him her most innocent look. “I didn’t mention any names, Dad. All I can say is that the gentlemen in question are doing a terrific job.”
“Fine, but keep an eye on them. I can’t tell you how many complaints I’ve heard over the years about their antics. Of course, I suppose there is some sense in that old adage about using a thief to catch one.”
Sasha nodded. “My men have put in some long hours on the project, and that’s on top of all their other duties. You know how Paladins are.”
“Yeah, I do, which should explain why I worry.” He softened the comment with a smile, although his gaze briefly strayed toward the door; clearly he was thinking about Larem. “I never wanted you to get entangled in their world.”
“I know, but you’ve dedicated your life to serving the Regents and the Paladins. I’m following your lead. When do you think the Regents will make a decision about appointing a permanent Regent for this area?”
And did she really stand a chance? She couldn’t bring herself to say that last part out loud.
“It will be discussed at the next general meeting, which will be a teleconference. If you’re serious about applying for the position, put together some hard data on what you’ve accomplished and what’s next on your agenda. Include any negatives, too, or they’ll get suspicious. It would help if you listed possible solutions.”
“That was my plan.”
Her father sat up taller. “You have to know that with this possible attack on you, I’d feel a whole lot better if you finish up what you were sent to Seattle to do and come back home. Now that you’ve proven yourself here, the Board can find a position more commensurate with your abilities in St. Louis.”
“So you’d vote against me.” That hurt, but it was really no surprise either.
“Sasha, honey—”
“No, Dad, don’t go there. We both know that as long as I stay in St. Louis, I’ll be living in your shadow and under your thumb. I want more than that, and you should want it for me, too.”
A knock at the door saved them both from going any farther down that road. She didn’t want to fight with her father, but his heavy-handed protectiveness drove her crazy.
She got up and headed for the door.
“Sasha, wait.” Her father was up and charging past her to grab the gun. “Stand back and let me open the door.”
“All right, but at least let me see who it is.”
He reluctantly stood back and let her look through the peephole. Great. What was Devlin doing back on her doorstep?
“It’s okay, Dad. It’s Devlin Bane, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his wife is with him.”
The Paladin leader walked in with Laurel right behind him. “Mr. Willis, what a pleasant surprise.”
That was a lie, but at least her father let it pass. “I needed to see for myself that my daughter was all right. If I’d waited for a report from her or you, I suspect hell would be frozen over.”
Laurel caught Sasha’s attention and rolled her eyes. “Sasha, why don’t I give you a quick checkup while these two finish their discussion?”
“Good idea. I don’t know about you, but I truly hate the smell of testosterone in the morning.”
Laurel laughed, although the two men didn’t seem to get the joke. Too bad.
Feeling better now that the cavalry had arrived, Sasha led the way to her bedroom. She flipped on the radio next to the bed, hoping to give them some degree of privacy. When they’d closed the door, Laurel set her small medical case on the bed. Sasha dutifully let the doctor do her thing.
“Any problems?” Laurel asked as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Sasha’s arm.
“You mean besides my father showing up unannounced? Or that I still have no idea who tried to kill me or why?”
“Well, let’s start with the injuries from yesterday. Any headaches or dizziness?”
“Nope.”
“Any cramping or bleeding?”
“Nope.”
“Any problems having wild monkey sex with Larem last night?”
“Nope.”
Oh, crap. As soon as the word slipped out, Sasha blushed furiously.
Meanwhile, Laurel finished pumping up the cuff and closed her eyes to listen as she let off the pressure. “Don’t sweat it. Your dad couldn’t possibly have heard us.”
“Maybe not, but Devlin probably could.”
Laurel put all her stuff back in her bag. “He’s the one who bet me Larem wouldn’t end up sleeping on the couch last night. By the way, we spoke to him before we came in.”
“How is he?”
“Worried about you. Not sure what he should be doing right now, especially with your father here. He offered to let us bring Chance inside, so he could leave. Devlin told him to hang around a little longer until we knew what you wanted.”
Sasha rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. “I want more time alone with him, so we can really talk. That’s not going to happen with my father here. Heck, Dad’s already suspicious that Larem’s more than just someone Devlin ordered to stand guard.”
She prayed for patience. “Dad’s asked Larem twice where he’s from because he didn’t recognize his accent. The man’s not stupid. Sooner or later, he’ll figure out that Larem is Kalith.”
Laurel sat down beside her. “I know what you’re going through. I love my parents dearly, but they’ve only recently come to understand that I’m never moving back home. It hurts them that I don’t fit in there anymore, but they love me enough to let me go.”
She laughed. “You should’ve been there when they met Devlin for the first time! Not exactly the son-in-law they had in mind. It was a dicey couple of days, I can tell you, but the bottom line was that they love me and so does he. They’ve managed to build on that.”
All that was nice, except Laurel’s situation wasn’t exactly the same as hers. “At least Devlin’s human.”
Laurel’s laugh had little to do with real humor. “Not exactly. He’s also decades older than I am.”
Sasha was pretty sure the front door had just opened and closed. “At least you and Devlin have each other. With Larem, I have no idea where we’re headed.”
“Where do you want to go?”
Sasha hesitated. “A month ago that would’ve been a simple question to answer. I wanted to be the first female Regent and make a difference in how Paladins are treated. Dad doesn’t know this, but I dated a Paladin for a short time. He was a great guy, really special, but then they all are.”
“What happened?” Laurel asked, although the shadows in the Handler’s eyes said she already had a pretty good idea.
