“What do you need?” I asked as I took a seat next to Jaye’s workstation.
“There’s something wrong with this code, and it’s frustrating me. See?” She clicked a few keys, and I nodded along, noting what she’d added since we’d last talked. “Not that the code is wrong, per se, but we’re at the troubleshooting part of the process, and I think I’ve added too much trouble.” She went on in detail about the issues, and I nodded again then started taking notes.
“I think I see the problem.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course, you do. One minute at my computer and, boom, you understand what I haven’t been able to work out in the last three hours.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “No, that’s not it. You’ve been looking at this same code for three hours, but I’m coming at it from a fresh viewpoint. And I recognize a mistake I made myself on another project. One that isn’t really a mistake, but something that tends to wrap around itself and confuse anyone who has any semblance of coding language.” I gestured toward her keyboard. “May I?”
She nodded. “Have at it. I might start growling at this point.”
“That would be a change of pace,” I said in a deadpan tone, and she snorted. I typed a few notes and made a few suggestions but didn’t alter her code. “Start from here and see if that works itself out. If not, then we’ll play around with it a bit more.”
Her nose scrunched as she studied the read out. “If that’s the issue, I’m going to bang my head against my desk.”
“Feel free. I still have a dent from where I did the same thing.”
She grinned. “The one on your head? Or on your desk?”
I rolled my eyes, then went back to my office to work on a few things on my list for the day. I wasn’t behind, but I was going to be if I didn’t keep up with my pace. Only, my mind wasn’t on work—something that wasn’t usual for me.
Instead, it was on a woman I shouldn’t want. A woman that could be in danger.
And I had no idea what to do about it.
Chapter 7
Sparrow
Sparks fly, and they tend to burn.
* * *
It had been two days since I’d last spoken to Breck, and while he had sent a few emails over to Niko, I didn’t even know if he was genuinely working on the problem at all. And honestly, I had to put everything on the back burner. It had to have just been a mugging, a crime of opportunity.
Except he didn’t actually mug you.
That little voice wouldn’t leave me alone. I’d been over that day dozens of times in my head. There was something off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I had to let it go for the moment though. I had a job to do. And as the acting boss of Kannon Security, I needed to be on top of my game. I needed to stop focusing on that niggling voice and worry about Kannon Security. We had a lot more to do than following up on what had happened to me.
Mainly finishing setting up our new ancillary office after Kannon married London and decided he wanted to live in the country where she was a member of the monarchy. Our group was like a family. We worked hard and always had each other’s backs. And not everybody needed to move to Alden and work on the international branch of our division. We were used to travelling the world often to be bodyguards and perform other security functions for spoiled rich girls, diplomats, and royalty when they visited other countries. And we were good at our jobs. In fact, we had been on a job in Paris when we had first come upon London, and she had been running for her life. Even if she hadn’t realized it, it was quite dramatic at the time.
And when Kannon had decided to move here permanently, as his number two, I’d come with him. I didn’t have much to tie me down back home, and I had fallen in love with Alden. It spoke to me in a way that I hadn’t planned on. I also wanted to make sure someone had Kannon’s back, and it might as well be me. Besides, I could work just as well here as in California. And Alden was closer to Mauritius than Los Angeles was. So it was the matter of one flight if I wanted to see my family.
We had brought Niko and Olly with us, but Olly had gone back to the States to wrap up training of new team members, including his replacement as the California tech guru. And since Olly was even more anal-retentive than I was when it came to our positions, it made sense that he had gone back to finish up.
Under normal circumstances, he could work on all the Alden assignments from California until he was ready, but since this had to do with royal security and systems that he couldn’t get into from the outside, at least not legally, that meant we’d had to ask for help. Breck. He who shall not be thought about.
Though that was easier said than done.
Niko had volunteered to come over too, and he was the perfect addition. He was our second string when it came to medical as well, since Max had family obligations and had stayed at the California office.
So for now, we were a small team of four in Alden with the others remaining in California, but they could and would meet us wherever there was a job. We were two prongs of a very efficient system, and for now, I was at the helm.
It shouldn’t feel weird to me, except for the fact that Kannon never took a vacation. Not ever. So while I was number two, I’d rarely been given the chance to lead the team. I knew the guys trusted me as second, but now I felt like I needed to prove to both myself and the guys that I was the right choice to run the team in Alden.
And if I said that to any one of them, they’d roll their eyes, laugh at me, and say I was an idiot for questioning them.
But I couldn’t help my thoughts. I always needed to prove myself.
“What’s wrong with your face? It’s doing this frowny thing like you’re contemplating who to kill.” Niko asked as he looked over his case file.
“Just thinking, and it’s pissing me off. Where is Mr. Prince?” I asked, my tone full of snark. “He’s the one who demanded we meet him here.” I was surprised not to be meeting at the palace or at Kannon Security. Instead, Breck had had us come to his office, which was much different than I thought it would be. It was more tasteful than I pictured. Sure there was glass and chrome, but there was also elegant design. The art on the walls was modern, and somehow, despite all the glass, the office interior managed to appear warm and exuded effortless cool.
Niko raised a brow as we were led to Breck’s office by a lithe blonde who exuded a no-bullshit air. “Wow. And the prince, he’s not so bad. I kind of like the guy. I don’t know why he’s always getting under your skin.”
I flipped him off as I spun around in one of the fancy chairs. “I don’t think he likes you, so you shouldn’t like him. Not that there’s much to like.”
Niko snorted. “That’s not what I hear around the palace. Everyone likes him. They don’t think much of him beyond being the second son, but they like him.”
Niko had this way of seeing what wasn’t said. So I was curious what he thought of Breck. “What do you mean?”
Niko shrugged. “There are some who think he hasn’t lived up to his potential or wish he would get a real job or something, but I think they’re just jealous. And maybe they haven’t seen this place.”