“A former spook with a drone is a recipe for disaster.” Israel nodded in agreement, but the glint of the boy Cleveland had once known was still shining bright in his brother’s eyes. Cleveland had already been regaled with stories about Cam’s drone adventures. Barnes’ physician wife called him a menace—a remark Cleveland was confident the pretty little sub had paid for later. Cleveland’s gaze caught on the bags sitting by the door, his brow raised in question.
“You’re the king of traveling light—how long are you planning to be gone?” Hell, he and Vienna had only been home from their honeymoon for a few hours—Cleveland wasn’t sure he was ready for his brother to be gone for an extended period of time.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I’m taking some work along, but I’m leaving the day-to-day stuff in your hands. Geneva can help—hell, who am I kidding, she could probably run the damned place better than you and me, combined.” Cleveland chuckled. His brother was right, the middle-aged executive assistant was the most efficient person he’d ever met. With a mind like a fucking steel trap and the energy of a hyper five-year-old, she was a force to be reckoned with. Israel shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels before continuing.
“Listen, I know you’re worried about how Vienna is going to take the news about the estate’s history. There’s no reason to tell her everything just yet. Let us get some more information; you know as well as I do, there has to be more to this story. Drones aren’t Cam’s only new obsession. Seems Charlotte’s disappearing act at Prairie Winds flipped some damned switch, and now, he’s determined to learn everything possible about all things magical.”
Shit. There was no way this is going to end well.
Asia stood with her hands planted firmly on her hips, staring at the mountain of paperwork spread over Emmett Quan’s massive desk. She’d thought there were a million and one details associated with every Adler Oil acquisition, but her European counterparts had shown her what the big leagues looked like.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. There are forms to file in order to file forms. It’s insane. It’s no wonder deforestation is such a problem. What a waste of fucking paper.” She’d barely finished speaking when a stinging swat burned her right ass cheek.
“Language, Cara. You are too intelligent to speak like a hormone-ravaged teenager.”
Damn, when had he walked into the room? She was going to have to learn to keep her thoughts to herself, and it seemed talking to herself was going to be painful as well. Note to self, keep your damned mouth shut. “You can try, but we both know it’s going to take you years to learn to block me.” Fucking hell, he had a point. Another swat followed quickly, making her laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
“Historically speaking, the United States is relatively new at the legal paperwork game. I admit, you’ve become star students, rocketing deep into the bureaucratic quagmire with a level of enthusiasm usually reserved for the British.”
Staring at him, waiting for him to get to the point, Asia finally waved her hand in a get-to-the-point circle. Franklin gave her a sly smile, making Asia want to roll her eyes. The opportunity for acting innocent had long since passed.
“The sale of the property itself should be handled by the Magical Council’s barristers.” For a split second, Asia wanted to slap him senseless. Who was he to assume she couldn’t handle this mountain of ridiculous paperwork? Before she could shout out an objection, her brain kicked into gear. He’d said should be, and something in the back of her mind told her he had a reason for saying so.
“Why?” Never one to mince words, Asia cut directly to the heart of it. Stepping in front of her, Franklin cupped the side of her head, smoothing his thumb along the underside of her jaw.
“They’ve handled several other sales similar to this one. A lot of special conditions apply—future access, confidentiality, limits on resale, just to name a few. The buyer is a magical but not a high-ranking one, so there will have to be very specific limitations in place. Needless to say, those attachments cannot be part of the public record usually associated with the sale filed with the local registrar of deeds.”
Asia considered what he’d said, admitting it made perfect sense, but why hadn’t he mentioned this earlier? Why let her fly all the way here if she wasn’t needed? He could have easily shipped the things on Vienna’s list.
“Why am I here if your people are going to handle the sale?” Damn it all to effing hell, she had plenty of work to do back at Adler Oil. She should fly home and forget all about the dark secrets this place held.
“I can hear those frustrated thoughts, Cara. Your presence was and is still needed here for several reasons. For one thing, we need you to run interference with your brother and Cameron Barnes, who will arrive in a few hours. Cam’s new interest in magic is going to be a complication we don’t need right now.”
Asia couldn’t hold back her chuckle. Any group piquing Cam’s curiosity would be in for a rough ride. The man was tenacious to a fault. He’d study something until he was convinced it held no more secrets or at least until he’d learned all he possibly could.
“And you think I can convince Cam to back off? Seriously? Hell, I doubt the Goddess herself could manage to sway him.” Asia might not be in Cameron Barnes’s inner circle of confidants, but she didn’t need to be to recognize his laser focus. Lately, it seemed like he was pushing the boundaries of snoopy to an entirely new level.
“No, I know Barnes too well to expect you to change the course of his meteor curiosity.” Franklin chuckled and shook his head. “I just want you to keep him away from the second tunnel until we clear it. The man is too perceptive. He won’t be able to identify the problem, but he’ll know it’s there.”
“Which means he’ll ask so many questions, no one will be able to hear themselves think.” The look on his face was all the confirmation she needed. “What will you be doing while I’m diverting Mr. Curious?”
“He’ll be helping me… and the rest of the team, of course.”
Asia turned slowly to face the sultry voice’s owner. They hadn’t even been introduced, and Asia already hated her. How the hell had the other woman managed to get so close without Asia scenting her? The overpowering scent of Clive Christian No. 1 perfume was making Asia’s nose burn. What the hell was she trying to do, peel the wallpaper off the walls? Damn, woman, lighten up on the five-hundred-dollars-a-spritz fragrance.
“Eden.” Franklin’s voice was level, but Asia heard the warning in the single word. Time to step up. Asia wasn’t about to be steamrolled by Bimbo Barbie Reeks-A-Lot. Closing the gap between them, Asia fought the sneeze threatening to explode from her burning nose. Extending her hand to the other woman, Asia forced the words past lips she hoped weren’t showing the grimace she felt.
“Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Asia Adler.” The other woman looked down at her hand, disgust clearly written in her expression before finally placing her cold, clammy hand in Asia’s. The woman had the limpest handshake in the world. Asia managed to keep from wiping her hand on her skirt… barely. A minute later, she’d realized she’d just been introduced to one of the Magic Council’s legal eagles. Just shoot me now. Asia had worked on legal teams before, but it was easy to see how quickly she was being sidelined on the project she’d thought was hers alone.