Page 29 of The Devil's Daughter

“I don’t want to risk your safety.”

“Drake’s safety’s at risk more than mine now, though. Shouldn’t you be there to protect him? And you can’t exactly leave me alone.”

Baz shoots Ben a helpless look, but his brother just laughs. “She’s the brains between us,hermano. She has a point.”

“That only gives us the week to investigate who might be after you. If we find a lead, then maybe. If not, we’ll just have to split up. Ben can stay with Drake, I’ll stay with Elle.”

“We’re talking bigwigs in the industry, right?” Ben asks me. “Because if someone has it out for you and they’re linked to your company, there’s a chance they’ll be there. How many of these VPs are coming?”

“I’ll have my secretary email a guest list to you,” I say, pulling out my phone to text Lindsey.

“Let me help look,” Elle says. “I hope you brought my laptop with you.”

Baz nods. “I did, and that’s a good idea. I could use all the help I can get.”

He returns to his belongings and retrieves two laptops. He hands one to me and one to Elle, who immediately logs in, scooting closer to Baz. They tip their heads together and confer over their course of action.

“You guys are welcome to work anywhere on the boat. There are power outlets inside, and the Wi-Fi is probably stronger in there,” I offer.

They agree to move to the dining room and gather their things. Ben returns to the buffet and loads up another plate. I join him, since I didn’t get a chance to eat before Baz attacked me earlier. I’d just arrived and was whispering to Elle about Ben’s plans to keep the whole three-way with her under wraps for the time being, that he’d take the blame for being with her and deflect Baz’s reaction.

When we sit down at the breakfast table again, I say, “So, how much does your brother know about last night?”

“Enough. I think he bought my story until he saw you and Elle all cozied up. His twinstincts are pretty strong. Better than mine. He probably suspects something happened between you and me too, and it’s not hard to connect the dots.”

“No,” I sigh, glancing inside at the dining table beyond a decorative screen of partially frosted glass. Its abstract nautical designs separate the lounge from the dining room, where I can make out the pair’s silhouettes bent over their work.

Elle is equally comfortable and affectionate with Baz as with Ben. Nothing appears to have changed, except now I catch Baz occasionally pausing to shoot long looks at her. Ben watches with me for a moment, then nods.

“He’s probably more wrecked over her than I ever was. I’m crazy about her, of course, but they’ve always had a deeper connection. When we were in junior high, they bonded over a school science project. The pair of them programmed a mini-light show using LEDs that looked like a couple dancing the Tango. They got her mom to help, used those motion-capture suits they use for animations and did the dance together, then recreated the movements using the lights. It was pretty sweet.”

“I admit it’s tough to imagine you two in school. Baz, maybe… but you come across like your formative years were … harder.” I mentally backpedal at the look he gives me—weary and long-suffering.

“You think because we look like a pair of gangbangers that we were forged in blood and bullets, or some shit? We were, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a mostly normal life otherwise. Our mom tried hard to keep us out of it, but we’re a pair of bull-headed boys. It didn’t help that our hero was one of Arturo Flores’ lieutenants.

“I’m talking about Manny Reyes, not Gustavo Delgado. We had some healthy respect for Delgado too, but we both had a good idea of what a messed-up motherfucker he was, deep down. But we looked for any opportunity to shadow Manny and Leo. When Leo rose to claim the top-dog spot, we came up with him, which was safer in some ways, but a lot more work–mostly because Flores insisted we finish high schoolandtrain every afternoon for the job he wanted us to do.”

“That explains the contradiction. You guys are both smart, and every bit as dedicated to your job as Curt Hagler was.”

Ben narrows his eyes. “You never did tell us why he left. And why you didn’t give the job to Karl Thomas. He’s solid so we’d have had no trouble answering to him if we had to. Or just contracting to guard Elle.”

“I didn’t actually talk to Curt before he left. I just came in one day to a letter of resignation claiming he needed to focus on some personal issues. I let it go because he’d more than earned the break. And as much as I appreciate Karl’s skills, he was one of the few holdouts from my dad’s reign who managed to stick around after he died. He’s got the most seniority among my staff.

“He was skeptical about the two of you, but let me off the hook by claiming he didn’t want the stress that comes along with the position. I think he might have been hoping you two would fuck up eventually and I’d have to give him the job anyway. But I can’t dispute your training made you and Baz more than capable. What was Flores like as a mentor, anyway?”

“What do you think? He’s a hard-ass. But nobody works harder to impress him than Celeste. She’ll take over one day, and between you and me, I’d rather answer tohim. He’s savvy. He knew what our strengths were and pushed us each in the right direction. That’s why Baz is so damn good at the computer stuff, and I’m better at almost everything else.”

“You make a good team, I’ll give you that. This isn’t going to drive a wedge between you, will it?”

He pops the last bite of bagel in his mouth and chews while he ponders the answer, his gaze fixed on the other two through the glass. Then he shakes his head and turns back to me.

“Man, I know this is the wrong thing to suggest. I already broke the rules by sleeping with Elle. But I don’t think we’ll be able to do our jobs ifhedoesn’t have a night with her too. I’m not saying I want to volunteer her for sex—she has to want it, and he has to be willing to compromise his principles for the sake of … I don’t know…balance? Because if the way he keeps looking at her is any indication, he’ll implode before too long. He’snotfun to be around when he’s a mess.”

“Okay, so how do we get him to agree?”

“We might not have to. I have a feeling Elle will handle things all on her own.”

He nods to the dining room, and I turn again. Elle’s no longer seated, but now stands behind Baz’s chair. She’s gripping his shoulders, massaging while he taps on the keyboard. He pauses and hangs his head in pleasure.

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