Page 13 of The Sicilian's Obsession
I quietly sighed, feeling a little like I was doing something wrong. I shook that feeling off and pressed on. "I was just thinking about you. How long have you worked for the Sweets?"
She scowled, "A few years, but Mr. Sweets entrusts me with everything. Katima doesn't have the mental focus to actually run the company. I don't know what her poor father is going to do when he retires. He doesn't have any other children, you know." I knew that was rhetorical, so I ignored it.
"What do you mean?" I was curious how an outsider saw Katima.
Rebecca did her high-pitched giggle and continued, "Well, I'm sure you've noticed that Katima isn't ordinary. She has a ton of problems. Her father gave her this job to make sure she felt like she had accomplished something. The reality is always that he wanted to be able to see her. She'sspecialand can't be left on her own." She emphasized that by rolling her eyes and scoffing.
"It seems like you don't like her." I smiled again so she felt comfortable enough to confide in me.
"No, I don't. I'm basically a glorified babysitter. Her dad uses her recipes, but it's not like they are truly great. Everyone seems to think she is great, but really, she is just special needs." I hid the fact that I was gritting my teeth and smiled again, but this time it didn't come out the way I wanted, and Rebecca's smile faltered.
Sensing that, I said, "I have to get back to work. Maybe we can chat again later?"
"For sure, and if you get free time, I can show you where we can go get a drink and maybe some privacy." Her voice dropped as she let her invitation linger in the air between us. Before I met Katima, I probably would have taken her up on her offer, but now it just seemed wrong. I made a noncommittal noise and entered the lab as quickly as possible. I rushed back into the office to think about what Rebecca had said. I sent her information to Jake so we could run a background check. I hadn't even kissed Katima, and yet she was all I could think about. I groaned, running my hands over my face, trying to get my head back in the game. I had never been so distracted on a job before. Maybe I shouldn't have made the hasty decision to get back in the field.
A little while later, Katima strolled back into the office, phone in hand.
Katima: Ready to head out?
Shit. I had completely lost track of time, and what's worse, Brendan hadn't stopped by yet. That meant they were either still working at the house, or he was pulled for something urgent.
"Let me check on something, and then we can go, yeah?"
She nodded her head and left the office. I called Jake.
"Boss man?"
I started, "Hey, what happened to Brendan?"
"Had to pull him for a level two threat." I sighed and thanked him. I told Jake to have Brendan come down to the lab when he was done and got off the phone. We worked on levels, and level one was the highest threat level, meaning someone was in mortal danger. Katima was a level five, which meant she needed watching, but there was no threat. I couldn't move her up a level when we really weren't sure what we were dealing with. I thought that by tonight, I would up her level at least by one, which would change the priority on everything we have for her. The only reason her reports and things were coming back so quickly was because I was on the mission. As CEO, no one wanted me to wait. It was jumping the chain, but I would never put my mission above a higher threat level and Jake knew this. I cared about protecting people, my atonement for not protecting the person I needed to before.
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