Page 67 of Latte Girl
“Like what?”Isnap.
“Look at you, Jordan. You’ve practically got steam coming out ofyourears.”
He gives a wary laugh, patting my shoulder with the hesitancy of someone stroking a man-eating tiger, and I take a moment to assess the truth of hiswords.
I want to cut through my father’s defenses, break down the steel wall he puts up, but right now, with anger burning in me so hot I see red, all I’d be doing is pounding my fists against the metal. I need time to sharpen my thoughts into a weapon that will bringhimdown.
I suck in a breath and unclench my fists. Ludo releasesmyarm.
“That’s it. Let’s just take a step back, why don’t we? There you go, easydoesit.”
He continues talking to me like he’s soothing a dangerous animal as we make our way to the elevator and down to hisoffice.
He takes a seat behind his desk and motions for me to pull up achair.
“So, having some troubles with the ladies are we?” he asks with a knowing smile. “I take it your little latte girl found out about Miss Felina and didn’t want toshare?
“That’s not what this is about,” I say, myvoicehard.
“Aren’t the ladies what it’s always about? Jugs, my boy: can’t live with them, can’t livewithoutthem.”
He throws up his hands as if even he can’t believe what a genius statement he’s just made. I juststare.
“Oh, excuse me for a minute,” he says, holding up a finger. “I just remembered an email I need tosendoff.”
He opens up his computer and the realization of what I’ve overlooked all this time hits me like a blow to the head, so hard I almost sway in mychair.
The answer I’ve needed, the clue that could turn everything around, has been right in front of me all this time. It takes everything in me not to lunge at the computerstraightaway.
My father can control me because obeying him is the only chance I have of finding out where my mother is. As he’s pointed out before, he’s the head of a security company; if he doesn’t want me to know something, I won’t. I didn’t think I’d find a slip up anywhere, but Ludo, pastrami-smelling, woman-obsessed, completely unprofessional Ludo, might just be the weakest link. He’s one of the only people who know about my mother, and as he’s already proved once today, keeping email exchanges quiet isn’t really hisforte.
I just have to get him out of the room long enough to take a look at hiscomputer.
“You know, you’re right, Uncle Ludo. The ladiesarewhat it’s alwaysabout.”
Ludo nods as he continues typing out hisemail.
“Like that woman at the copy machine we passed on the way in here,” I add. “Did you see the way she filled out thatskirt?”
“I don’t think I noticed her,” says Ludo, raising his eyes to lookatme.
“You didn’t notice her?” I demand, feigning shock. “Ludo, she has one of the best asses I’ve ever seen. You have to go takealook.”
“Oh really? It wasthatgood?”
I try to keep myself from cringing as I answer him. “It was more than good. It was mind-blowing, so...plump and, um,shapely.”
“Plump and shapely has my name written all over it. This I havetosee.”
He gets up and pokes his head out of thedoorway.
“Damn it!” he exclaims. “She must have left.” He starts to head back towardshisseat.
“She can’t have gone far,” I urge. “You really do have toseeher.”
“I guess I could take a wander downthehall.”
I give him an encouraging smile and nod my head. The second he’s out the door I dart behind the desk and swear when I see the session has timed out and the logon screen is up, asking me for apassword.
