Page 55 of Perfect Order
Simple, I’m bored watching Beckett being an ass at rehearsals. The guy you left with him—tall, dark, tattooed?—is justifiably amused and not trying to hide it. As a bonus, it’s possible Mick and Carly are going to rip his head off soon if he keeps snapping at them.
What’s he wearing?I reach for my cold coffee and take a sip, grateful for the caffeine if I’m about to go head-to-head with one of the smartest minds in the world.
Who, Beckett?Before I can answer, she continues.Well, his shirt is buttoned for once.Are you surehe’snot a pretend Beckett Miller? A Beckett-bot maybe?I start coughing as I choke on my own laughter as I had that exact same thought when we left the condo earlier.
Beckett’s been like a zombie since we left Texas,I inform Leanne.
Ahh, is that what the problem is. I thought it was…
What?I ask when she doesn’t say any more.
Just something Lee used to say—that there was something wrong with Beckett deep inside. That he had a sad soul.
“Holy hell. I’ve been living in the man’s back pockets for years, and it hasn’t been until recently I’ve noticed how he is without Paige.” To Leanne, I reply,He’s temperamental.
You don’t have to tell me that. One simple misstep going to that party and phew. I haven’t had a royal ass chewing like that since I was sixteen.
Why did you go?
Because I found a journal where Lee declared Snowy-T as one of five people she would like to run over with a bus. She had a smart mouth, but she wasn’t vicious like that.
Huh. I never thought of that angle. I probe a bit deeper.Did you think he’d try to drug you?
She shoots back,No. Not until I woke up the next day. And honestly, I’m not entirely certain it was him. Snowy-T’s a piece of slime—trust me. But if he was anything like Hutnik I’m fairly certain he’d have tried to take advantage of the situation, not allowed Beckett to haul my ass out of there. I’m still trying to comb through the elevator footage to determine who might have had a beef with Lee. Why do so many people want to attend a slime ball’s party?
Because they want to be famous for no reason other than being famous?I suggest.
Lord deliver me. Don’t we get enough of that with reality TV. Her response causes me to crack up. She’s a damn firecracker.
How long will it take you to scan the footage?I almost reluctantly bring us around to work.
Who knows? There’s this singing thing, you know.
I smile briefly before scrolling up and focusing on another name she mentioned leaps out at me.Who’s Hutnik?
Lee’s former agent before she signed with Wildcard. SOB liked to get his acts in compromising positions by drugging them. Who do you think released the pics of her half-dressed to StellaNova?
You’re kidding?
Not even close.A series of angry faces appears.
I try to do the same but realize I have no idea how in this unusual chat window Leanne’s created. Instead, I go low-tech and send her a colon and shift+9. The frown face is quickly mocked by the woman on the other end of the line.We really need to up your keyboarding skills if we’re going to continue chatting like this, Kane. Since I know you’re using a Mac right now, hold down your Command, Control, and Space bar keys at the same time. All these pretty pictures come up for you to play with, she taunts.
Considering she’s hacked through my company’s firewall with the ease of a baby taking their first steps, I give her that play before sending her an actual frown.
She sends me back a pair of hands that simulate applause.
I probe gently,You seem better.
Her dots move furiously before I get a message that rocks me.I’m certain you know the hardest things to give up on are hope, faith, and trust. Once you’ve lost those, it’s impossible to go on believing. You just feel like you’re perpetually sinking. I don’t know if you’re onto something or if I’m going to sink right back down into wondering if I’ll ever find the answers— which is where I was spiraling to. Let’s just say it’s nice to have someone with a different perspective on the team. It helps battle back the despair for now.
Leanne, I start to type, but another message of hers pops up. And what it says lets me know that Caleb shared enough about our conversations with her to rebuild a tentative truce and possibly a modicum of trust.
Two things. First, this contract was never executed. I yanked the deal at the last moment because the terms and conditions couldn’t be met by my team. Second, Sam Akin is one of my heroes. What he did… Anyway, when this is over, you all will be secure. For as long as I can keep you that way.
The message box disappears before I can reply. “Holy crap, did that just happen?”
Then my phone buzzes. When I glance down, there’s a text from Lee. All it says isYes. Oh, and you know people with certain skills can turn on your computer or phone mic whenever they want, right? Really Kane, you’re a smart guy with great instincts. How were you that obtuse about Beckett’s emotional state before? BTW who is Paige?
