Page 46 of Cuckoo (Kindred)

Her own curiosity made her want to quiz Brodie about his brooding cousin. Every once in a while, someone made a comment about Zave and all those occasional tidbits did was intrigue her further. When all of this was over, she and Brodie should get the chance to take a vacation, depending on how it all played out. Then there would be time for lingering conversation, and that was when she planned to get her answers.

Brodie might not like her chatter, but there would be nowhere for him to run and hide if they were overseas together, providing that she didn’t make so much of a nuisance of herself that he ditched her in some foreign corner.

Thoughts of Zave dwindled while she showered and worked to return herself to her usual appearance. Seeing herself in the mirror again was refreshing and gave her the invigoration she needed to face the new head of CI.

If Cuckoo’s meeting was company related, Zara would take pleasure in showing the superior bitch how things were done at CI. Even if it turned out to be another gloating session, Zara was happy to partake, it beat sitting around the manor waiting for Brodie to return. One thing she’d learned about watching Brodie charge into potential danger was that she wasn’t good at being idle.

Just as the cab dropped her off outside CI, her cellphone buzzed in her purse. Retrieving the device from beside her gun, she hoped that the caller would be her love. When an actual phone number flashed up on the screen, she knew it wasn’t him.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Miss Bandini,” a voice said, and although it was faint, she recognized it.

“Mr. Samara?” she asked, assuming he’d want an answer for his proposal. Though if Brodie and Tuck had been captured, this mission could be taking a grave turn.

Hurrying up the external concrete stairs that led to the CI main entrance, she diverted her trajectory away from the grand CI doors. Instead, she stayed outside and went to shelter herself in one of the steel arches that towered around the lobby of the skyscraper. Wishing that she’d heard from Brodie or Tuck, she didn’t know what they knew, which could lead to her making a mistaken assertion. Still, if her cohorts had been made, as she’d previously considered, this could be Kahlil calling to issue his demand of ransom.

“I trust you’ve had sufficient time to think about our offer,” Kahlil said. “Have you discussed it with your colleagues?”

Taking a silent moment to appreciate her relief, she felt her heart return to its normal pulse. Kahlil wasn’t angry or accusing, he was a man making a business call. He could be playing her, except she couldn’t fathom any reason he’d have to deny discovering the Kindred tail.

Talking business, whether legal or not, was something she had plenty of practice in, so she cleared her throat and matched his efficient, professional tone. “Yes,” she said. They’d talked about it, but they hadn’t come to any conclusions.

She anticipated he would request a definitive answer. “I would like to meet to discuss it. I tried to contact you at CI yesterday and was told you’d been terminated.”

Well, that was one way to put it, and at least she didn’t have to worry about Cuckoo begging her to come back to work. A meeting with Kahlil also bought her time to vamp and to maybe find out some new information from him.

“New management,” Zara said. Cuckoo might not be within earshot, but she wouldn’t pass up a chance to make a jibe. “You know how it is.”

“Yes,” Kahlil said, showing no concern for her lack of a position at CI. But he knew the Kindred had Game Time. CI was a conduit for him to get in touch with her, to get the wheels moving on this deal. They didn’t need the corporation, and Zara appreciated that she didn’t have to explain why she no longer worked there. “Can you meet this afternoon?”

Yes, she could, she was out and about anyway. Lining up another meeting after her one with Cuckoo gave her a great excuse to depart CI on her own terms. Whatever Cuckoo wanted from her, Zara didn’t imagine it would take any longer than thirty minutes.

“There’s a bar down the block from CI, Purdy’s. Meet me there in half an hour.”

He agreed without hesitating. He had to be within thirty minutes of Purdy’s, he might have followed her here or been watching CI. Zara scanned the plaza for any signs that her colleagues might be around. If they’d been tailing Kahlil since this morning, then they should still be with him. If Kahlil was nearby, her people wouldn’t be in plain view, unless they wanted her to see them.

Now she was thankful that she hadn’t heard from Brodie or Tuck, their lack of contact was inadvertent confirmation that they were still on Kahlil. They didn’t have time to talk and plan, but she’d been on enough Kindred missions to know the deal. Following Kahlil to the meeting meant that she would have backup because they’d be around to observe the meeting.

Putting her cellphone away after disconnecting the call, she took out her compact mirror to reapply her lip-gloss. Facing Cuckoo’s perfection armed with a tube of lip-gloss wasn’t much of an arsenal. Their firepower might not be a match, but Zara was here now and refused to let this woman affect her emotions.

It didn’t matter that this building was no longer her place of employment, it still felt like her territory because she’d graced its halls for more than five years. In the lobby, she got smiles and waves from the reception girls and security men. She was recognized, connected, and Cuckoo wouldn’t have the same relationships with the staff as she did.

Holding her breath in the elevator, Zara reminded herself not to turn her lips into her mouth because of the gloss. There was no point in swiping it on if she was just going to lick it all off. Pressing her thumb to the security panel, she closed one eye and waited to see if it would flash or not. It did.

The elevator began to ascend, and she smiled. Tuck was good, she’d have to get him a gift for fulfilling her personal request. Cuckoo might have tried to revoke her security credentials, maybe it was her goal to cause embarrassment when Zara had to go and request a guest pass. Tuck had made sure to thwart that objective.

The moment she stepped out on the executive floor, she turned the face on her watch to record. She doubted Cuckoo would say anything relevant to their mission, but Zara was learning to be prepared for every possibility. Brodie would also want to know why she’d come here, and Zara didn’t trust Cuckoo to be honest.

In that brief pause just outside the elevator door, Grant’s other assistants spotted her and began to surround her. It started with one noticing her, then another, and another. They came from offices and desks until she had pulled a dozen women into her orbit. But she couldn’t stop and answer all of their questions, it wasn’t her job to do that anymore.

She kept on trying to walk and got as far as the CEO’s office, where she was pleased to see the blinds were open. Cuckoo would be able to see how people around here trusted and respected her. Zara knew her former colleagues well enough to understand they wouldn’t take to Cuckoo’s superior attitude kindly.

Her entourage couldn’t come into the meeting with her. She had a time limit here, as Kahlil would be waiting in Purdy’s for her soon. “Hold on!” Zara called.

Some of the women were asking questions, others were shaking papers at her. They all wanted answers, and she was so unaccustomed to this type of concentrated attention that for a moment she felt like a celebrity being hounded by the paparazzi.

She didn’t like to see these women floundering, full of questions. Losing their beloved CEO was enough of a shock for them, now they were working without their director. Under Grant, she’d delegated tasks and guided staff. They could always come to her for help or advice, except it wasn’t her responsibility anymore.

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