The Fearless King (The Kings #2)(42)

“I don’t understand you.”

“Plenty of time to give it a shot.” He backed off and pulled on his shoes. “Do you have plans tomorrow night?”

Her frown stayed in place, but she slowly shook her head. “No.”

“Now you do. I’ll pick you up at six.” He swiped his wallet off the dresser and paused. “Want me to call you a car?”

Journey tossed her phone onto the bed beside her. “I’m more than capable of calling one myself.” She hesitated. “Thank you, though.”

There was nothing else to do but leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Happy hunting.”

He walked out of the hotel room, pausing to ensure that the door shut fully behind him, and then headed for the elevator. In the lobby, a pair of men caught his eye and motioned him over. Recognizing Ethan and José, he veered toward them. Ethan hung back, seeming to watch everything and nothing, but José stepped forward to meet him. “Hey, boss.”

“Any trouble?”

“Nothing like that.” José was a tall, thin man who usually drew second looks from every woman in the room from ages fifteen to eighty-five. He had a smile he used as a weapon to charm information out of resistant people, and he was damn good at it. Add in the fact that he had a decent head on his shoulders, and he was one of the best assets Frank had.

He waited, and José finally said, “It’s not my place to question the setup you have going.”

“You wouldn’t be on this if I didn’t value your opinion. You have a problem—stop the bullshit runaround and spit it out.”

José focused on a spot roughly three inches over Frank’s left shoulder. “Your girl needs to communicate her movements for us to be effective. We wouldn’t have known she left the building if not for the fact Ethan here was taking a smoke break around the corner and saw her go. Do we know the level of danger?”

“Not yet. Could be nothing more than threats. Could be more serious.” He wasn’t willing to take a chance either way. No matter what happened with him and Journey, he sure as fuck wasn’t going to sit idly by while her old man ran rampant over her. Or worse. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Appreciate it, boss. Having to cover what exits we can in case she pulls a rabbit makes us both less effective.”

“Noted. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.” He waited a beat. “Is there anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Report to Mateo tonight after she gets back to her place, and we’ll have an update for you.” He turned and headed for the main doors. Journey didn’t seem to have a problem with his keeping men on her, but doing that in theory versus having to report her movements…She would see it as a confinement and chafe at the restrictions. He didn’t want to think her old man would actually put her life in danger, but he couldn’t afford to assume otherwise.

Frank normally lived by the rule that no risks brought no gains, but in the time since his mother died, he’d never had something he wasn’t willing to risk.

He did now.

*



Journey made it back to the office in time for her rescheduled meeting with Bellamy. They kept it brief and to the point—the only current threat to their company was Elliott fucking Bancroft. At least they were in agreement about that. She managed to focus as they went over the reports—a couple of cyberattacks that Bellamy’s team had no problem repelling, and one asshole reporter who wouldn’t take no comment for an answer—and then there was nothing left to stall with.

She stood and smoothed her dress down. “Eliza’s back in town?”

“Yeah, she’s been back since Friday.” He glanced at his watch. “She had a meeting with Elliott an hour ago. Honestly, I expected a text letting me know she’s on her way to the airport by now.” He said it with fondness, but Bellamy had always held a soft spot for their baby sister’s antics.

Journey couldn’t afford to. “That didn’t last long.” She was self-aware enough to know part of her issue with Eliza was simple jealousy—her little sister had never had a problem drawing a line in the sand and sticking to it, even if it meant abandoning everything they’d been taught from the cradle to want. She left Houston at sixteen and hadn’t looked back. Every time Journey had seen her since, Eliza had a glow about her that only came from true freedom.

“What do you expect, Jo?” He frowned at her. “She might have shares in Kingdom Corp, but she’s not really interested in the company. It’s not like we’re bankrolling her lifestyle, either—her modeling gig more than pays for it.”

She bit back a sharp retort and deflated. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m not exactly the best sister lately, am I?”

He shook his head. “You and Eliza have your differences, just like she and Anderson have their differences. Just…don’t take your issues out on her. That’s all I’m saying.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right.” She managed a smile. “I’ll call her and invite her to happy hour tonight with me and Samara.”

Bellamy raised his eyebrows. “Is that your idea of a good time or a punishment?”

“Hey! Don’t be a jerk. You know damn well that Samara and I know how to have a good time.” Or they had up until their respective responsibilities caught up with them—just like they always did. She sighed. “On second thought, if she hasn’t already skipped town, I’ll take her out to lunch tomorrow.”