Page 14 of Sinful Empire (Mount Trilogy 3)
“Someday, you’re going to tell me what that means, but we don’t have time right now.”
“Agreed, boss. Let’s get to what matters.”
“I’m not going to be coming into the office for a little while.”
“Now you’re really making me wish we had a code word for situations where you’ve been kidnapped.”
I can’t help but chuckle at that, and my body twinges in protest. “Yeah, we probably do need a code word, but not today. I had a bit of an accident, and there’s a security threat—”
Temperance interrupts, her tone panicked. “Accident? Are you okay? What happened?”
“I’m fine, but . . . the consequences of the accident are further reaching than just me. I can’t tell you everything, except that I need you to step up and be my new COO. You need to handle business in person while I work remotely.”
A harshly indrawn breath is her first response. “I’m reading between the lines here, Keira, and I don’t like it.”
I swallow, blocking out the aches in my body, determined to handle this like the boss I am. “I’m safe, and I’m certain that nothing is going to happen to me. But in order for that to continue to be the truth, I need you to do exactly what I tell you.”
“Okay. I’ll drop the questions. I know less is more. Tell me what you need me to do.”
I spend another five minutes giving Temperance her marching orders, along with the raise I promised her. “It’ll show up in your next check.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I don’t care that Lachlan’s money will be funding the raise temporarily, because Seven Sinners is about to level up in the whiskey world, thanks to the very same man. Or am I just stepping up to finally be the leader he made me realize I am? Another shift.
“I’ve got what I need. Except . . . can I tell you to be careful? I know you’re not giving me everything, but I’m picking up enough to realize that you’re in some serious shit. And if it has to do with what I think, please make sure you know what you’re doing.”
“I’ve got this, but thank you.”
She’s quiet for another moment. “Okay. You better call your dad.”
“That’s up next. Thank you for listening . . . and reading between the lines.”
“I still want a code word for kidnapping.”
“I promise I’ll throw in something about chardonnay or prosecco.”
A laugh bursts from Temperance. “Then I’ll really know you’re in deep shit.”
“Exactly.”
When we hang up, I stare down at the phone, wondering how the hell I’m going to handle the next call.
Mount
“Where the hell is she!”
When I open my eyes and see the bed next to me empty and the unhooked IV line dangling from the pole, I’m not too proud to say I lose my shit.
The door bursts open, and Z and D rush inside.
“Where is she?” I demand, and both men recognize the quiet menace in my voice.
“With V. She needed to make a few calls. Business. Family.”
My first instinct is to bend her over my lap and spank her ass for leaving without telling me, but I rein it in. A little. Leopards don’t change their spots.
