Page 77 of Her Unflinching Warrior (Omega Sky)
Gideon shook his head before Jada had a chance to ask.
They walked into the restaurant from the patio and Jada admired how Lark sauntered up to the bar. When she planted her tushie up on a barstool, Jada did the same thing. A bartender came up and they placed their orders.
“Bourbon, huh?” Lark said.
“Got a taste for it while I was in Kentucky. Just glad to see they’re serving my brand.”
“So, which came first, your love for a bourbon called Angel’s Envy, or Gideon calling you Angel?”
Jada chuckled. “They do bourbon flights in Kentucky, and I might have over-indulged during brunch. I had intended to share, but…”
“But, they all tasted so good,” Lark grinned. “I can’t imagine being in Scotland and sharing a flight of whiskey with Kostya. So, Angel’s Envy was the winner?”
“Hands down.”
Lark held up her hand and caught the bartender’s attention. She came back over to them. “Can I also have a small taste of the bourbon my friend is rhapsodizing about?”
“Sure thing.” The bartender grinned.
She was soon back with three highball glasses of amber liquid, and a glass of water. Jada frowned, and Lark explained. “She wants me to be able to cleanse my palate after the bourbon so I can go back to the Jameson. The woman is definitely earning her tip.” Lark put out her credit card.
“Let me get the bill,” Jada protested.
“I’m writing this dinner off. I want to hear more about Risk Guard.” Lark picked up the tumbler with the splash of bourbon, took a sip, and swished it around in her mouth, letting the burn settle, then swallowed. “Ooooh, that’s nice.” She finished off the rest. “No wonder you like this. There is just a little hint of candy to this, after it’s knocked you on your ass,” Lark grinned.
Jada laughed.
“It’s nougat and vanilla, but just a little essence.” She picked up her glass and took a sip, as Lark took a drink of water. “Are we going back to our table?” Jada asked.
“No, let’s get to know one another a little bit. I want you to tell me where you got that beautiful vintage leather jacket, and what is going down with Risk Guard, and I’ll let you know every one of Gideon’s annoying habits.”
“I’ve read most of your investigative articles and all of your op-eds. My mother is from Puerto Rico. Her whole family immigrated to the U.S. before she married my father. The work you did to spotlight what goes on in the favelas in Brazil was desperately needed. My mom is going to freak when I tell her I met you.”
Lark blushed and took a long sip of her scotch.
“Okay, let’s talk about how Gideon interfered with your investigation down in Florida. He said that he ticked you off.”
“He said that? He’s bullshitting you. He was a big help. We couldn’t have found my sister without him.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Lark took another sip of her drink. “He talked about you, too.”
“He did?” Jada found that hard to believe, but she wanted to.
“He was struggling with the age difference between the two of you.”
“He’s an ass.” Jada ran her fingers through the ends of her hair. “And it was more than just the age difference.”
“I figured as much,” Lark said. “These men.” She lifted her glass, and Jada touched hers against it.
“To our men and their twisted thinking,” Jada toasted.
“And why we love them anyway.”
