“You will be fine.” He grinned and proceeded toward Kyler’s door. “He’s only half as scary as he looks.”
That was scary enough for me.
Before we reached the door, it cracked open. Half a face and one pigtail peeked out before a voice bellowed, “Rayna, come back here.”
Rayna squeaked and shut the door. “They’re here.” Her voice faded as if she were being carried away.
Patrick reached up to place his thumb on a scanner by the door. I grabbed his sleeve and pulled his hand back.
“Don’t we need to knock. Are we interrupting something?”
Patrick looked down at the hand on his sleeve. I released it and dropped my hands to my sides. The envelope suddenly felt heavy. I switched hands and stepped back a foot.
Patrick touched the panel and then reached for the doorknob. He pushed it open, and we stepped into the apartment. Kyler Grant’s apartment.
The entryway led into the living room, with a dining table and kitchen to the left. Through the floor to ceiling windows, I spotted the balcony which ran the length of the apartment. The Vegas Strip sat across the desert in the distance. The table set for four places was covered with an array of paper containers with the logo of the casino’s Chinese restaurant stamped on the side. It was my favorite spot on the grounds.
I took in the rest of the place. To the left, down a hallway was a single closed door. The hallway to my right contained a couple more doors.
Patrick walked around the table. He adjusted a plate at one setting and a knife at another. “Kyler had a pressing matter that needed his attention, but he’ll be here in two minutes. He asked us to wait.” He looked at his phone again and meandered over to the floor to ceiling windows. I joined him.
“Are you trying to intimidate me?” I whispered.
“Do you feel intimidated?” He whispered back.Fuck yeah! I was intimidated. I was in the penthouse apartment of the infamous Kyler Grant. A billionaire with assets and resources all over the world. A busy morning for him was buying a building. He had more enemies than friends and the FBI in his back pocket.
My breath labored. I closed my eyes and inhaled, counting to four in my head, and then exhaled four. I did that a few times,but when I opened my eyes, Patrick stood with his mouth slack, staring down at me.
Before I could speak, a door opened and shut behind me.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Kyler’s booming voice entered the room before his imposing frame. His signature scowl seemed a little more relaxed. I guess it was hard to maintain his normal level of intensity all the time. His home was where he probably felt the most relaxed. Although, truthfully, he still looked like he could use some meditation. Was Kyler Grant into yoga?
“Please have a seat.”
“Where’s Rayna?” Patrick asked.
“She’ll join us in a minute.” He rubbed his hands together before pulling the chair out for me. “Ms. Stands, please.”
I sat down and stared at the array of food. I spotted a few of my favorite dishes.
“I heard you were fond of Mr. Chow’s,” he said, sitting at the head of the table to my right. “Let me know if we missed any of your favorite dishes.”
Patrick sat to my left.
Kyler grabbed his plate and spooned some items from a few dishes. Patrick did the same. I followed suit.
“Make sure you try the sweet and sour lobster before Rayna gets here, or there won’t be any left.” Kyler chuckled. Patrick smiled at the inside joke.
I took a big spoonful of the lobster, an egg roll, and finished my plate off with the vegetable fried rice. As I brought my first bite to my mouth, Rayna came around the corner and into the main room. She smiled in my direction but stopped in front of Patrick.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Uncle Patrick.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“It’s okay, Rayna.” He patted her on the back. “You know you’re not supposed to open the front door.”
“I know. Sorry.” He patted her back once more, and then she let him go. She walked over to Kyler.
“Sorry.” She laid her hand on Kyler’s shoulder for a few seconds. He gave her a pat on the bottom.
My insides melted. The sweet gesture, seeing Kyler Grant be tender, confused my brain, but made my insides turn to mush.
