“She likes the apartment?” I changed the subject.
“Yeah, apparently, her apartment in New York could fit inside the closet.” He shook his head. “Could never live in New York.”
“Aww, it’s not that bad.”
“Yeah, for a billionaire.” He smirked. “Or the best friend of a billionaire.”
“I don’t think I qualify as Kyler’s best friend.”
“Of course you are.”
“You forgot about Josh.”
“Josh is his brother. That’s different. You’re the one he trusts.” He leaned forward. “And you’re family. Rayna and Tinley talk about how much they love having you around. It’s nice. I love the concept of a found family.”
“Have you found that?”
His face dropped. I regretted asking.
“I’ve no doubt I will.” I knew little about Collin and his personal life. He was gay, but I’d never heard him talk about a boyfriend. He and Tyler Grant were friends and hung out sometimes when Tyler was in town. Collin got along with everyone.
I wondered if Collin had other friends or a boyfriend. Despite today’s events, I knew it was none of my business. He was a good man and a great assistant, and that was all I needed to know about him.
Why was the situation with Kylie any different?
Because how and why she came to us made the situation different. With her coming after us, the normal rules didn’t apply. It gave me a little more leeway in maneuvering the situation to protectmyfound family from her.
And Kylie from herself.
I didn’t know how this was all going to play out, but it was going to be an adventure. Whatever game she was playing, I was determined to win. I was confident that no matter what happened, I would end up on top one way or the other.
CHAPTER 9
KYLIE
Amonth ago, I was strategizing on how to get closer to the Grants, gain access to their organization, and bring them down without getting myself or the women they have taken into theircarekilled.
Today, I was in a conference room with Kyler, Chandler, Josh, Patrick, and a few more names I had scribbled on a page in my notebook. Randall joined by video conference, which was strange because his backdrop was a picture window with a view of a mountain range from the south side of the Quadrangle. The same view I was looking at now from a slightly different angle.
Collin said he didn’t leave his place much, only when his brothers made him. It was for the best. I had met him, of course, about six months ago in a briefing with Agent Stanley. His intensity was overwhelming, making it difficult to meet his gaze.
It was my fourth full day at work. I spent the first three getting to know my new surroundings. The room they gave me wasnota room. It was a two-bedroom condo with a state-of-the-art kitchen and the most comfortable king-size bed I had ever slept in. My favorite thing was taking a running start (becausethe room was that big) and leaping in the air before landing on the cloud of white duvet and an unnecessary number of pillows. And the best part, I had daily housecleaning, so I didn’t have to make the bed. I also had laundry service twice a week and, as far as food goes, anything I wanted was a phone call away from any restaurant on the casino floor. It was so surreal.
And the meeting wasn’t just about my focus; it was a weekly executive meeting where everyone shared projects and their concerns. Josh ran the meeting, but Kyler was super engaged and asked questions. Besides Josh and those who shared a last name with him, the rest of the people in the room seemed slightly terrified of the man, including me. I still hadn’t forgiven him for basically calling me out in front of everyone. Well, just four people, and those people were daddies and littles themselves. So perhaps not everyone, but it felt unnecessary all the same.
“Welcome, Kylie,” Josh’s voice rose.
I blinked. “Um.” I looked at Patrick. He nodded as if giving me permission to speak.
“Why don’t you tell the team a little about yourself and what brought you here.” Josh continued.
Randall scoffed. I gave him a sideways glance.
“Yes, of course.” I leaned forward. “Thank you for the opportunity. I am grateful and excited to make a difference. As an analyst for the FBI, I have worked exclusively on the sex trafficking task force both in Eastern Europe and in the United States. I left hoping to get more involved with fewer restraints.”
The group collectively nodded.
“Kylie will also be training and working with security, although with the FBI's continuous training, she could probably teach us a few things,” Patrick added.
