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Startled, I frowned at him. “Gunner? I’m here to see Elijah.”
“Same person. But everybody calls him Gunner.”
I leaned my back against the elevator. “I have information for Elijah that a friend asked me to deliver.”
Sofie wiggled, wanting to be let down and cutting off any reply Carter may have had.
Once she stood on her own two feet, holding his hand, she stared at me with wide eyes. Eyes that looked eerily familiar. There was only one other person I knew who had the same spattering of green amid a sea of copper.
My breath hitched, and I stared back at her. Okay. This is fine. No need to freak out. So she looks like Lucius. She could be a niece? Cousin?
While this encounter was unexpected, it also put my fears at ease. Lucius was connected to these people somehow. And if he trusted them, then so should I.
The elevator stopped, and we stepped out into a large reception area with a long white desk on the left and a small table and chairs on the right. There was a large door at the other end, and two receptionists were seated behind the desk.
They sure liked their receptionists in this place.
And so did Carter, it seemed, as he grinned at them, receiving coy smiles and singsonged greetings in return. “Good morning, Mr. Olsen.”
He winked at them, and his grin widened. “Good morning, ladies. This is Everleigh. She’s here to see Gunner.”
Sofie stayed quiet next to him, her eyes on the floor.
“He’s in his office with Freya,” the receptionist with the perfect chignon answered, her white smile blinding.
“Got it. We’ll make sure to knock before we enter.”
The receptionist giggled, and Carter continued walking. I trailed behind, giving both women a nod in greeting.
Carter led me through the maze of offices, the large space bright and inviting, the atmosphere relaxed. But it did nothing to slow down my hammering heart that had decided to be apprehensive about what was to come.
I was here for a delivery. It would be quick. Then I could figure out how to get back to San Diego.
We stopped in front of a closed door, and Carter knocked. When a voice told us to enter, Carter opened the door and motioned me forward.
I stopped a few steps in, too nervous to continue. A huge guy sat behind a desk, a small crease forming between his eyes, looking annoyed at the intrusion.
“You brought a friend,” a voice to my right exclaimed, and a gorgeous blonde made her way over. The tips of her hair were dark purple, and instead of office attire, she wore a flowery summer dress. “Hi, I’m Freya.”
I waved at her, the gesture as awkward as it felt. “Hey. I’m Everleigh. Nice to meet you.”
Freya picked up Sofie, who’d put her hands up as soon as she spotted the woman. The girl’s head went into Freya’s neck, and her little arms closed around her.
Freya kissed her head. “Hello, gorgeous. I’ve been waiting for you all day. I brought a surprise with me.” She carried Sofie back to the couch she’d been sitting on and pointed to the floor. “Do you want to play with Killer?”
Killer? What the hell is that? And is it safe for a child to be playing with it?
I craned my neck to see what she was pointing at and spotted a fluffy little bunny hopping up to where the woman now sat on the floor with the girl on her lap.
Sofie giggled when the bunny sniffed her and tentatively stroked its back.
“What can I do for you?” Gunner’s gruff voice asked from where he was sitting behind his desk, arms crossed over his chest.
I forced my feet to move closer, shaking under the close scrutiny. I held up the hard drive and phone like a shield. “Lucius asked me to give these to you.”
The mood in the room changed as soon as the words left my mouth, the tension palpable.
Gunner nodded at Carter. “Close the door.” His attention shifted to me. “And you better sit down and explain.”
