Imminent Danger (Adrenaline Highs) by Unknown Read Free Book Online Page B

her. He was close to sixty, medium height and on the skinny side. His brown eyes seemed to sink into his head and he kept his thin hair spiked in some attempt to look rock-star cool. Carl swore every gray hair on his head came from years of hard work. He’d always struck her as a bit cold and his hug didn’t change her perception. Her heart went out to Stephanie a little bit more. Kim may have wanted to marry for money, but not at the cost of love. She’d thought falling for a rich guy would be as easy as falling for any man, but she’d learned the hard way when no one fell for her. Oh, they were happy to get lucky, but when it came to the morning after, they were more concerned with getting out the door.
    Yes. Ouch. Repeatedly.
    So she’d learned. After taking multiple bats to the head, figuratively speaking, of course.
    “I’m fine, Carl. Sorry I was asleep last night when you got in.”
    He waved a hand as he leaned toward Stephanie and pecked her cheek. “Don’t think twice about it.”
    “If you lived here, you’d know it’s a common occurrence,” Stephanie said. The undercurrent in her tone put Kim on guard.
    Carl gave a deliberate look to the cup in Stephanie’s hand. “Is that your second?” He lifted gray eyebrows. “We’ve talked about your caffeine intake, Stephanie.”
    Kim wouldn’t have put up with that tone for a million bucks, but Stephanie took a measured breath and tossed the rest of her coffee down the sink.
    Trouble in paradise. Damn. She hated being in the middle of it.
    “Stephanie told me you want to go to Nathan’s office this morning. Are we picking up files or just hoping to see him?” Kim asked.
    “Both if I can manage. He won’t answer his phone, so I have to stop by the office. I don’t know why Bonnie, his secretary, hasn’t returned my call either. It’s all a big mystery.”
    “Who doesn’t love a mystery?” Kim hadn’t meant to blurt that aloud and when Carl frowned, she felt two inches tall.
    “I, for one, could do without it,” he snipped. “Especially when it concerns my money.”
    “Of course. Sorry. Didn’t mean to imply otherwise.” It wasn’t as if Kim didn’t understand the meaning of a dollar.
    Stephanie gave her a small shake of her head. A gesture that said, don’t let him bother you.
    Kim crinkled her nose in return. Not a problem. It took a lot more than Carl to scare her. No one ever thought she was tough. She probably perpetuated that notion with her wardrobe, but just because she liked beautiful clothes and frilly girl things didn’t mean she wasn’t tough.
    “Stephanie, I don’t imagine you’d want to come with us. We’ll be going from Nathan’s office to my office. I’ll bring Kim home tonight.”
    That news came as a surprise to both of them since they’d discussed Kim using their extra car…a convertible Mercedes she was dying to drive. They shared a glance. Apparently the king had spoken.
    “I thought Kim and I might be able to catch up at lunch,” Stephanie said.
    “I’m not paying her to have lunch with you.” Carl finally looked at his wife and sighed as if she’d just dropped a two-ton load of crap on his shoulders. “You can have lunch with her this weekend. It’s not long off. Don’t pout. You know how I hate that.”
    Stephanie’s look could have frozen the sun. Kim bit her tongue—literally—to keep from saying something to Carl. Nothing about Stephanie indicated a pout, which probably accounted for the steam coming out of her ears. As each minute went by, Kim hated that she’d agreed to help the man.
    “Okay then.” Stephanie’s voice was as icy as a shallow pond in a Montana winter. “I’ll see you later, Kim. Don’t let him work you too hard. Especially since you left your own job to come help us.” That last bit was directed completely at Carl and he nodded to confirm Stephanie’s message.
    It was going to be an interesting stay.

    Leo made a trip home to take off his makeup from the morning