Confidence and purpose, that’s the ticket. Her best professional smile was in place as she walked down the carpeted hall. To all who saw her, she hardly looked the part of the security ‘expert’ the senior partners had hired – leather pants, low-heeled boots, and a fully zipped up motorcycle jacket, all of it black. Not what anyone would call business clothes, but then, none of them were Kaitlyn Savage. No one stopped her when she gave a light knock to the conference room’s door and let herself in before anyone on the other side had spoken.
Hands, encased in fingerless leather gloves, lifted palm out as the three men began to rise. “No, no. Don’t get up. I must apologize for being late, but I’m here now and you can explain exactly what it is you want from me.”
The meeting went much like any other she’d had with previous clients. They had sensitive material in their files, blah, blah, blah. It was always the same excuse when she worked with lawyers, but she didn’t doubt the truth of the statement. They walked with her through the entire building and provided blueprints that would be needed later. She talked of the pro’s and con’s of the latest systems and one was finally decided on after her suggestions. There was also a discussion of hiring security guards for the lobby that she won without too much trouble.
The installation of the system would begin in two days, after she had contacted the company and gotten the man power. They could rest a little easier knowing that the sensitive documents would soon be better protected.
Once out of the building, she scowled, muttering, “Idiots. I could have been anyone, but no one stopped me. It’s ridiculous how easy that was.” She shook her head, moving down the rows of parked cars to reach her motorcycle – the only one in the lot, it wasn’t hard to spot. Fingers crept up, quickly braiding her hair and securing it with an elastic band before she hopped on and backed out of the parking space. With a gesture as natural as breathing, the engine came to life, and she sped out of the lot.
There were phone calls and final arrangements to make so that she would be ready to oversee the wiring of the new system in two days. These things ran through her head as she easily maneuvered through traffic. It wasn’t long before she got to her apartment building and slid into the space next to another motorcycle – also hers. In the elevator, she punched the button to get to the fourth floor and combed out her hair.
Two doors down, on the right, and she was home. Keys jiggled in the lock, and fingers went to alarm panel on the wall, punching in the four-digit code. Next was the answering machine, tapping the button to replay the messages received while she was out. An invitation to dinner from Chloe, two calls from the security company already, and a call from Lucian that made her grit her teeth. Well, work came first.
**********
She had spent the last three hours on the phone. Elbows were planted on the desk and her fingers rubbed at throbbing temples. It was always gave her a headache when she had to deal with uncooperative individuals, but at least everything was settled now. In two days she’d be back at that law firm, overseeing the installation and making sure her suggestion about security guards had been taken seriously. After all, there was only so much that she could do if they weren’t willing to follow the advice of the person they had hired.
The phone rang, the shrill sound making her head pound. Reaching over, she grabbed the receiver and put it to her ear. “What?” It came out rather more sharply than she intended, but she didn’t take it back. If it was another complaint about the short notice from the installation crew she was going to chew him out.
Instead, the voice that greeted her was like a soothing balm. Her twin. Would she be able to come to dinner at the villa tonight? It was half an hour before she could convince Chloe that she was too tired to be good company tonight. Unfortunately, she’d been forced into promising to go for dinner on Friday night.
Buttons were tapped, shutting down her computer before she headed into the kitchen to fix some tea. The calming scent of chamomile tickled her nose when she opened the cupboard to get a tea bag. There was nothing but little boxes of chamomile tea in there. Hey, some people had cigarettes, some had drugs, she had chamomile tea. When the kettle whistled, she quickly removed it from the stove and poured the scalding water into one of a dozen generic coffee mugs.
Tea in hand, she headed for the couch, grabbing a set of blueprints on her way. These were for a private residence rather than a business. Lips twitched at the thought of getting into the place. It wouldn’t be easy, but she thought it could be done. It was a challenge, that was what kept her interested in it. This kind of planning helped to ease the dull ache in her head, as did the tea. It would be weeks, maybe a month before she made a move on this place, but she would eventually go for it.
It was frustrating, not being able to bribe anyone on the staff into giving her information, but so far it didn’t seem like those individuals had reported her attempts to their employers. With the reputation that family had held in the past, she was rather pleased that this was the case.
As the tea went to work, she stifled a yawn and returned the blueprints to a marked folder and locked in her filing cabinet. Nothing at all about her activities on the wrong side of the law was ever left out in the open. Of course, she was sure that anyone who broke into her apartment would not be after that information. Still, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
A last sweep of the room made sure that everything was set to rights. She’d go over her plans again later, when her head was clear. It didn’t help her chances of going undetected if she moved to hastily. When she had prepared for everything, then, and only then, would she make her move.
