Page 120 of Only the Devil

“I’m fine. Saw the doctor yesterday. Cleared for sex and work.”

Of course, Daisy insisted I take it easy and she do all the work last night, which if I’m honest, I rather enjoyed. But the nurse detail will end soon.

“That’s partly why I’m calling?”

“You got an interest in my sex life?”

“I’m sending Brie and Noah to New York on a project.”

“New York City?”

“Manhattan. Meetings next week. It’s likely we’ll need surveillance back-up. Think you might be up for it?”

I’m sure he’ll station me sitting on my ass, but that’s fine. I’m not yet cleared for endurance cardio, so old-fashioned monitoring crosses the t’s.

“Is that project what we’re covering in today’s meeting?”

“No. That project won’t kick off for another week, minimum. You’ve got downtime through next week. If after the project brief we need you, I’ll call you to make arrangements. Today’s meeting is the project debrief.”

Bennett Sterling hired a stellar legal defense team. I also learned he made a donation to the DC prosecutor assigned to his case, but we’ve been assured his donation won’t do a thing. His shenanigans are too visible, too high profile, and voters are done with corruption. Not to mention, he’s got cases coming at him from multiple fronts. The SEC opened an official investigation, and the Virginia DA has brought forward murder-for-hire charges.

When they searched Thompson’s home, in a shed in the back the FBI found audio recordings of Ms. Weaver instructing him to kill, apparently recorded as insurance they wouldn’t screw him over. Her attorney is negotiating a more lenient sentence in exchange for the information she has connecting Bennett Sterling. Turns out she worked for him years ago at his hedge fund as a human resources manager, and he put her in place at Sterling Financial to keep an eye on his half-brother out of fear for his family’s reputation. The fact that she’s distantly related to Sterling did nothing to wed her loyalty to him, although it might have made him trust her more than he should’ve.

The sound of a key in the deadbolt announces Daisy’s return home.

“Daisy’s back,” I tell Hudson. “You’re on speaker.”

As she swings the door open, Hudson says, “Daisy, you about done with this guy yet?”

She squints, kicking the door closed, arms full of grocery bags, clearly wondering who the voice is.

“It’s Hudson,” I tell her. “He’s got this crazy idea I might not be the best houseguest.”

She grins. “He’s the worst patient on the planet.”

I jokingly scowl. “I am not a patient.”

“I’ll take that as my sign to hop off,” Hudson announces. “If Daisy’s coming with you to New York, send me any tech requirements.”

“For what?”

Daisy’s setting our lunch on the kitchen table, but she’s clearly intrigued by his comment.

“Wi-Fi speed. Anything else.”

I catch Daisy’s eye, wink, and simply say, “You got it, boss. You still in NC?”

“I am. It’s a good base. Rhodes and Sydney are building down here.”

“Seriously? That moved fast.”

Of course, as I say it, I recognize that a guy like Rhodes collects properties the way I collect handguns. “Maybe after we finish the assignment in New York, Daisy and I will camp out down there.”

“Ah, I don’t camp,” Daisy says.

“I didn’t mean literally, princess. I meant, like stay temporarily. Check out the area. You might like Asheville better than the Highlands, where these guys are. End of August, September, it’s a great time to be there.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for rentals; in case you want a bigger place.” Hudson’s right, the rental I snagged is a small one-bedroom. It’s not like Daisy’s picky, but she might appreciate a little more space. “You guys have a good lunch,” Hudson says. “Speak shortly.”