Chapter 10
Knox watched Rowan install the last of four cameras in one of the small private dining rooms of The Mandeville. "Isn't this overkill?"
Rowan's eyebrows hiked. "The cameras?"
"Yeah. Isn't four a bit much?" They absolutely needed to know what Kendall had to say to Drakos at their breakfast meeting this morning , but wouldn't one listening device on the table suffice?
Rowan didn't look offended. "Jason said he talked to someone at the FBI.
Apparently, they know of Kendall, but they don't have much on him.
So, Jason thought if we got video of him revealing some personal information, that could be helpful to the FBI at some point.
" He shrugged. "Besides, it's something to do.
We don't have anything else to work on this morning. "
Nothing else to do? Knox would rather be eating brunch with Allie this morning than babysitting Rowan while he installed cameras. The dining room wasn't open for breakfast, but Knox was supposed to ensure no one wandered in and observed Rowan decorating the place with his surveillance equipment.
He pondered what Rowan said. Yeah, Jason had a point.
Maybe Kendall would slip up and blurt out something helpful.
He wished Rowan would hurry up, but he could see the wisdom in this chore.
Last night's bombing was proof that they'd been two steps behind Byron since they got to Isadora Island.
Anything they could do to gain an edge was a good idea.
Rowan fiddled with the floral centerpiece on the table Drakos selected for the breakfast meeting.
"What's with the flowers?" Knox asked.
"Microphone," Rowan answered. He pointed to the arrangement of flowers, but the device was so well hidden Knox couldn't spot it.
"Nice job," Knox said.
Rowan's head snapped up with so much surprise at the compliment that Knox felt guilty. A compliment from me shouldn't shock him. Am I really a jerk to him that much?
Knox decided not to answer his own question. But he did decide he owed Rowan an apology. For last night. "Hey, by the way, about last night . . ."
Rowan looked like he wasn't sure he wanted to hear what Knox was going to say.
Knox cleared his throat. "Listen, Rowan, the reason I yelled is because I'm protective of Allie. She's been self-conscious about that bullet wound you were staring at, so I went off."
"So, it is a bullet wound?"
Knox nodded. "You don't need to know the details, but it happened during an operation three months ago."
All color drained from Rowan's face. "I . . . I didn't know." He sank into one of the dining chairs. "Man, this . . . this job is more dangerous than I thought."
Wow. The fear on Rowan's face surprised him.
Rowan bit his lower lip. "I mean, I kinda figured that out last time I was here on Isadora with you and Jason, but I thought what happened then was abnormal." Squeaky panic rushed into his voice. "Do WhiteRock personnel always get shot on missions? I'm just a tech guy. I just—"
"Hey, slow down." He pulled up a chair and sat across from Rowan.
"First of all, we all have our roles, and yours is definitely tech.
We will never plan for you to be in the line of fire.
But, like on the beach last night, sometimes we don't see the danger coming until the last second.
If you'd come down to the beach to eat pizza with us last night—"
Rowan's eyes bulged from their sockets.
Oh man, I am not doing this well. God, please help me. Give me the words he needs to hear.
"Let me start over." Knox scratched the back of his head.
"To answer your question, no, WhiteRock personnel do not get shot on every mission.
" He lowered his voice. And hoped Rowan heard the sincerity in his words.
"But there will always be a risk of danger.
And if that bothers you too much, there's no shame in finding safer employment. "
Nervous confusion ran circles on Rowan's face.
Knox leaned forward, his forearms on his knees, and locked eyes with Rowan.
"I know I give you a hard time sometimes, but honestly, man to man, I hope you decide to stay with WhiteRock.
You're a genius with the tech stuff. Jason, Allie, and I don't have those skills, and I certainly don't have the patience to do what you do.
I know it's scary sometimes, but what we do is important.
We help people. We track down bad guys. We keep people safe.
And we couldn't do those things as well without you. "
Rowan's face flushed. He fidgeted with the hem of his Star Wars t-shirt. "I want to help." He lifted one shoulder. "I just always pictured myself as that guy in the movies, safely back at headquarters saving the world from his computer. I never wanted to do the macho fighting, shooting stuff."
"No one is asking you to. And I give you my word, Jason, Allie, and I will do everything we can to keep you safe from the action.
But I wanted to be honest with you about the reality of this business, because I get the impression WhiteRock hasn't done a good job making you aware of the risks.
I'm sorry about that. And I apologize for not realizing it sooner. "
"Okay. I'll think about that."
Knox suddenly realized how much he wanted Rowan to stay with WhiteRock.
He'd worked with several 'tech guys' over the years.
And while Rowan was immature at times—annoyingly so—Knox appreciated his exceptional skill level beyond anyone else he'd ever worked with.
And deep down, he had a soft spot for the kid.
He didn't dislike him as much as Rowan probably assumed he did. He probably needed to work on that.
Rowan was staring at the unraveling hem of his shirt.
Knox waved a hand in front of the kid's face until Rowan looked up. "I meant what I said about wanting you to stay with WhiteRock. Don't make any hasty decisions. We need you. But I don't want you to feel shocked when things get dangerous."
"Okay."
"And if you do find yourself in a dangerous situation, just don't panic. Keep your head. You've got a brain bigger than most of us. You can find a way to stay safe until Jason, Allie, and I show up with all our macho skills."
He grinned at that. "Uh huh." He cocked his head. "So, you said you're protective of Allie. Are you two . . . like a thing, or something?"
Knox pursed his lips. He wasn't about to start talking about feelings with Rowan. But it might be a good idea if the kid had a clue about what was going on between Allie and Knox—not that Knox was even sure.
"A thing? Let me put it this way, I'm not putting a label on it, but yeah, there's something. Something significant." He narrowed his eyes at Rowan with a subtle grin. "And exclusive."
Rowan threw up both hands. "Hey man, I wasn't flirting with her."
"Yes, you were." Knox chuckled. "Forget it." He waved his hand toward the table. "You done setting up?"
"Um, yeah. We're good."
"Excellent. Let's get out of here before they start prepping for the breakfast crowd."
Knox didn't feel small often. He was no giant at six feet tall, but he was stronger and more fit than most men. He ran fast, fought with precision, and rarely felt intimidated.
But when Kendall walked into the main dining room of The Mandeville Hotel, the man's size demanded respect.
At least an inch over seven feet of bulging muscle, he lumbered over to Drakos like a muscular dinosaur sniffing out his next meal.
The only thing Knox felt confident about was that he could outrun the behemoth if need be.
He wouldn't arm wrestle the brawny giant.
Knox sat at a table for two with an adequate view of the table Drakos selected for the breakfast meeting with Kendall.
He wore a black wig and wire-rim glasses.
Jason had decided at least two members of the team should be positioned in the room in case of emergency, so Allie sat across from him wearing a short brown wig and glasses.
They'd obviously been targeted by the bomber the night before, so they assumed Byron knew who they were and what they looked like.
Kendall had come alone as far as they could see. But Rafael or any of the other goons could be in the lobby or nearby.
Rowan and Jason were observing the meeting from Room 336 via Rowan's surveillance setup.
Knox and Allie browsed the menu while discreetly observing Kendall's meeting with occasional furtive glances and earpieces tuned to the microphone concealed in the flowers.
"Stop scratching your head," Allie said, eyes on her menu. "That wig isn't attached with superglue. If it falls off, you're going to call attention to yourself."
"Yes, ma'am." Knox swallowed a complaint about how itchy the wig was. Note to self, find some non-itchy wigs for undercover work.
Allie's eyes flicked to Kendall sitting a few feet away. "Big guy. I think his mass is testing the integrity of that chair."
"No kidding." They could hear every word of the men's conversation through their earpieces, but so far that mainly consisted of Drakos asking the waiter to bring particular appetizers and drinks to the table.
Knox turned the page of his menu. "By the way, to make this look convincing, we have to order something. "
"Always looking for an excuse to enjoy The Mandeville's culinary offerings, aren't you?"
"Is that your polite way of saying I'm always thinking about food?"
The conversation mutually halted when they heard Kendall say, "Well, Drakos, I take it you've decided to reconsider our offer to purchase The Mandeville?"
Drakos's cool response came between gulps of iced tea. "What gave you that impression?"
"What am I doing here, then? You're too smart a businessman to waste my time. Why did you accept my invitation to meet?"
Jason and Knox had spent a few minutes that morning coaching Drakos on what to say and not say. Knox prayed Drakos would keep to the plan.
"I may be reconsidering your offer," Drakos said. "But I have some questions."
"What's on your mind?"
"Are you responsible for the blood on my suit?"
Silence sat between them for two beats. "Blood on your suit?" Knox heard a smile in Kendall's voice. "That sounds distasteful. Why would I have anything to do with that?"
Drakos huffed. "It was purposefully poured onto the suit I wore to our last meeting. I took it as a threat."
The silence returned. Knox couldn't wait to watch the video later to see Kendall's expression during these pauses.
"Well, like I said, you're a smart businessman. I'm sure you know how to handle a message like that."
A waiter's presence interrupted the men's conversation while he refilled their tea glasses.
Allie looked up. "He sounds cocky."
"Yep. And that conniving tone is proof enough that he sent that threat."
Another waiter appeared at Knox and Allie's table. "Would you like to order?"
"Yes, we would." Knox motioned for Allie to order first.
She chose a vegetable omelet with a side of fresh fruit.
Knox ordered waffles. And bacon. And scrambled eggs.
The waiter left and Knox returned his concentration to Drakos's comments, already in progress.
" . . . don't appreciate being threatened. If you want to negotiate, then let's negotiate. Offer a higher price."
Knox noticed Kendall take a bite of a mini quiche. It wasn't the first time the hulking man purposefully paused before answering Drakos's questions. He wasn't floundering for a response. He used the silence to assert his control over the conversation.
Kendall wiped his mouth with a napkin. "My employer is only offering to purchase The Mandeville because it's . . . more tidy than simply taking it. But don't assume he's above forcing your hand."
"Is that what the bomb last night was supposed to be? You trying to kill my security team—that's supposed to force me to sell?"
Another long pause. Kendall ate two more mini quiches. "These things are quite delicious." Knox watched him circle his hand in the air. "This place is exquisite. No one wants any harm to come to your resort. Or your staff. Or your guests. Unless absolutely necessary."
"I told you. I don't like being threatened."
Kendall chuckled. "No one likes being threatened Drakos.
" He took a sip of his tea. "Like I said, acquisitions like this one are much easier as a simple purchase.
No more threats. No one has to get hurt.
But this friend of my boss," he paused to take another sip, "he has a talent for assembling these little toys like the one on your beach last night. "
"A friend?"
"Yes. My boss has asked this friend to make more of those toys in case you need further convincing to sell."
Knox stilled. And met Allie's gaze. She kept her cover well, but he saw alarm bubbling behind her tight smile at the implication of more bombs.
Drakos inserted his own pause this time. "Your offer was too low. Go back to your boss. Tell him if he raises the offer by thirty percent, I'll sell. No threats needed."
"He won't go for thirty percent. But I'll tell him you're interested in a counteroffer.
He might consider something. He doesn't want to hurt your buildings or your business.
He wants to enjoy this paradise after it's his without having to rebuild.
" Kendall heaved his massive form into a standing position and tossed his napkin on the table.
"Unless you have any other questions, I'll relay your message to my employer. "
"See that you do."
Kendall's deep chuckle vibrated through Knox's earpiece. "Thank you for your hospitality. I look forward to many meals at The Mandeville."
Kendall tromped past their table as he exited the dining room.
Allie looked at Knox through her fake glasses. The determination on her face was stronger than the fear in her eyes. "He's not bluffing."
"I know."
The waiter brought their food, but neither of them had much of an appetite.