The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy (35 page)

Damn, I was never going to hear the end of this but she’d worked so hard so lying was out of the question. “I’ll deny it if you tell anyone!”

She giggled before plopping down in one of the chairs in front of my desk. “If you slide your hand across the top of the desk you will find the surface intriguing.”

Shaking my head I did as I was told. The entire surface lit up. The far left corner contained continuous security feeds from throughout the building. The text nearest me kept me updated on ongoing projects and well hell there was just so much going on that I could hardly believe it. Everything could be moved around with a simple touch of my hand. “Wow...” That was about all I was able to say about the whole thing.

“So from your expression I take I’ve done well?”

Done well? Holy shit this was beyond anything I’d ever dreamt of. Don’t get me wrong I knew the technology was there but I’d never thought to apply it like this. “That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.”

Kira glowed with pride as she took it all in. “So it’ll be our little secret that you like this sort of thing!”

Like I said I’ll never hear the end of this. “God forbid I actually develop some taste!”

“Absolutely!” Kira agreed.

It was good to see her so very happy. This project had been a tough one for her. She’d taken a gutted building and turned it into the modern headquarters we so desperately needed, which I hadn’t realized just how much until it was forced upon me. The fact that we were now able to use the more advanced research and development teams on the premises and have a small manufacturing plant on the far side of the building was not only convenient but ingenious. I’m sure every father feels this way but I was sure that I had the most wonderful daughter ever.

“I have to ask. When are you going to have that talk with your mother?” I must have I hit my head harder than I thought because that’s the second time in less than twelve hours I’d said the exact wrong thing.

Her face went blank and she slumped in her seat. “Damn, and things were going so well!” Leaning back in her seat she smiled weakly. “I dunno... Soon I suppose but god can’t we just keep her in the dark? She’s such a bitch sometimes! How in the hell did you ever get hooked up with her in the first place.”

She knew just how to push my buttons. “Well the one good thing about being with your mother was you, so the rest of it was a trade off.”

Kira laughed. “That’s right, deflect while complimenting me. Seriously though I got a feeling there’s more to it than that.”

Now we were entering dangerous territory about who her mother really is, and I had no intentions of filling her in. That was Katherine’s job “Why don’t we let that dog sleep till this whole thing is over. That way she can tell you her side of things.” Now that I thought about it I knew a way she could fess up and not feel like the bad guy. “Why don’t you wait to break the news about your alternative lifestyle until we have that discussion.”

Kira nearly fell out of her chair laughing. “OMG, you’re the only person I know that would call having good taste, a steady girlfriend and a nice car an ‘alternative’ lifestyle!”

She pulled herself together and came over to give me a quick peck on the cheek. “Get settled in here and I’ll be just down the hall. Call me if you need anything alright?”

“Sure thing. Hey is there anything else in here I need to know about... You know like the desk?”

She giggled. “Boys and their toys!” Giving me a wink to let me know she hadn’t told me everything before she walked out the door leaving me alone to explore the place.

My stomach had been rumbling since breakfast which consisted of a chewy bagel and orange juice. YUM! It was nearly noon and I needed something decent to eat. I pulled my new cell I’d received from Justine when I picked up my keycard and other pertinent items out of my pocket. Opening the screen with a swipe of my finger and hit the quick dial for Gregory’s number. “I’m glad you called.” He sounded tired.

“Yeah? You got something new?” I asked.

“Nothing substantial yet but I would like to meet you for lunch.” He hesitated for a moment. “I heard you moved into your new office today. Everything alright?”

I stood up and slowly walked the length of the room trying to take in all the details as I went along. The shelves were lined with ancient leather tomes which I couldn’t have fit into my old office. The bar was stocked with every high end whiskey currently being produced meaning Kira had really taken the time to think of the smallest details. Don’t get me wrong there were a few other types of alcohol on the shelves but mostly for show or maybe guests.

“Yeah it would seem my old building had a gas leak.” I hated lying to him but if he knew the truth there would be too many questions to answer. “We were planning on moving in a few months anyway.” Trying to dismiss the situation. “This just helped us make the decision to move a little earlier than anticipated.”

Pulling the phone away from my ear I checked to make sure that I was still connected as the utter silence was more than a little disturbing. “I see... You were out of the office when it happened?” Damn he was way too smart for his own good. He clearly suspected something else was going on. “I heard that the explosion was centered somewhere near your office.”

“If I weren’t I doubt seriously we’d be talking right now.” I forced a laugh as I tried to downplay the whole situation. “Besides what does it matter anyway?” I said trying to get to the heart of the matter. “The only thing that got hurt was my wallet.”

He made one of those noises that meant he clearly didn’t believe a word I was saying. “There was a witness that spotted a man who was badly wounded falling out of your office window.” He cleared his throat and excused himself. “I’d hate to think that someone was trying to kill you right in the middle of our investigation. That’d be bad for business.”

Stopping at the refridgerator I opened it to find it fully stocked with everything I didn’t want. “So you’re concerned about me. How sweet!”

“Bite me! I need you around to help me put this thing to bed once and for all! I am out of my depth here and so is everyone else.” He hesitated. “I found some files at Smith’s I think may be important and I’d like you to review them before they get tied up in the chain of custody.”

It occurred to me suddenly that I was just a few blocks away from several of the cities more interesting restaurants. “I see. How about meeting me at Miyako’s for lunch?”

“I don’t know the place.” Gregory noted. “But I can find it. When do you want to meet?”

“It’s easy enough to find, about a block away from my new building and right across the street from the Irish House in the same parking lot as that ugly Office Depot.” I explained. “I can walk down there shortly... let’s say thirty minutes?”

“Sounds good, meet you there.” Gregory hung up the phone.

I stuck my head out the office door and saw Kira at her desk. “Is it alright if I go out and play?” I smirked as she glared at me. “You have had me under constant supervision since yesterday so I was wondering if it was alright if I went out to get some lunch?”

“Where are you going?” She asked with annoyance creeping up in her voice.

“Miyako’s! Do you want to join me and Gregory?” I asked. Miyako’s was one of her favorite places to eat and I already knew the answer would be yes.

She looked at me straight faced. “I think you will need to remain under a doctor’s supervision for at least another couple of hours.” She stood up grabbing her purse out of one of the lower desk drawers. “What time is lunch?” She stepped forward and looked at me curiously. “Yeah, you’re not looking so good. As your doctor I will have to go with you.”

“I see, its a good thing that you’re a qualified medical doctor, as well as my daughter.” I waved my hand at her as if demonstrating her magnanimousness. “I am so fortunate to have a daughter willing to sacrifice her time to eat lunch with her father and his friend.”

“I am glad you are finally understanding how much I do for you!” She gave me a smile before pulling out a compact to put on some lip gloss. “You should consider showing your gratitude in a more substantial way.” She put her hand on her hip as she gave it some considerable thought. “Perhaps a shopping spree?”

“If I said yes to that we would both know I was still suffering a head injury.” I laughed. “Try and be happy with your new house, amazing car and lunch.”

“Damn, I was hoping you were still a little groggy from the anesthesia.” She turned crimson while shifting uncomfortably. “Maybe next time I will just use your credit cards while you’re unconscious.”

“Maybe next time they won’t be burned to a crisp.” I snickered. “Otherwise I am sure you would’ve already tried.”

“I was a little preoccupied taking care of you to worry about checking your pockets!” She said indignantly. “Besides they were a bit of a mess, melted like they were and lets not mention all the blood.”

Wow, I couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not! “I suppose those two things would put a damper on things.”

Reaching inside the desk drawer she produced one of the companies plumb American Express credit cards and handed it to me. “You’re going to need this.”

Pocketing the card quickly I smiled. “Thanks.”

Taking the stairs down was a little tougher than they were coming up as each step coupled with gravity gave me a reminder that my wounds were still fresh.

“When were you going to tell me.” I casually nodded at Justine as we passed her smiling face. Opening the door for Kira to pass through first may have been a mistake. I felt the stitches in my chest pull tight. “It is a little embarrassing to have mini Kylie Minogue there eying me like I was candy.”

“Oh that...” Kira nearly laughed herself to tears before we made it to the gate. “That’s something I have been meaning to tell you about for a while now.” Her laughter was attracting attention from passersby. They probably thought she’d already had a few cocktails in her.

“She’s the only one who is willing to put up with your shit for more than a month without demanding combat pay!” She tried to explain between giggling fits. “She is so your type! So I hired her for the job. Considering she had the highest scores in her tests for the last several years it was hard to believe she had a crush on you of all people!”

“First of all, what the shit Kira?” Yeah I watch too much Archer but seriously he has a point when he said things like that. “Secondly is it that hard for you to believe someone would find me attractive?” I was almost as embarrassed as I was offended by the whole conversation. “Besides I don’t need my daughter of all people meddling in my love life!”

“So you’re going to go with ‘love life’ and not ‘sex life’!” She said indignantly.

“Oh for christ’s sake!” I was feeling a little light headed at this point as the blood rushed to my face.

“Fine! When’s the last time you were on a date?” She growled as she stabbed her high heeled shoe into the concrete as she turned on me. “That wasn’t with mother?”

“That’s none of your business!” I said trying to defend myself. “I go out!” My indignant attitude was quickly fading away as words were failing me. “Well, I could go out if I wanted!”

“Exactly my point!” Kira looked as if she’d just won the county fair as she continued on to our destination. “For gods sake dad, I am twenty eight years old!” She threw up her hands while trying to make a point. “Your random booty call with mom doesn’t exactly take the edge off of your attitude for long.”

That was a slap to the face. Damn she’d learned to fight way too well from her mother. “What the hell? Seriously? Holy shit, I don’t want to discuss this with you!”

“What? You don’t want to hear from your doctor that you need to get laid once in awhile?” Kira blushed as she said it but continued. “Look I am not exactly comfortable with this subject either. The fact is you need a girlfriend!” She shook her head as she continued. “Justine’s a good girl and maybe you should see what happens.”

“Oh dear god please stop! I already set up a date with the girl.” I felt my cheeks burning as my head swam. Lesson here is don’t get all emotionally riled up after serious blood loss. “I will see what happens, but please let’s do us both a favor and never have this conversation again!”

Kira shrugged as she turned the corner and up the sidewalk to Miyako’s. As I stepped ahead of her and opened the doors she leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “This isn’t any easier for me than it is for you! I just want you to be happy.” She shrugged as she went by. “You haven’t been happy in a long time. Not completely anyway.”

Handing the elderly hostess a hundred dollar bill and asking for the hibachi table furthest away from the other patrons would ensure our conversation didn’t make the other customers too uncomfortable. Pulling out my company credit card I asked her to charge me for a dozen plates of surf and turf to go for the office personnel, which she kindly offered to deliver while we had our meeting at the table. Gregory showed up twenty minutes later carrying several files confiscated from Smith’s home, which would thankfully end any chance of my earlier conversation with Kira to come back and haunt me for at least an hour or two.

Shifting my weight from side to side as I tried to make myself comfortable in the new chair I found myself longing for the comfort of my old one that Kira had described as lumpy. I thought of it more akin to well positioned padding in all the right places. The discomfort made it hard to concentrate on the files Gregory left me at our lunch meeting, and I was still waiting for the remaining files to be uploaded to one of the cloud drives. This was going to be a very long and drawn out process having to go through the mountains of paperwork.