CHAPTER 8
Jane’s urge to “stand up for what was right” had taken on even greater urgency since Mr. Dawes had so rudely hung up on her the previous night. Since Allison had a car and a free pass to the man’s workplace, the next step was obvious.
Unfortunately, due to Saturday-night-party traffic plus an accident that seemed to block every box on the Manhattan grid, Jane had to stew over her boss’s blackheartedness for even longer than expected. The backseat of Allison’s car was packed with Cecily plus an entire wardrobe for a fashion shoot, so the puppy (with puppy hair all over it, natch)—and the puppy pads and the puppy food and the puppy bed (also with puppy hair all over it)—were in the front passenger seat on top of Jane. The adorable puppy squirming in her arms in the midst of this mess was managing to keep her from prematurely losing her mind about Mr. Dawes’s behavior; that said, Jane was composing her speech, and she was not in a good mood.
Conversely, Ally was in a fantastic mood. After Jane had explained the situation to Cecily and Ally, and insisted that Ally drive her and the puppy to the place where Mr. Dawes was staying—some Armory Hotel, or whatever—Cecily and Ally had a massive disagreement.
Allison seemed almost . . . ebullient, positively giddy about the notion of Jane bringing an unruly puppy to his neglectful asshole father. Ally wasn’t really the giddy type, so that should have been a clue.
On the opposite side of the Confront Nick Dawes Debate, Cecily kept arguing that this was a really bad idea, because the men would be working on some Russian project that shouldn’t be interrupted, but in the end Allison said, “I am absolutely going to drive Jane to the Armory so she can drop a poorly trained puppy on Nick. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do more. And, mind you, Barneys Warehouse sale is today.”
Cecily tried to whisper something about keeping things secret and “appropriateness” and “not a good idea.”
“Cece,” Jane interrupted. “I understand that you have a different relationship with Shane’s work group than Ally does.” (Ally parroted the words “work group” and started giggling. Giggling!) “But this is unconscionable, and I need to set things straight with Mr. Dawes.” (Ally muttered, “Mr. Dawes,” and giggled some more.) “He needs to take responsibility for his actions. Being lucky in life does not give you license to be a total dick, and I think it’s time someone gave it to him straight.”
This comment made Allison even more gleeful and Cecily even more agitated.
“I think you’ve got the wrong idea about him. I don’t know him as well as Ally . . . well, I haven’t known him as long as Ally, and I’ll admit that he’s not making a great impression, but he’s in . . . a bit of a bind,” Cecily said. “I mean, he’s got a lot on his mind. There’s some intense stuff going down at work.” She looked at Ally and grimaced. “Nick is going to have to be more specific.”
Jane thought it strange that Cecily could look so nervous and strained while Ally was laughing her ass off, but an abandoned puppy was an abandoned puppy, and she was going to have words about it. “Sorry, Cece, but either Ally takes me, or I walk off the job and his fish die.”
“Holy shit, go right for the gut, why don’t you?” Cecily said. “Fine, but I’m coming too. I’m just thinking that I don’t quite know why we’re going to DEFCON 5 already. I mean, we don’t have go to the Armory. We can call him.”
“I tried that,” Jane said. “He did not respond in an appropriate manner.”
Cecily looked at her suspiciously. “Is there another reason you want to go see Nick right now?”
Jane stared at her, surprised. “What other reason would there be?”
“You tell me.”
Ally’d stopped laughing and was studying Jane’s face.
“You’re making me blush, and I don’t even know why,” Jane mumbled, ducking down and hiding the red in a flurry of puppy-organizing activity.
“For a guy you don’t know that well, you’re jumping to conclusions. It seems pretty drastic to go to his hideout,” Cecily said.
“A puppy, Cecily!” Jane said indignantly. “And it was just an idea, not even a suggestion, which Ally turned into a . . . into a . . . situation.”
Ally and Cecily looked at each other. “She’s blaming me,” Ally said. And then Cecily said, “Let’s get in the car.”
Which was how they all ended up at a fortified military installation that looked like a castle sitting in the middle of Manhattan. Not the “Armory Hotel” but an actual, massive secret war compound called the “Armory.”
Dex had one monitor in the war room set up to show all the Armory’s exits. It was not typical for a vehicle unconnected to the Hudson Kings to approach the Armory gates. So, when the car came into view, everybody in the room stopped and looked.
Nick had to peer a little closer to make out the clusterfuck showing on the cam. It looked like three women and a . . . dog?
Not just any three women. “Ally,” Missy said, her voice a mix of hope and horror. “Ally and Cece are here, and they actually brought someone.” Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t just show up with strangers here! You can’t just stop by a mercenary-team compound with, like, a pie or a dog or whatever you please.” She was the first out the door.
Shane looked concerned as he followed. “Not like Cece. Bet you this one’s on Ally.”
Nick stared at the screen, recognizing the curvy shape of the third woman struggling with what just had to be the dog she’d been complaining about. And even though he was having a really shitty day, because today wasn’t the day people stopped trying to kill him, he looked at the girl, he looked at the dog . . . and he smiled.