The Sassy One

But she wasn’t going to like it too much, she told herself. Because Sam could still get tired of her and send her away.



They rounded a corner just as a huge man stepped out of his office. He was tall, with massive shoulders and dark skin. His head was shaved. He was like old and everything, maybe even over thirty, but he was gorgeous.



“Hey, boss.”



“Jason.” Sam put his hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “This is my daughter. Kelly, Jason Carlton. He runs several special security operations for our most demanding clients.”



Jason grimaced. “What your dad means is he puts me in charge of the crabby rich people.”



Kelly giggled.



Jason winked. “So you’re giving her the grand tour, Sam? You show her the gadgets?”



Sam shook his head. “Kelly is already dangerous enough without her learning how to use a gun.”



Kelly was about to say she wasn’t sure she wanted to learn how to use a gun when Jason sighed.



“Not that kind of stuff. The other things. Infrared, night-vision goggles.”



Sam glanced at her. “Would you like to see that?”



Kelly wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it sounded fun. She nodded eagerly.



Sam glanced at his watch. “I have a call coming in from Germany in a few minutes, but maybe after that—”



“Don’t sweat it, boss,” Jason said cheerfully. “I’ve got the Johnsons’ African safari all planned. I’ll take Kelly through the playground.”



Sam hesitated. “All right, but keep her away from anything dangerous. I don’t want her taking me out in my sleep.”



Kelly watched him walk away. She was pretty sure her dad had been kidding, but not a hundred percent. Didn’t Sam trust her? She sighed. Tanya never had.



Before she could think about that too much or get sad, Jason lead the way to the rear of the office. They stepped through a set of double doors and into a mock street with buildings on both sides. There was a huge locked cabinet against the wall by the door. Jason pressed his thumb against a small glass square, and the doors swung open. He dug around and came up with an assortment of goggles, head gear, weapon-looking devices, and small discs he tucked into his pocket.



“Just so you don’t get any ideas about breaking in on your own, kid,” he said as he closed the doors and motioned her forward. “Give it a try.”



She glanced at him, then at the small glass square. “Will it hurt?” she asked.



He grinned. “Not even a little. Suck it up, little girl.”



Hesitantly she pressed her thumb to the glass. A female computer voice announced, “You are not authorized to open this unit. If you attempt to gain access, an alarm will sound. Please return to the front office immediately for processing.”



“Cool,” Kelly breathed.



“Isn’t it? So don’t be thinking you can bring your friends over and impress them.”



“I won’t.”



“Good.” He set a pair of goggles on her head. “We’re going to night vision first, then we’ll do infrared.”



He handed her a long rifle-looking gun thing. It was big and really lightweight.



“These only work on targets,” he told her as he pulled on his own goggles. “We program them, depending on the training session.” He showed her a small pad in the butt of the weapon. “They fire a burst of light that’s picked up by the sensors on the target.” He grinned. “Ever play paint ball?”



She shook her head.



“After this game, you’ll be an expert.”



Francesca, Brenna, and their brother sat at a table, ignoring the food they’d ordered. Joe pushed around the French fries on his plate.



“My adopted parents died when I was twelve,” he said. “It was a car accident. I’d been spending the night with a friend, or I would have been with them. They didn’t have any relatives, so I got shoved into the foster-care system.”



His dark eyes no longer sparkled with humor. Francesca leaned toward him. “But if you knew you were adopted, why didn’t you tell someone? Wouldn’t they have tried to get in touch with your family?”



“I’d already been given up once. Why would I think anyone had changed their mind?”



“Is that why you didn’t try to find your birth parents?” Brenna asked.



He shrugged. “I’ve been meaning to go to one of those registries. I figured I could leave the information there. If someone was looking, they would find me.”



The simple statements told Francesca a lot. Joe was willing to give them a second chance. He’d listened while they’d told him the circumstances of his birth and how desperately their parents wanted to meet him. That had to count for something.



“We’ve found you,” Brenna said, swiping a French fry from his plate. “Now what?”



“You tell me.”



Brenna shrugged. “You should come get to know your family.”



“The Navy is my family now.”



“Actually there are three generations of Marcellis dying to get to know you,” Brenna told him.



“Uh-huh.”



Joe didn’t look real impressed. Francesca turned her attention to her twin. Brenna had the most to lose if the long-lost Marcelli heir made an appearance, yet she was the one who had clicked with Joe.



“Scared?” Brenna challenged.



Joe didn’t bother answering. He leveled his steady gaze on her and didn’t blink.



Brenna only smiled. “Going to threaten me with a really big knife?”



“I don’t need props.”



“You don’t intimidate me, Joe. But I think we terrify you. I think you’re finally looking at the one thing you’ve wanted all your life. So why would you walk away from it? Your parents, our parents, want to get to know you. Is that so terrible?” Brenna shrugged. “Then there’s the matter of the inheritance.”



Francesca stared at her. “What are you doing?”



“He’s going to find out about it eventually.”



Francesca recognized the pain in her sister’s eyes and suddenly understood Brenna’s plan. Her twin wanted to know if Joe was going to be interested. She would rather know now than wait and wonder. Brenna had always been the gutsiest of the Marcelli sisters.



Joe leaned back in his seat. “What inheritance?”



“Ever hear of Marcelli Wines?” Brenna asked.



“Maybe.” He frowned. “Same Marcellis?”



“You got it. Just pictures acres and acres of vineyards, one traditional grandfather who owns it all, and four sisters. Not a male heir in sight. Until now.”



Joe’s expression didn’t change. “You’re shitting me.”



“Nope. You just won the jackpot.”



His mouth curved into a slow grin. “How much is it all worth?”



Brenna swallowed. Francesca felt her pain and it tore at her.



“About forty million. Think you might make your way north for a visit now?”



“Sure. Hell, I’d visit for two million.”



“As long as we know you can be bought.”



Joe’s grin never faded. “Every man has a price. Every woman, too.”



“Mine’s only a million,” Brenna said.



“What about her?” He pointed at Francesca.



Brenna shook her head. “She has principles.”



Joe’s gaze settled on Francesca’s face. “Money’s a whole lot more dependable. Speaking of which…” He slapped a twenty on the table. “I have to get back to work.”



“Out to kill and maim?” Brenna asked.



He smiled. “Yeah. That’s just how I spend my day.”



They all rose. Francesca scribbled the house number on a piece of paper. “Please call.”



He took the number and stared at it. “Sure.” He studied them both. “Nice meeting you.”



“You, too, Joe,” Francesca said.



He turned and walked away.



Francesca watched him go. “He’s not what I expected.”



“Me, either. The hell of it is, I sort of like him. Except for him wanting the money, which I don’t like but I understand.”



“Me, too. Think he’ll call?”



Brenna picked up her purse. “In a heartbeat. Wouldn’t you?”



Francesca touched her arm. “I know you’re not okay. Is there anything I can do to help?”



Brenna blinked several times. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I’ll get over it. Just give me a few days. I need to come up with a plan or something.”



Getting over the possibility of losing everything she’d ever wanted? Francesca knew it was going to take a whole lot longer than a few days.



“It was so cool, Gabriel,” Kelly breathed as she sat on her great-grandfather’s desk and clutched a can of soda. “There were these terrorists and they had hostages and we caught them and everything. I had a sixty percent kill rate.”



Gabriel glanced at Jason. “Are you sure Sam is going to approve of this?”



The large man shrugged. “She had fun. She’s good, too. Must be in the genes.” He winked at her. “You’re turning into a Daddy’s girl, huh?”



Kelly had never had a father before, so she wasn’t sure what was involved with being a Daddy’s girl, but she liked the sound of it.



“I’m glad you had a good time,” Gabriel said.



His phone rang. As he picked up the receiver, Kelly slid off the desk. She started to leave the office, but before she could go, he waved her back. When she stepped close, he put his arm around her, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead.



Kelly walked out into the hallway. Wow. Gabriel had just acted like he really liked her. That had to be good, right?



“What do you have planned for the rest of the afternoon?” Jason asked.



“I don’t know. I’m staying here until my dad’s ready to go home.”



“Then why don’t you come with me. I have to run an errand, and I could use some help.”



“Sure.”



She followed him into Sam’s office. Her dad was on the phone, too. She thought security was about being a bodyguard, but a bunch of it was just talking on the phone.



Jason made an unlocking motion. Sam reached into the top of his desk and drew out a key attached to a bright blue key ring. A plastic disk hanging down was printed with the words SECURE FILE.



Jason led the way into the supply room. He unlocked the file cabinet with the key. Inside were various forms along with a small metal box.



Jason motioned to the paperwork. “Top secret,” he said in a low voice, then opened the box. Inside were a stack of bills. He took several twenties and closed the box.



“You keep cash around here?” she asked.



“Sure. There’s always an emergency stash in case someone has to leave the country and the bank’s not open. Plus there’s petty cash for things like birthday parties.”



He paused expectantly.



She stared at him. “Who’s having a birthday?”



Jason locked the cabinet, then put his hand on her shoulder. “Your dad, Kelly. His birthday’s in a week. I’d like you to help me pick out a cake. We have to choose the lunch menu, too. We’re having food brought in. Sam hates the fuss, which is one of the reasons I like to do it.”



Jason was grinning and Kelly tried to smile back at him, but inside she felt kind of weird. It was her dad’s birthday and she hadn’t known. What if she’d missed it? He would get really mad.



She would have to get him a really cool present, she thought as she followed Jason out of the building. But what? And how? He’d canceled her credit card, and she didn’t have any money. She would have to think of something and soon.