18. Tyson

18

TYSON

Amari shows up for our meeting wearing sunglasses and a sun hat. A decent enough disguise considering we're on the streets of downtown LA.

She slides into the chair of the table I've chosen. The café itself, she chose. Some Starbucks knockoff that charges seven bucks for a cup of coffee I can make better—and cheaper—at home.

An aspiring designer in the industry, I get it's the domain she knows. Making her come out to see me when I was the one who requested to meet would be inconsiderate.

"Thanks for meeting," I say.

She cuts furtive glances around us. "No prob. But you know I'm not supposed to."

"The label?"

"If Tommy knew I was meeting you…"

"And we always care what Tommy thinks."

She reaches up to lower her shades enough so that I can see the defiant glimmer in her dark eyes and the way her brows arch. "Trust me, I don't give a damn what Tommy Tocha thinks—or I wouldn't if he couldn't blacklist me and my sister."

"He's too powerful. We can both agree on that. Thirsty?"

"Caramel macchiato with almond milk."

I give a nod. "Coming right up."

I get up and head inside the small café to order our coffees. A couple minutes later, I return to Amari texting on her phone. Setting her coffee down in front of her, I take my seat and think about the approach I'll use.

"You've probably heard," I say. "About what happened."

"You mean London? Yeah, I heard. That's what I get for not going with K. Old habits."

"What old habits?"

Amari sighs and curls her fingers around the cup of her caramel macchiato. "I love my twin. I really do. But K has a habit of seeking out the closest guy around whenever she and Shawn break up. She does it thinking it'll help her move on. You know, get under someone new to get over someone old."

Jealousy knots inside my chest. I make a grunt sound as I reach for my black coffee in distraction.

A habit of Kiana's to seek out flings after breaking up with Shawn?

She hadn't mentioned a word of that to me. Our time together had been the opposite—sure, it was short and fun like a fling, but there was depth there.

Sincerity.

Had I read the situation wrong?

A split second later, I come to my senses.

It doesn't matter if I have. Because her safety and well-being are still at stake.

Two things I'll never compromise, even if what we had really was just a fling. I redirect the conversation to these key points.

"So you know I've been fired," I say. "Which is also why you know you're not supposed to talk to me."

Amari holds up both hands. Her sunglasses have slipped low down her nose. "No judgment here. It's not like I haven't messed with a coworker or two. One of K's old makeup artists was so fine, I just had to get her number…"

I clear my throat. "What I mean is, since I've been fired, it's been no contact. Kiana's number has changed and she hasn't been home."

"Tommy and the label tend to do that. They're protecting her brand… or so they claim."

"The threat hasn't been eliminated," I say. "In fact, I have reason to believe the person after her is biding his time. It won't be long before another attempt is made."

Amari frowns. "Yeah, I've been worried about that. I asked K when she told me what happened, and she said they were hiring Arnold again. Nice guy, but security's not his thing."

"She's in danger."

"I'll be going with her on the rest of her promo and her tour. I'll… I'll make sure to keep a close eye on her."

"I mean this with the utmost amount of respect. But you're not enough," I say. "As her twin, you might even be in danger too. You'd be the perfect person to harm to get to Kiana."

"I've… never… uh, thought about it that way before."

"You see why it's a bad idea for me to have no contact. I was just over at her penthouse and I caught Shawn?—"

"Shawn? In her penthouse? Why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. He had her tablet."

Amari looks on the verge of acting even before she's heard the rest of the story. She half rises out of her chair and mutters something about Shawn being garbage. I hold out a hand to stop her.

"I don't know if this means he's linked to the threats against Kiana," I say. "But there's a chance."

"Wait. What were you doing at her penthouse?"

I sigh, realizing I should've expected the obvious question. "I still have access to the surveillance system in her apartment. I've been checking it 'cuz it's damn near the only way I have to look out for her. The system sent me a notification that someone had entered."

"And you know she's still out of town," she finishes for me.

"I checked the cameras and saw Shawn there."

"Fuck, why would he want her device?"

"I've got some theories."

We sit and theorize over possibilities while we drink our coffee, and Amari grows increasingly concerned.

By the end of our meet up, she's throwing another round of furtive looks over her shoulder.

"I'm not supposed to do this. But I'm going to give you her new number. Just keep it on the low, alright? K would probably love to hear from you. But it has to be in secret."

I save the number and thank Amari for the info she's provided.

She goes her way and I go mine, but not without the agreement we'll keep each other updated on any new developments.

The drive from downtown to my secluded home takes an hour. I'm a few minutes away when my phone beeps with a notification to let me know someone's crossed onto the premises. Who the hell would come uninvited to my house of all places?

They must not know I wouldn't hesitate making them greatly regret it.

I arrive at my house similar to how I arrived at Kiana's penthouse apartment earlier—ready to do what I've got to for security reasons.

I come up the back instead of taking the direct front path like I usually would.

The first sign of the intruder that I catch sight of is the top of their head. Hundreds of tiny, tight curls that are various tones of brown. A head of thick curls that looks immediately familiar.

"Kiana?" I say, coming to a stop. My hand drops from where it's drifted to my hip, ready to grab the firearm holstered there.

She lifts her head up, seated on my stoop as she waits on me. From the moment her eyes meet mine and I get a good look at her bruised face, I'm functioning on fury and outrage.

I'm aware of the immediate urge to bash skulls and break bones.

Kiana's not here to visit for good reasons.

She's here for help.