Misfit(55)

“There he is.” Kendall pointed to him. “Counts!”

“What kind of name is Counts?” Fee asked, not expecting or receiving a response as they hurried to the table.

“Good morning,” Kendall greeted, ignoring the near noon hour.

“Who’s she?” Counts’s low tone disguised his true voice.

Fee rolled her eyes at all the secretive behavior. Not waiting for an invitation to sit, she pulled out a chair and dropped into it. Kendall threw her an irritated glance, but took the other seat and hung her purse from the chair. A gift sat in the fourth chair.

Shit! Had she forgotten Kendall’s birthday?

“This is my cousin,” Kendall explained with a happy smile. “Fee, this is a friend of mine.” Before either of them responded, she picked up the menu. “Let’s order a light lunch.”

“I’ve already eaten,” Counts said in that same ridiculous tone.

“Well, I haven’t,” Kendall announced, and summoned the waitress.

“Neither have I,” Fee said with a sniff, turning her attention to the menu and placing an order soon after.

“How’s everything going?” Kendall’s question broke through the tension.

Counts shrugged. “There’s been some difficulties. My sister’s working on it from the inside, as we all discussed last night.”

Why had Kendall insisted on picking Fee up from her apartment for this meeting, if they were leaving her out of the loop? “What are you talking about?”

“Counts is going to help me get my job back,” Kendall explained.

OH SHIT!

Kendall had gone from being on the firm’s payroll in secret to wanting her position back. Fee knew she’d made a mistake in keeping everything from Christopher. Kendall was more than she could handle. Before someone got killed, Fee should go to her brother and spill the beans. Sing like the loudest canary.

“Go ahead, say it,” Kendall chirped. “My ingenuity is genius.”

Not. “Working for the firm in secret is bad enough, Kendall.” Fee kept a firm rein on her temper. She wanted to quit. She definitely didn’t want to be caught in the crosshairs of Kendall’s tunnel-visioned determination. “There’s no way you’ll ever be able to resume your position out in the open.” She smiled at Counts, to soften her next words, when she seethed inside. “I’m sure you have cases to see to. You shouldn’t waste your time on a fool’s errand.”

“First of all, it isn’t your place to say what he or I should do,” Kendall snapped, “especially while you’re on the clock. Reserve your opinion until you’re on your own dime. Secondly, does he look like he could be an attorney?” She laughed. “If he does, you need eye glasses.”

“Wow, Kendall,” Fee jeered, shaking her head, though Counts’s expression didn’t change. “That’s kind of messed up. I can’t judge anyone by their appearance.”

“We’re not here to talk about you, Fee. I’m here for me.”

Counts thumped on the table. “You two can fight some other time,” he said, still talking in that stupid way to disguise his voice. “I have places I need to be. Me and my sister are delivering on our end, Kendall. You need to deliver on yours.”

Kendall sucked on her teeth, halting long enough for the waitress to set their orders in front of them. “Your sister just agreed to step up her game last night,” she continued without missing a beat, once the waitress took her leave. “If she doesn’t do her job correctly, I’m not paying her.” Biting into her sandwich, she nodded to Fee. “This is the reason I brought Fee. She knows Outlaw. I’m sure she can get you a meeting.”

Forgetting about the French fry she’d intended to grab, Fee stiffened. “No, I can’t get you a meeting with my brother. Furthermore, I resent being pulled into whatever scheme you’re up to, Kendall, without knowing the details. Whether I’m on or off the clock, never put words in my mouth again.”

“Oh my God, lighten up,” Kendall huffed out. “I merely made a suggestion.”

Counts turned his head toward her. Although his sunglasses covered his eyes, Fee still felt the heat of a piercing stare. “You related to Outlaw?”

“She’s his little sister,” Kendall answered, taking another bite of her sandwich.

Counts grinned. “Nice.”

“Don’t get any ideas, asshole.” Kendall sipped her lemonade. “We’re working to get my junior partnership back. If she doesn’t want to help me, we’ll leave her out of it.”