Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (9 page)

I
nodded. “I had a criminal background check completed when I went to work for
Senator Rockefeller, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Do you require a security
clearance?”

He
shook his head. “No. We don’t require a security clearance because our
employees don’t work with classified information or secure government documents.”
His pen hovered over his legal pad. “When can you start?”

I
shrugged. “I’m flexible. How does Monday sound?”

He
scribbled the date on his notepad, then rose from his chair. “Monday sounds
good to me. Welcome aboard, Ms. Stone. Ms. Roberts will introduce you to our
Human Resource Specialist, so you can complete the required employment
documents and have your picture taken for an ID badge. I’ll see you at eight
a.m. on Monday.”

I
couldn’t hide my excitement as I shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Scott. I’m
really looking forward to working with you.”

Mr.
Scott and Mr. Davis remained in the conference room as I followed Ms. Roberts
down the hall. She glanced at me and smiled. “Do you go by Kristine?”

I
nodded. “Kri or Kristine is fine.”

“You
can call me Sammi. Do you want to grab some coffee from the break room before
you go to HR? That paperwork is going to take a while.”

I
laughed. “Sammi, you’re officially my new best friend. I forgot to grab coffee
before I left my house this morning, and I’ve been dying for a cup.”

Sammi
took me to the break room before showing me around the rest of the office. I
spent a good hour filling out the required paperwork. I stopped by Shae’s
office as soon as I was done. “I got the job! Can you go out for lunch to
celebrate?”

Shae
grinned as she rose from her chair. “Like there was ever any doubt. Come on,
Kri. My treat!”

* * * * * *

My
class ran a little late, so I told Kadyn to use the spare key if he beat me
home. He was in my kitchen popping open a can of Sprite when I walked in from
the garage. “Hey, Kadyn! I hope you’re hungry. I’ve already picked up the Thai
food so we can roll right into the movies.”

Kadyn
set his Sprite on the counter. He smiled and gave me a hug. “Thanks. How was
school?”

I
handed him the take-out bag so I could dig plates and silverware out of the
cupboards. I balanced it all in one hand so I could grab another Sprite from
the refrigerator. I used my foot to nudge the refrigerator door shut. “Good.
Wednesdays are pretty easy, since I only have one class. How are your classes
going?”

Kadyn
followed me into the family room. We set everything on top of the coffee table so
we could eat in front of the television. “They’re okay. Kind of boring,
actually.”

I
kicked my heels off as Kadyn slipped the movie into the DVD player. I dished the
food onto our plates while Kadyn played with the remote.

He
set the remote down and joined me on the couch. “Okay. This is Batman Begins.
It’s the first of the three Dark Knight movies. The acting leaves a lot to be
desired, but you have to get through this one so you understand the other two.”

We
dug into the curry chicken as the movie began. I typically maintained a no
talking policy during movies, but I quickly revoked it. “Okay, Kadyn, this
acting is really,
really
bad, and that kid’s dad is seriously creeping
me out.”

Kadyn
chuckled. “I told you. You have to push through this one.”

I
was still moaning over the terrible acting a half hour later. Then I perked up.
“Morgan Freeman? How in the world did they convince
him
to be in this
movie? Isn’t this a bit beneath him?”

Kadyn
burst out laughing. “Evidently he’s a huge Batman fan. He wanted in the movie.”

I
just shook my head. “Unbelievable.” I kept my mouth zipped for the rest of the
movie.

Kadyn
turned to me as the movie ended. “Well, what do you think?”

I
stood so I could clear our plates and the remaining food. “Christian Bale left
a lot to be desired. He has no sex appeal, no personality, and that raspy voice
he used as Batman was incredibly annoying. Michael Keaton and George Clooney
were way better as Batman. The guy who played the Scarecrow was surprisingly good.
Morgan Freeman was awesome, as always, and I’ll admit the car was kind of
cool.”

Kadyn
nodded. “Agreed. Ready for the second one?”

I
paused in front of the refrigerator. “No. I need ice cream. Do you want some?”

Kadyn
shot me an incredulous look.

I
rolled my eyes. “Of course you do.” I dished him up a bowl of strawberry cheesecake
ice cream, which I kept on hand just for him. I threw a couple of scoops of
vanilla ice cream in a bowl for me, drizzled it with Mrs. Richardson’s
butterscotch caramel, and threw a handful of frozen chocolate chips on top. I
handed Kadyn his bowl of ice cream as I joined him on the couch. “This second movie
better be good, or I’m not watching the third.”

Kadyn
chuckled. “It’s much better. Trust me.”

We
hadn’t gotten very far into the movie when I violated my no talking policy
again. “Okay, it’s a little tough to watch the Joker and not be sad about what
happened to Heath Ledger.”

Kadyn
nodded. “He made a really good Joker, though.”

My
eyes widened. “Wait, is that supposed to be Rachel Dawes? What happened to
Katie Holmes? Seriously? They had to use the same woman who played Spiderman’s
girlfriend? Are there no other women willing to date superheroes?”

Kadyn
picked up the DVD case and looked at the back. “That’s not Kirsten Dunst. It’s
an actress named Maggie Gyllenhall.”

I
stared at Kadyn. “Really? They look exactly the same.”

He
just shrugged.

I
settled back in to watch the rest of the movie. I was unhappy that Holmes had
been replaced but relieved that Batman hadn’t stolen Spiderman’s girl. I
managed to make it through the rest of the movie without commenting.

“Well?”
Kadyn asked as the credits rolled.

I
took our bowls to the sink. “The Dark Knight was a lot better than the first
movie… better plot, nice plot twists, and I liked the special effects. I’m glad
they killed Rachel off since there was absolutely no chemistry there. I’m not
happy with the decision to make Batman out to be the bad guy. I’m still not a
fan of Christian Bale. That raspy voice is stupid. Whoever decided to give Batman
that voice should be shot.”

Kadyn
burst out laughing. “I don’t like the voice either. Are you still up for the
third movie? It’s after eleven o’clock.”

I
shrugged. “I don’t have to get up early. You do.”

Kadyn
grabbed the third DVD. “Let’s do it.”

I
hovered inside the kitchen. “Do you want popcorn?”

“No,
thanks. I’m good.” Kadyn shoved the movie inside the DVD player and joined me
on the couch. This time he grabbed a fleece blanket from the back of the couch
and pulled it over the top of us. “Come here and warm me up. It’s cold in here.”

I
tugged the blanket over our legs as I curled up next to Kadyn. “Don’t let me
fall asleep,” I demanded with a yawn.

Kadyn
tucked me under his arm. “No way are you falling asleep during this movie.”

I
immediately threw the no talking policy out the window. “Okay. Pause the movie.
What is up with Batman being a recluse? What the heck happened between the
second and third movies?”

Kadyn
rolled his eyes at me. “He’s in mourning. Give the guy a break.”

“And
totally disabled? What the heck? He was walking around just fine at the end of
the second movie.”

Kadyn
shrugged as he took the movie off pause. “Keep watching.”

Thirty
seconds passed before I shot straight upright, taking the blanket with me. “No
way am I buying Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. She’s too wholesome. She was in the
Princess Diaries for Pete’s sake!”

“Keep
watching,” Kadyn growled.

“I’m
not digging the mask on that guy’s face, either,” I muttered. “That’s too Silence
of the Lambs for me.”

Kadyn
picked me up and set me down at the far end of the couch. He yanked the blanket
away before settling in at the opposite end of the couch.

I
stalked up to my bedroom to grab another blanket. I stuck my tongue out at Kadyn
as I settled back onto the couch.

Kadyn
shook his head as he took the movie off pause. “Nice, Kri. Real grown up.”

The
rest of the movie kept me sufficiently engaged, so I didn’t speak.

“Do
I dare ask?” Kadyn inquired as he retrieved the movie from the DVD player.

I
smiled. “The Dark Knight Rises was my favorite of the three movies. Anne
Hathaway grew on me, but I still prefer Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Let’s
just say I won’t hate you for making me watch these.”

Kadyn
laughed. “That’s good.”

I
swallowed nervously. “Hey, I know it’s late but I have a few things I really
need to talk to you about. Thursday is my late night at school. Can you stay a
little longer, or do you want to try to hook up on Friday night?”

Kadyn’s
eyebrows furrowed. “I’m a bit concerned by that tone in your voice. I think you
should lay it on me now.”

I
silently debated which bombshell to drop first.

Kadyn
sat back down on the couch. “Kri?”

“I’ve
finally been offered a job,” I offered cautiously.

Kadyn
looked relieved. “Well, that’s good. Where will you be working?”

I
slowly released the breath I’d been holding. “A non-profit organization called
Seeds for Peace.”

He
scowled. “Seeds for Peace? Never heard of it.”

“They
do peace-building.”

Kadyn’s
eyes narrowed. “Peace-building. Where?”

“The
job is based out of DC, but it requires international travel,” I responded
evasively.

“Where?”
he repeated drily.

“Africa,
the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. I’m going to Ukraine in June.”

Kadyn
groaned. “Do you have a death wish, Kri?”

“No,”
I responded defensively. “This is a great opportunity to work in the same field
I’m studying. I can put what I’m learning to good use, and I’ll be helping
people.”

Kadyn
raked his hand over his smooth head. “What exactly will you be doing?”

“I’ll
be training university students how to resolve conflict peacefully. I’ll
essentially be teaching them all of the same things I’m learning at school. Once
they complete the training, they’ll start conflict resolution programs in their
communities and run similar workshops in their high schools and middle
schools.”

Kadyn’s
brows furrowed. “Will you be traveling with any kind of security detail?”

I
shook my head. “No. The countries we’re going to are fairly stable. We’re
really not doing anything that puts us at risk.”

Kadyn
exhaled loudly. “You are an American, and you are… well…
you
. Kri,
seriously, can’t you find something safer to do?”

I
scowled. “I want to do
this
.”

“So
help me God, Kri… if you get yourself kidnapped again…”

I
bolted from the couch. “I won’t! God, Kadyn! Don’t jinx me like that!”

Kadyn
stood. “I’m sorry. I just want you to be safe.”

I
began pacing across the floor. “I’ll be traveling with a team of people, I’m
taking a Russian immersion course, and I’m going to be studying self-defense.”

Kadyn
folded his arms across his chest. “That right there tells me that you know this
job is going to be dangerous. What kind of self-defense class are you taking?”

I
froze as my stomach collided with my toes. “Well, that’s the other thing I needed
to talk to you about.”

Kadyn
stilled. “Why do I get the impression this piece of news is even worse than the
last?”

I
sighed. “Rafael is going to teach me self-defense.”

Kadyn’s
eyes widened. “Rafael… as in Michael’s brother, Rafael?”

“Yes,”
I whispered. “We’re sort of dating.”

Kadyn’s
face was void of all emotion, but his voice was beyond livid. “Sort. Of. Dating.”

My
heart pounded mercilessly as I tried to sort through how much to reveal. “He
approached me three days ago. He’s not working for Michael anymore. He’s
running some security firm here. We went out to dinner last night.”

His
eyes narrowed. “In what world is it okay to date your fiancé’s brother?”

“Michael
is
not
my fiancé,” I gritted out. “In case you’ve forgotten, Michael
kicked me to the curb. He’s made it painfully clear that he doesn’t want to see
me anymore.”

Kadyn’s
hands clenched. “So Rafael steps in and picks up where he left off?”

I
shook my head. “Rafael tried to talk Michael into taking me back. Michael
refused.”