Arnold looked that message again before calling again. “You’ve reached Denton’s message center—” he disconnected, wishing the cheetah would take his call. “Ask of my help and you don’t even answer to explain what’s going on.”
“What’s that?” Adam asked, looking around the guy bouncing on his cock.
“Nothing.” He looked at the message. ‘I have a situation in Kansas City, I could use your support. Denton.’ Detail, Brislow. Details would have been nice.
The one nice thing out of this was the utter look of confusion on Ernest’s face when Arnold stopped by Royal to grab a gun and have him tell Aaron he’d be out of the city for a while. Arnold couldn’t remember ever seeing the giraffe surprised or confused by anything. Unflappable was the term that applied to Ernest.
Ten minutes later, Adam was calling him, offering to share his jet since he was already heading to Kansas City on a recruitment run.
“Adam, how did you know I was heading to Kansas City?”
“Told you,” he grunted. “Erny told me.” He grabbed the man hips and pistoned hard.
Except Arnold hadn’t told Ernest where he was going. He didn’t put it past the giraffe to have someone slice in his message for the information, didn’t even fault him for it. Arnold like expediency over protocols and even if he didn’t run Royal anymore, Ernest didn’t seem to be intent to stop looking after him. So why hadn’t Aiden told him about the breach? It wasn’t impossible to get through all the security on their communications, but it should be impossible to do so unnoticed.
Unless Ernest had asked Aiden directly? But then his brother should have let him know, out of courtesy. Now that he wasn’t interacted with the giraffe on a daily basis, he was realizing just how much stuff he knew. He didn’t have all the answers, but when it mattered he certainly seemed to come up with them. When he got back to San Francisco, he’d have to talk with Ernest.
“If you’ll please buckle up,” the captain said over the intercom, “we are about to start our descent.”
Adam slammed the intercom. “Do around the block, I’m not done.” The jet banked to the left.
Arnold wondered what the captain was telling the tower.
* * * * *
Arnold tried calling Denton again as he stepped onto the tarmac, his message center again. What was he supposed to do now? The cheetah hadn’t said where to meet him.
Three black sedans waited at the edge, two close to each other, there an otter was talking energetically with a ram and horse in drivers uniform. The other sedan was apart, a rat walking in his direction, in a black suit and driving gloves.
“Mister Arnold Orr?” the rat asked, just as Adam elbowed Arnold out of the way.
“Kevin?” he called, and the otter looked in their direction.
“I’ve been asked by—” the rat said.
“Arnold, that’s Kev, you remember him, right?”
Arnold rolled his eyes; of course, Adam would know some random driver.
“Sir,” the rat asked.
“Give me a minute.” He followed Adam.
“Adam!” the otter yelled and headed toward them. “It’s so good to see you? What are you doing here? Oh wow, Arnold!” the otter hugged him, instead of his brother, which caught both by surprise. “I never thought I’d get to see you.” The otter was getting rather handsy. At least the motormouth explained how Adam knew him.
“Don’t you think I deserve the hug,” Adam said, miffed. “I’m the one who granted you a gift.”
“But Arnold’s so buff. He’s got such an amazing body, hard muscles. Big.”
“Maybe I need to take my gift away as a reminder of— ow!” Adam rubbed the back of his head, where Arnold smacked him.
“No threats, we don’t do that anymore.”
“Please don’t do that.” The otter hugged Adam. “I really love being able to drive. It’s such freedom, the cars zooming past me, controlling the road. I don’t know what I’d do without it. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here doing some recruiting. Want to come work under me?”
“If I say no, will you take your gift away? I really like working for Mister Brislow.”
“Wait. You’re that Kevin?” Arnold asked.
“What other Kevin did you think?” Adam replied.
“How should I know? You fuck just about any guy who shows competent driving skills. I don’t keep track. Does that mean Brislow’s here? He asked me to help him, but never said where to meet him.”
“He’s already on the way to the hotel. You missed him by fifteen-minute.” Arnold glared at his brother. I was supposed to drive him there, but Raphael had drivers waiting and they wouldn’t let me drive, so I’m waiting here until Mister Brislow knows how long he’ll be here. I might fly home, or visit the city I haven’t decided yet. Never been here bef—”
Arnold grabbed his muzzle. “Do you know where Denton is going?” the otter tried to speak, but Arnold didn’t let him. “Nod or shake your head. I don’t have all days.”
The otter nodded.
“Good, you’re taking me there.” Arnold headed to the closest car.
“Mister Orr!” The rat called, “I’m your driver.”
“Take a break, I have my own.” He opened the door.
“Hey, you can take it,” the horse said, “I’m its driver.”
“Not today. Adam, you coming or doing your thing?”
“Please come,” the otter said, “I so want to show you what I’ve learned since.”
“It’s not like you even have the ignition code,” the horse said.
“Well,” Adam said with a grin, “that decides it, doesn’t it? Take the back Arnold.” Adam slipped into the passenger seat and slammed his phone in the ignition slot.
Arnold sat in the luxurious back. He wasn’t a fan of riding in the back, but at least this was comfortable. The car started as the otter sat behind the wheel.
“Wow, how’d your phone do that? Can I get it?”
“Show me what you learned, and I’ll decide if you deserve another gift.”
The otter’s eye lit up. “Does that mean you’ll fuck me again?”
Adam laughed. “Oh you’re definitely getting that. I expect even Arnold wants a piece of you after your hands were just about down his pants.”
“Hey!” the horse yelled through the closed window. The insulation wasn’t perfect, but it was good. “Turn the car off.”
Arnold lowered his window. “You,” he called, taking two hundreds from his wallet.
“I’m—”
“I don’t fucking care.” He handed him the bills. “Go have a drink on me.”
The stunned horse took the bills and his comments were muffled by the closing window.
“I would have—” Adam began.
“Yeah, I know how you would handle him. This isn’t home, we don’t need that kind of complications.”
“What complications?”
“Ot— it’s Kevin, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Raphael, that’s the Lewiston, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
Adam didn’t look like he got what that meant.
“This is a Society city. You really want to piss them off by messing with their property?”
“Okay, okay, you don’t don’t have to ground me for it, dad.”
“I am so going to fuck you for that one.” Arnold looked at the otter in the rearview mirror. “Kevin, drive, and when this is dealt with I will fuck you.”
The otter grinned. “How long do you want the drive to take?”
