Page 35 of Wild King
It just feels like the person I met down in the islands is nowhere to be found anymore.
For the next hour,I research all I can find out about Kellen King. The fourth son of Maximilian and Elizabeth King, he attended Cornell majoring in business administration and Columbia to earn his MBA, graduating with honors from both schools. With MBA in hand last spring, he immediately went to work for his family’s company, heading the logistics division.
Article after article talk about him in glowing terms, comparing him to his father and suggesting one day he’s going tobe at the head of King Industries. Every business magazine and journal heralded his joining the company as a win.
Kellen was an intelligent student who succeeded in undergraduate and graduate school. He was the darling of the business world less than a year ago.
So what happened to change him into the man he is now? Nothing in all I’ve read paints him as a selfish bastard.
Until recently. Now he’s public enemy number one and the biggest villain of the business world.
I continue searching for any information that might solve that riddle and come across news of Theo King’s death last fall in an accident during a race in France. He’s described as fun-loving and popular with the women, a charming ladies’ man who was a bad boy and chased danger.
Ava’s words echo in my head as I read about the deceased King brother. I’m not sure how well she knew Theo, but as Matthias’s girlfriend, she likely had some understanding of how close he and Kellen were.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe his brother’s death has affected Kellen and made him into the person he is today.
After nearly three hours of working on learning all I can about my client, I close my laptop and stretch my arms and legs. Everything I’ve found about Kellen King so far indicates he’s an incredibly talented and intelligent man who everyone loved until he suddenly changed and began behaving like no one else in the world matters a few months ago. Nothing in his educational or work history hints at him ever being anything but a professional destined to lead his family’s company someday.
I truly don’t understand what happened, but I have the sense that I won’t be able to show the world someone who can be admired and respected until I figure it out.
Exhausted and starving, I walk out to the kitchen, wary that I might run into Kellen once again. I don’t think I canhandle another confrontation with him today. At the resort, he was charming, so I enjoyed challenging him. Now, he’s utterly miserable, so even speaking a few words to him is a chore.
I open the refrigerator and see the delivery service Matthias arranged for our meals must have begun. I pull out a container and see through the clear cover that it has meatloaf with gravy and green beans, along with mashed potatoes. I consider having this for dinner, but one look at those mushrooms sitting on top of the slice of meatloaf turns me off.
The next container I take out has a piece of chicken covered in what looks to be barbeque sauce. I might enjoy that, as long as it isn’t too spicy. The last thing I need to do after today is add to the ulcer I suspect is growing inside me. This container also has some kind of potato, boiled maybe, and carrots.
I look at the underneath of the container and see listed what it holds and heating instructions. Microwave for two minutes, stir the vegetables, and then continue heating for another two minutes.
While I wait for my meal to cook, I notice it’s already dark outside. I thought it was only five o’clock when I finished working. A quick glance up at the clock on the wall tells me it’s nearly seven already. Where did those two hours go?
That’s what happens when I get into my work. I lose time more often than I want to admit. Ever calls it dedication. I worry it’s more my way of avoiding the world and hiding in my job.
Then again, considering what’s happening in this house, I don’t think anyone would blame me for hiding or avoiding.
The microwave dings to let me know my food is ready, so I take out the container and let it sit for a minute while I search for a plate and fork. The smell of the barbeque sauce fills the air with sweetness that makes my mouth water.
I pull out drawer after drawer looking for a fork, and finally I locate the silverware in the one nearest to the stove. Makes sense. I should have checked there first.
As my food cools, I open the refrigerator and see a variety of soda and iced tea for me to choose from. It seems that Matthias has thought of everything.
“Too bad his brother isn’t more like him,” I mumble as I grab a glass from the cabinet and pour a drink of orange soda.
Suddenly, a banging noise outside in the yard startles me, and I run to the front door to look out. I see Nathan standing in front of a car, completely blocking out one of the headlights with his body.
I rush out to where he is and ask, “What’s going on?”
He points at the car, and I squint to look inside. Kellen sits in the passenger seat angrily staring out at us, and a man I’ve never seen before sits behind the wheel. He looks stunned that Nathan isn’t letting them leave.
“I caught him sneaking out while you were making dinner. I hurried over to stop them from leaving. I think your client would have his accomplice run me down, but thankfully, the driver doesn’t seem to want to kill someone for his friend tonight.”
Anger and sheer betrayal courses through me, and I consider just telling Nathan to let them go. If Kellen has sunk to sneaking around to escape this house, even though he knows I need him to stay out of the public eye until I can fix the problem he’s caused, then maybe this job isn’t going to work out and I should just tell Matthias I quit.
As I stare into the car and see nothing but hatred in Kellen’s expression, he throws open the car door and slams it shut so hard the car shakes. Storming over to where Nathan and I stand, he seems so upset I worry he might actually hit one of us.
Rage fills his eyes as he barks, “I bet you’re loving this. Is this the only way you can keep a man with you? I bet I’m not the first guy who wanted to get the hell away from you.”
His words sting like a hard slap to the face, but I refuse to let him see how they make me feel. I’ve tried to be understanding with him, but I don’t see how this is going to work.