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2024-10-29 19:42:56After several hours in the field Parker dropped Conor off back at Vokrizin.
“I am going to shower and change then head home. Go ahead and enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” Conor said.
“Are you sure?”
“It should just be security here today, everyone else is gone for the weekend. I will text you when I am heading home.”
“Sounds good sir. Have a good rest of your weekend.”
Conor turned and spotted a female guard at the front of the office. He turned back to Parker, “New guard? I don’t recognize her.”
Parker squinted at the entrance and said, “I don’t recognize her either. Colonel Eli said he brought on three new female guards this morning, maybe she is one?” Parker pulled out his phone and flicked open a text from Eli with the images of each guard. He held it out to Conor.
“Maybe… looks like this Second Lieutenant Gabrielle. There is a capta
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Rejected Billionaire 106: Discussing futures
It took longer than he expected for the knock to come, but when it did, he opened the door to find Kerrigan with long baggy pants. A white blouse loosely hung over her shoulder which he could see was still bandaged. She did not at all look like the finely dressed queen of Dragon Corporation he had seen on several occasions prior. She seemed to be favoring her left leg.“Do you need a coat or jacket?”“Please.” She said simply.He slipped back into the room and grabbed one of his coats and helped gently drape it across her shoulders. He led them back out into the office and pulled out a chair for her. She dropped into it heavily, her left leg propped gingerly out to the side.“What day is it?”“Umm, it’s Sunday afternoon. March third if that helps any.”“Shit.”Conor watched as she rubbed more sleep from her eyes. As he assessed her, he saw numerus bruises and cuts every
Rejected Billionaire 107: Teams Unite
Conor stopped and talked briefly with captain Evelynn before heading down to his car. on his drive home, he called Mr. Nuri. “Ah, Mr. Brantley. How are you this evening. I was planning to meet with you in the morning. is everything alright?” “Well, I was wondering if you planned to tell me about Kerrigan before or after I walked in on her.” “I. Oh, I see. I guess that means you were at the office.” “Yes, and had a rather awkward encounter with her in my suite. You could have warned me she was there. Actually, you could have asked me!” “I am sorry sir. I was contacted this morning and lost track of time with the preparations. There are many things in motion.” “What is going on Nuri? Why is Miss Lokir here of all places?” “This is better discussed in person. Can it wait for tomorrow? I promise to tell you what I can when we meet in the morning.” “Tell me this then, is her presence her a threat to me and mine?” “Possibly. But likely not any more so than Celia’s own existence. You
Rejected Billionaire Chapter 108
After the others left, Mr. Nuri bowed to Conor, “Again, Sir, forgive me for not informing you sooner about Miss Lokir.”“It’s fine. Just bring me up to speed sooner in the future.” Then turning to Kerrigan,“Miss Lokir-“But she held up a hand, “When it is not so formal, just call me Kerrigan. It gets bothersome being called Miss Lokir when we are the same age.”Conor grinned, “Kerrigan, is there anything you need?”“Nothing my team can’t acquire.”“Good, then for your safety and for that of my people, I think it best you stay on this floor for now. I know it's not a lot of space, but it is the best way for us to limit who knows you are here. I can have my people get anything you need, so as to further limit your own guards being spotted and assumptions being made.”Kerrigan signed, apparently resigned to her fate. “Fine, I do trust m
Rejected Billionaire Chapter 109
Kerrigan stared after Conor’s retreating form in shock. His blue eyes had flashed to a steely gray glue and any light and passion that had been there winked out when she had mentioned his wife. When the conference room doors closed, she turned to Evelynn, “Find out about his wife.”“Ma’am?”“When I was here for a Gala at the start of winter, he was with his wife. Find out what happened to her if you can. I want to know if that was just some rough patch I touched on or something more. Best to be aware of things like that so I don’t walk into a thorn patch with our current hosts.”“Very good, Ma’am.” She slipped out the door as Reilynn slipped up next to her. “Do you trust him and his team?”“Conor? Mostly. Mr. Nuri, almost explicitly. The rest? They seem like good people. Keep your head on a swivel, as always. And, please get me something for the pain, my leg is
Rejected Billionaire Chapter 110
Targu Province - Dragon Corporation HQ - Natalie HassellNatalie Hassell sat behind her desk in Kerrigan’s office, biting her nails. It was 11:30 and Kerrigan was still not in, and she had not called. Breanne had been by to say Kerrigan wasn’t feeling well but that was bullshit and Natalie knew it. In the past five years, Kerrigan had never been sick. She had only taken one holiday, and Natalie had been with her. Truth be told, they both worked from beach chairs the whole time, but the warmth of the sun and change of scenery had been nice.Katie stepped into the office with a cup of tea. “Still no sign?”“No. have you managed to clear the rest of the schedule?”“Yes, but there are several people who keep insisting that they see her as soon as possible. The trade delegates from the Spice Consortium are threatening to sue over the spice rights and one of the lobby secretaries called to warn me, Kela
Rejected Billionaire Chapter 111 Kelan's Mistake
(Kelan) Kelan Benedict couldn’t get on the elevator fast enough. What the hell was Katie doing alive? His man had never failed! Fuck! He had not failed this time! He had confirmed the job as complete! As soon as the doors closed, he pulled out his phone and pulled up the photo sent to him. There was the tell-tale blue car next to some other black car. Katie was in the passage seat of the other car, with that same pink scarf she had just be wearing in the office! It made no sense! Had she somehow gotten the upper hand? Kelan chuckled darkly to himself. He knew firsthand Katie wasn’t that capable. Still, there she was… except- Kelan zoomed in as close as the image could get before blurring beyond recognition. Atop the pink scarf flowed light BROWN hair! Katie had blonde! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! If that had not been Katie in the car who else?! He reached his car and drove to the temple, calling his contact, but no answer. “Pick up DAMN IT!” “Please leave a message for --- BEEP” “CONF
Rejected Billionaire Chapter 112 A phone call with Benedict Senior
Kelan made his way back to the trolly and stared out at the icy world and the car descended, his heart dropping with it. If Kerrigan was dead, his father might just kill him too if Kelan wasn’t able to secure Dragon Corporation in the aftermath. He tried dialing the number again, but it never connected. Either his contact was dead or had discovered something about Kerrigan after he had done the job and had gone to ground for a while. Kelan suspected the latter, knowing how deadly and efficient the man was. That begged the question, what did he know, that Kelan should have known? When the trolly reached the bottom, he hurried to his car, bracing against the frigid wind. He would never get use to the cold here. Even now, when his home would be experiencing the first hints of spring, this miserable mountain hell was icy and covered in snow. When he reached his car, he cranked the heat and dialed his father. “What do you need Kelan?” “Hello to you too father.” “Are you in trouble or ne
Rejected Billionaire Chapter 113 Natalie
By Thursday, Natalie was ready to pull out her hair as well as call in the kingdom’s armies to search for Kerrigan. Breanne had stayed with her for now, but if one more vice president had to be told to take a hike, she didn’t know what would become of Dragon Corporation. “You are sure she is ok?” “Yes.” “This isn’t like her. She doesn’t just disappear.” “She is fine. She needed a vacation. Can’t you take some of these meetings? She trusts you.” “Not without written directives from Kerrigan!” “Write out what you need. Send it to her in an email.” Breanne said as if it was no big deal. “I check her email! She is not here to give them to!” Breanne gave her a condescending look. “You know as well as I that Kerrigan is more capable than that. If you send her the email, she can check it.” “But her laptop is here. All of the encryption data is on it!” Natalie explained. “That is not an issue. Dragoon guard have your en
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S3 Chapter 22: Train rides
Monday morning broke with a cool spring breeze showing the last vestiges of winter before summer’s heat. Conor tossed his suitcase into the back of the SUV and hopped into the passenger seat.Parker drove them to Kerrigan’s house, pausing briefly to acknowledge the gate guard. Conor recognized him as one of Colonel Eli’s men he had seen around Vokrizin.“Jamison is a good man. He will make sure nothing happens to Miss Lokir’s house while you all are away,” Parker said.Conor just nodded.They pulled up to Kerrigan’s house and Parker honked twice.Conor jumped out when he saw the four ladies exit with several bags each. He and Parker quickly moved to help and filled the back of the SUV with bags, nearly completely blocking any hope of looking out the back window.“Guess you are moving out. No plans to return?” Conor asked.Kerrigan replied smoothly, “I am sure I will be back. This isn’t a fraction of what is in that house.”Parker closed the trunk and addressed everyone, “The Colonel do
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Chapter 21: Kelan
Targu Province. Saturday night “A toast! To our good brother Kelan, for without him, many of us would still be scrapping the bottom of the barrel here in Velyki!” declared Darren Krellis. “Here, here!” chorused the room. "My family thanks you for letting us take over this place and turn it into the exclusive club Velykie can be proud of!" Darren declared. Kelan Benedict stood and saluted the room with his wine glass and took a swig. “Brothers and lovely guests,” he began, eyeing the ladies around the room dressed in tight-fitting evening gowns. “Tonight, I thank you for this gracious meal. Hopefully, the future will bring mutual benefit as the Benedict family begins its absorption of Velyki and then Targu!” There was a round of cheers and Kelan slumped back into his seat, wrapping his arm around Clarise, a tall attractive blonde dressed in a red dress that did wonders for her figure. “Brother Kelan,” came a grading voice beside him as someone sat down on the couch. Kelan took h
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S3 Chapter 20 : Visiting the Spice Emporium
“That was crazy,” Conor said as they headed across the street. Kerrigan slipped up beside him, slipping her hand into his, “I get the feeling that our lives will always attract crazy.” Conor sighed, “It does seem that way. Let’s see how Mr. Arroz is doing.” Conor gave Kerrigan’s hand a gentle squeeze as they crossed the street and stepped into the spice shop. A small bell sounded as they walked in. “Be right up!” came the bellow from the back room. Conor pointed to the glass case that protected the world from the hottest spice known, Abrasax’s wrath. “Now, any idea how we can get Kelan and perhaps Nyman to swallow that whole jar?” Kerrigan giggled, “I have a few I would like to feed it to. Think Mr. Arroz will part with the whole jar?” “Depends if he thinks he can replace it,” Conor said as Faolon brushed past him. “Hey, Faolan! Sit! PRALL!” Faolan came back and sat at his feet. Kerrigan looked up at him, “She just wants to sniff. This whole place is full of new smells.” “I k
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S3 Ch19: Entitlement
Conor and Kerrigan rode in companionable silence for most of the trip back to town, content to rest from the day’s climbing. They sat, each leaning against opposing car windows, but their legs met, touching from knee to heel. Conor felt their fingers brush and gently laced his with hers, enjoying how her hand fit so perfectly with his.It was near dinner time when they finally turned onto the street near the Spice Emporium. As Parker pulled into a parking space at the far end of the street, Conor noticed the Grizlehut. It had been a long time since he had thought about his old job. While his condominium home was at the far end of the street, he never come down this way anymore. Too often, Parker would be waiting for him, and they would simply drive the other direction to get to Vokrizin.Conor reached for the door and realized Kerrigan was completely passed out against her window. He leaned over and gently shook her shoulder. As she came awake, Conor saw a flash of panic cross her face
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S3 Ch 18: Trust building
He changed his hand position and reached, finding the quickdraw dangling from its anchor. He clipped the rope in and began his attempt to crest the bulge in the rock. As he pivoted, he realized the angle he was moving to would erase any grip he had on that hold. As he thought this, he felt a weightless sensation as he began to fall away from the rock. The rope went taught and jerked him mid-air as Kerrigan was pulled off her feet, flying fifteen feet in the air. She managed to hold the rope in its breaking position but her head was dangerously close to his feet. When he had caught his breath, Conor looked down into Kerrigan’s terrified green eyes. “Fancy meeting you up here. Think we could meet up again, once we are safely on the ground?” Kerrigan gawked at him for a second before smiling, “I suppose I could let you down, but You are at my mercy. I might just have to leave you up here like a pinata.” Conor chuckled as he watched her slowly release tension, lowering herself back dow
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S3 Ch 17: Rock climbing
“OK, now it's time for you to try. Who is up first?” Conor volunteered. “Fine, Kerrigan, you are on belay. I will back you up and walk you through each step. I want you both to understand, Lead climbing like this places your life in the hands of your partner. If you don’t trust each other and learn not only to communicate but to anticipate each other’s needs, you will fail and likely hurt each other.” Kerrigan looked dubiously at Parker. “Conor is easily 50 pounds heavier than me!” Parker eyed Conor’s muscular but toned form, “You are what? 200 or 210 pounds these days?” “Last I checked, yea, right at 205.” “Should be fine. Kerrigan, you just have to learn to brace yourself correctly. You could go for a ride but if you use the skills I taught you earlier you could even belay me, and I am 230 pounds these days. Climbing is about technique as much as it is about skill. Now, let's get Conor tied in.” Parker tied the end of the climbing rope to Conor’s harness and showed Kerrigan.
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S3 Ch16:
Conor leaned against the SUV with Parker standing across from him checking through a few bags of gear. “We have three ropes, harnesses for everyone, belay devices, and four full sets of quickdraws. I am also bringing a few crash pads. I don’t plan on you needing to use them but we will put them along the base just in case. Here, try these on.” Parker tossed a pair of strange shoes to him. Conor looked at the shoes that had a sharp curve to the toe and the sole was a flat rubber that followed the arch curve. The tan material seemed to be some sort of soft doeskin or very supple leather. Conor tried to pull the shoe on but his toes cramped and they were shoved into the tight shoes. “Umm, I think these are too small.” Parker walked over and check them. “your heal fits right?” “Yea, but my toes are all curled” “Painfully curled or just uncomfortably curled?” Conor considered before finally replying, “just uncomfortable. My shoes are normally a bit loose.” “Then they fit perfectly.
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S3 Ch 15: Issues at home
Kerrigan spent the next day walking around the property at her house with Faolan. It had been a while since they had been able to just play, and she took this opportunity to play fetch. Thankfully her right arm still functioned, though being it was her off-hand, it was a bit awkward to throw. She figured this was good training for anything that might injure her dominant arm. Mercifully she had awoken almost entirely pain-free. The pills the Colonel had given her had truly worked wonders overnight and she had to admit, she was looking forward to being able to learn to climb the sheer rock faces near the waterfall tomorrow. The day passed rather uneventfully, and as the sun set Kerrigan found herself curled up on the back porch on one of their outdoor couches, with Faolan warming her feet with her furry mass. Reilynn stepped out a few minutes later with two glasses of wine and handed one to Kerrigan as Gabriella come out behind her. the girls each sank into chairs and leaned back, look
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S3 Ch 14: Kerrigan's Family revelations
The next morning Kerrigan arrived on the roof of Vokrizin for their daily training session. Colonel Eli strode over to her but before he could start setting her to drills she decided to interject, “I actually wanted to talk to you.” “Oh?” “two things really. First, do you think tomorrow I could take the girls climbing? Perhaps Conor will join us?” The Colonel glanced to where Parker was sparing with Conor, “I don’t see why that should be a problem.” He looked to Reilynn, “You feel confident in training them?” “Yes, sis.” “Fine, I will requisition the gear. What size shoe do you were, Miss Lokir?” “Umm about 23.5 cm.” “Hmm ok. I will make sure to get you and Conor some. Be warned, they will be tight. These are not meant for walking, they are designed for grip. Don’t be surprised if they feel a size or two smaller than is comfortable. What was the other thing?” “I am returning to Dragon Corporation at the end of the week.” “Ah, I see. I will begin redeploying a detail. We still
