Free Rockin' the Boss by Jamie Salisbury Page A

instead. It’s either
instant or tea.
    When I returned to the bedroom, I
found Max just leaving his shower. I handed him a steaming mug. “It’s
instant, I’m afraid. Seems the coffee maker decided to die.”
    An hour or so later, we were sitting
in the same conference room as the day before. Agent Keller and his band of
agents greeted us. I felt my stomach knot up once again at the thought of what
might transpire. I was aware of Max gazing at me, and I tried to stay on top of
my emotions.
    “Good morning,” Keller started the
conversation. “I trust you’ve had time to digest what we discussed yesterday,
and you both had a good night’s sleep.”
    “Yes, we did,” Max replied, taking a
sip off the cup of hot coffee in his hand. He glanced over at me again.
    “Ashleigh?” Keller asked me,
noticing I was looking across the room toward the door.
    “What do you want me to say?” I
snapped back at the man, taking everyone, including Max, off guard. “You turned
my entire life upside down, and you expect me to be what, happy? Now, can we
get this underway and stop with the niceties? I need to contact my attorneys so
they can file for a divorce and undo whatever else this mess will cause.”
    The discussion went on for two
hours. Max and I were briefed and questioned extensively. Our break was more
than overdue. I quickly walked out into the hallway.
    When Max reached me, I was on the
phone with my attorney, giving him whatever information he needed. When I ended
the call, I strode over to Max and into his embrace.
    “Everything okay?” he asked, kissing
the top of my head.
    “Yes. They’re going to contact
Keller immediately so they can get whatever they need from him, and then
they’ll start drawing up my petition. Now I can breathe. All I have to do is tell my father, and I’m not sure how to do
that.”
    “We’ll figure it out. Just relax. I
think we’re almost finished.” He put his arm around my shoulder and guided me
back toward the conference room.
    We sat and waited for Keller to
return. He reappeared, shaking his head, an ever so slight grin on his face. “I
just had a talk with your attorney, Ashleigh. He was quick, I must say.”
    “That’s why he earns the big bucks.
He’s efficient and nothing gets by him.” A smug grin of satisfaction crossed my
face.
    “When will Max be finished with
these appearances? I’d like to get him on a firing range, and you need training
on how to use a firearm, just in case.”
    “He should be through Thursday,
unless something new comes up. I can forward his itinerary to you so you can
schedule anything around it.” I glanced over at Max. “Is that okay with you?”
    “Of
course.” He looked over at Keller.
    “When and where is this operation
going to start? I want to at least tell Papa about Richard being alive.”
    “I understand, and I have no problem
with that as long as nothing is said outside this room regarding what has been
discussed about what the two of you are going to do. As far as when , we need to get you ready, and where will be decided when we feel the
two of you are prepared. I will tell
you, it won’t be in Atlanta. We understand Richard’s big business transactions
take place either here in New York or out in Los Angeles.”
    While exiting the building, Max and
I decided we would rather leave on our own than ride back with the feds. Max
took my hand and began walking. “You hungry, love? How about if I take my favorite girl to a late lunch?” He
whispered in my ear as I peered over jewelry in a shop window.
    “That sounds wonderful. Did you have
somewhere in particular in mind? I can think of nothing better than to spend
some time alone with you over a nice meal.”
    “Come on then—” His sentence was
interrupted as it began to rain with a vengeance. Both of us soaked to the
bone, Max finally hailed a cab.
    Laughing inside the warmth of the
car, I pushed the hair out of Max’s eyes. “How about we stop at the deli