"Oh. Alright."

"Don't drink with him, Kyle," She said suddenly, stopping him. "He'll probably tease you, and he'll probably be drinking himself, but stick with water."

"Yes, mother," He grinned.

"No, seriously. This guy's a power drinker, and he'll get you so wasted that you'll be ill for days because he thinks it's funny." Her expression was serious, so Kyle nodded. "I'll meet you out here when you're done," She added.

"You're not coming in?"

She shook her head. "If I'm in there, he'll spend all his time hitting on me and you won't get any work done."

"He's that bad?"

"Morals of a horny dog, remember?" She quoted. "Now, here's your profiles of who's available or willing to quit their job to take this on. Try to get it done in half an hour or less, and then get back out here as soon as you can, okay?" She handed him a binder.

"See you in a bit," Kyle said as he headed inside.

As he walked in, he saw the room open up away to the right, a dance floor dominating the room with a stage at one end and a bar lining the long wall to his right. He could see one guy in the room, standing behind the bar pouring himself a mug of coffee.

"Morning," Kyle called.

"Kyle Watson, aye?" The man called back. He was dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt and his brown hair was short and spiky. He looked to be in amazing shape too, but as he moved, Kyle caught sight of the walking stick in his hand.

"Are you Connor Grant?"

"One and only. Welcome to my house," The Scotsman replied, waving Kyle to a seat at the bar. "How you getting on?"

"With what?"

"Being a billionaire?"

Kyle chuckled as Connor put the coffee pot back then poured a shot of scotch into the coffee. "It's taking a bit of getting used to."

"You got Patricia working for you?"

"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "She's being a great help."

"You want to tap that, man," Connor said, giving him a pointed look. "A body that fine needs regular attention."

Kyle smiled, the image of her naked in the shower immediately popping into his head, but he wasn't really sure he wanted to talk about her to some random guy who takes whisky in his coffee at eleven in the morning.

"So what's the hampden then?" Connor asked as he made his way around the bar to join Kyle.

"The what?"

"The hampden? Hampden roar? Score?"

"Sorry," Kyle said. "What?"

Connor limped over and sat down on the bar stool next to Kyle. "What's the score then? Where's the profiles?"

"Oh. Here." He opened the binder up and put it between them on the desk.

Connor looked at the first one, then ripped it straight out and put it face down on the bar to one side. "Wank."

"No good?"

"Fuck, no. That guy's a tube."

Kyle was feeling startled at this guy, and couldn't quite figure out if he was a madman or exceptionally competent.

"Wank," Connor repeated, tearing out another page. "Wank. Wank. This one's a good guy," He said suddenly turning that profile over in the binder, leaving it attached.

"Wank. Wank. Wank. Good guy. Wank. Wank."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Kyle asked.

"Chewin the fat thing," Connor replied, leaving Kyle none the wiser. "So I hear you've got a couple of sisters. That a big surprise, was it?"

"Massive surprise," Kyle agreed, while Connor continued muttering as he tore more pages out the binder. "I only found out a couple of days ago. Didn't even know I was adopted."

"Does it matter?"

"That I'm adopted?" Kyle was finding it hard to keep up with the rapid way this Scotsman talked and thought. "No, not really. My parents are my parents, you know?"

"Aye. No point in being a dick about it, is there?"

"Who's being a dick?" Kyle asked, wondering if he'd just been insulted.

"I don't know," Connor shrugged. "You might have been a dick. I've no idea. Was just asking."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Nae worries," He replied, sliding the nearly empty folder back to Kyle. "There's your shortlist."

Kyle flicked through the profiles. "There's five names here. Is that right?"

"Aye. As for the rest, I wouldn't let them look after my mothers compost bin."

Kyle blinked. "So you're a straight talker then, Connor."

"Best way to be, Kyle," Connor grinned. "Fancy a beer?"

"No, I can't. I'm in training, but thanks anyway."

"Suit yourself," Connor shrugged, taking a sip at his coffee. Kyle could smell the scotch coming from it.

"So which ones are the top three then?" Kyle asked, looking at the binder again.

"Depends on what you want from them, what kind of threats they're going to have to protect you against and where you're going to be." Connor sipped at his coffee again. "Do you know any of that yet?"

"Not got a clue."

"Cool bananas. Come back and see me when you do."

Kyle realised that just like that he was done. "Um... cheers for the help, Connor."

"Nae bother. Had your security briefing from Brian yet?"

"Who?" Kyle asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Or Edwin? Has be brought you up to speed yet?"

"I don't think so," Kyle said, somewhat hesitantly, not really sure what it was he should be brought up to speed on.

"Hang on a minute, before you go."

Kyle paused as Connor grabbed a pen from the binder then began to tear up one of the discarded profiles into little strips of paper. As Kyle watched, he wrote a quick scribble on one piece, shielding it with his hand. He tilted his hand up so Kyle could read it.

Yes/No? Has Edwin shown you the safe room?

Kyle frowned and shook his head, drawing a thoughtful look from Connor. The Scotsman pulled out a lighter and set fire to the strip of paper then put it in a nearby ashtray. He scribbled on another then showed it to Kyle.

There's no way Danny wouldn't have built one. Edwin should have shown you it by now. Why not?

Kyle read it and shrugged. "It's been pretty busy since we got here."

Connor set fire to that piece and then wrote a third one.

No proof, just a hunch. There's something dodgy about that guy. Keep your eyes open. Ask about safe room.

Kyle read it and nodded, repeating it as Connor gave him a serious look.

"Pop back down if you fancy a bevy some time." The Scotsman said a moment later, as the third message burned away in the ashtray.

"A bevy?"

"Aye, a beverage," Connor grinned. "A drink. And by a drink I mean let's get plastered."

"Will do, Connor," Kyle said getting up and shaking his hand. "Pleasure meeting you."

"Take it easy, man," The Scotsman nodded.

Kyle walked back outside wondering about what Connor had asked. Thinking about it, it seemed entirely right that Danny Tripps would have built a safe room, or a whole series of them somewhere on the Island. If he had, surely it would be a priority that Edwin would take them aside and show them where it was and how to access it.

He was still frowning as he exited the building to find Patricia on the phone. She hung up as soon as she spotted him and walked over to join him.

"That was fast."

"Yeah, he just ripped through the list, separating them into two piles," Kyle explained. "Good guys and wanks."

"Oh for Gods sake," Patricia muttered.

"Told me to come back when we know what we're doing, where we're going and what type of protection we'll need," Kyle added.

"Okay, that's not bad, I guess," She said, flicking through the folder. "Five? There was twenty two profiles in there."

Kyle shrugged. "He works fast."

"And you didn't drink with him?"

Kyle laughed. "I get the feeling if I did that, I'd be face down in a puddle of my own vomit after a couple of hours."

"Oh, it probably wouldn't take that long," She grinned.

"So how come he's in such great shape?" Kyle asked. He could see the attraction that women had for Connor. While guys worked with gels and waxes to try and get that 'just out of bed' hair look, Connor just got out of bed and it worked. His facial features looked like they'd been specially designed by a master sculptor, and his body was all tall, dark and handsome.

"There's a lot of theories," Patricia said, shaking her head. "Most of them are that he's a freak of nature."

"Lucky bastard. If that was me, at least I wouldn't have to go to the gym now," Kyle muttered, drawing a loud laugh from Patricia in reply.

Kyle finished his lunch, fish and salad this time. His entire body ached, despite the shower he'd had when he got back. At one point he nearly asked Patricia to help him lace up his shoes because he hurt so much when he bent over.

He was waiting for the return of Katie and Kara from the salon where they'd been for the last two hours, and to kill time he was flicking through the five profiles Connor had selected.

He looked up at Patricia and caught her eye. "Patricia, about that masseuse girl."

"Sarah?"

"Yeah. Look, the idea of a massage is really appealing, so if you could organise one, then that would be great. The thing is I'm a bit uncomfortable with the idea of it being a booty call, know what I mean? Especially if she kinda works for me too."

Patricia burst out laughing. "That's so sweet," She teased. "You're worried about what others might think of you if you hook up with her, aren't you?"

Kyle blushed a little but shook his head, chuckling at her reaction. "That's not it. I'm not into hooking up with a girl I don't know and haven't had the chance to decide if I like or not. Plus, she does work for me, which is a bit of an added complication."

Patricia looked at him. "Okay, I'll organise it for a straight massage and nothing else. I'll even stay in the room and brief you on something boring if you want a chaperone."

Kyle chuckled at the idea of him being chaperoned. "I'm not five."

"You're the one being all worried about a horny girl touching you up, remember."

"I'm not worried," He protested. "Just.... "

"Worried," Patricia declared. "I'll sort it, don't worry. Oh, your mom called to see how you were."

"My mom? How did you..."

"I've got your mobile," She explained. "Anyway, we had a quick chat and she said you can call her back tonight if you want."

"How are they?" Kyle asked quickly, a bit startled that Patricia was answering his personal calls, and feeling a little guilty that he wasn't.

"They're fine. The hike is going to schedule, weather's great and they've met a father and daughter who are walking the same route as them, so they're travelling as a group now."

Kyle's eyes narrowed as a thought struck him. "A father and daughter who just happened to be walking the same route?"

"Well spotted. They're our people, out there to make sure nothing bad happens, and they're very subtle about it," Patricia explained.

"Why the hell are security on my parents?" Kyle demanded. "And why hasn't anyone told me they're in danger?"

"Kyle. If someone wanted to lever you out of a big chunk of cash, right now, what would be the easiest way to do it?" Patricia asked pointedly.

"Right now? Offer me a lift off this fucking Island," He blurted, heading for the railing at the side of the pool. He lit up and leaned on the rail, feeling manipulated and annoyed. The thought that his parents were now potential targets and were being manipulated with their, or his knowledge made him angry.

"Which bit pissed you off, Kyle?" Patricia said behind him.

He frowned and brought his cigarette up to his mouth, pausing before speaking. "I'm trying really hard to fit in, to do what's expected of me, and to do the right thing. I get that I can't know everything that's going on, I understand that I'm on a learning curve and there's only so much information I can get at a time."

He turned to face Patricia, his expression intense. "Never keep anything from me if it involves my parents, or my friends, and particularly if it involves some kind of threat against them. If they're going to have security on them, I want to know about it. If there's a threat, or if something I'm doing is putting them at risk, then I want to know that too. Are we clear?" Kyle asked, realising he had just channelled Jack Nicholson from the movie 'A Few Good Men'.

She met his gaze. "Of course."

"Just give me things straight from now on, Patricia. You don't need to.... handle me, okay? If I think I'm being manipulated, it'll just make me angry."

"Who's manipulating you, Kyle?" She replied quickly. Kyle could see now that she looked angry.

"I don't know, Patricia. That's my point, but if I feel like I'm being manipulated and things are being kept from me, it's gonna make me mad."

She lowered her head, her expression tense and she took a few deep breaths before speaking again. "Okay. Fair enough. We need to learn each others buttons and triggers as we go, and this is all part of that. Anything involving your parents will be brought to your attention straight away."

"Good."

"When you next visit your parents, your mom says you've to bring me for dinner. She also told me to make sure you get some new clothes and spend less time gaming. And that you should eat more vegetables too." Patricia had a slight challenge in her eyes as she delivered the additional information. "Because I had your phone I also checked your personal emails. Want an update on that?"

"When am I getting my phone back?" Kyle asked, resenting the loss of his privacy.

"You're getting a new prototype phone this afternoon, purely for personal use. I'll carry your business phone and if it's a call you need to take then I'll give it to you."

"You'll decide what calls I take and which ones I don't?" He asked, an incredulous expression on his face.

Patricia looked confused. "Kyle, Mister Tripps would get thousands of calls in to his office every day. Very few made it to his desk. Plus, I already manage your schedule, so is it really a problem if I manage your business calls too? It is my job, after all."

Kyle took a deep breath, realising he was angry and he was picking arguments with Patricia now for no other reason than she was there. He'd made his point about his folks, and that should have been the end of it, but for some reason he was keeping going at her. He shook his head at his own behaviour.

"Patricia, I think I'm being a bit of a grump right now, and I don't know why. I've said what I said about my parents, and I mean it, but for being grumpy about everything else, I apologise."

"Oh, my," Patricia muttered, looking at him as if he'd changed into someone else.

"What?"

"This is going to be fun working for you," She said, smiling. "I'm not used to apologies and so much reasonable behaviour. It's really sweet."

Kyle chuckled. "Sweet?"

"Yeah.You're so conscientious. It's... nice."

"Just what every guy wants to be.... sweet and nice," He muttered, rolling his eyes.

"By the time Julian and Margaret have got you sorted out, you'll be fucking hot too," She grinned, giving him a playful wink.

Kyle chuckled. "Yeah, I still don't buy that."

"You'll just have to trust me," She said firmly. "As for being a grump, as you put it. When Mister Tripps went off on one he wouldn't stop for at least an hour. You were all of two minutes, so don't worry about it."

"Just tell me if I'm behaving like a dick, okay?"

Patricia chuckled. "Okay. But I probably won't word it like that."

"No, I don't imagine you would."

"Want to hear about your emails now?" Patricia asked.

Kyle chuckled. "Yeah, go for it. This is my personal account?"

"Yeah, through your phone. Anyway, you've got three from Ed, one from Casey and one from your folks with some scenery photographs. There's a load of spam, an email from an employment agency asking you to get in touch about a position you sent your CV in for. I don't imagine you'll be following that up now though?"

"Yeah, I think that's pretty redundant now. What did Casey say?"

"Hope you're okay, there's loads of rumours flying around the office, your old boss is being a bastard and has dumped your workload on Casey. He also said he's having coffee tonight with someone called Tony." Patricia frowned. "Yep, that's all he said."

"Good for Casey. Tony's a girl in the office he's been chasing for a date for months, so it looks like he's finally got a date. As for Worthington, is there anything we can do about him?"

"Worthington? Is that your old boss?"

"Yeah. He's a total asshole, takes anything that isn't procedurally acceptable as a personal insult," Kyle explained.

"Procedurally acceptable?"

"It's one of his catchphrases."

"Sounds a bit of a control freak," Patricia said, frowning. "What's your other problems with him?"

"Oh, he lets the women in the office away with murder, tries to flirt with them which is horrible to watch, and treats all the guys like shit. He's not very smart, he's fugly, and he looks like Danny DeVito playing the Penguin. In the Batman movie."

Patricia was chuckling at the mental image Kyle was conjuring up. "Anything that could fall under the terms of sexual harassment?"

"Oh, fuck yes. And sexual discrimination. Bullying too," Kyle added. "I really don't like him."

"So who's the office favourite to replace him if he was to leave?"

Kyle thought for a second. "Me or Casey, I guess."

"Okay, I'll make some calls," She nodded. "You okay with Casey getting a step up the ladder?"

Kyle frowned. "He's not good with confrontation."

"How bad is he?"

"He's great at influencing people in a meeting. He's great at talking to women. First sign of any potential confrontation with a bloke though, and Casey is gone. He's a bit of a pussy sometimes. Aside from that though, he'd be great at the job. The way the office has been run though.... I don't know." Kyle felt crap talking about one of his best friends faults like that, but he didn't want his buddy to end up in a job that would make him unhappy.

"One of my colleagues, Peter, he's like that with confrontation," Patricia said. "Usually we just give that part of his job to Heidi though. She's a born ball-buster. As for Casey, you could put an assistant manager under him who deals with man-management of the staff, leaving Casey free to deal with the strategic stuff, or you can leave it up to them to appoint someone else."

"I could really do with calling him to find out how things are," Kyle said. "Plus, I need to talk him anyway, about...."

"Yeah. I'll set some time aside tonight for some calls for you."

"Not tonight," Kyle said quickly. "He's got a date with Tony, remember."

"Okay. I'll see what we can do today then. Want to hear about Ed's emails now?"

Kyle chuckled. "Honestly, I'm not sure. They can be... colourful."

"Yeah. Well, one contained a few pictures of midget porn with other peoples heads photoshopped on them. Badly, I might add. Another was about some girl you gave Ed's number to?"

"Caroline," Kyle said, grinning. "She was my limo driver that brought me to the airport."

"Okay," Patricia nodded. "Well, she's been texting Ed intimate pictures of herself, but he's complaining because she won't show her face and he really wants to," Patricia paused, an eyebrow cocked. "Make her do the Angry Dragon."

Kyle burst out laughing. "He's such a fucking tool."

"What the hell is an angry dragon?"

Kyle explained between bouts of laughter. "It's a sex thing. After you've cum in a girls mouth, you're meant to smack the back of her head so hard the cum comes out her nose. When she gets up she looks.."

"Like an angry dragon?" Patricia guessed, chuckling.

"That's it," Kyle nodded. "What else did he say? He usually comes up with several of these. He's got a ridiculous vocabulary for anything sexual."

"Nothing else I didn't already know, but colourful is a good description of his language. He keeps texting her to arrange a hookup, but I think she's teasing him like crazy."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. It'll do good to be teased for a while anyway," Kyle said, smirking. "And the third email?"