Disclaimer: I do not own the Green Hornet or its characters. I own Emmalyn, Jonathan, and Trenton.
(A/N: Hi Mangafan14 and IcyWaters, thank you so much for the awesome reviews. Special thanks to IcyWaters for helping me (I used parts of your reviews in this chapter) :-). Sorry this chapter took a little longer to post….When I got home from class yesterday, what did I find up a tree in my yard? A big old black bear.)
When I walked through the glass doors of the Sentinel's main office I was surprised to find Mike pacing back and forth in front of the photographer's room. He looked up and his face brightened.
"Emmalyn!" He walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders, "I'm glad you're alright. When Casey called last night…." He trailed off as he realized people were watching the scene; he shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat in obvious embarrassment. "I was glad to know you're alright, I was concerned for your well being. But now that I know you're fine we have to disprove this 'accidental' death."
"Alright," I nodded, "I still have my camera and extra film from yesterday."
Casey stood in the doorway to Mr. Reid's office, "Before you two go, Mr. Reid would like to see you."
Casey watched Mike and Emmalyn approach the office and she couldn't help but to give a small smile. Mike was explaining that the accidental death had occurred in a gentleman's club and Emmalyn was calmly reminding him that he'd have to call ahead for special permission for her, since the rules were 'no women allowed'.
"You can really get me access in there?" Emma asked, wide eyed. Casey's smile grew; obviously she thought Mike was the end all to end all when it came to reporters. Any other reporter she works with will have some big shoes to fill.
"I'll call ahead," Mike exclaimed, "If they want Mike Axford on their side then they'll let his photographer into the room."
Casey shut the door behind Mike and Emma while Mr. Reid stood up, "Emma, I'm glad to see you're doing well after last night's fiasco." He turned to Mike, "Mike, you can stop patrolling the Photographer's Room now."
"Thank you, Mr. Reid," Emma glanced over at Mike who shrugged and glanced away. Casey exchanged a quick glance with Britt; the older newshound had a soft spot for his new photographer and didn't want to admit it.
"I called you two in here because I'm hosting a dinner party at my house tonight at eight o'clock. I'd like you both to be there as guests. There's to be no working, tonight is all about having a good time."
"We'll be there," Mike nodded, "What's the occasion?"
"D.A. Scanlon's re-election," Mr. Reid replied, "Emma, I also understand from Miss Case you don't have a dress to wear to a formal event?"
"No sir. But I can rent one."
"No need too. Mike could you and Emma arrive at my house a few minutes ahead of time?"
Mike nodded, "I can drop her off at your house and go by my place to pick up my best suit and my wife."
"Thanks, Mike," Mr. Reid smile. He sat back down and reached for a phone, Mike and Emma turned to walk out of the office.
"Emma, before you go….I have one question."
"Ok," Emma shrugged, "Shoot."
"What's your shoe size?"
"Seven and a half. I don't have to wear high heels do I?"
Mike turned, "What kind of question is that?"
"A good one," Emma replied, "After my first cousin's wedding I swore off high heels….I um…." She blushed and scratched the back of her head, "Have trouble balancing in them. I fell onto the wine table and tie-dyed my poor cousin's wedding dress."
Casey sucked in a deep breath and held back her laughter; in the back of her mind she could see a horrified bride. It was a terrible thing to happen during such a special day but it was amusing to hear. Mike, however, did not hold back his laughter and as the two walked out Casey heard him say, "Remind me to stay a few feet away from you at weddings."
Mr. Reid hung up the phone, "I think it's a good thing I assigned her to Mike. They're both good for each other."
"They are," Casey chuckled and sat down. "Emma told me about yesterday, she was terrified. She also told me that the Green Hornet and Kato were perfect gentlemen."
Britt smiled, "You'd amazed at the technology her time has."
"I saw the strange device in her purse the other morning."
"Yes, she calls it a 'cell phone'. It's like the Hornet's car phone only it doesn't send signals through radio waves." He paused, "When she was waking up from the gas I heard her mumbling about Mike being her great uncle."
Casey's eyes widened, "So that means….Teresa's her grandmother."
Britt nodded, "I think she was dreaming that she was speaking to her mother and asking her questions about her family."
"Isn't Mike's niece's name Madeline?"
Britt nodded, "I met her once. She's a very sweet young lady who has a passion for art and painting. She and Emmalyn look a lot alike; I'm surprised Mike hasn't noticed yet. Did she tell you anything else about yesterday?"
"Just that Kato was giving her a look….She said his eyes were 'speaking' but she couldn't understand the message."
Mr. Reid paused, "I saw that look but I wasn't sure what it was either. Though, he did mention if Emmalyn was his destiny then he wouldn't push her away."
"That's if she stays in our time and doesn't somehow return to her own."
Britt paused, "I know how she got here. A group of thugs from her time are here as well. They've been using some kind of remote control; I have a meeting with their leader, Tad, tomorrow night. That's if the goon I was talking too lives up to his end of the deal."
"Was he drunk?"
"No, withdrawing from several drugs. He kept calling me strange names, such as 'homey'. Whatever that is, I don't like it."
Mike and I arrived at the scene of the 'accidental death' an hour later. There was a chalk outline where the body had been in the main room of the Rothmore's Gentlemen's Club. I snapped a photograph of the outline and glanced around the fancy room. The floors were made of marble tile; the walls were painted white and were adorned with various paintings ranging from Donatello to Picasso. High backed chairs with long arms and low legs and red velvet fabric cushions were positioned along the right wall in a semi-circle; they halfway surrounded an ornate coffee table. Two large plants stood in front of the doorway that led to the poker and roulette room; two heavy wooden doors were decorated with Celtic designs. I looked at the high domed ceiling with a mural of knights fighting dragons painted on it; a large golden chandelier hung above me. I looked back down when I heard a man clearing his throat.
Mike turned, "Jonathan Rautler?"
The shorter bald man nodded and glanced at me as if I had committed some sort of crime.
"Mr. Axford and….Miss Briggs….I assume," his lips tugged into a small disapproving scowl when he turned to me.
"Yes, that's us," Mike replied, "We're about the death of one of your club members, Hester Trenton."
"Ah yes, poor Mr. Trenton," Jonathan frowned, "He was a good man and a loyal member and patron to this club. I found him lying in middle of the room this morning with a bottle of wine in his hand. He's been having….Difficulties with his business and I'm afraid he's…."
"Been hitting the bottle a little too much lately," I offered.
Jonathan glared at me, "Yes, though that is a crude way of wording it. I would prefer to say he was…indulging himself in order to forget his problems." He twisted his thin mustache between his index finger and thumb. I immediately nicknamed him Snidely Whiplash; the name really seemed to fit him.
Mike glanced at me and mouthed, 'not another word'. I fell silent and as Mike spoke to the club's manager I circled the room and experimented with different angles for the main photo. The perfect one was beside the left potted plant if I arched the camera slightly downwards I could get almost the entire room in the photograph. Mike glanced and me and I nodded, he walked towards the other plant and Jonathan reluctantly followed. Wow, Snidely, you really know how to treat a girl, don't ya? I photographed the room, then raised my camera towards the chandelier and paused.
"Mr. Axford?"
"Yes," Mike replied and glared at me, obviously irritated that I ignored his earlier command. Jonathan's arms were crossed and he reminded me of a haughty school teacher scolding a student.
"The chandelier has something hanging from it."
"It's a chandelier, it has ornaments," Jonathan replied with a sniff.
Mike ignored him and gazed upwards he squinted, "I'm not seeing anything, Miss Briggs."
I handed him my camera, I had already zoomed the lens, "If you point it towards the flickering light bulb you'll see it."
Mike took the camera and searched for the object and frowned, "What is that?"
"There's something up there?" Jonathan questioned as if receiving new information.
Of course he has a convenient hearing loss, I thought to myself.
"Yeah, sure is."
"I'll contact the maintenance crew right away," Jonathan walked towards an intercom but Mike stopped him.
"No, do you have a ladder?"
The club manager nodded and walked back towards the lobby, he returned with a ladder. I held the ladder's sides as Mike climbed up and took out a handkerchief out of his pocket and grabbed hold of the shiny object. He climbed back down, "Emmalyn, get a photo of this."
I noticed Jonathan's look when Mike called me by my first name but ignored him. Mike held out a golden watch with small diamonds replacing the numbers; I photographed the evidence.
"That was Mr. Trenton's watch," Jonathan sounded horrified, "His son gave it to him for this 60th birthday."
"If this were an accidental death, his watch wouldn't be up there. Good job, Miss Briggs….Now we need to find out how it got up there."
I couldn't help but to smile when I heard Mike refer to us as 'we'. I quickly dropped the smile when the reporter glanced back at me. I figured if he caught me smiling he'd think I was taking the word 'we' too far.
Jonathan glared at me as if I had committed some crime; I knew he was angry that he hadn't discovered the watch. He could very well be the killer.
Mike asked him another question and the club manager soon invited him to interview the other members, who were currently spread out in the poker and roulette room as well as the golf course out back. I stepped forward to follow Mike when Jonathan stepped in my path. I glanced at Mike.
"C'mon, let the girl through," Mike sighed.
"I'm sorry Mr. Axford, but I broke the club's rules just by allowing her into the lobby and the main room. Needless to say our members are very…insulted by the fact a woman has made it this far. I'm sorry, miss, but this is a man's domain. You cannot go any further."
"Mr. Axford?" I ignored Jonathan and looked straight at the reporter. Mike sighed and handed me my camera, his gaze darted between me and the club's manager.
"I'm sorry, Emmalyn," he muttered, "But this time I have to follow Rautler's rules. Wait for me outside."
"Alright," I replied and turned to walk away. I waited until the two men had entered the other room before going back to the lobby. The club's greeter was writing in a ledger.
"Hi….Mr. Sanchez?" I smiled and glanced at his name tag.
The Spanish man looked up at me, "Yes?"
"Mr. Rautler asked me to tell you he needs your assistance. One of your members had a little accident."
"Accident? What kind of accident?" His dark eyes narrowed.
"He spilled wine all over his pants."
The man's eyes widened and he quickly exited the room. I glanced around to make sure I was alone and walked behind the counter. I flipped through the ledger, it was filled with the club member's names, their signatures, and the times they arrived and left the establishment. I found Hester Trenton's signature and his sign in time…but there was no sign out time. I glanced over my shoulder at hearing footsteps and grabbed the lens cap off my camera. I snapped a photo of the ledger, turned it back to the page it had been on, and ran outside and into Mike's car.
Kato glanced around the corner of the alleyway and watched as Emmalyn ran back into Mike's car. She looked pleased with herself. He ducked back into the alleyway and held onto the envelope filled with photographs of Teresa's art studio. The Green Hornet was not only a good 'racketeer'; he was also an excellent pick pocket. He needed to find a way to lure Emmalyn back into the alleyway. He glanced down and grabbed a small stone and threw it at the hood of the car; she turned and glanced around. He threw another stone and she jumped in her seat. After a third stone she realized where the stone-attack was coming from.
Kato watched as she got out of the car. She stood a few inches in front of the alley's entrance; one hand held her camera, the other was balled in a fist.
"I'm not going in there," she exclaimed, "I'm not stupid." She backed a step away as if agreeing with her comment. "If you want to talk to me then show yourself!"
"I would appreciate if you stepped into the alley way, Emmalyn."
"No. Not until I see who I'm talking too. I know what happens to women in dark alley ways."
"I would never harm you," Kato assured as he stepped forward into the light. Emmalyn's eyes widened.
"Kato?"
"I assure you'll be safe. Anyone who may have been in this alleyway before I arrived has left. They do not wish to cross the Green Hornet or me."
Emmalyn nodded and stepped into the alleyway; he handed her the envelope.
"What's this? If it's a pay off….For destroying these pictures or anything else, then forget it. I only made one deal, I'm sorry if your boss doesn't like this….But I have morals and I…" She babbled until Kato held up his hand.
"I am not here to make a deal, look inside the envelope." He wondered for a moment why Emmalyn was so quick to jump to conclusions.
She opened the brown envelope and reached in. He saw her eyes widen, "The pictures of Teresa's art studio….How did you….? Why?" She looked up at him and he had to fight a feeling he once felt before. Her curious and surprised eyes were beautiful, deep, and mysterious.
Although she left few secrets about herself, Kato knew there were still many mysteries he had yet to learn. He took a deep breath and reigned in his emotions; he was attracted to Emmalyn, which would be helpful in protecting her both in and out of costume. But it could also be a burden. Under no circumstances could he allow his growing attraction for her to mess with his judgments. This had happened once before, three years ago when he became attracted to beautiful Japanese woman named Mulan Lee. She had used his feelings for her to distract him while her father almost killed the Green Hornet. Never can I allow this to happen again.
"You gave the Green Hornet a gift and he felt inclined to repay the favor," he climbed into the Black Beauty.
"Kato, wait!"
He turned around in his seat and looked at her, "Yes?"
"Be careful, okay?"
He nodded, "You too, Miss Briggs." Mulan never seemed to truly care about my well being. Emmalyn does.
A few hours later I found myself standing on the front doorstep to Mr. Reid's house; my mouth dropped open in shock. That is no house that is a freaking mansion. I had never been in a mansion before and I told myself not to touch anything, not to trip, and to avoid any and all tables that contained beverages. The door opened a moment later and an Asian man in a white coat, black tie, and black pants opened the door with a smile. I blinked in surprise; for a split second he looked familiar.
"Hi….Um….I'm Emmalyn Briggs, Mr. Reid hired me-"
The man smiled, "I know who you are, come in." He held open the door and I walked in; I stared at his face for a long moment and tried to place him but after a long minute I gave up. He shut the door and glanced at me, "Are you alright miss? You were looking at me oddly."
"I'm fine….I just thought I knew you from somewhere."
The man frowned, "I do not recall us meeting. Perhaps we ran into one another in the market?"
"I haven't been to the grocery store lately. I guess I'm just imagining things," I gave a sheepish shrug, "Either that or….I'm making a total idiot out of myself."
The man smiled, "You are not a fool and you are not an idiot. Mr. Reid does not hire those. It is good to ask questions, it helps you to gain knowledge. I have 'one of those faces', Mr. Reid tells me this all the time."
"Emma!"
I turned towards Casey, who was walking down the long hallway towards me, "Casey!" I beamed, "This is a huge and beautiful place."
"Mr. Reid has a wonderful house," she smiled, "I see you've met Kato."
"Kato?" I looked at the man wide eyed. "Wait, the Green Hornet's side kick's name is Kato."
"I have heard rumors that man has been using my name. I did not believe it until now."
I paused and glanced him up and down; his story sounded believable. I nodded. He couldn't be the Hornet's Kato; the Green Hornet's sidekick was slightly taller with darker eyes.
"Sorry."
"No apology is necessary," Kato assured me, "I must finish preparations." He walked off and I glanced at Casey.
"He's very nice."
Casey smiled, "He is. He's a great friend. Let me take you up to one of the guest rooms for your dress."
"Mr. Reid didn't have to get me the dress. He's already done enough and I really owe him for all he's done to help me."
"Oh, he didn't buy it. The dress belonged to his mother."
"His mom? Oh no, I couldn't….I can't….wear that." I shook my head; that was too great an honor I didn't deserve.
"Don't be silly," Casey smiled and led me up a long and winding staircase with red carpeting. "Mr. Reid thought the dress would fit you and look beautiful on you and I tend to agree with him. He helps all his new employees when they're just starting out. He's a good man."
I nodded, "He is, I'm lucky it's his newspaper I woke up in."
Casey led me into one of the first guest rooms, "The dress is hanging over there on the hat rack. The shoes are below it," she smiled. "Do you have any jewelry to wear?"
"I have this," I reached under my blouse and pulled out my small silver crucifix.
"It's beautiful; wear it over your dress." She glanced at my ears, "Also, if your ears are pierced, Mr. Reid left a set of earrings on the dresser you can wear."
I tensed, "Were they his mom's?" I was already on a guilt trip and wearing his mom's earrings would send me over the edge. I know Casey would tell me not to feel guilty, but I felt like I was taking advantage of my new boss's kindness and I didn't want to do that.
Casey chuckled, "No, they weren't. Actually, he just purchased them the other day. He likes to keep extra jewelry around; sometimes his employees wind up in the same dilemma you're in. After the dinner you can change back into your blouse and jeans."
"Thank you so much, Casey….Hey Casey."
"Yes, Emma?"
"I wish I had a friend like you back in Gotham."
She smiled, "Go ahead and get dressed the party will start soon."
Five minutes after the guests arrived Kato kept an eye on the staircase; Emma should be coming down soon.
"Has she come down yet?" Britt asked, as if reading his mind.
"No."
"Maybe one of us should check on her," he frowned.
"No need," Casey replied from behind the two, "Here she comes."
Kato and Britt looked back towards the staircase and Kato's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat. Emmalyn was dressed in a silk golden colored cocktail dress; her shoulders were bare except for three sequined straps on each side of the gown. The fabric clung to her form, emphasizing the fact she was female. Her long red tresses had been pulled back into a bun (that was already starting to come loose). A small pendant hung around her neck and two large drop-diamond earrings hung from her ears. If Kato hadn't known any better he would have sworn he was looking at a forgotten goddess…until she tripped and almost fell down the stairs.
He lunged forward but she caught herself. His eyes traveled to the silky white sash around her shoulders and the long white elbow length gloves. She was definitely a sight.
"You look beautiful, Miss Briggs," Britt smiled, "Do you need assistance?"
"Oh no, I got it." She replied and held onto the banister, "Just…practicing to join the circus's balancing act," she glanced down at the golden colored high heels.
"Sorry, Emma, that's the shortest heel I could find," Casey apologized.
"It's alright, they're beautiful." She beamed.
"You are too," Kato found himself saying. Britt and Casey exchanged a glance and a smirk. Kato blushed and stepped forward. He offered her his hand and smiled when she took it.
"Thanks." Emmalyn's face was beet red again. Kato offered a kind and understanding smile…though he wasn't sure if he'd ever see Emmalyn the same way again. Before, he had seen her as almost childlike; but now all he saw was a grown and beautiful young lady. It was actually a challenge for him to leave the room to finish seating the guests.
"Mr. Reid, I really want to thank you….You've done so much to help me and I really, really want to find a way to pay you back."
"You owe me nothing but good photographs, Emmalyn," he smiled. "From what Mike says you got many of those today." He turned and offered his arm to Casey who smiled and took it. I prepared to follow the two until Kato walked into the room and bent his arm towards me. I smiled and looped mine through his. I feel like a princess. As we passed a mirror I froze.
"Miss Briggs?" He asked.
I stared at my reflection for a long minute. The woman gazing back at me was almost unfamiliar. She was beautiful, mature, and seemed like someone of great importance. All I'm doing is playing dress-up….I'm not this pretty or sophisticated. This isn't me.
"Are you alright?" Kato questioned.
"I'm fine…" I lied through my teeth and I was determined to ignore any other mirrors. When I had stared into the mirror in the bedroom I had been busy doing my hair, putting the earrings in, and making sure the dress was on right, I hadn't really looked at myself. I broke my new rule and glanced at the mirror again and realized why the dress bothered me so much. I look just like mom and I miss her so much….Part of me wanted to return home while the other half of me extremely happy. As Kato and I walked towards the large dining room I realized I was happier in the 1960's than I had been in the 2000's. Mom always said I was born in the wrong time.
My concerns and quick bout of home sickness ended when Kato and I entered the room filled with Mr. Reid's other employees, District Attorney Scanlon and some of his colleagues, and other people I didn't recognize. To my surprise the men all stood when I entered the room and I felt very uncomfortable. I swallowed and reminded myself that men in this time period actually had manners. I gave Mr. Reid a small and shaky smile and glanced over across the table and wished I hadn't. Don reminded me of a cartoon wolf drooling at a beautiful woman; if he howled, I was going to search the house for a silver bullet.
Kato led me over to Mike, who was thankfully seated far away from Don. Mike stood and pulled out a chair and I sat down. Kato and Mike both pushed the chair in. Part of me wanted to say, 'I can do that' but that would probably be seen as rude.
Mike stared at me wide eyed as he sat back down, "Damn you look gorgeous, and please excuse my language."
"I've heard worse than that," I assured him. I glanced at the woman sitting beside him; her hair was a mix of silver and blond and her brown eyes twinkled with her smile.
"Emmalyn Briggs, I'd like you to meet my wife, Martha Axford. Martha, this is my photographer, Emmalyn," Mike smiled and leaned back in his chair.
"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Axford," I smiled.
"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Briggs. My husband said you were a bit of a tomboy, I think he needs glasses," she laughed.
I blushed, "His vision is very accurate."
Mr. Reid suddenly stood and tapped a fork against his champagne glass, "Hello everyone, I thank you for joining me tonight. I've held this dinner party in honor of District Attorney Scanlon, who won the race for D.A. once again." He held up his glass, "To District Attorney Scanlon!"
I watched as Mike and the others grabbed their glasses and held them up in the air and joined the toast. I followed their suite and Mike suddenly clinked his glass against mine.
"Tip your glass towards mine," he whispered. I did and Mr. Reid held up his glass once again, toasted with the D.A. and took a sip of his champagne. Everyone followed and the moment the liquid entered my mouth it took all my strength not to gag and spit it out. It felt like sandpaper was going across my tongue.
"Are you alright?" Martha whispered to me.
I nodded, "First time having champagne," I whispered.
"That first sip can be a doozy," Mike muttered to me. "If you don't like it just don't touch it again, Kato will get the idea and give you something else."
I nodded and glanced back at Kato; there was something about him...I couldn't quite place my finger on it. He was very handsome and so far he seemed to be very kind. But something more than that tugged at me. Something just beyond my reach. I wanted to get to know him better and maybe one day I'd find out what that 'something' was. I blushed when Kato realized I was watching him, I turned away though glanced back at him as often as I could.
Mike glanced at me, "Cut it out, you're acting like a school girl with her first crush."
After dinner and desert people traveled into Mr. Reid's ballroom. Kato walked over to Emmalyn with a smile after turning on the record player and putting on a record. He stood in front of her and gave a small bow, "May I have this dance?" He asked when the music began playing.
Emmalyn blushed and nodded, "You most definitely may, sir."
"Kato," He smiled as he took her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Please, call me Kato."
"Kato," she smiled, "Then maybe you could either call me Emmalyn or Emma?"
He nodded, "Emma. How are you enjoying working for Mr. Reid?" He led Emma around the other couples and caught her when she lost her balance again in the heels.
"I'm really enjoying it," she replied, "But I gotta warn you, I have two left feet and they're even worse in these torture devices."
Kato laughed, "I take dancing in high heels is hard? Miss Case makes it look easy."
She looked away from him and towards Mr. Reid and Casey; Kato glanced in their direction. Casey was smiling as was Britt. But if they grew any closer they'd be close to kissing. Kato smiled; They love one another but do not realize it.
He turned his attention back to Emma; he was still amazed at how beautiful she truly was. During dinner he realized she downplayed her looks; the clothing she wore made her look pretty but they caused her skin to look paler and her freckles to stand out more. Her hair almost always looked like a mess (even now it was springing out of its bun). But in proper clothing her beauty shined through and to anyone who thought as he once had – pretty but childlike – their opinions of her would certainly change after tonight.
"I am going to spin you but if you do not feel that is safe in your shoes please tell me."
"I think it'll be alright, I'm starting to get the hang of them, when I feel my feet sliding I just slide my feet in the opposite direction." He smirked and spun her; he noticed several men watching them dance across the floor. But it was Don he noticed the most; the man looked ready to rip his face off. She is not yours to have. Kato blinked and wondered where that wave of jealousy and possessiveness had come from. He barely knew Emmalyn and already his emotions were clouding his judgment...Or were they? Maybe she liked Don Franklin.
He glanced away from her and towards the record player; he would need to change the record soon. He looked back at Emmalyn, "Don Franklin is watching you….Do you wish to dance with him?"
She shook her head, "The man's a letch. He asked me out a date right after introducing himself."
Kato chuckled, "Most men do this. This does not make them letches."
"It makes him a letch," she replied, "Today when Mr. Axford and I returned to the Sentinel he assumed I'd be his date to the party. He just walked right up to me and said, 'I'll pick you up around 7:30?'"
Kato glanced at Don and couldn't help but to feel satisfied that Emmalyn despised the man. "Don is quick to assume all women will want to be with him."
"Yeah, well, he needs a reality check."
Kato laughed, "I agree. I must change the record. Would you like to dance with the district attorney?"
"Can I dance with you again?"
Kato nodded and smiled, "I'd like that."
Britt smirked and joined Kato at the record table, "I don't think that was an act back there."
"Excuse me, Mr. Reid?" Kato looked at him, feigning confusion.
"You know what I'm talking about," he replied, "Everyone saw the look on your face when Don started to approach." When Kato began blushing Britt paused.
"Kato, there's nothing wrong with being attracted to a woman."
"There is when it cloud's one's judgment."
"You're thinking of Mulan Lee."
Britt caught Kato watching him from the corner of his eye.
"Maybe," he lowered his voice, "You were nearly killed. I will not endanger the life of my best friend over a woman."
"Neither would I. Remember, she's not Mulan and you were not guarding Mulan. You're guarding Emmalyn. And Emmalyn is not coming over here demanding your attention."
Britt knew that Mulan had never met Kato in his secret identity; she had only known the masked man who traveled with the Green Hornet. Emmalyn now knew both: The Green Hornet's side kick and Britt Reid's best friend and servant, and she liked them both. Mulan would have turned her nose up in the air if she learned of Kato's secret identity; she would have considered an employee beneath her.
"You know, Kato, she hasn't taken her eyes off you."
"No, she hasn't. I think I will dance with her again."
