She stood in the doorway, her gaze averted, trying her best not to eavesdrop on his end of the conversation.All the while, her anxiety grew with every tick of the clock on the wall behind him.
After what felt like forever but was probably only a minute or two, he ended his call.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he set the receiver back on its cradle.“What can I help you with?”
“Uh…yes.I think there was a mistake with my bonus.”
Concern plain on his face, he sat up straighter in his chair.“Not enough?”
“No, it’s exactly what I expected it to be.But there’s a second deposit, a bigger one.”
“Ah.”He smiled, as if that explained everything.“I’m sorry; I meant to tell you about it this morning but I got sidetracked.That second deposit is from Sierra.I sent her staff a full report detailing the events that took place in North Carolina.She felt terrible about what happened and wanted to compensate you for your trouble.A tip, so to speak.”
“A twenty-five-thousand-dollar tip?”She hated that her voice shot up a half octave, but this kind of thing didn’t happen to her on a regular basis.Or ever.
“Garrett’s was bigger, though I’m not at liberty to say how much,” Austin said.
Last she’d heard, Garrett was out of the hospital and recuperating at home.He’d be in a cast for eight to twelve weeks, but a full recovery would take much longer.And if there were any complications, all bets were off.
Austin‘s phone rang again.He checked the caller ID and transferred the call to voicemail.“She also asked if you’d be open to working as her doppelganger in the future but said she’d understand if you declined.”
She didn’t blame Sierra for what had happened, but she was still surprised that Sierra wanted her to continue working as her body double.“Do I have a choice?”
“Absolutely.You were hired based on your computer expertise, not for who you resemble.I’d rather you not do anything that makes you uncomfortable.Considering what you went through last weekend, you have every right to say no, and I won’t hold it against you.If you’re not open to it, just let me know and we’ll start searching for a replacement.”
“Can I have some time to think about it?”She didn’t want to make a snap decision that she’d later regret.
Truth be told, she had mixed feelings about the experience.On the one hand, it was kind of fun to dip her toe into the world of the rich and famous.It took cosplaying to a whole new level.And, of course, the pay was spectacular.It was hard to turn down that much money.But then there was the whole ambush thing, and getting chased through the wilderness by bad guys with big guns.That part definitely sucked.
And then there was Navarre.Agreeing to future jobs meant she’d probably be working with him again, and she wasn’t sure she could handle the baggage that came along with it.She didn’t regret their time together, but every time she saw him, she remembered the feel of his hands on her, his mouth on her, exploring every square inch of her body until—
She slammed the door on those memories before they ventured into more dangerous territory in front of her freaking boss.Talk about inappropriate.
Thankfully, Austin didn’t notice.Or if he did, he didn’t let on.“Of course.Why don’t you think about it over the next day or two and let me know when you make a decision?”
Everythingwasbacktonormal.The scents of oil and metal tinged the air as Navarre worked on the pistol that had been sent to the armory for maintenance.After all, it was going to be awhile before Garrett would be in any condition to use it again.
In the meantime, Rosario had been reassigned to work with Chung and Reyes.Last he heard, they were flying to New York with Ryan and Vicky, where Vicky was scheduled to appear as a guest on one of those late-night talk shows.
Navarre carefully lifted the slide from the frame and inspected each component, noting subtle signs of wear and a recoil spring in the early stage of fatigue.With meticulous precision, he cleaned each part, using special solvents to dissolve the grime and a soft brush to reach into crevices.
Three days had passed since they returned from North Carolina, and he couldn’t stop thinking about Sloane.He’d crossed a line that should have never been crossed, and every second of that night kept playing in his head in a continuous feedback loop.The way she’d looked.Her scent, her touch.The soft, sensual sounds she made each time she came undone.
God, he was such an idiot.This was what happened when he let the little head do his thinking.Now everything was fucked to hell and he didn’t know how to fix it, or whether it could be fixed.For the time being, he was keeping his distance to avoid making matters worse.
Maybe things would blow over in a week or two, and life would go back to normal.
Yeah, right.And maybe he’d win the Powerball next week.
Even if he did, he’d still be miserable.
A knock on the door provided a much-needed distraction.He glanced up at the security feed and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Jackson’s muscular frame standing in front of the doorway.
He pressed the buzzer that disengaged the lock so Jackson could enter the room.
Jackson claimed he was feeling fine, but Navarre had seen him moving stiffly when he didn’t think anyone was watching.Luckily, his wife Essie had taken a couple of days off work to help him through the worst of it.
“You ready for lunch?”his friend asked.
