everybody had a family who built them up when given a chance. Hadn’t anybody ever just told Oliver he could do it? “Yeah. I think you can do anything you want, Oliver. You’re smart, capable, organized, and very good with people.”
He blushed so red his cheeks must’ve hurt. “I, um, thanks.”
“Sure.” Frosting curdled between my toes. “Just think about it. No pressure.” I opened the door to the hallway, saw a couple men meeting with Clark in his office, and headed back to my office to once again wipe the frosting out of my shoes. Apparently I hadn’t gotten all of it last time.
Chapter 18
I woke up on Saturday morning after having spent the night alone. Aiden had called and said he had crap to deal with and wouldn’t make it. The call was quick, and he didn’t go into detail with his plans. After a long shower, I relaxed, ate crackers for dinner, and then went to bed early.
My phone buzzed while I was still stretching and trying to decide what to do with my weekend. “Hello.”
“Hey, Aingeal. Sorry about last night. How about a ride today?” Aiden asked.
I sat up. “Sounds fun. Where to?”
“I thought I’d show you the office in Spokane before I went completely under. Sources tell us that Barensky is still in Denver but is heading this way soon, so this is probably the last couple of days we’ll see each other for a while,” he said.
I rolled my neck and tried to ignore the panic that created inside me. “All right. Sure. I can be ready soon.”
“Good.”
My doorbell rang.
I paused. “Is that you at the door?”
“Yep, and I brought lattes,” he said.
I jumped out of bed and hustled to the door, almost as happy to see the coffee as I was Aiden. Almost. I sucked it down and hustled to get ready, wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a light jacket. Within thirty minutes, I perched on the back of Aiden’s bike, helmet on, feeling the wind all around us.
There was no other feeling on Earth like riding behind Aiden on his bike with my arms around his waist and my helmet turned against his broad back. It was wild and free, safe and sexy.
I loved it. Had from the first time he’d taken me on a ride, and at that time, I hadn’t even known he was on the right side of the law. In fact, there had been ample evidence that he had not been. I didn’t care then, and I was happy now.
We rode right through town to I-90 and continued to the older part of Spokane, closer to Gonzaga University. Aiden parked in front of a white columned house that had been turned into an office building with mature trees all around providing much needed shade. I whipped off the helmet and took a good look at the flowerpots hanging on the front porch. “This isn’t the ATF office.”
“Yeah, they didn’t really want us there, so we rented our own office for the SRT.” He held out a hand to assist me off the bike and then hung my helmet from his handlebar. “It’s better since we’re undercover, anyway. Come see it.” He took my hand and led me along the quaint stone path and up the wooden steps to the front door.
We walked inside, and the older wooden floor creaked. A massage place was to the left, an accounting firm to the right, and A&E Holdings were straight ahead. He led me to the A&E Holdings door, unlocked it with an old key, and we stepped inside a vestibule with two chairs, a sofa, and a round table holding flowers. One door lay on the other side.
“We have the back suite as well as the entire second floor.” He grinned and locked the outside door before heading to the second door, where he slid a wooden panel out of the way and punched in numbers on a keypad.
“All right, James Bond,” I murmured. “I take it you guys did some modifications.”
“Saber did,” Aiden affirmed. “The guy is a genius with security.” The door snicked open and he gestured me inside.
I moved past the flowers and into what looked like a control room. Large table, monitors on the walls, computer consoles on the table. Three doors led in different directions.
Aiden pointed. “To the left is my office. On the other side of that wall is a kitchen area with windows looking out back, and to the right is a locked ammunition