She steeled her nerves and exited the car. Clutching her briefcase, she willed herself to casually walk to the bank, push open the glass doors and stroll inside.
The office hummed with pre-closing Friday rush. A dozen customers impatiently waited in line, and four account representatives had clients at their desks.
Darcy waved from behind a window. "Are you feeling better?"
She forced a smile and friendly nod. Inside her office, a foot-high stack of papers towered precariously on her desk. The phone rang, and she jumped. She snatched up the receiver, praying that it wouldn't be Peter calling with bad news. "Hello?" she said cautiously.
"It's about time!" Edwin Trask's voice bellowed over the line. "Do you know what I've been through the last three days?"
Since she handled the job every day, she was pretty sure she did. "I have a general idea."
He harrumphed. "This doesn't look good on your record. You've been taking entirely too much time off lately. I'm glad you're back. Now I won't have to come down and oversee closing."
She gripped the receiver tighter. "I'm afraid you will. I'm still not feeling a hundred percent. I merely came in to pick up my mail and paperwork and then I'm leaving again."
"It sounds like you don't want that promotion."
"Yes, I do. But my health comes first." She raised her chin. "I've been considering revamping my diet and exercise. I've had time to watch TV while I've been ill and those ads for the Ab Annihilator and the Bun Buster look enticing. Whoever developed the concept is a genius. Perhaps we could contact the owner to sponsor an employee fitness program."
Thirty seconds of silence ticked by. She pictured Trask's mustache twitching like a centipede in the throes of a convulsion, and smiled.
Finally he spoke very quietly. "Ah, taking care of yourself until you feel completely well is wise. I'll arrive shortly to close out the office."
Her smile broadened into a grin as she hung up. She'd learned a thing or two from Mr. Bond.
She glanced at the clock. Five minutes until closing. Surely Peter should have sent the evidence by now. She piled the backlog of papers inside her briefcase. Her anxious gaze darted around the lobby. Most of the customers had left. Staring at the elevator, she willed the doors to open and discharge a company courier carrying a bright yellow envelope.
The final five minutes dragged by. No courier appeared. Mr. Trask arrived. Without looking in her direction, he stalked behind the teller windows to supervise the cash-outs.
Darcy popped into her office. She tilted her head, inspecting Tessa's face. "That must have been one nasty bug. You look as pale as Casper."
Tessa forced out the second smile in ten minutes for Darcy's benefit. "I'll be fine."
"That new guy, Bond? He's been absent, too. You know, underneath his nerdy clothes and Jerry Lewis glasses, he's not bad. If someone did a makeover on him, he'd be hot. He's got a really sexy tush. Course, he'd need braces."
To Tessa's immense relief, a young man wearing the office mail uniform rushed in. "Priority interoffice delivery."
Thank heavens. And just in time to head off a discussion about Gabe's sexy tush.
She sent Darcy on her way and signed for the envelope with trembling hands. After locking the evidence in her briefcase, she crossed the lobby. Pausing at the door, she scrubbed her sweaty palms on her slacks, took a deep breath and stepped warily outside.
Expecting a bullet to slam between her shoulder blades any moment, she scurried up the sidewalk. Her head swiveled as she tried to watch beside, in front, and behind her at the same time. Appearing nonchalant was difficult when she was quivering like a nervous Chihuahua. "Gabe trusts me," she muttered. "I can do this." The walk lasted an agonizing eternity. Finally, she reached the car. Heaving a huge sigh, she collapsed into the passenger seat.
Gabe's solemn, tense gaze studied her face. "You okay?"
Other than a close encounter with a nervous breakdown, no problem. "Yes. What happens next?"
He eased the car into bumper-to-bumper traffic. "We make sure Peter gets to the safe house, then we go back to my house."
A surge of triumph rocketed through her, and she grinned. She'd delivered the evidence Gabe needed to catch the bad guys. This spy stuff wasn't so tough after all. No wonder he got a kick out of it.
He remained quiet for the remainder of the trip, his vigilant gaze constantly checking the mirrors. She didn't interrupt