late for work. After giving her a swift kiss, I make my way through her apartment and let myself out. Right before I close the door, I yell, “Make sure you lock up.”
“Got it,” she answers.
“And I’ll call you.” I hear her laughing in response.
I’m smiling the entire way down to the street, where I plan to order an Uber to take me to Jameson Headquarters. But before I do, I stop just outside the lobby door and pull up her number.
I tap it with confidence.
It rings twice before she answers, “Hello?”
“Told you I’d call,” I reply.
She laughs huskily. “I was just getting ready to step into the shower.”
“You’re trying to tempt me to come back up, aren’t you?” I tease.
“I wish, but I am running a bit late. So thanks for calling.”
“Wait,” I exclaim, chuckling. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you go to dinner with me tonight?”
She’s silent for so long, I actually think she’s going to decline the invitation. Part of me wants her to, because this is something I don’t do.
Date.
Yet, it’s relief that hits my belly when she says, “I think that would be nice.”
“Pick you up at seven?”
“Can’t wait,” she murmurs, then she hangs up without saying goodbye.
Fascinating woman. I can’t wait either. Now I just have to figure out where to take her. I’ll probably hit Kynan up once I get into work. He knows all the great places in Pittsburgh.
♦
My return to Jameson headquarters is met with great enthusiasm. I’m not the only hero who rescued Malik from his abductors, but I’m the one walking through the main floor right now. I’m greeted with backslaps, high fives, fist bumps, and one huge hug from Anna.
Anna is Kynan’s assistant. She’s only been working at Jameson for a few months. Her situation is wholly unique in that her husband was on the same mission as Malik. He’d been killed when Malik was captured. Anna’s had a tough road, but her journey led her to work here at Jameson. She feels a bond with all of us, and she’s been so invested in Malik’s rescue. She’d taken it to heart as much as the rest of us. Even though she lost Jimmy, she considers it a balm to bring Malik home alive. It was important that something good come out of this experience.
“I’m so proud of you,” Anna exclaims as she releases me from her stranglehold.
I give her an extra squeeze before we break apart. It’s been weird, but over the last few months since Anna’s been working at Jameson, she and I have become pretty tight. I know some around the company probably think something’s going on between us, but that’s not the case. We’re friends—nothing more.
Really good friends. I’d say probably my closest in the Pittsburgh headquarters. My absolute best friend, Bodie Wright, works in the Vegas office where his wife, Rachel, runs the operations as Kynan’s second in command.
“How is he?” Anna demands, meaning Malik. “What kind of shape is he in? Is he going to be okay? What can we do for him?”
She peppers me with questions without pausing for a breath. I have to clap my hand over her mouth to get her to be quiet. Leaning in, I say, “I have to go debrief with Kynan. How about you and I grab some lunch together today, and I’ll fill you in on what I’m allowed to share. Okay?”
Her eyes crinkle, and she nods. I can feel her smile under my hand.
When I remove it, she murmurs, “All right.”
“And I missed you, too,” I reply affectionately.
Blushing, she rushes to assure me that she missed me as well. “I’m just so excited Malik was rescued, that’s all.”
I laugh. “I get it. We’ll talk at lunch.”
I move off from Anna, waving in at Corinne Ellery, our staff psychiatrist. Part of my debrief this week will be to talk to her. Kynan requires his staff to get mental health evaluations and therapy after difficult missions to cope with the stressors of the job. I’m quite sure we’ll be discussing my sense of pride and accomplishment when I put a bullet in the brain of the man who had been tormenting Malik, as well as that small part of my conscience that feels blackened by the same action.
Kynan sits in his office, head bowed over something on his desk. Since taking over Jameson Force Security, he rides desk more than he goes out on actual missions. I’m not quite sure how he does