Headlines (Prime Time #3) - Ella Frank Page 0,34

Wagner—my least favorite person on the fucking planet—leaned back in his and caught my eye.

“Funny that you’re bitching about pay. Would’ve thought you’d be set up nice and good after protecting the golden boy of national news.”

The speculation over my paycheck from the job with Xander had run wild throughout the precinct, since most of us picked up secondary jobs when we wanted to earn some extra cash. Wagner, however, had been particularly vocal about it. Hardly surprising, since the guy was a fucking parasite who complained monthly about paying child support.

But I wasn’t in the mood for his bullshit this morning.

“Not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I didn’t do it for the paycheck. I did it because he was in trouble and asked for help.”

“Is that right?” Wagner shoved back from his desk and got to his feet, and not about to get into this with him, I turned my back on him. “Because according to this, you did it for a piece of ass.”

When a magazine landed on the desk in front of me, I looked down to see a double-spread article with the headline UNDERCOVER BODYGUARD TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING. JUST HOW CLOSELY DID HE GUARD THORNE’S BODY? splashed across the top.

Beneath that were photographs of Xander and yours truly holding hands outside of Luigi’s, and then inside in the back corner enjoying each other almost as much as our meal.

I managed to get about three sentences into the article before the words began to blur. But I read enough to put together the fact that someone over at Entertainment Now! had discovered my name, real job as a detective, and decided that, somewhere during their little narrative, I had taken my job as Xander’s bodyguard to a whole other level by getting extra close with him under the covers.

It was actually pretty spot-on, but it wouldn’t have been my first choice to come out of the closet to the men now gathering behind me.

I picked up the magazine and flipped it shut like I wasn’t bothered by it in the least. Then I swiveled in my chair to face Wagner. “Didn’t picture you as the type to keep up with the Kardashians.”

He snatched the magazine out of my hand and sneered at me. “Yeah, well, I didn’t picture you as the type to stick your dick in another guy for some extra cash. Guess you never really know someone, huh?”

I was on my feet and toe to toe with the asshole before he had a chance to blink. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me.” Wagner angled his chin up, and I shoved him back a step, needing him out of my face before I broke his.

“You need to walk away from me right fucking now.”

Nichols got in between us then. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but as I took in the surprise on my other workmates’ faces a red haze started to color my vision.

Wagner straightened his shoulders and then held the magazine up for everyone to see.

“It’s all right here, guys. Feel free to have a read during your downtime today.” His lip curled in a way that made his face even uglier. “No wonder Thorne picked you to watch over him. Figured he’d get his money’s worth. Someone to protect his ass and fuck it.”

That was it. I shoved forward with all my might, trying my best to muscle past Nichols, but damn, the man must’ve been lifting some serious weights. I couldn’t get past him. Or maybe it was an inner survival instinct holding me back, because if I got my hands on Wagner, I was going to kill the motherfucker.

“He’s not worth it,” Nichols muttered, as Wagner sauntered back toward his desk, and the nosy assholes who’d come to check out the commotion began to disperse.

When it was clear I finally had my shit back under control, Nichols grabbed my coffee mug and said, “Not sure this is wise, but let’s go get you some caffeine.”

I followed him, acutely aware of the eyes still on me as we made our way toward the break room. Once we were inside, I took a seat at the table and watched in silence as Nichols went about making the coffee. I was still trying to wrap my head around what had happened. One minute we’d been joking about his hot new ride, and the next Wagner had decided to out me in front of all my peers.

Fuck.