Episode 3
2017 Words
Is everything okay?
She jerked her head up as she heard the strange voice. Leaning on the
doorframe of her office door was a man. And not just any man. He took up the
entire doorway.
“C-can I help you?”
He stood upright and walked the remaining distance to her desk. He stuck
out his hand to her.Jhon. The new guy.”
Her mouth rounded to an O. She slid her hand into his and instead of shaking
it, he merely held on and squeezed gently. “I’m Jenly.”
He smiled, and his blue eyes twinkled at her. “I know.”
She blew out her breath. “Of course, you know. I’m the only woman who
works here, so I couldn’t be anyone else.”
“Am I interrupting anything?” he asked as he let go of her hand and gestured
to the phone. “You seemed upset.”
She shook her head and continued to stare up at him. Lia, but he was an
intimidating sort. “It was nothing. Was there something you wanted?”
The phone rang, and she jumped about a foot. The sick feeling in her
stomach returned with a vengeance. It was probably her mother. She continued
to stare at the phone, unwilling to pick it up, not wanting to deal with an
overwrought mother who manipulated her at every turn.
A large hand covered the receiver and yanked it up.
Jenly’s,” Jhon bit out. There was a long pause, and he looked up at Jenly
with that searing gaze. “I’m sorry, but she stepped out for a moment. Can I take
a message?”
Please, please don’t leave a message. She couldn’t take some hysterical
spiel from her mother. Not to a complete stranger.
Jhon put the phone back down.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“No problem. Are you okay? I got the impression you definitely didn’t want
to talk to whoever was on the phone before.”
She shivered as he continued to stare at her with those intense blue eyes.
“I’m fine. Really. Now, was there something you wanted?” she asked again.
The corners of his mouth quirked up in an amused smile. “You trying to get
rid of me? She flushed. “Sorry, of course not. I’m very glad to meet you. I’ve heard a
lot about you from Pop and Connor. Are you settling in well? I haven’t seen you
around the office.”
Shut up, Jenly. She wanted to drop her head on her desk. She sounded like a
complete airhead.
He cleared his throat. “I’m glad to meet you as well. I’ve also heard a lot
about you from Pop and Connor. I’m moved into the apartment just fine, and this
is my first time in to the office.”
His eyes twinkled as he continued to regard her with a smile. Beautiful eyes
too. Deep, rich blue. He wore his hair short, spiked slightly on top. Probably
didn’t have to do much more than rub a towel over it, wave a comb in the
general direction and go.
“I was hoping you could direct me to my office?”
She blinked and yanked herself from her slow perusal of his attributes. She
stood up, knocking her knee against the desk. Pain shot up her thigh, and she
grimaced.
He raised a brow but didn’t comment. She opened her top desk drawer and
rummaged around a few seconds before pulling out a set of keys.
“These are the keys to your office and to the building. I’m sure Pop has
given you all the security codes, but if not, I’ll write them down for you.”
She thrust them toward him, and his hand closed around hers once more. A
warm tingle skittered across her skin as his thumb brushed across her knuckles.
She yanked her hand back and walked around the desk toward the door. When
she reached the hallway, she turned back to see him still watching her. She was
pretty sure he’d been eyeballing her ass, but as soon as she’d turned around, his
gaze shot upward.
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you your office.”
He pushed off from where he’d leaned his butt on her desk and started
toward her. She swiveled back around and walked three doors down to the
vacant office that had been assigned to him. She opened the door but didn’t go in. She gestured inside with her hand.
“Here you are. If you need anything, let me know.”
“I’ll do that,” he said in a low voice as he walked by her.
Jhon felt her gaze, knew she was watching him as he moved inside the
doorway. They’d both done their share of looking. When Bunny had given him
details on Jenly, Jhon hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful. Or so
innocent looking.
“I, uhm, I’ll get back to my office now. I’ll see you around. If you need
anything, just holler.”
He turned to see her back from his office and hightail it down the hall. He
shook his head and smiled to himself. He made her nervous. She’d been on edge
ever since he walked into her office.
Once he was sure she was gone, he backtracked to shut the door then pulled
out his cell phone to call Bunny.
“I finally met Jenly,” he said as soon as Bunny answered.
“And?”
“Not what I expected,” Jhon confessed.
“What do you mean?”
Jhon paused and once again conjured up the image of her sitting in her
office, her face a mask of upset. Her distress bothered him more than he wanted
to admit.
“She’s young. Pretty. Seems nice. Very whole some looking. According to
Pop she’s extremely intelligent and as good-hearted as they come.”
He heard Bunny’s sigh of impatience. “Have you gotten anywhere with the
phone taps? Do you know if her mother’s called?”
“I only just got access to the office today. I’ll tap her phone here and at her
apartment as soon as I can get in to do it. And I think her mother may have called today.”
Bunny’s breathing ratcheted up, echoing over the phone line. “Are you sure?
What was said?”
“I have no idea. I came in when she was on the phone, and she said very
little. But she was visibly upset. She hung up at one point, and when the phone
rang again, she refused to answer it. I picked it up, and a woman asked for her by
name but refused to leave a message when I told her Jenly wasn’t available.”
“Why the hell didn’t you put Jenly on?” Bunny asked in exasperation.
“Because she wouldn’t have done it,” Jhon replied. “Be patient, Bunny. I’ll
get to the bottom of this. I promise. Give me a few days to get the taps in place.
These guys aren’t slouches. I’m going to have to be careful.”
“Let me know when you find out something,” Bunny said.
“I will.”
They rang off, and Jhon shoved the phone back into his pocket. He stood
there for a moment, pondering all that he needed to do. To his surprise, a sense
of guilt nagged at him. Chewed on his ass like a pit bull.
He liked Pop. Liked the job, even if it was gained under false pretenses. He
fit in well with Pop’s team. Honnor, Nick and Nathan were all his age, and they
all had a lot in common. For the first time, he wondered if going back to the
police force was really what he wanted. It wouldn’t be the same without Jack.
The one word that filtered across his mind brought a surge of pain, one he’d
tried to block ever since the funeral, but lately he’d been unsuccessful.
Jhon closed his eyes. The idea of Jack’s killer out there. Free. Escaping
from justice. Jhon had seen enough of the bad guys winning in the sorry-ass
neighborhood he’d grown up in. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. This
time it was personal.
“Uh, Jhon? He looked up to see Jenly standing in the doorway of his office. His gaze
flickered down her long legs sheathed in tight-fitting jeans. The thin turtleneck
she wore clung to her curves in all the right places.
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and he chased images of her body
from his mind.
“What’s up?” he asked, hoping he sounded casual enough.
“Pop called. He and Honnor, Nathan and Nick are going to eat and want
you to meet them for lunch at Cattleman’s.”
Jhon shoved his hand in his pocket, reaching for his keys. “Thanks. I’ll head
over now. Want me to bring you something back?”
She shook her head and looked away, her cheeks stained pink. God, she
looked so soft and feminine. He was half-tempted to reach out and touch a strand
of her long blond hair. See if it was as silky as it looked. As silky as her skin
must be.
He forced himself to look away, but then he heard her walk out of his office,
and he glanced up to watch her shapely ass bob down the hallway.
He was attracted to her. Hell, what red-blooded man wouldn’t be? But she
was wrong in so many different ways he couldn’t even stop to count. She sure as
hell wasn’t a girl a man played with. No, she had keeper written all over her, and
he wasn’t in a position to walk into that kind of situation. He’d scare her silly
anyway.
With a shake of his head, he tossed his keys from one hand to the other and
headed out to his truck. He’d need to find a time later when everyone was out of
the office so he could tap the main line. If it had been Jenly’s mother calling
today, she obviously hadn’t gotten whatever it was she wanted. Which meant
she’d call back. Jhon leaned against the brick of the apartment complex and watched as Jenly
struggled to heave two large grocery bags out of her backseat then nudge the
door shut with her hip.
He started forward, reaching for the bags when he was close enough. Wide,
startled green eyes flashed up at him as she took in his presence.
“Here, let me help you with that,” he said.
She relinquished them, still staring at him in surprise. Though they both
lived here—Pop owned the apartment complex and Honnor, Nathan and Nick
also lived here—he and Jenly hadn’t yet crossed paths since he’d moved in.
He made his way to her door and turned back, waiting for her to unlock it.
She c****d her head to the side.
“How did you know which apartment was mine?”
“Your brother told me,” he said with a shrug.
She frowned. “Honnor’s usually so tight-lipped. I’m amazed he’d tell you
for fear you’d break in and murder me in my sleep.”
Jhon chuckled. “Is that your way of saying he’s a little protective of you?”
“No, he’s just cautious,” she said as she slid the key into the lock. “And
private. Very, very private. It’s not like him to offer personal information.” She
opened the door and gestured for him to go inside.
“Does it bother you that he told me your apartment number?” he asked as he
shouldered by her. “I merely offered to keep an eye out since my unit is so close
by.”
She followed him in and shut the door. “No, it doesn’t bother me.”
“Well, then, now that we’ve settled that, where do you want the groceries?
- Writer
