Actual Stop by McLeod Kara A

Author:McLeod, Kara A. [McLeod, Kara A.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781626396760
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2016-06-14T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

As luck would have it, I made it to the office just in time to administer the PT tests. Mark was milling around in the gym when I arrived—most likely hoping I wouldn’t make it, so he could yell at me or try to get me fired or something—but as soon as I breezed in, he left. I guess he didn’t want me overseeing his test. Or maybe he’d skulked off to find something else he could be mad at me for. I hardly cared.

I ran the group through the paces at lightning speed and stopped at my desk only long enough to enter the PT scores into the mainframe before dashing off to the locker room to shower and change into more appropriate attire.

Throughout my career, I’d learned to come to work prepared for anything. Running, swimming, shopping, clubbing, walking around Central Park, a last-minute foreign-dignitary visit. I had outfits for every occasion on hand that I could slip into in a New York minute. And on days like this it meant I could get ready at the office without having to stop home first, which meant I’d be able to see Allison sooner. Not that I was looking forward to that or anything. Nope. Not at all.

I stepped out of the office, trying to walk and answer an email on my BlackBerry at the same time. The guys had been at the bar enjoying the wheels-up party for a while, it seemed, and they were demanding my presence ASAP. I was in the middle of sending them a message that I was on my way and to calm down, when my personal cell phone rang, scaring the hell out of me. I’d been working so hard I hadn’t even looked at the thing for days. Everyone important who could possibly need to talk to me also had my work cell-phone number, so I hadn’t given it any thought.

I glanced at the display. Hmm. Private caller. Rory again? Probably not. She never bothered to block her number. Besides, she should’ve been napping before her night shift.

“Hello?” I said as I continued to fumble clumsily with my other phone in my left hand. I dropped it and let slip a muffled curse as it skittered across the sidewalk.

“Hey,” was the quiet reply.

My heart stopped beating and shriveled to something the size of a walnut as I recognized Lucia’s voice. I sucked in a harsh breath, and my throat burned from all the car exhaust and diesel fumes I’d just inhaled. “Hey.”

“How was the visit?”

“Fine.” I bent to retrieve my erstwhile phone.

“Everything went okay?”

“It did. Thanks for asking.”

“No problem.”

My mind was working overtime. What could she possibly want? I thought she’d been abundantly clear two nights ago that she never wanted to speak to me again, so the motive behind this encounter escaped me completely. But I didn’t appreciate the unpleasant feelings she was stirring up. My insides were wilting, and my chest felt like it was being crushed in a vise.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.