Nerves of Steele by Susan Sleeman

Author:Susan Sleeman [Sleeman, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Edge of Your Seat Books, Inc

12

Back at Armstead Jewelers, Grant began to search the store. Peyton joined him, and he worked hard to keep his attention on the job at hand. He’d decided not to tell the workers what they were looking for. They couldn’t get into Alex’s office without breaking in, so they opted to leave that for last. Hopefully, they would find the diamonds elsewhere and wouldn’t have to break down the door.

Side-by-side, they pulled out drawers under counters and lifted felt covered trays in cases. Finding nothing, they moved on to Kayleen’s office and scoured every space, the desk, file cabinets, behind books and binders on the shelves. They tore the break room and restroom apart, even looking in the toilet tank.

“Nothing.” Grant settled the lid on the tank and tried his best not to take his frustration out on the fixture.

Peyton looked up at the ceiling. “What about air vents? Could he have hidden them in there?”

“He would’ve needed a ladder or step stool and something to turn the screws.”

She tapped her chin. “He had a pocketknife in his belongings.”

“But when would he have done it?” Grant asked.

“Maybe before we got here.”

“It’s possible, so we have to check,” he said.

“I’ll grab the step stool, and we can start in here.” She left the room.

Grant climbed up on the toilet and tried to reach the vent to get a head start, but he couldn’t reach high enough. He listened to the rain pelting the roof while he waited for Peyton to return. Ping—ping—ping. It hit the metal like hail. He was so sick of the rain. It was going on twenty-three days in a row now. He needed some sunshine soon, or he might go bonkers.

Peyton pushed open the door, a five-rung step stool slung over her shoulder and it was in total opposition to her professional suit. She was such a mix, and he loved getting to see the many sides to her. Janitor. Investigator. CFO. Funny. Serious. Caring. Surprising. So very surprising, and a woman he wanted to be his.

Say what?

“You better hope you don’t slip.” She laughed and grinned up at him, her eyes alight with humor and something else he couldn’t identify.

He felt a big dopey smile cross his face but couldn’t stop it. Too bad. It was how he felt. Even if they were in a restroom hunting for a million dollars’ worth of diamonds. Her smile was far more precious than an unlimited quantity of stones.

She suddenly yanked her gaze away and unfolded the stool. Yeah, he’d had the dopey smile. She now knew the gist of his thoughts, and he best shove them in the back of his mind where they belonged and get back to work.

He shifted onto the top rung of the stool and dug his Leatherman from his pocket.

“Always prepared, I see,” she said. “Just like a Boy Scout.”

He flipped out a screwdriver and started turning the first screw on the vent. “I was a Boy Scout for many years.”

“I believe it.”

He looked down at her.

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