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Slowly like shadows, the two men moved throughout the smallapartment with unnatural familiarity.
Pale blue nocturnal light streamed in from the one window inthe bedroom, combining seamlessly with the soft white glow of the laptopilluminating their target against the soft blankets.
Carefully, Reid pushed the laptop screen until it gave a barelyaudible click shut, sinking the room deeper into the night’s shadows. Sleepingsoundly on her side with one hand tucked beneath her pillow they watched herlight shallow breathing. His fingers practically burned at his side at therestraint he enforced to keep from reaching out to her and touching what hadtempted him for months now.
Looking up across the bed to the other side he saw a similarpained expression on his brother’s face.
Soon. Very soon, she would be right by their side, sharingtheir bed, sharing their life.
Chapter 5
“Fucking hell, I cannot believe I have to stay late on aFriday night just so we can all get fucking paid on time.” Taylor groanedloudly with his head back as he walked impatiently back and forth across the personnelfloor.
Looking up nervously from her computer screen, Everly gavethe pacing security guard an uneasy glance. He was angry with her, and mostlikely everyone else in the office today was angry with her as well when theyfound out that morning that their paychecks were going to be delayed due to atechnical error. Naturally, everyone’s first point of blame was the payrollaccount—her.
“Don’t worry about him,” Katie tried to assure her. Alongwith the beautiful blonde and the irate security guard, the bank manager stayedlate with them as well to correct the problem. “No one blames you, the samething happened six months ago, so don’t worry about it.”
Smiling at her words of comfort, Everly nodded, feeling alittle better. Katie was right, this wasn’t her fault, and she would not allowTaylor’s tantrum to affect her—or at least she wouldn’t meet his blaming stareanymore.
Half an hour later and Everly handed Katie the last documentwith a relieved sigh.
“Awesome let’s take it to…” Katie began to reply.
“Here, give these to me,” as if waiting to pounce Taylorappeared in front of the desk they were working at and snatched the payrollpapers out of her hand. “Mr. Alloway,” he shouted, marching towards the opendoor of the bank manager’s office. “They are finally done with everything.”
“He is such a child,” Katie whispered, standing tall in herexpensive looking knee-high black boots and wine-red sweater dress that huggedher tall form.
Everly didn’t have very many clothes, so that required herto wear multiple pieces of clothes at least twice in a week. Today she had wornher gray wool dress with the black cardigan sweater she wore on Tuesday and herblack leggings she wore on Monday. Laughing under her breath at Katie’scomment, Everly followed the tall blonde into the manager’s office.
“Okay guys, I know you are impatient,” Teddy Alloway, thebank's manager, looked pointedly at Taylor before looking through the papers.“But this will take at least ten to fifteen more minutes, so you may as well getcomfortable.”
Both girls took the two empty leather seats in front of themanager’s large wooden desk while Taylor leaned sullenly against the wall. Theoffice was strikingly quiet against the hushed tones of papers rustling as Mr.Alloway checked over the reports, so when a loud sound came from outside theoffice, everyone jumped at once.
Silently saying nothing, they all looked at each other withwide-eyes. Eventually their gazes naturally settled on the resident securityguard.
Taylor’s face lost a shade of color when he realized theirsilent expectation, before brightening to an angry red.
“Fine,” he mumbled stomping towards the office door, “it wasprobably just some of the damn walls falling down from that shit-assconstruction…What the fuck?!”
Another much louder crashing noise from outside the officecaused Taylor to jump back from the door. Not moving a muscle, everyone justfroze in the intense silence that settled around them, straining to hear moreover their rapid heartbeats. Seconds dragged on like hours before, eventually,Taylor reached for the golden knob on the dark wooden door. Making hardly anynoise, Taylor stepped out onto the personnel floor leaving the door wide openfor them to see. Looking around, he turned back to them and gave them aconfused look.
Letting out a large exhale of evident relief Mr. Allowaystood up from his desk with a muttering oath under his breath. “Fine, I’ll golook myself, just wait right here ladies.”
Turning in their chairs, Katie and Everly watched themanager walk out onto the personnel floor where Taylor was standing.
“Go look in the foyer,” he commanded angrily. “While I doyour job for you and check the other offices.”
Feeling more at ease, Katie tried to share a laugh withEverly at Taylor’s reluctance to go off and check but all Everly could musterwas a small smile in return. Right now, her heart was still pounding in herchest and the idea of sitting in the gloomy half lit bank one more minute thanshe had to made her incredibly antsy.
Minutes ticked by and neither one returned.
“Oh my God, what are they doing?” Frustrated now, Katieangrily stood up and walked out of the office.
Hesitating for moment, Everly tried to tell herself to calmdown but the nagging feeling of dread, that something was not right, would notleave her. Pushing herself up from the leather chair Everly followed Katie ontothe bank floor. Only half of the overhead fluorescent lights were on, givingthe empty bank a creepy, desolate feeling. The red glow of the exit signgleamed brightly at the end of the long dark hallway leading to the break roomand the employee exit.
“Taylor, what are you doing?” Katie called out impatientlyinto the darkness.
