The Mafia was a bloody bureaucracy.
Andrew would have plenty of time to fulfill his threat while I waited for someone to give a damn.
“I’ll get started,” I said.
Andrew lifted off the doorjamb. “I’ll be just down the hall if you need me.”
The head of the Rocky Mountain division is doing some…interesting things. Things that could turn into an opportunity for the right person.
Thiswasinteresting. Clearly something was happening with the crypto scheme, and Andrew was depending on me to hide it.
I stared at the door long after he had shut it, then got to work. I rifled through boxes in the stuffy silence of the office, trying not to think about Shay.
About the fact that I chased her through a fucking graveyard.
How I didn’t know if that had hurt her.
I’d never met anyone like her. So open and eager andfuck—this wasbad.
My life was controlled with martial precision. To avoid being a regular, I never grocery shopped at the same place twice in one month. I definitely didn’t do more than one night with someone.
It was safer forthem.
But one night with Shay and I wanted to break every rule. Wanted to bring her back to my place, tie her up, and never let her leave.
chapter
fourteen
SHAY
“Something really strange is going on,” I said when I got to work. Eames and Olly turned to me as I came into the office. “Everywhere I go someone is doing the pay-it-forward trend. And they don’t letmepay it forward.”
“Uh…” Eames shared a look with Olly. “That sounds awesome?”
“Maybe it’s some Mormon thing,” Olly offered. “They always be doing the weirdest trends.”
“Maybe.” I dropped my bag on the table. “But it feels weird.”
I threw on my headphones and got to work. For the next few hours I lost myself in the mysteries of the universe. When Olly and Eames left for lunch, I stayed behind, trying to finish the models Jenna needed.
A few minutes after they left, Jenna herself appeared. She leaned against the whiteboard, one foot propped behind her on the ancient tweed acoustic panels that came standard issue in every academic office.
I tugged my headphones down to one ear, and said, “I’m still working on the models.”
Jenna waved me off, like that wasn’t why she was here. “Not why I’m here.”
“Oh?”
“Have you thought about applying for the Astro?” she asked. “This work is extraordinary, Shay.” She held up a stack of what I assumed was our paper.
I blinked. The Astro, aka the Astro Fellowship Program, was one of the most, if notthemost, prestigious fellowships.
I worked my mouth, taking a moment to respond. “This institution isn’t really equipped to host.”
“It could be. Like, say, if a promising research associate got a grant and opened up a dedicated lab.” She gave me a teasing smile and kicked off the wall. “Think about it. You have a few months to complete the application.”
I stared at the door long after she’d gone through it.
