“This facility is exempt as a matter of national security.” The guard made to grab him.
Reece drew back, hands flying up so the guard wouldn’t make contact with anything but the gloves. But he needn’t have bothered; Grayson was already between them. “Mr. Denton. He’s with me.”
“How the hell do you know my name?” the guard said hotly. “And who the hell do you think you are that you can bring an empath into Stone Solutions—”
“Evan Grayson.”
Denton blanched. He covered his mouth with his hand and stumbled backward. “Agent Grayson.”
He was rapidly losing even more color, and his obvious fear sent Reece’s stomach tumbling. “Hey, are you all right?” he asked, starting toward him, but a woman’s voice cut through the room.
“Security.”
High heels clicked as a white woman with her hair in a fancy twist crossed toward their group. Dressed in a lab coat over a fitted dress, she had a polished voice—and a strangely blank face, like a drop cloth hiding a painting. Even her voice gave none of her emotions away as she said to the guard, “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, Vanessa,” said Denton. “I didn’t know this man was—”
She interrupted. “You’re fired.”
“He’swhat?” said Reece, as the guard closed his eyes but didn’t argue.
She ignored him. “Agent Grayson,” she said, offering a ring-adorned hand. “Let me extend our welcome to you.”
“Dr. Whitman.” Grayson shook her hand. “You’ve been promoted.”
“Would that it had been under better circumstances,” Whitman said. “We were informed internally about Jason. I’m devastated.”
Reece flinched. Her face might be a mystery, but he’d heard that lie loud and clear. “My sincerest apologies about this incident,” she continued. “Cedrick will—”
Reece cut her off. “Why’d you fire your guard?”
Whitman finally turned to him, and her gaze zeroed in on his gloves. “And this is Mr. Davies?”
Sheesh. Everyone knew his name today. “Yes,” he said curtly. “But what’s important here is that this guy was just trying to do his job and you can’t fire him for that.”
“Fascinating.” Her stare made Reece feel like a specimen in a petri dish. “Of course you’re wrong. As the new director of Research and Development, I’m far and away this man’s superior, and at-will employment allows for firing at any time for any reason.” She turned back to Grayson. “As I was saying—”
Reece cut her off again. “You should give him back his job.”
Denton stared at Reece in bewilderment.
Whitman laughed. “Marvelous. You could predict this one’s reaction to the second.” She looked up at Grayson. “What do you think?”
“I think you should do what the empath requested,” Grayson said, to Reece’s surprise.
“Then consider your position reinstated,” she said to Denton, with a carelessness that gave Reece the unpleasant suspicion she’d been more interested in observing an empath’s reaction to the firing than the guard and his livelihood.
“Mr. Davies also wants safety nets for your window washers,” said Grayson.
Whitman laughed again, derisively. “Ofcoursehe does.”
“And I think Stone Solutions should make that happen,” Grayson said. “Today.”
Her laughter vanished. “Of course, Evan. I’ll arrange it.”
She and Denton sure jumped quick to whateverEvanwanted.
Whitman shot Reece one of the fakest smiles he’d ever seen, then her gaze was back on Grayson. “I’m sure you’ve come to see Cedrick. I’m afraid he’s abroad at the moment, but—”
