Page 23 of Jonas

“Anson? I trust him. Totally.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Jonas played along and shot Cooper a look he obviously understood because nothing else was said.

I went back to looking at Jonas’s tablet, no longer paying attention to what was on the screen. Different scenarios ran through my mind, ranging from Anson setting me up to get to Z Corp to Lou Peterson using his longstanding friendship with Anson to keep his finger on the pulse, to Seth being blackmailed into getting into Anson’s personal files. Though I didn’t think Seth had those skills. But he was in on something, I just didn’t know what.

“I’m feeling Indian,” Jonas announced. “We passed a place on the way here. Let’s go grab something to eat before it gets too late.”

I could kiss the man for being so smart.

Okay, I could kiss the man for just being hot, but the smart part didn’t hurt.

“Thank God, I’m starving,” Kira said, though I was pretty sure that wasn’t true.

I made quick work of getting up from the table, hustled my ass into my room, opened the safe, grabbed its contents which included extra phones and passports. If the apartment had been compromised, I wasn’t taking any chances leaving anything behind. I was back in the living room shoving my laptops into my backpack when Jonas made his way to me. As soon as I had the thing zipped, Jonas picked it up and swung it over his shoulder.

“Grab your purse,” he ordered.

I was not the kind of woman who argued with a man if he wanted to carry my bags, especially if the bag was heavy. But I would quibble about being bossed around like a child.

“Are you worried I was going to try to get out of paying for my dinner with the old ‘I forgot my wallet at home’ trick or do you think I’m an idiot and often forget my purse?”

Kira barked out a laugh. She did not giggle. It was a full-throated laugh that carried through the apartment.

“I have to admit, I was a tiny bit skeptical. Now I’m out. This is gonna be awesome.”

She didn’t elaborate on what she was skeptical about nor did she expand on what she thought was going to be awesome before she started for the door. Cooper followed her closely. Without thinking, I did the same.

Until Jonas semi-repeated, “Purse.”

Oh, yeah, shit.

I turned back to the couch, snatched up my purse, and pretended not to see Jonas’s smirk.

Even if it was at my expense, the smirk looked good on him.

“Thanks,” I bit out and stomped after Cooper and Kira.

Behind me I heard Jonas’s chuckle, then under his breath he mumbled, “Pain in the ass.”

“What? I have a nice ass?” I shot back.

That time Jonas didn’t chuckle, he laughed outright.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The elevator door slid open on the lobby level. Coop and Kira exited. Derrika was next out but came up short when I tagged her hand and brought her to my side while at the same time dipping my mouth to her ear.

“Boyfriend,” I whispered.

Her head tipped back to catch my gaze. Her hand in mine pulsed and she plastered a smile on her lips that, to the untrained eye, I suspected looked just as she’d intended—genuine. Big, bright, and beaming. The way a woman would smile at her man who’d just whispered something sweet.

I didn’t understand the fullness of it, but something had tweaked Derrika. Proving she was better at her job than I’d originally thought—and I’d gotten the sense she was pretty damn good—she’d deftly signaled she had not swept her apartment for bugs, and further conversation needed to cease. I’d also seen her mentally running through what we’d already discussed and how out there we’d be if there were listening devices. Kira picked up the vibe and ran with it, getting us out of the apartment with a plausible excuse.

Now we were motoring through the lobby, the woman behind the desk eying us like she wasn’t pleased trash was walking through her foyer.

As soon as we crossed the street I asked, “How long has that woman worked at the desk?”

“Brenda?” Derrika asked.