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“Which they never saw,” Casey supplied.
“Right. I met them in the alley and drove them here. I parked around the corner, and, as you saw, we came up the back way. No one followed us. We’re secure.”
“I never doubted it.” Casey gave Patrick a thank-you nod, then gazed past him and the koala to the nervous, wide-eyed teenager holding it. “Hi, Shannon. I’m Casey Woods.”
“Hi,” Shannon said in a small voice.
“Come in and meet everyone.” Casey walked over and squeezed her arm. “We’re here to help you. Don’t be nervous.” She took the koala from Shannon’s arms and placed it on a nearby table. “I think your new friend will be better off out here. Our bloodhound, Hero, has a tendency to think every toy belongs to him. And I doubt you want to bring home a tattered, slobbered-on stuffed animal.”
Shannon’s tension eased a bit. “Your dog is in there?” She pointed at the conference room.
“Yes. Not to worry, he’s extremely friendly and obedient.”
“I love dogs,” Shannon said.
“And Hero loves attention,” Casey told her. “So if you want to sit in a beanbag chair and pet him while we talk, he’ll be your friend for life.”
“I’d like that.”
“One beanbag chair coming up.” Patrick headed upstairs to Claire’s yoga room—the ideal place to find a more comfortable alternative to a conference room chair.
Casey escorted their three visitors into the main conference room. She could feel Shannon stiffen up again, and she couldn’t blame her. The room would be overwhelming to a sixteen-year-old. All rich wood and high-tech equipment, the room’s focal point was a huge oval table surrounded by a dozen presidential-looking chairs—chairs that were now occupied by the entire FI team.
Hero, lying on the floor beside Casey’s chair, lifted his head and gazed intently at Shannon, waiting for his cue.
“A friend, Hero. Stay.” Casey gave him a hand signal.
Instantly, the tension left his body, and he put his head back down, still watching them with a keen expression on his face.
Simultaneously, Yoda announced: “Three visitors have arrived. As per my programming, they are Miles Parker, Lisa Barnes, and Shannon Barker.”
Shannon nearly jumped out of her skin.
“That’s just FI’s virtual assistant, Yoda,” Milo explained to her. “Ryan created him. He’s mind-blowing.”
“Thank you, Mr. Parker,” Yoda replied politely.
“Sure.” Milo looked around. “Wow, this room is a lot different than the one we met in yesterday.”
“This is our main conference room,” Casey replied. “It seems intimidating, but it’ll grow on you.” She ran her hand over the mahogany credenza, where refreshments were laid out. “I love this place. It’s my work sanctuary.”
“Well, naturally you love it. You designed it.” Ryan’s response was pure Ryan. He wasn’t being flippant; he was just stating a fact. Casey usually let it go. So did the team, although occasionally one of them shot Ryan a withering look—usually eliciting a clueless expression in response. He was cutting-edge brilliant when it came to technology and naïvely oblivious when it came to emotional awareness.
“That is Ryan McKay,” Casey introduced him to Shannon.
“He’s the genius who found us and made sure we came here.” Milo was already quite the Ryan fan.
“Hey, Shannon.” Ryan’s easy grin was infectious.
“Hi.” Shannon was not only female but she was a teenager—the perfect age for crushes. She stared at Ryan—his chiseled features, his well-honed muscles, his rumpled black hair and dark blue eyes—and she was head over heels.
She blushed, dropping her gaze.
Quickly, Casey came to her aid, introducing all the other team members and sighing with relief when Patrick came back with the beanbag chair. He plunked it on the floor next to Hero.
“You’re getting some company, boy,” he informed the bloodhound, who raised his head again, this time in interest. His tail began thudding against the floor when he saw Casey bring Shannon over, hopeful awareness dawning in his soulful eyes. His tail-thudding motion sped up when Shannon lowered herself to the chair, and hope was confirmed: she was there to play with him.
After one stroke of his ears, Hero rolled over to have Shannon scratch his belly.
