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“Rent?”
“Yes, to replace Derek?” He nods, peering over at me. “I thought so.”
“Dell has been waiting to work at Shadows for a long time. This will be his chance to see if he has what it takes. Plus, Logan is still looking into recruiting one of the men from the training session earlier in the month.”
Something nags at the back of my brain when he mentions the recruit but quickly fades away. I can’t quite bring it into focus. Keith parks the SUV in front of the UPS store, motioning for me to follow. “It’s okay, I’m fine staying here,” I say, smiling to reassure him.
Keith steps out and comes around to my side and opens the door. “Just because The American is in custody doesn’t mean all the danger is gone.” He helps me out. “Besides, I haven’t put my tracking chip in you yet.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re funny.” I follow him into the store, really not wanting to see Christina again. He holds the door open with a mischievous expression.
“Who says I’m kidding?”
Holy hell, this place is hot! It must be a hundred and ten in here. I yank open my jacket and start to laugh. Keith eyes me funny, then gets it.
“Yeah, now you know why we leave our jackets behind.” He rolls his eyes and points to the counter. “And now you’ll see who Victoria’s Secret’s biggest fan is.” Then I notice her, Christina, wearing one of the skimpiest dresses I’ve ever seen. She might as well be wearing a child’s shirt. Wow, I don’t think that could be classified as a dress. Getting a little closer, nope, that’s a silk nightgown. Her hair is cut in a pin-straight bob, a different style since I saw her last. She reminds me of a pinup girl with her red lips and heavy eye makeup.
She bats her eyes at Keith but scowls when she sees me. I don’t even bother to plaster a smile on my face. I’m not in the mood to play nice.
“Hello, Keith,” she coos, leaning her breasts over the counter. “I believe I have a package for you and the boys. I’ll go grab it.” Her hips sway as she heads out back.
“Yikes,” I whisper, making Keith crack up.
She returns a moment later with three large boxes. I have to give her credit, I’m really not sure how she manages to walk in her stiletto heels. She looks positively ridiculous, especially considering we are in the back mountains of Montana, and in a UPS shop, at that.
“Tell me, Keith, I thought Cole was coming by today.”And there it is. “Not that I don’t like seeing your handsome face.” She eyes me up. “I just need to speak with him.” Her freakishly red lips mold into a pout. Keith lifts the boxes and nods toward me, indicating the door, but I don’t move.
“He’s busy,” I answer, staring at her, “but I’ll let him know you said hello.”
She turns, crossing her arms and pumping up her fake breasts. “Actually, if you could tell him to stop by, that would be better.”
“Or I could relay the message to him,” I counter, trying to control my claws that are itching to pop those fake tits.
Her smile grows just a little as she reaches under the counter and pulls out an envelope. “Oh, okay, well, be a doll and give him this. I didn’t get a chance to when we were out at dinner the other night.”
I don’t move. I stay completely still. I’ve mastered this reaction as I’ve been blindsided enough times. Taking a step forward and reaching for the white envelope, I avoid touching her devil-red nails.
“Tell him thanks,” she bats her eyelashes at me, “and I’ll return his shirt to him just as soon as it gets back from the dry cleaners.”
“Claressia, right?” Hot anger is starting to surface, and I fight like hell to bury it.
“Saaavi…?” Keith calls out in a warning. “We’re going to be late.”
My nails are digging into my palms as I turn and walk out. Taking a deep, calming breath of cool air helps to ground me. I slip into autopilot and hop in the SUV. Keith is watching my face as he turns over the engine, adjusting the hot air to blast at me, but I turn it off, not wanting to thaw the icy barrier I’m building.
“You know it’s nothing. Christina is a bitch. She’s just—”
“Sue is waiting,” I remind him, fastening my seatbelt. He shuts up, thankfully, and we head down the icy road to Zack’s restaurant.
Brown is the color of the dirt. Ivory is like an elephant tusk. Taupe is the color of the stone in my ring. Cream is like the color of the seats, hunter green like the guys’ Army camo. “B-I-T-C-H!” I say in my head. It’s something Dr. Roberts told me to do when I get upset. Take the word that best fits the scenario, break it down into something else, and make it a better word. Let me tell you, it’snotworking.
Sue greets me with a massive hug, even granting me a kiss on the cheek. God, I love this woman; she’s so warm and loving. Sometimes I swear I see a little bit of my mother in her.
“Are you sleeping all right?” she asks, mistaking my hurt for lack of sleep. I nod and slip into the seat across from her and pluck up the menu. This is a big red flag for her that something is up with me, considering we’ve never ordered off the menu once since coming to Zack’s. He always insists we try the meal of the day, and we always do.
She waits until Keith gets settled at the bar before she turns her attention fully on me. Zack greets us with a glass of pinot grigio and informs us that they have Dijon salmon already in the skillet for us.
“Okay, spill it, Savi.” Sue stares me down, daring me to lie. I don’t, I can’t, not about this. I need her help.
