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“Welcome to Five Star Tech! How can I help you?”
I managed to pull a smile to my face for the young woman who approached me as soon as I walked into the store. A brief glance downward at the pin on her shirt told me her name was Taylor.
“Um, yes,” I told her. “I had to drop off my phone and laptop a few days ago, but there’s a file I need to look at. Is Renata here? She’s the one I worked with before.”
Taylor gave me sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, she’s not. Baby appointment,” she explained. “But, I’m sure someone else in the workshop can help you. Come on, I’ll take you back.”
This time, when I walked past the classrooms that flanked the hall, both were empty. The store itself was less-populated than last time, something I attributed to the time of day, on a weekday. It was probably a normal thing for them, because when Taylor walked me back to the “workshop”, the only consultant on duty was the same guy whostillhadn’t called to schedule that security cleanup.
But then again… Renata knew about the break-in, which was still under investigation, and it wasn’t as if I was going home anytime soon anyway.
So I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“Chad, perfect! This customer worked with mom a few days ago, and she needs to get access to her phone. You think you could help her?”
Chad gave me the same disinterested look he’d given me a few days ago before he nodded, turning back to the woman he’d been speaking with before we walked in.
“He’s our best tech – and that’s saying alotwith the people who work here. He’ll get you taken care of,” Taylor told me, and then headed back to the front of the store, leaving me there to be… ignored, apparently.
Chad seemed in no hurry at all to get out of the face of the - admittedly gorgeous - young woman who had his attention. She was intensely focused on whatever he was saying to her, and I couldn’t blame her. Now that I was closer than I’d been last time, it was easy to see that Chad was alotof man, tall and broad and seemingly made of pure milk chocolate. He leaned down, planting a kiss on her forehead that made her laugh and give him a playful shove before she walked away. As she passed, she gave me a look that if I didn’t know better, I would’ve read as… hostile.
But I didn’t know her, and she didn’t know me.
There was no reason for hostility.
“What can I do for you?” Chad asked, pulling my attention back to him. Even though something about his tone sent a strange feeling coursing through my chest, I shook it off, knowing he was the only one who could help me.
“I don’t know if you remember, but I was here a few days ago, dropping off a laptop and a phone?” When he just gave me a blank stare, I continued. “Well, um… I need something off of that phone. I don’t know if you guys have wiped it or anything yet, but I’m hoping you haven’t. And my name is Monica Stuart.”
Instead of moving to act on my request, he narrowed his eyes, giving me a look reminiscent of the one I’d gotten from his… girlfriend, I guess. His hard stare continued for a few seconds before he nodded.
“Follow me.”
So I did.
I was right behind him as he went to Renata’s office, using a key ring to get inside. He went to a row of lockers I didn’t even notice when I was there before, opening and closing them one by one before he found the one holding my laptop and cell phone.
He was acting so strange that I didn’t even bother to meet his eyes when he handed me the phone.
“Thank you,” I told him, my gaze remaining on his hands as I took it from him.
And then, I saw the scar.
A familiar, razor-thin line of raised skin, that went from his thumb joint to up past his wrist. I froze as my eyes traveled that line, just as I’d done dozens and dozens of times via webcam. Only this time, as my gaze moved up, there was no abrupt edge of the screen, ending my view.
I could finally see his face.
“I’m guessing Demetria didn’t tell you.”
Yes.
This was him.
There was no mistaking that voice, and now that I knew this was him, knew this wasWick, the man I’d considered a friend, the man who’d… been drawn into a murder case with me… I couldn’t understand how I hadn’t immediately known it was him.
Because it wasdefinitelyhim.
“No,” I said, just above a whisper, as if that was the only appropriate way to speak at such a time. “She told me that they found the person on the other end of the username, but she… she said you wanted your privacy. But I didn’t… did you know it was me, when I came in here the other day? Did you get me here on purpose?”
