AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You always assume things will blow up.”
“Have I been wrong so far?” But the truth of her words struck closer than he wanted to admit.
He’d always been careful but never been negative. He didn’t want to slip to that place. People fell there and wallowed. He knew because he’d lived with a man who excelled at it.
His father was an expert at measuring and finding everyone wanting. Nothing pleased him, not even his only son following him into the navy. Maybe things would have been different if his mother hadn’t died, but she had. The what-if game didn’t solve anything.
When they reached the front of the bank and walls of glass doors, Joel started talking. “Okay, kids. In and out. Let’s go.”
Ben headed for the closest set of doors but she shook her head and nodded toward the middle ones. This was her show, so he let her run it. The entry, anyway. The in-and-out and how fast they got to the car was up to him.
Those were the ground rules they’d set and Connor demanded. If Ben, or any of the rest of the team, heard or saw trouble, they moved out. She didn’t balk. She listened and obeyed. Obeyed—not a word she was fond of. She cringed when she heard it. He got that. The word didn’t do much for him on a personal level, but this was a life-and-death issue.
Even now, in the security of the bank, with its shiny marble floor and towering double-height walls, letting her get more than a few inches away from him made his moves jerky. She walked up to the table in the center of the room and skimmed her fingers over the edges of the piles. Well, they were loose pages of deposit slips when she started. Piles when she finished.
She looked around, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Not that he spent a lot of time watching her feet. The way her skirt swished kept grabbing his attention.
“Where’s Pamela?”
It took him a second to realize she was talking to him. He leaned down to hear her better. “Who’s Pamela?”
“My favorite teller.”
Ben didn’t even know the name of the guy who cut his hair. “Really?”
A man in his fifties dressed in a dark blue suit stepped up next to Jocelyn. He wore a broad smile and a name tag. Also carried a gun.
Ben almost jumped the guy. He settled for angling his body so he stood half in front of her.
The man smoothed his hand over his tie several times. “Good morning, Ms. Raine.”
“Hello.” What Ben really meant was back off.
“Ed Ebersole, head of security for Primetime Bank.” The older man made the introduction, then turned his attention back to Jocelyn. “You’re a little late today.”
She smiled. “Got tied up.”
“Understood.” He nodded at the cashier windows. “You picked a good time. Small crowd.”
“Where’s Pamela?”
Ben still didn’t know who the woman was or why Jocelyn cared so much. He did know this was taking too long. Someone on the other end of the intercom had taken to breathing heavy and not in a good way. As everyone’s impatience grew, they could get sloppy.
The older man’s face fell. “Pamela had to leave town.”
“I talked to her last week and she didn’t say anything.”
“Jocelyn, the line is moving.” Not that she had picked one, but Ben needed her to focus.
“Family emergency.” Ed waved to someone near the front door. “I see I’m needed and you would probably like to get moving.”
Ben was happy someone got the hint.
With a nod, Ed took off. “Nice to meet you.”
Ben wasn’t sure when that happened, but he was relieved the guy was moving on. “You too.”
“Sorry,” Jocelyn mumbled. “He’s usually not so chatty.”
Ben watched the man scurry over to the front of the bank and grab the door for some customers who were leaving. “Even the security guy knows you.”
“Apparently most people bank from home.”
“Count me as one of those.” Ben tried to remember the last time he’d walked inside a branch. “Ever think of trying the ATM?”
She picked a line with four people that ended with an older woman teller of about sixty. Ben nodded at the woman. “Do you know her name, too?”
“If I did I wouldn’t admit it.” Jocelyn glanced at him over her shoulder. “And for the record, I don’t have a card for the ATM.”
“Uh, why?”
“I prefer to pay cash for things and handle major transactions in person so I know they’re done, including my rental to the landlord’s account.”
He was about to dig deeper when he caught a blur of movement off to his left. Two guys in black pants with matching black jackets. They kept their heads down and close together as if they were locked in an important private conversation.
