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Well, that was presumptuous. My eyes narrow and my inner redhead flares to life. She can be a feisty bitch when she wants and will overshadow the sweet teacher in me fast when she’s pissed. “Excuse me, but maybe I’m from a wealthy family.” He arches a dubious brow. “Or maybe my obscenely rich husband just died and I’m a very wealthy widow.”
“Are you?”
“No, but that’s not the point. You shouldn’t presume.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, looking chagrined. “You’re right.”
The sincerity in his voice soothes me and my claws retract. “I can tell you’re former military.”
“How so?” he asks, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
“Because you’re very confident, bossy and a know-it-all. You’re also good under pressure and know how to handle a gun. What branch were you?”
“Delta Force,” he says.
“Special forces?” I ask, impressed.
“For almost 15 years, mostly as commander of a tier-one counterterrorism unit.”
Wow.For a moment, I’m not sure what to say. Do I salute him? Thank him for his service? “You must’ve seen a lot,” I finally murmur. “I can’t even imagine. The worst thing I deal with is biters.”
He gives me a little smile then shoves a hand through his thick, dark hair. “It definitely took its toll,” he admits, voice low. “That’s why I left and started this place.”
It hits me from out of the blue: I’m in the presence of a hero. Curiosity fills me and I want to know more about Dash Slater. He’s a mystery that I’d love to begin unraveling.
“It’s getting late,” he finally says. “You should try to get some sleep. We get up early around here.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I don’t think I’ll be sleeping much.”
“There’s nothing else you need?”
“No, thank you.” I start to back away, heading toward the door.
“Good night, Lake.”
“Good night…Dash.”
As I walk back down the hall to Fallon’s office, I realize how much I like the way he says my name. And how very much I like saying his.
Mmm.Yes, I’d like to get to know Mr. Slater better.
Much better.
Chapter Five: Dash
After a night of tossing and turning on my couch, I rise early and make a pot of coffee in the break room. I’ve noticed that everyone else around here seems to be arriving later now that they’ve found significant others.
“Good morning.”
My pulse picks up as I turn around, mug in hand, and see Lake standing there looking a little sleepy still. “Good morning. Coffee?”
“Please.” She walks closer, and within moments her soft vanilla scent surrounds me. “So what’s the plan today?”
“I already reached out to my friend and he’s expecting us at nine. He should be able to take a sample of whatever is in that container and tell us what we’re dealing with. Then we’ll go from there.”
Lake nods. “Cameron was wondering if she can go home. I don’t think she’s in any danger, do you?”
“Those men were after you, not Cameron. But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t wind up a target later. I’ll send Fallon home with her until we have more answers.”
