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Each page had three columns. Every entry had a combination of letters and numbers. The first one seemed like maybe it could be a date. It was six digits. The next one varied in digits. Maybe amounts of money or drugs? The last one had random numbers as well, but they all had a dash and two letters after each entry. What the hell did that mean?
He studied the pages. The middle column sometimes had two lines per entry but not always. The last one always had the dash followed by two letters. Initials maybe? A key to who had made the deal? The numbers and letters swam before his eyes and he yawned widely. He put the book under his pillow and turned out the light. He’d bring it up tomorrow when Mac wasn’t around. Maybe the team would have better luck figuring it out.
Two hours later, he sat bolt upright in bed. His heart was pounding, and he was bathed in sweat. He’d had the same nightmare he’d been having since his fall. He was on top of the container and he knew the ladder was greased, but he had to go down anyway. He tried to hang on but couldn’t get a grip. It was just like what happened in real life, only in his dream, the deck was a hundred feet below.
He glanced at the clock. Oh-four hundred. Five hours before he had to be at work. He rubbed his face. Going back to sleep now was out of the question, but maybe if he had a hot shower, it would help. He rolled out of bed and headed down the hallway. It didn’t hit him until after he was in the shower that he probably should have brought something to wear when he got out. In the fog of his nightmare, he’d forgotten Mac was here. At least, she hadn’t caught him walking around in his boxers. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable.
The hot spray cascaded over his back while he did a few stretching exercises. Exhaustion overwhelmed him. His body craved sleep, but his mind wouldn’t stop spinning.
As the water turned cool, he cranked off the faucet and grabbed a towel off the rack. Five minutes later, towel cinched around his waist, he opened the door and came face-to-face with Mac. “Shit,” he said as he backed up. She’d scared the crap out of him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” She gripped the doorjamb with one hand. “I just heard you up and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“Ah, yeah. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I just… Sometimes… Everything is fine.” It had taken him a moment to realize what she meant. “Nothing new happening. Just couldn’t sleep. Sorry if I woke you.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t asleep either.” She tucked her long blond hair behind her ears.
“Can I get you anything?” He was wracking his brain to think what might help her sleep, but seeing her in his T-shirt was giving him all kinds of thoughts, and none of them involved sleep.
“No.” She hesitated and then asked, “Do you have any decaf tea?”
What had she asked for? He was seriously distracted by her legs and the way the T-shirt clung to her chest. He was sure she wasn’t wearing a bra. “Um…” What was it? Oh, yeah, tea! “Let me check.” When she backed up to let him pass, he left the bathroom and headed toward the kitchen. Walking around in a towel wasn’t ideal, but he was kind of stuck with it now. She was making him discombobulated.
He pulled open the cupboard where he kept things like tea. “I have lemon and, uh, some tea that’s supposed to help you sleep. Do you want some of that?” He turned as he asked her the question.
She was directly behind him. “Sure, that sounds great.”
He pulled down the tea and a mug and started making her a cup.
“You have hot water on demand?” she asked as he held the button and filled up her cup.
“Yeah, it was here when I bought the house.” He set her cup on the counter to let it steep.
She pulled out a stool from under the island and sat down. “I didn’t realize that you’d had surgery on your back.”
He frowned. Surgery? What was she talking about?
“The scar. It looks fresh.”
“Oh, right. There was a rivet sticking out of the deck. It went into my back. The scar is where they sewed up the hole.”
She blanched. “I had no idea. It wasn’t in the report.”
“A lot of things weren’t in the report,” he said before he could stop himself. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—"
“No, it’s okay. You’re right. There were a lot of things left out of the report.” She flattened her palms on the table. “I was hoping you could help me fill in some of the details. I actually have the report with me. I’ll show it to you if you will help me understand how everything happened.”
Did he want to do that? He wasn’t sure, but he did want to see the report on his accident. “We can look at it but not tonight.” She needed sleep, and him bringing up her boss wasn’t going to help. He turned to take the teabag out of her cup. “Here. I don’t think milk and sugar go in this one,” he said as he set it down in front of her.
“Maybe you should have a cup, too. Maybe we’ll both get some sleep then.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. His mom had sent the tea, and he’d never tried it. “Worth a shot.” He turned to get another tea bag and let out a grunt. He’d turned too fast, and pain went across his back.
“You okay?” She’d gotten off her stool and was directly behind him.
“Yeah. Just…my back.”
“May I touch it? Your scar?”
