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“I know how to hide things,” said Becky with a conspiratorial grin. “Besides, I put out little treats to put them off the scent. Come on.”
Settling back on the comfy sofa in Becky’s office with a big cup of creamy sweet coffee and a bag of donuts somehow made Mallory feel better. Monroe might have something to say about her choice of foods today, but he was taking a long time, so what was a girl to do? Besides, she needed fortification to tell him about the phone call and the apprehension she felt when it was all over.
***
Monroe, Garrett, Carter, Levi, Mark, and Jac turned into the office while the rest of the teams continued to other parts of the building. Monroe made a beeline towards Mallory and lifted his eyebrow when he saw the donuts in front of her.
“Don’t say anything. I’ve had a stressful day.”
“Is that so? Well, we’re leaving, and you can tell me all about it while you pack your clothes for Jac’s place tomorrow.”
“What? I thought you weren’t going yet.”
“Sorry, but we have altered things in the plan because of the client’s changes, so we have to adjust accordingly. It’s a simple bodyguarding job but still needs some finesse.” He pulled the plate with two remaining donuts away from her and put it on Becky’s desk.
When he turned to respond to Levi, Mallory took a big bite out of a cherry-filled donut and then stood to walk out. She’d only eaten two before he had arrived, but she had saved the filled one because she liked it, and Mallory would not let him take away her treat. She needed the sugar support.
Monroe finished his conversation and turned to lead Mallory out. She ducked under his outstretched arm and walked ahead, chewing her beloved pastry. A solitary swat landed on her ass, making her jump. She wasn’t like this usually, but sometimes a girl had to break the rules. She loved that Monroe could take a little bratting.
She felt the warmth from the mighty smack across her butt, and she grinned, then giggled, feeling airy and light from his attention. When they stepped outside, the same graveyard shiver raced through her body. The dread returned, and she looked around to see if anyone was watching her. There was no one in sight.
“Mal, what’s wrong?”
She hesitated too long. “Nothing.”
“Honesty, remember?”
Damn, he had to pull out that card. He was going to be so hard to get anything past. And right now, it didn’t annoy her. She was grateful.
“I was out here earlier, and it felt like I was being watched. I felt it deep in my belly. And that dread, like something horrible, is going to happen. Like I’m being observed maliciously. I can’t shake the fear.” Monroe was instantly on alert and pushed her back inside.
“Get Garrett. Tell them, Code Gray.” His demand, heavily infused with urgency, caused her to hesitate for a moment in time. Mallory felt frozen. “Mallory, now!”
That snapped her out of limbo. She rushed inside, telling the reception that she needed Garrett immediately. The enormous man at the front desk pressed a button, and Mallory could hear lots of movement, more noise than one man would make, from the hallway. Jac, Garrett, and some man she had only seen in passing raced through the hall and burst outside.
For the first time since hearing the decision, she understood why Jac decided no one manned the front desk unless they were well trained. Man or woman wasn’t the point. It was the level of training. Evidently, this man passed the test. He put her in the office behind his desk.
“Don’t leave until we come and get you.” And the door closed behind him.
Mallory’s thoughts went completely wild. Was someone outside? Did Monroe see a person out there? Did the guys catch him? Her lack of knowing what was going on was killing her, but she didn’t dare open the door because her imagination and fear stood firmly in the way.
Before her kidnapping, she was reasonably fearless. She wasn’t unsafe or a risk-taker, but few things made her afraid. After the kidnapping, her imagination had grown exponentially, and the possibilities of danger lurked everywhere she turned.
Ten minutes later, Becky entered the little room Mallory was in, instantly relieving her chaotic thoughts.
“Becky, thank goodness. I’m not sure I could have handled the waiting alone for much longer.”
Becky hugged Mallory and sat in the cushioned chair beside her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m not hurt or anything. But, what’s going on?”
Becky shook her head. “Not sure exactly. What I do know is half a dozen of the guys are scouring the bushes, and Sharlee is scanning the footage from today.”
“I don’t understand. I just told Monroe that I had the creepy feeling that someone was watching me, and I had it earlier when I stepped outside.”
“When did you step outside?”
“Before I showed up in your office after lunch. I went out to talk to the Prosecutor, and I felt the same eerie vibe when I was out there. It was so bad that I hurried to your office. At first, I thought it was the attorney because he was hard to deal with but maybe not.”
