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I’ve been in here before, but without ever having been specifically called in, I’m a bit on edge.
“Shade thinks you’re ready,” Jasper says the words that I’ve been waiting for. Of course, it would be nice if he looked like he agreed with them. “I got word on a job that I don’t think you can screw up.”
I bite my tongue to stop the sarcastic reply that’s dying to insist thatI am ready, to show them that I’m every bit their equal. But that’s the difference between Shade, Jasper—actually, the group that makes up the leadership versus the other guys.
None of them would justify themselves.
There’s no bravado with these guys. You would never hear Gunner tell anyone he’s a bad motherfucker, granted a man that size doesn’t need to.
When those thoughts cross my mind, two things happen.
The first is so many of Shade’s unspoken lessons flood into my head. And I realize that his actions have taught me as much as his words and hours we’ve spared or trained at the range. The second is the way Jasper tilts his head and looks at me appraisingly.
“Shade will brief you,” he says after another minute passes and he pulls an envelope out of one of his drawers. “Leave your phone and wallet behind when you leave tomorrow, here’s a clean ID and money for expenses. Any questions?”
Yeah. A ton. But I know I’m still being judged, so I give the safe answer. “No, Shade will tell me what I need to know.”
I reach out and pick the envelope off of his desk before giving him a nod and turning to leave. Shade follows me out and briefly pats me on my back.
*
Knocking on the backdoor of the bakery, I reach down and am surprised to find the door unlocked.
“Molly?”
“Oh, hey! Can you lock that behind you?” Her voice is muffled since her head is in her oven.
“I hope sales are doing better than you’re making them look right now,” I say, trying to figure out how to get around the boxes piled up, creating a maze just inside the door.
“What?” She pulls her head out to shoot me a confused look before grinning at me. “Oh, no, it’s not a suicide attempt. I had to swap out the flame sensor, just give me a couple more minutes.”
“Where can I move these boxes?”
“You don’t have to. They belong behind the existing stock in the storeroom,” she tells me as she sticks her head back into the oven.
I’m fairly certain I can properly rotate her stock, so I get started on that while she works on her stove. Which is a pretty fucking cool skill, I wasn’t aware she had.
Molly’s neatly marked shelves make the task an easy one, so I wave her away when she tries to help me. Then I pull her back to me for a kiss.
“What are you doing here?” she asks when our lips part. “Not that I’m not happy to see you.”
“Can’t I just surprise my girlfriend?” I tease her. She’s too smart for that and raises an eyebrow. “Something came up and I’ll be gone for about a week. Since I’m going to have to leave at the ass crack of dawn, I was hoping to crash here and wake up with you.”
“That sounds like I should consider something other than a frozen pizza for dinner,” she answers with an eager smile, before eyeing the boxes again. “If you’ll handle this for me, I’ll throw something together.”
“Or I can run to the diner for take-out,” I offer.
“Nope! I’ve got an idea and it’ll be ready when you’re finished.” Molly gives me a quick kiss before rushing off, already humming once she’s lost in her own head.
After I finish up, I wash my hands before heading upstairs. Whatever she threw together smells fucking amazing.
I tap a cursory knock on the door to her apartment as I’m walking in, the small table is set with wine glasses, a bowl of torn up bread and another one with cubed apple pieces. There’s a small, unlit Bunsen burner and I can hear Molly singing to herself in the bathroom.
That woman has zero idea how fucking adorable I find that habit.
“Oh! You finished already; it takes me a while longer,” Molly exclaims when she opens the bathroom door.
“Probably because you pause in between songs,” I tease her.
