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Easton matched his long stride. “So you and Rosalie looked dang cozy in that corner. I thought she only cuddled with her computer like that.”
“Agent Zenner is none of your business.”
“Come on, Cannon. The look on your face when I mentioned a drink made me wish I had some of that firepower I spoke about for backup. It’s good to see you getting worked up about a woman. I was beginning to think you didn’t like them anymore, especially after the way Ashley up and left you.”
Cannon ignored the mention of his ex and strode down the hallway.
Easton slapped him on the back. “I’m happy for you, man. Rosalie is one hell of a woman, but here’s the thing. You pretty much live at the hospital. She lives behind her computer. She even turned down dates with me because she was working late.” He winked and smiled. “Can you believe that?”
Yeah, he could.
He understood being driven by something that superseded your own desires. Ashley hadn’t. Julia had been in remission when they’d met. When she’d been diagnosed with her third round of cancer several months later, Ashley had split, tired of sharing his time with an illness. What made him think he had enough time and energy to give to Rosalie? And what would she want with an older, jaded man like him?
Cannon rammed his finger into the elevator call button. “Rosalie is a busy woman. Smart, too. Heard you weren’t smart enough to take her advice about the ransomware attack on your family’s company.”
The elevator dinged its arrival. Easton’s features hardened. “That was unfortunate, and maybe I’ll be able to tell you about it someday, but I can’t now.”
“Why? Because if you tell me how foolish you were to think you could handle things on your own, you might have to kill me?”
Easton shrugged. “Something like that.”
Cannon turned from him and jetted into the elevator. He needed to tell Rosalie he wouldn’t be a fool.
Minutes later,Cannon stepped into the executive suite. Irene, his assistant, hustled out from behind her desk. “Karl is in the conference room with the IT team. Agent Zenner is in there too. She said her colleagues will be here shortly. I chatted with her for a bit. She’s quite lovely, don’t you think? And I didn’t see a wedding ring.”
Cannon shook his head. After he’d kicked Rosalie out of the ER, Annie had suggested he call her for a date. Even a monumental crisis couldn’t stop the women in this hospital from trying to marry him off.
He glanced at the bustle coming from the conference room. “I thought you went home.”
“I did, but Annie called and told me about Julia, and I thought you might need something.”
“Thank you.” He kissed Irene’s creased brow. “Julia is doing fine.”
“I know. Annie gave me an update.” She reached behind him and grabbed her purse from the desk. “I’ll stop by the nursing home on my way home. I don’t want your mama hearing about what happened from the staff.”
“Thanks.” He grasped her hand. The rings she wore on every finger felt like old friends. Hopefully, his mother wouldremember this old friend tonight. Or maybe it would be better if his mother wasn’t having a lucid moment.
He paused at the conference room door. Chaos awaited him and not the kind he understood or could manage. With a deep breath, he pushed inside. Karl and his IT team crowded around the table. Rosalie stood in front of the windows on the phone.
Karl spotted Cannon and stood. “We have fifteen minutes to pay the ransom. The money is ready to be wired, but I strongly suggest?—”
Cannon held up his hand and met Rosalie’s gaze.
FOURTEEN
Rosalie held her breath, waiting for Cannon to speak, but her mind wouldn’t shut up.
Don’t pay.
You can’t pay.
Never pay.
She ended her call as she crossed her fingers behind her back.
Please don’t pay the ransom.
The wishful plea swelled deep inside her heart. While the young girl inside her squeezed crossed fingers, the woman she’d become begged for proof that the man she respected and desired trusted her opinion and would do the right thing.
