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In a worst-case scenario, if I was actually in danger, as my fiancé had indicated, I believed the guys at Harper Security Ops would be the perfect people to have around me.
If I was being honest, I didn’t actually think I’d ever need to utilize their skills to keep myself safe. It had been months since Graham recorded that video and subsequently died. Months.
And in all that time, I’d never once been approached by anyone. There had never been any indication I was in danger or some other sort of trouble. For that reason, I believed it was likely the police were going to struggle to figure out exactly what happened to Graham. If they were unable to make any progress, my hope was that if I was working at Harper Security Ops, I might have been able to have one of my coworkers who worked in that departmentdo some private investigation work in an attempt to figure out what everyone else had overlooked.
No matter what I had hoped would be the case, it didn’t matter.
Because I’d just learned that they weren’t hiring.
I had no choice but to go back to my apartment and figure out my next move. As I made my approach to my car in the biting January air, feeling completely despondent, I reconsidered my plan and decided I’d go visit my best friend, Tabitha. Somehow, a visit with her always made me feel better, even if it was only for a few hours.
But as I made the final approach to my car, I heard someone call out my name. “Lamise?”
I stopped moving at the sound of the masculine voice behind me and turned around. That’s when I saw the man who’d been standing at the front reception desk inside Harper Security Ops making his way in my direction.
My body tensed at the sight of him making his approach.
It could have been because I didn’t know him, but I had a feeling it had more to do with the look on his face. He was focused, intense, and maybe even a little bit scary. Even though he was still moving in my direction and hadn’t said anything beyond calling out my name, it wasn’t difficult to see there was a hint of something else lingering in his expression, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
The man finally came to a stop a few feet in front of me. His eyes roamed over my face briefly before he introduced himself. “I’m Banks Huntington, and I work here at Harper Security Ops.”
His voice was deep and gravelly.
And now that I had a name to put with the face of the man who’d been standing there while I spoke with Avalonabout the lack of job openings, I gave myself the opportunity to take him in.
I was five feet five inches tall, and my best guess was that he was at least half a foot taller than me. It wasn’t just his height that made him appear larger than me. Banks was fit, his body built by a strong, muscular frame, something I could easily see even though he was wearing a sweatshirt. The man had dark brown hair, just a few shades shy of being black. Or, I assumed that was the case based on his facial hair, a short-trimmed full beard that accentuated his lips, particularly the lower lip. Given the weather, it was no surprise he was wearing a beanie on his head. I couldn’t quite work out if the look on his face was the result of the way his lips were pressed together in a hard line, or if it was something in his gray eyes.
Was it sorrow or intimidation? Did he seem like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, or was he attempting to appear menacing?
I couldn’t work it out without needing to take too much time, so I decided to give him one last look. Banks was undeniably handsome—I could admit that much. He was the kind of guy I would have typically gone for. The problem was that he wasn’t Graham.
On that thought, I forced a friendly smile onto my face. “It’s nice to meet you, Banks. As you already know, I’m Lamise. Lamise Kelly.”
Pointing over his shoulder, Banks said, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation inside with Avalon. You’re looking for a job?”
I nodded, feeling a shiver run through my body. “Yes.”
“Right. I know it’s cold out here, so I’ll make this quick,” he started. “I was curious what kind of work you were interested in.”
That caught me off guard.
I couldn’t understand why this guy who worked here cared what kind of job I wanted when Avalon had already told me they didn’t have any open positions. Even still, I gave him an answer.
“It’s just as I told Avalon. I’m not necessarily picky about it. I’m looking for employment, and I thought this would be a great place to work in whatever capacity I could be of service,” I replied.
Banks nodded his understanding. “What kind of work experience do you have?”
“Nothing exciting,” I huffed. “I worked for a long time at a company that provided businesses with solutions for their data and analytics within their company. It was a lot of data entry, collection, organization, and presentation. Completely mind-numbing.”
His brows pulled together, and I couldn’t stop myself from feeling like he was assessing me. It was clear he had some thoughts running through his mind, but whatever they were, he didn’t share.
So, I decided to press him. “You seem to have some thoughts about my previous employment.”
Shaking his head, Banks lamented, “I’m sorry. I just… I thought you said something about having experience as a homemaker.”
“I do, and it was something I preferred over the job I had been doing.”
His eyes narrowed on me, leaving no room for misinterpretation. He was clearly trying to work something out. A moment later, he said, “So, you enjoyed being a homemaker, and now you want to work at a place like Harper Security Ops?”
