Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
His eyes darken. I grin.
“I take it you saw Lincoln bright and early,” I say before sipping my drink. “It’s the only explanation for your uncontained joy this morning.”
“You know, it still shocks me that he’s Ford’s brother.”
“Right? Ford is Mr. Serious and Responsible, and Lincoln is …”
“A dipshit.”
I laugh. “I wasn’t going to phrase it that way, but I mean, you aren’t wrong.”
Troy chuckles, too. “Nah, he’s a good guy. I gotta be in the right mood for him, but he’s easily managed. Just a headache.”
“Ah, look at you,” I tease. “You’re getting soft on me, Castelli.”
“There’s nothing soft about me, Doll.”
A flush stings my cheeks, just like it does each time he calls me doll. I know it’s just a shortened version of my name. It’s not a term of endearment. Still, it feels intimate, whether he means it to or not.
I shift in my seat. “Moving on, did you get your license renewed?”
“How could I ignore the three reminders on my calendar?”
“You couldn’t. That’s why they were there.”
“I renewed it Saturday morning. I only had to wait in line for two hours.” He grimaces. “Such a great way to spend my time.”
“Why didn’t you just do it online?”
“The system kept giving me an error.”
“Poor you.” I smile before taking another sip of my coffee. “Did Ford give you our next assignment?”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Our assignment, huh?”
“Yes, our assignment. We’re a team, remember?”
“How about you let me do the office part of our teamwork this time, and you can do the field work?”
I nod knowingly. “Finally.”
“Finally what?”
“You’re finally admitting that I’m badass.”
He scoffs, shaking his head.
“You know it, Castelli. I mean, I’m not wearing a suit and tie, and I’m definitely wearing flat shoes because I can’t chase bad guys in heels.”
Amusement flickers in his eyes.
“But I’m observant, and I’ve been called scary a time or two,” I say. “Heck, you’re scared of me half the time.”
“I love how you believe the shit you say.”
“I love how you pretend you don’t.”
He watches me carefully with a hint of a smile. The lines on his face soften, and the tension in his shoulders eases.
A flood of warmth spreads throughout my body and pools in the apples of my cheeks. I take another drink, hoping the heat of the coffee will provide a solid excuse for the flush if he notices, and then reroute the conversation back to business.
“So what’s next for us?” I ask.
He runs his hands down the arms of the chair and sighs. “I don’t know. Ford gave me a choice.”
“A choice? That’s fun.”
“Eh, not really.”
“Want me to pick? I’m open-minded and levelheaded. I’d be good at this.”
He stretches his long legs out in front of him.
“Let me guess,” I say. “Option one is … working with the Brewers again?”
“Nope.”
“Okay. What about staying local with one of the Landrys?”
“Nope.”
I lick my lips. “You’ve been clear that you don’t want to return to the Laina Kelley contract. So I’m hoping it’s not that.”
The blaze of fire in his eyes tells me it’s exactly that.
Irritation sweeps through me on Troy’s behalf.
He has requested to be removed from the Kelley assignment more than once—and he doesn’t make many requests or demands. Troy does whatever’s asked of him, and he does a damn good job. The fact that Ford is asking Troy to return pisses me off.
“I hope you told him no,” I say, my shoulders taut.
“Well, the other option isn’t exactly stellar.”
I set my mug down with a thud. “What was it?”
“He wants me to take a vacation.” Troy sighs.
I bite my tongue both literally and figuratively.
Troy has taken one sick day since I started working here, and if HR can be believed, he’s called in sick a total of three times while employed by the Landry family. He gives his all to this company; his loyalty to Ford knows no bounds. And it really pisses me off that Ford, in turn, puts Troy in this position.
Even if I think he needs a vacation, too.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, my voice even.
“I don’t fucking know. He told me he needs to know by Friday. So I guess I wait and hope another job comes up.”
“Want me to tell Ford that I refuse to work on the Kelley case? If we both say we won’t, what can he do?”
Troy’s eyes twinkle. The moment of vulnerability makes my heart swell.
“I’ll fight him.” I grin. “I know Ford was like special ops or whatever, but he hasn’t seen me with a baton. I was a majorette with the band in high school. I know how to work a stick.”
“Is that so?”
“You can’t possibly be surprised. I’m good at everything I do.”
My stomach clenches at the heat in his eyes. Goose bumps run down my arms, and I struggle to change the subject. My brain fries with the imagery of me and a certain stick.