Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Everyone had stopped, and all eyes were on her. Wide eyes. The kind of eyes that told a woman she’d fucked up.
“Well, I’ll find someone else, then,” a deep voice said. A familiar voice.
She didn’t want to turn, but she did, and sure enough, there was David looking sexy in a sport coat, a briefcase in his hand like he’d come straight from a lecture.
“If it helps, I didn’t know you worked here,” David said. “I promise I’m not stalking you. I’ll let Ian know we need someone else.”
“There isn’t anyone else.”
Yay, the big boss was standing in his doorway, and he’d heard her completely reject his nephew. Awesome.
“I can handle the trip.” David’s shoulders squared, and he pointedly didn’t look her way. “I was planning on going solo anyway. My mom is being overly cautious. I’ll call my friend and have him send a driver out for me. I’ll skip the bus trip, and once I’m on the island, I’ll be perfectly safe.”
MaeBe held up a hand. “Uh, I’ve been monitoring some chatter on the Dark Web about a celebrity’s son traveling to South America.”
“My dad wasn’t a celebrity, and he’s also no longer with us.” David’s tone was curt, his jaw tight. “I stay out of my stepfather’s business as much as I can. So they must be talking about someone else.”
“Or they don’t know you’ve got a chip on your shoulder about your mom’s husband,” Hutch said with a shake of his head. “Either way, it’s too dangerous unless you take a bodyguard.”
“Santiago, Wade, my office now.” Big Tag looked Hutch’s way. “Why don’t you take David to the conference room? If he slips away, I’ll be shoving those Red Vines you love so much where you don’t want them shoved.”
“That’s rude,” Hutch said. “And effective. Come on, Professor. Let the big guys work this out.”
She could feel the flush that had come over her. Not only had she pissed off the boss, she’d hurt David, and that hadn’t been her intention. She followed Tag inside. “I’m sorry, Mr. Taggart. I can’t go to Argentina right now.”
“You have other plans?” Big Tag was a mass of muscle who didn’t look like he was a fifty-year-old with five kids. He looked like a dude who shot people for a living, and she was likely next. “Because I thought you understood that this was the kind of job where shit comes up and you take care of it. If you wanted a nine to five, you should have applied somewhere else.”
The ice coming off that man could freeze fire. “I think I should stay on the Hayes assignment. Jamal likes to travel.”
“Jamal’s mother is going through chemo treatments, and he’s her main support system. Do you want to drive her to and from her treatments?” Tag’s blue eyes stared at her like lasers.
Her gut knotted. “I didn’t know. Of course not.”
“Everyone but West is on assignment, and West is in training,” Tag pointed out.
“I wouldn’t send West,” Wade said. “He’s got no international experience. He’s barely been off the ranch, so I’m not sending him to Argentina.” Her boss sighed. “I’ll go, Ian.”
He was supposed to go on vacation with his wife and stepson and daughter. They were going to Disney World for spring break. “You can’t cancel your trip.”
They’d been planning it forever. He’d been excited, and his daughter would be devastated.
“I won’t cancel. Genny and Ash can take Bella.” Wade’s face had gone grim. “I wouldn’t be able to look Sean in the face if anything happened to David.”
“Or David could understand that he shouldn’t take a trip that’s so dangerous,” she shot back. She wasn’t sure why David couldn’t understand this was a potentially bad idea.
“David has one shot at getting the information he needs to document a moment in history. History is important to him. It’s his whole career, and from what Grace has told me, it’s always been his focus.” Big Tag leaned against the edge of his desk. “Imagine being a nerdy kid who reads biographies of Napoleon while all your friends are playing video games. Except he didn’t have a lot of them. Friends, I mean. He’s been working on a book about this man for years. I would go with him if I could, but it’s almost spring break, and half the office is taking off. Santiago, did my nephew do something he shouldn’t have? Is there a personal reason you’re refusing this assignment?”
The image of a studious boy reading his books and likely getting bullied and feeling alone struck her hard. David hadn’t done anything but have a great conversation with her and honor her boundaries. He’d been polite and tried to put her at ease even when she’d been rude to him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be alone with him.”