Page 82 of Unexpected Redemption

He’s absolutely right.The baby is ours.

I’m not wasting more thoughts on that. I won’t let those monsters take the joy of having his baby away from me.

Not two minutes after I get back to my desk, Boss Dad comes breezing in. “Good morning, Lettie. Can I see you in my office in five?”

“Yes, sir.”

He freezes beside my desk, casting an arched brow at me from over his shoulder. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

“My memory is faulty at best. Suppose I have your genes to blame for that.” I lean closer to the spot where he hovers, wiggling my fingertips like I’m about to tell him a secret. “Plus, I like messing with you.”

He tries to hide it, but the corners of his mouth twitch and slowly pull up with a grin. “Five minutes.”

“You got it,sir,” I holler to his retreating back, fighting off a giggling fit.

Honestly, Ilovemessing with him.

A deep bellow of a laugh meets my ears before he disappears into his office. Despite the awkward distance between us, I like working with him. And I suspect he’s getting used to having me around.

While I wait for time to crawl, I read through emails, sending back the standard response Peggy provided for me regarding requests for new protection services. Redleg isn’t taking new cases because of the Lenkov scourge. As a result, past clients are starting to complain when our intake specialists tell them they can’t rehire us. They’ve all got some song and dance story as to why they should be the exception.

Sooner than I was expecting, Big Al buzzes me on the intercom. “Five minutes is up.”

“Oh shit,” I mutter to myself. Pressing the button, I respond, “On my way.”

I need to remember to set an alarm when he gives me a deadline. He’s punctual as hell, and that doesn’t jive with my ADHD time blindness.

Flouncing into his office with a notepad in hand, I sputter my customary apologies. It’s becoming a morning ritual. “Sorry. Lost track of time checking emails.”

He leans back in his chair and steeples his hands in front of him. “It’s fine. Truthfully, it was only four minutes, but I like messing with you too.”

We share a laugh, and once again, I’m reminded he’s definitely my father. That’s the perfect way to get me back for teasing him.

“What do you have for me today?”

“I’ve only got a few things, but the main one is a message I need your help decoding.”

“What message?”

“As you know, I’ve been attempting to get in touch with Savin and Tasha via my contact at WITSEC. And while we can’t speak directly, they did relay a message this morning. Problem is, it doesn’t make sense to me. I’m taking a shot in the dark that you might be able to interpret it since you know Tasha.” He scratches his jawline. “And my gut says you can help.”

I’ve heard about his legendary gut. And not in the beer belly way. He’s got some freaky sixth sense.

My knee bobs, and I click my pen repeatedly. “Okay. What’s the topic?”

“The question I sent was about the box.” He raises his brows, ensuring I’m up to speed.

“The one they found at the house?”

“Yeah.”

“The other day, Tomer and I discussed the box and looked through it. Tasha showed it to me when we were in the house together, but I have no idea what it could mean to the case. It was just comfort items Savin smuggled inside for her.”

Nodding, he taps across his tablet screen. “Right. So here’s the message we got from them. What do you make of it?”

Once he pulls up the message, he spins the tablet around and slides it across his desk at me. I rise slightly from my chair, leaning forward for a better view.

I read it aloud. “Best thing about butterflies is deep inside cocoon is where magic happens.”

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