Page 24 of Caged

I knocked on my father’s closed door two minutes before our scheduled time.

Jamie opened it, and moved off to our right. Jack leaned against the filing cabinets to our left.

Great, do they think we need chaperones for the meeting? Or were we about to get three versions of a lecture?

“Have a seat,” my father said.

Our asses hit our seats at the same time; we held the same ‘at attention’ postures and neutral facial expressions.

“We’re going to have a little chat before you give us your updates.” Dad leaned forward on his desk and folded his hands together.

We gave identical micro nods.

“Your little display earlier was unacceptable.”

“Yes, sir,” we answered together.

“We know there's tension between you, but this.” He shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you.” He said it to both of us, but I knew it was directed at me. The family mistake. I’d bet my left lung Jamie and Jack had never gotten into a fist fight in the office.

“Sorry, sir.” For two people who couldn’t stand each other, we were shockingly in sync. The Marine in us wouldn’t let us hang our heads in shame, but it was obvious we both felt it.

“It surprised me to hear you defend each other,” my father said, leaning back.

Jamie picked up where Dad left off. “It gives up hope the two of you can sort out your shit and work together like mature adults.” Just because I deserved the less-than-subtle insult, didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

I had every intention of being a mature adult when I returned home and took the job at SSI.So what the hell happened?

I had to share an office with an intelligent, red-headed perfectionist who drove me crazy. The way she never had a hair out of place. The way she straightened her desk every time she left the office. The way she tapped her pen on her chin when she was concentrating.

The way I felt when I was near her. Like I’d never be good enough.

“We need to know if we can trust you to work together, without creating a mess and destroying the company’s reputation,” Jack added his two cents.

“You tell us, do we need to reassign the case?” Dad asked.

Neither of us rushed to speak. I didn’t know if they’d see it as a good sign or a bad one, but I took a moment to think before answering.

Could we?I wasn’t so sure. Maxwell was brilliant, but everything about her rubbed me the wrong way.

Chapter 10

Cate

Could I work with Jaden Sheppard? That was the million-dollar question. He was smart and insightful, but he had a chip on his shoulder and seemed hell bent on taking his frustrations out on me.

I still can’t believe I punched him.

My unprofessional behavior was inexcusable. I believed myself to be a better person, one capable of handling workplace bullshit.

All that time taking shit from the jarheads in the Marines. All that time taking shit from the frat boys in the FBI. And not once had I lost control and hauled off and hit someone.

Not even when Gavin started the rumor that I purred during sex and convinced everyone to call me Catie Cat. Not when printouts of raunchy memes, with Catie Cat written in marker, started showing up on my desk and around the office.

Reporting Gavin was out of the question, and I couldn’t prove anything anyway.Going to HR would have made things much worse.I learned a lot of things during my time with the FBI, the most important being—never date a co-worker.

I was already looking for another job when Jones asked me to consult on a missing child case in Weatherford. When I first met the SSI team, I thought they were a little rough around the edges, but they gave off strong family vibes.And not just because it’s a family business.

When I saw they were hiring, I didn’t hesitate to apply. I had zero regrets about leaving the FBI.

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