Page 12 of Dark Endures

“There’s too much to learn to get distracted.”

Ah, the nerd.

“How are things going?” Maddox's deep voice comes from the back of the space.

Just like yesterday, Maddox is in a dark suit. His presence fills the space. Is he really as lethal as he appears? Today he could be some super spy, hiding in place to thwart the evil in this world and fall for the woman trying to kill him.

Otto startles. “Um…They’re…good.” He stares at his feet. “Mindy…um…didn’t need any training. We just…um…went over the schedule and where everything is stored. She’s good to go.” He looks over at me and smiles.

“Good.” Maddox nods, then finally looks over at me.

That piercing gaze of his would make a weaker woman quake in fear. I turn up the wattage of my smile.

“If you need anything, let me know.”

“Of course.” Why did it feel like he wasn’t offering help with work?

He walks out the door, closing it behind him.

“Is he always that…intense?”

Otto smiles. “Maddox is legendary. I want to be him when I grow up.”

“What is he legendary for?”

“You don’t know? When did you move onto The Street?” Otto closes the cage and walks over to the freezer.

That’s an odd thing to ask. Most people travel around Urbium for work. “I don’t live here.”

He freezes. “You don’t?”

Why is that such a big deal? “Nope.”

“Do you have family that lives here?”

What is this, the third degree? “No. I was just at the right place at the right time, and Fiona helped me.”

“You know Fea?”

Sorta. “She’s a friend of a friend.”

“Ahh.”

What does that mean? I don’t think I want to know.

Just get the job done. There’s enough on my plate without having to worry about what people think.

***

I log out of the phone system. The last call was thankfully a car accident with no one needing an ambulance. Calls like that where no one is dying are the easiest to handle emotionally, except when road rage is involved. But those are rare, thankfully.

The person that planned our workspace didn’t think about how a cute boss could distract us from doing our job. Adonis paces his fishbowl of an office on the phone. I could look at him forever. Maddox would make for an amazing tryst. Adonis is the perfect guy for my one divorce. He’s too pretty to last forever, but he’d be sweet to marry for a while.

Dahlia leans over and whispers, “How was your day?”

Odd. “Great. Yours?”

“Pretty amazing. But they’re always amazing when Maverick makes me breakfast.” Her smile radiates joy. “Do you have an hour this Saturday to meet Fiona and Daria at her bakery?”

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