Page 32 of The Savior

CHAPTER ELEVEN

With another long workday done, Chelsea let her weary eyes slide shut the moment she’d shifted into park in her condo’s parking space. All she had to do was make it through the next day, and the weekend would open its arm and save her.

Daily tasks in the office had never been so exhausting, and she’d never had such a bad day.

The bad luck started before she walked in the front door and had crashed into a maintenance man and his bottle of paint stripper. The noxious odor made her sick to her stomach all day. Calhoun gave her the worst looks, as if she wanted to smell like a toxic waste dump.Don’t fumes like that give people cancer? Brain tumors? Nosebleeds?

Chelsea hadn’t been able to change into a backup pair of sweats because she’d had to make a court appearance late in the afternoon.

When she returned to the office, Calhoun hadmade adjustments. She could work on Zee Zee Mars as long as Mac was looped in on every single angle.

One look at Mac, and she knew he didn’t want anything to do with Mars. She could see his resentment, and lectures would inevitably stem from the change in their partnership.

At Calhoun’s direction, she and Mac stepped into a conference room, and Chelsea wasted their time explaining what Mac didn’t seem to give two hoots about. His eyes glazed over when she pinpointed her hunches and mentioned assumptions.

When Mac couldn’t have seemed any more disinterested, she’d asked, “Why didn’t you tell Calhoun I had this handled?”

He’d shrugged and responded that Mars was a good investigation to tie his name to.

His admission had shattered a large slice of respect she held for him. That coupled with how she never understood his aversion to this investigation’s reliance on gut reaction. Zee Zee Mars would be found no other way.

Chelsea rubbed her hands into the hollows of her eyes and summoned enough motivation to get out of her vehicle and go to her condo.

Knock. Knock.“Hey.”

Chelsea jerked, earning a small laugh from Liam, then a quick wave.

She opened the door. “You wouldn’t be grinning if you realized how close you came to becoming acquainted with my door.”

His lips curled up, and he moved to the side, allowing her to step out. “You wouldn’t have.”

“I would’ve if I didn’t recognize you.”

“But you did.” He waited for her to pull out her purse then shut the driver’s door. “Catlike reflexes.”

She scowled. “I might still, just because.”

“Because you like breaking stuff?” He chuckled, taking a playful defensive step back.

The queso incident would never be forgotten. Volcanic embarrassment rocketed up her spine.

Her cell phone rang, and she used the phone call to change the subject.Unknown number. She silenced the call and turned back to Liam. “Why are you hanging out in my parking lot?”

“I wanted to check on you.” He gave her an undecipherable look. “Did you know that glass shards can travel inside your body?”

Her face puckered.

“It could take years for a sliver to come out.”

“That’s why you’re here?”

“It sounds problematic—and gross.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t have glass shards coursing through my body.”

“Would you know?” he asked.

Chelsea rolled her eyes even if somewhat amused. “That’s why you’re here?”

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