Page 55 of Forged in Peril

All he wanted was to be alone with her again, somewhere they could talk, where he could find out where he stood, but he knew that pressing Bristol would only make things worse.

In a way, he supposed, God was looking out for him by keeping him from acting rashly.

Instead of being in a position to say or do something stupid, he was trapped right here in the lobby of D&P, his imprisonment complete with complimentary baked goods.

“Cameron Forge?”

He snapped his head up, his coffee wobbling dangerously close to the edge of the glass mug before he set it on the table.

Standing in front of him was a tall black woman in a gray suit, her neck, ears, and several of her fingers accented with gold jewelry. So far, it seemed that the firm had quite the dress code. He wondered if Bristol had been given a clothing allowance, or if she’d been expected to spend half of her pay on passably designer suits instead of saving more money for law school.

“Hello,” he said, getting up from his seat and extending a hand toward the woman, who shook it firmly. “You must be Georgia Porter.”

She gave him a warm smile. “Actually, I’m Takara Keith. I’m a junior associate, but I’m happy to assist you with whatever you need.”

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Cameron said. “As I explained at the front desk, this is a very sensitive matter, and I need to speak to one of the senior partners.”

“You’ll need an appointment, I’m afraid,” she said. “They’re currently booking about three weeks out, but it might be possible to get you in a little sooner–”

Cameron didn’t wait for her to finish before taking the folder he’d been carrying under his arm and laying it open on the coffee table.

He forced his voice to remain friendly as he pointed to the documents that Jaclyn had drawn up.

“I’m not waiting three weeks, Ms. Keith. I’m speaking to a senior partnertoday.”

BRISTOL

Bristol pushed open the nondescript side door of Forge Brothers Security and stepped out onto the sidewalk, a brisk breeze lifting her hair and fluttering against her skin.

“It feels so good to have the sun on my face,” she said, turning to Grace beside her. “I’ve spent way too much time shut up indoors.”

“I’m enjoying it while I can,” Grace said, closing her eyes and letting the sun fall across her already-bronzed skin. “It’s going to be freezing in Montana. This Texas girl usually prefers to head further south in the winter, but my parents weren’t having it.”

She opened her eyes again, gesturing to the right, and the two women headed off down the street, passing several other smartly-dressed men and women on their own lunch breaks.

“Are you and your parents staying away for long?” Bristol asked, glancing over her shoulder.

“No, only a few days,” Grace said, making a face. “As much as I hate snow, I wish we would have made it to Cobalt River Ranch in time for Christmas. I’m sure it was beautiful.”

“Handsome cowboys and prancing horses sound pretty lovely to me, even in February,” Bristol said.

She had spent Christmas with her mother, at home in Silver Grove, and the rest of the year would be the same. Vacations hadn’t been a part of their lives since her dad had walked out.

“I’m sure you’re right,” Grace said, “though cowboys aren’t really my type.”

Bristol gave her an exaggerated eye roll. She couldn’t exactly picture Ben roping cattle.

A few minutes later they had settled in at the neighborhood’s newest lunch haunt, and were working their way through a platter of mini sandwiches.

Bristol had already forgotten the name of the place by the time she had gotten through half of her tea. It was nice enough, and the food was tasty, but it lacked the memorable old-school charm of the Screaming Peach.

She tried to focus on her conversation with Grace, thankful for the chance to keep things light for the first time in what felt like days, but she couldn’t help but to give her surroundings a once-over every couple of minutes.

Though she saw nothing and no one that worried her, Cameron’s warning to stay in the office echoed in her ears.

She’d noticed Grace watching, too, her eyes roving over the entrance every time someone new walked in. Despite her office manager role, Bristol was sure she’d learned a thing or two in her time at FBS, and she was thankful that her new friend was taking things seriously.

Even though she’d been willing to take the small risk of going out for a bite to eat, she had no doubt as to what her pursuer might be capable of. Last night’s break-in had proved as much.

---