Page 47 of Baby One Last Time
“That’s not the way this works, Cynthia.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
In the corner of the room, the band stepped up to their instruments. I feigned serious fascination in their mic check while I blinked fast, refusing to show him my tears. What the hell were those about, anyway?
“I can’t stop worrying, but I’ll trust you. Just remember your team is there for you.” He pointed at two shot glasses for me to carry.
I picked up one in each hand.
He touched my arm and I froze. “But like I keep telling you, you need to trust me, too. I still have your back. Always have, always will.”
As if to prove his point, he picked up the remaining three shot glasses and nodded for me to head into the crowd. As I weaved through the crush of people, I felt the heat of his body right behind me.
I forced a smile as we approached the table. I set down a glass in front of Mai, and Derek handed shots to Alder and Sparks.
“I think a toast is in order.” Derek raised his glass. “To the ladies of Reindeer Team.”
“To the ladies,” the rest of us echoed.
The fiery liquid chased down my throat. I closed my eyes to let it soothe me and to block out the sight of Derek and that grin.
He said goodnight. I opened my eyes and watched him turn and fade back into the crowd. My table mates fell back into easy conversation. I waited a few minutes, then stretched and yawned and made my excuses, drawing much jeering.
“She can’t help it. She worked damn hard today, trying to keep up with me.” Mai was quickly becoming my personal white knight, giving me enough cover to extricate myself from my drinking buddies.
I charted a quick exit and crossed the flagstone patio back to our enclave. I needed to be alone, to process Derek’s assurance that he’d be there for me. Or worse, I realized as I stepped inside my quiet bungalow, to process how I felt about that. I shouldn’t have been so relieved to hear his words, but it was like I’d been holding my breath for days hoping he’d say them. Pathetic. I didn’t need him. I was out to prove I was a lone wolf, a capable, kick-ass woman. A tactical strike team of one.
But none of that had protected me from my reaction to him. He’d held out a tiny olive branch of hope that I still mattered to him, at least as a teammate, probably as a friend. Sad sack that I was, I’d grabbed onto it for dear life and hoped it meant more.
Chapter 13
By the timemy phone buzzed at 1:30 in the morning, I’d been trying, unsuccessfully, to sleep for two hours. When I saw it was from a blocked number, adrenaline chased away my exhaustion. I snatched the phone from the nightstand and answered.
“Yes?”
“I have some information.” His voice was a whisper, but it was who I expected it to be.
“Frankie, it’s good to hear from you. What do you have for me?”
He hesitated. I listened to him breathe. I didn’t push, even though I wanted to reach through the phone and drag his news out of him.
“These are some seriously bad guys.” Frankie’s fear was palpable.
I switched on the bedside lamp and pulled the white duvet-covered blanket up to my shoulders. “I know.” I meant it, too. I knew who we were dealing with. So why was Frankie’s tone of voice freaking me out? I made my own voice as steady as possible. “I understand you’re worried.”
“That’s an understatement.”
In his line of work, even petty criminals had to keep up some level of swagger, so his admission of weakness sent a chill up my spine. “Did something happen?” A pit formed in my stomach. Oh shit. “Are you in danger? Do you need me to come get you, take you to a safe house?”
His laugh was tight and humorless. “Yeah, and after that, you can tattoo the word ‘rat’ across my forehead. No, it’ll be fine. I just... This isn’t my favorite job ever.”
He was in a delicate state. Unfortunately, I didn’t do supportive well. “Why don’t you tell me what you learned? It’ll make you feel better, especially if it helps us put these really bad guys away.”
“That’s why I called, to tell you what I found out.”
I squinted my eyes closed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Pranayama breaths. Fake smile to force lightness into my voice. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“They’re looking for some local talent for extra security. One night only.”
