Page 20 of Unexpected Hero

For instance, take what happened about a year ago. One of our best guards, Leo Mason, got a text threatening one of our past clients. Redleg went on high-alert. While Leo took her off the grid, the rest of the team worked around the clock to find out who was behind the threat. And when it all came to a head, I was running the mission from HQ — like I always do. It was a clusterfuck, but we did it. The bad guy is now in jail, Leo’s in love with his client, and his sister Samantha is back from the grave. Long story.

The point is this. At Redleg, we protect our own. Full stop.

And that’s why I’m watching over Lettie Holt.

Boss may not know he has a daughter, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is Redleg family and entitled to our protection.

However, as the days pass, I’ve started to realize I’m lying to myself. That may have been what started my surveillance of her, but it’s not what keeps me going.

I’m fucking infatuated.

It’s unhealthy. But I can’t seem to stop myself.

Just another fixation. I’m sure it’ll run its course soon enough.

Today, according to the texts she sent her best friend, she’s hunting for employment. The double black eyes from her broken nose mishap have faded, so she’s comfortable showing her face around potential employers. So she’s moving from online job searches to in-person.

Hidden in my car right outside the back of a chiropractor’s office, I use the parabolic microphone to listen to her interaction. She applied to be a receptionist. From the sound of it, she’s not getting the job.

“I’m a hard worker. Whatever I don’t know, I can learn easily,” she pleads with her interviewer.

The doctor replies, “I’m sure you could, but we have such a small staff as it is. I really need someone who can hit the ground running.”

“What about a trial basis? I’ll even work for free for the first day.”

“We can’t do that. It’s unethical,” he decrees. “Sorry, I won’t be offering you the position.”

“Well, thanks for your time.”

“Good luck, Violet,” he says dismissively. “It was nice meeting you.”

Poor girl lacks real world experience. The job market is too competitive for people to take a chance on someone without the proper qualifications. She should lower the bar.

Then again, I don’t want her working somewhere unsafe like a seedy nightclub. According to her web searches, that’s what she’s considering if she doesn’t find something more reputable soon.

I’d bring her into Redleg in an administrative role, but putting her that close to Boss is unwise. It’d be like storing gasoline and a running space heater in the same cardboard box.

Since she’s leaving the interview, I put away the microphone and quickly move my car to a location in the back of the main parking lot. I’ll be able to see her but shouldn’t be spotted.

A few moments later, she exits the building, looking dejected. Her head hangs low, and her shoulders are hunched. My chest stings. I much prefer it when she’s smiling.

Her smile is everything.

It radiates the warmth of a hundred suns, and I can only imagine what it would feel like if she aimed it at me. Would it be enough to warm up the barren parts of my dark soul?

Shaking my head, I put the car in gear, preparing to follow her from a safe distance. However, she doesn’t pull out right away. A check of my tablet reveals she’s not on her phone either. Using the binoculars, I peer into her car for a better look.

Fuck. She’s crying.

That sting in my chest intensifies to a burn.

Her face rests in her palms, and her shoulders shake with her sobs. This will never do.

I chastise myself, feeling responsible for her sadness for some reason.

Think, think, think, Tomer. Use that giant fucking brain for something helpful.

If she doesn’t find work, she’s going to leave town. What other choices will she have? Perhaps she’ll go back to her hometown and live with her grandmother.

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