Page 83 of Silk Shadow

She threw her hands in the air. "You're right, they are getting antsy. They want me back, and at the moment, I'm too scared to stick my head outside the door."

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Pat said, getting to his feet. “I’ve got to get back to the office, but Viper will look after you. Call me if you need anything."

“I’ll see you out.” Izzy handed her cup to Viper, then put her hand on his thigh to push herself up.

Viper froze.

Pat's gaze flickered, but he didn't comment. "I'll be in touch."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

He knew.

That one small gesture had given the game away. It had been so casual, so natural, that of course it meant something. Izzy hadn't even realized she'd done it.

She saw him out, then turned and noticed the expression on his face. "What?"

He stared at her, rigid with shock.

She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, crap!"

CHAPTER 34

"I'm so sorry." Izzy couldn’t believe what she’d done. "I didn't think."

"It's okay." Viper paced up and down the room.

But it wasn't. She could see it wasn't. Viper had turned pale, and for the first time since she'd met him, he looked scared. Terrorists, bullets, and mercenaries didn't frighten him, but the prospect of losing his job did.

He'd tried to warn her. They’d even clarified that there was nothing happening between them, because he was afraid of Pat finding out. And she'd gone and screwed it up.

"Are you sure he knows?"

He gave a helpless nod. "I saw it in his face."

Shit.

"What do you think he'll do?" she whispered.

"I don't know, but there are consequences for getting romantically involved with your principal and I'm on a probation period." He sank down onto the sofa and dropped his head into his hands.

She felt so bad. "What if we deny it?"

He glanced up, and she saw just how wretched he looked. "You touched my thigh. That wasn't an accidental gesture. He'll know I'm lying and that's even worse. I'm not going to lie to my commanding officer."

"Okay, then I'll talk to Pat," she said. "This is my fault. I'll sort it out."

His face softened for a brief moment. "I appreciate you're trying to help, but there's nothing you can do. Rules are rules. I'm going to have to face the music."

On cue, his phone beeped.

He took it out of his pocket and looked at it.

"Is that him?" she whispered.

"Yeah." His eyes were haunted. "He wants to see me first thing tomorrow morning."

"I suppose it won't help if I tell him there's nothing between us anymore." Izzy was grasping at straws, but there must be something she could do. She'd known Pat her whole life. He wasn't a mean person. Surely, he wouldn't fire Viper when he knew this job meant so much to him.

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