Page 65 of Defending Casey

Chapter 11

Bailey’s FurnitureBarn was the largest furniture store in Colorado Springs. It was larger than a car dealership lot inside the building and because it was so large, they had a security system straight out of a science fiction series.

Brian didn’t mind working at the furniture store because it was easy money.

All he had to do was look at the screens when an alarm would sound. The security system had all the bells and whistles which included facial recognition software, proximity alerts, and other programs that might make their office rival the local 911 Communications Center.

And if something went wrong, all Brian had to do was push a button.

It wasn’t exactly intellectually stimulating.

But it didn’t have to be.

One of the double automatic doors opened up at the front of the store and immediately the camera on the main screen shifted to that camera.

“Okay, now this is good.”

Two women. Both in leggings and sports bras.

“Yes.”

Twisters Gym was just down the street, and they had a lot of those bicycle classes and yoga. With the crappy parking situation outside the gym, a lot of women parked their cars on the street in front of Bailey’s.

The parking lot camera came in handy at those times and Brian, well, it hadn’t taken all that long for him to figure out the schedule and make sure he was ready for the added traffic on the street.

One of the women flopped down onto a nearby sofa and patted the seat beside her. While her friend wasn’t all that interested in taking a seat, the one on the sofa leaned back and settled in, wiggling down against the cushions.

Smiling to himself, Brian pulled the keyboard console over to him at the desk and toggled the switch for the camera in her section. He took the joystick in his hand and adjusted the grip with a smile on his lips. Panning over, he was able to manage a steep angle down into her cleavage.

“Not bad.” He pushed the button to zoom in. “Not bad at all.”

She moved slightly out of view for a second and Brian leaned forward, ready to adjust the angle of the camera, but she settled back, and he saw the reason for the sudden movement. Her friend was now sitting beside her, and the angle was still just perfect for him. Only now, there were two women giving him a cheap show.

“God, I love my job.”

The screen went black and shifted to the front door again.

Brian huffed and reached out his hand to toggle the main screen back to the camera he was playing with, but he stopped short and stared.

Walking in through the front door of his workplace were Hale and Casey.

For a moment, he held his breath. Maybe they were there to see him?

Right?

Wrong.

Hale lifted his arm closest to her and settled it over her shoulders.

Casey leaned in against his side and wrapped her arm around his waist.

When Hale leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of her hair, Brian slammed his fist down on the desk. He jostled the clipboard on the edge of the desk and a pen that was left on top of it clattered to the floor.

They didn’t know.

They couldn’t.

He took a moment to reflect on who might know where he was working.

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