Page 30 of Silk and Steel

I’m blinking away sweat by the time we fully get the beds switched over. I do another perimeter check, and once I see that all is clear I turn to Emory.

“All right, it’s secure. I’m going to set the alarms, and take one last eyeball check of the street.”

“What should I do?” she asks.

I shrug. “Do what you normally do. Try to pretend I’m invisible and concentrate on living your life.”

She scoffs. “As if I could imagine your big ass didn’t exist. Besides, I kind of don’t want to pretend you don’t exist.”

I don’t know what to say to that. I head around the house and check the alarm system. Everything looks in order. I don’t knowhow Lovejoy or his accomplices managed to pick the lock to her bedroom window without setting it off.

Then, something crumples under my toe that isn’t grass or an insect. I bend over and pick up a tiny chewing gum wrapper. If you’re clever and careful enough, you can use one of these silver wrappers to keep the circuit flowing through an alarmed door or window.

The cocky pricks left the evidence right here for anyone to find. And I just marked it up with my own prints, potentially destroying evidence. Not a smart move on my part.

I whip out my switchblade and do a little minor remodeling. Specifically, I create a gap much too wide to bridge with a chewing gum wrapper. They won’t get in the same way twice.

I go around and do the same to all the windows and doors. Once I’m satisfied there’s no longer an easy way past the alarm, I head back inside and set the alarm again.

“That should do it,” I call out.

“Thanks,” she calls back. I find her in the living room. She’s changed into shorts and an oversized T-shirt, her socked feet propped up on a padded stool. “You can have a seat wherever. You want something to drink? I have all kinds of stuff in my fridge. There’s even beer.”

“I’m good on the beer. I don’t want to get buzzed while on the job.”

“Well, get something non-alcoholic for yourself, and get me some water while you’re there, pretty please.”

I open her stainless steel smart fridge. Inside I find neatly organized shelves and plenty of things to drink. I take two of the bottled waters and return to the living room.

“Thanks,” she says as I hand her the drink. I settle on the sofa, the middle cushion separating us. The water cools and refreshes my throat. I hadn’t realized it had been so long since I’d had something to drink.

Or maybe I’m just thirsty in a whole different way. It takes effort not to ogle her finely shaped legs. You can tell she’s a dancer, that’s for sure.

“So,” I say, trying to move past this moment, “I need to coordinate with the head of studio security. I want to try and bring you in through the service entrance if possible.”

“If you say so. Do you really think Lovejoy or his pack would take a shot at me in such a wide-open, brightly lit area filled with witnesses?”

“Lovejoy is unhinged. There’s no telling what he might do. He disconnected from reality a long time ago.”

“Maybe, but he’s connected enough to reality to escape from prison. And to stay escaped.”

She has a point.

“In any event, it’s better safe than sorry. A lot of the things I’m going to ask you to do might sound strange, or even silly, but I assure you there is a purpose.”

Her brows climb high on her face.

“And what strange things are you going to ask me to do? Just what kind of a girl do you think I am?”

I laugh to cover up the fact my pulse just shot up a hundred miles an hour.

“I’ll need to go ahead of you in most public places, and I might tell you to get down on the ground out of nowhere. It’s important that you obey these directives at once.”

“Yes, Sir, Mr. Cole.”

She blinks her eyes with an innocence in her tone that her gaze belies. More of her ‘I can make anything sound sexy’ shenanigans.

Emory has a couple glasses of wine, while I stick with bottled water. That doesn’t mean I don’t loosen up a little. You can’t work in LA without hearing some wild celebrity stories, and Emory has some real good ones.

---