Page 12 of A Walking Shadow

His gut tightened at the idea of a group like CEO being armed with Krav Maga tactics, but he kept his expression nonchalant. “That’s kind of odd.”

“I thought so, too. Daniel wasn’t aware of who they were when he agreed to do the training. He only found out when they tried to pay him with their fake money.”

He snorted. “That sounds like CEO.” Then his laughter faded as he studied her face more closely, taking in her tense jawline. “Do you have any other reason to think they’re violent?”

“Maybe. For the past two days, I’ve had the feeling that I’ve been followed or watched. I think someone’s been in the office at least twice outside of business hours when I was there alone. And today, Ellie saw CEO’s attorney and another man lurking in the alley between our building and the antique shop. I doubt they were treasure hunting.”

Leo’s heart pounded and his face heated. He fisted his hands then shook them out in an effort to remain calm. “Did you confront the lawyer?”

She shook her head. “He was long gone by the time Ellie told me about seeing him. But I called his office. He claims he was in town for a meeting and just stopped at Jake’s for a coffee.”

“A coincidence?”

She twisted her mouth to the side. “So he says.”

A long, silent moment passed between them.

“I don’t like it, Sasha,” he said.

“I don’t like it either. If they think they can intimidate me, they picked the wrong attorney.”

“You need to be careful. Because even if CEO isn’t breaking into your office or following you, someone is.”

“I know. That’s why I caught a ride with Naya this evening. I made sure she, Ellie, and I all walked out together. I don’t want anyone there alone at night until I figure out what’s going on.”

He frowned. It was a start, but it wasn’t enough. “The kids and I can pick you up, you know. Just call.”

“Connelly, you don’t need to worry. I’m going to talk to Will about getting someone to do a security audit for the office. Anyway, you wanted to tell me something?”

He laughed shortly. “I don’t think this is the time.”

She dried her hands and stepped over to close the dishwasher, then she looked up at him with serious green eyes. “Part of not keeping secrets is not protecting me from news when I’ve had a bad day. Tell me how your meeting went. You got promoted, didn’t you?”

“Nope.”

“What then?”

He laughed bitterly. “I got fired.”

She stared at him wide-eyed for a wordless moment, then she turned on her heel and pulled down two Glencairn glasses. She opened the freezer door and dropped two oversized ice cubes into the glasses with a click. She pointed to the high cabinet where they kept their liquor out of the twins’ reach. But, of course, that meant it was out of her reach, too.

“Scotch,” she instructed. “You really got fired?”

He took down a bottle, cracked it open, and poured two fingers into each glass. “I really did. Hank, too.”

“What happened?”

He clinked her glass tipped his head back and let the amber liquid run down his throat, savoring the heat and the burn before answering. “They said it was a downsizing because of budgetary issues, but they made no effort to place us anywhere else.”

“So you’re not working for the government anymore?”

“Nope.”

“How long do you have?”

“What?”

“A month? Two weeks? When does your position end?”

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