Page 126 of Fierce-Zander

“I’m fine,” she said. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I have no ties to her company at all.”

“That’s right,” he said. “You don’t. But you have ties to your client. They didn’t go into your office. My father said it was almost fifteen minutes before the guy left. He must have been checking out other offices in the building that maybe he thought she’d have a reason to see.”

“A PI and a lawyer,” she said. “It could have been me.”

“And he was probably smart enough to know he’d get nothing out of you.”

“He has to be an idiot to think he’d get it out of you or Trent’s office,” she said, frowning.

“I think he was trying to read the faces of Betsy and Janine. I was there and overheard it. Neither of them was lying since they don’t know who Sophia is.”

“Which just means that we did the right thing doing it the way we did,” Regan said.

“I don’t care. Accuse me of being all macho or sexist or whatever. Go take your call and inform her you’re done now. The contract is with me and I’m not doing any more work. It’s not smart and too dangerous for a client you barely know.”

“I know,” she said. “I’m going. I’ll fill you in.”

“I expect you in here the minute you get off the phone with her,” he said.

She turned to leave and then stopped at the door and said, “I’ll be back when I’m ready to be back and am able. I don’t do well with expectations.”

He laughed at her sarcasm and when she winked in return, he knew he’d been put in his place once again.

It was almost ninety minutes later when Regan returned and he was ready to lose his shit. He had work to do and was trying to keep his mind on it.

When she came in, he only lifted his eyebrow at her. No reason for her to know what he was feeling. “How did it go?”

“Well,” she said. “She understood and agreed that she didn’t want to know any more. It was better to not know and she felt good that her gut was right and she was going to start looking for another job. She felt if she just quit with no notice then they’d have suspicions, but if she had another job lined up they might not think anything of it.”

“That would be her decision,” he said.

“In terms of the work you were doing for me which was for her, she did say she felt as if someone was watching her. Not all the time, but that there was more action and activity of people around her office than normal and hanging around. Twice shefelt like she was watched when she left. One day was last week when she came here. She even said she went to another floor and waited before she made her way back down the stairs. Guess her being paranoid paid off for her.”

“And you, since they didn’t know which office she went to. Hopefully nothing comes from it,” he said. “But from this point, we are done. I don’t even want you to see her as a client anymore.” He put his hand up when the fire was lit in her eyes. “I know. I can’t tell you that. I get it. I’m just voicing my concern out loud as your boyfriend. I don’t need my hand slapped.”

Her shoulders dropped. “Fine. I understand and I won’t slap your hand.”

“But you want to?” he asked.

“With a ruler.”

He laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, you might have an easier time tossing that guy over your shoulder than me.”

She winked. “It does. And I know I’d never be able to catch you unaware again.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” he said. “You’re doing a good job of keeping me on my toes.”

38

FAMILY DYNAMICS

“What do you think we are having for dinner tonight?” Kellen asked Regan the following week on Christmas Eve.

Zander would be over soon and had already met her brother. The two of them seemed to hit it off over the weekend.

Kellen had arrived on Saturday afternoon and they’d gone out to dinner. Zander had gone home that night and every night since, but he was staying tonight because she wanted to wake up with him on Christmas morning.

Maybe it was silly on her part, but her place was decorated and it was the first time since she’d lived here she wouldn’t be alone in the morning.

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