Page 85 of Call Back

“So does that mean you’re still going to the masquerade ball with me?” he asked.

There was no way Colt was going to do this drop-off without me, even if he didn’t have anything to turn over. “Yeah.”

He grinned. “We’ll be the sexiest couple there. People won’t be able to keep their eyes off us.”

That was what I was afraid of. “I’m going to ask Belinda for a dress. Do you have a tux?”

“Do I have a tux?” he asked, sounding incredulous.

“Do you or don’t you? If not, I’ll see if we can get one from Belinda.”

He snorted. “She’ll never give me a tux.”

“What happened between you two?” I asked. “Why don’t you get along?”

Surprise washed over his face. “Who said we don’t get along?”

I realized I’d never witnessed anything overtly hostile between them, but little things—more so on Belinda’s end than on Colt’s—had implied they shared a mutual disregard. “My mistake.”

“Well, in any case, I have a tux. A black one.”

I didn’t like the way my mind wandered to what Colt would look like dressed to the nines. It made me breathless. “Back to the cameras,” I said, trying to stay on task. “They are coming out. Today.” When he didn’t answer, I said, “You wouldn’t believe the spread Ava made for her Bible study. There are some little mini quiches in the warming drawer, and she also has lemon poppy seed muffins and blueberry scones. And those are just the starters.”

“Ava’s pissed at me. She’ll never let me have anything.”

I was still curious about that, but there was no time to ask. In a matter of minutes, I had to be in Ava’s dining room looking like I was attending a debutante tea. I’d pry it out of him later. “I know for a fact that she’s upstairs getting ready, but I suspect she won’t take long. I’ll even let you take a plate of food on the honor system.”

He licked his bottom lip. “Deal.”

“Follow me.” I led him through Ava’s back door and into the kitchen. His eyes lit up at the literal smorgasbord of brunch pastries.

“You’re sure Ava’s upstairs?” he asked, glancing around with a guilty look.

“Yep.” I opened the pantry and pulled out a container of freshly ground coffee. “Quick. Grab something and bring it with you. I’ll make coffee in my apartment.”

He picked up a blueberry scone and held it in front of his face, taking a big whiff. A smile that suggested he’d discovered the secret to life spread across his face. I couldn’t help inflating with pride since they had been my first successful baking endeavor.

Grabbing a plate, he took the scone, two mini quiches, and a couple of muffins. After he poured himself a glass of orange juice, I opened the back door. “Come on. You’ve taken half the food and I’m going to have to rearrange it all, but I’ll gladly do it as long as you earn it. Time to debug my apartment.”

Once we got inside, Colt quickly dispatched two cameras from the bookcase and one from the kitchen while I started a pot of coffee.

“The bathroom next,” I said. “I need a quick shower.”

I followed him in as he pulled out a small disc and wire from behind the light fixture over the sink. A dark look crossed his face as he stuffed it into his jeans pocket. “The fucker could see into your shower.”

I shuddered involuntarily. I was pretty sure the creepy feeling of being watched would last long after the cameras were gone.

He circled the room, taking a framed print of a seascape off the wall and looking it over before he hung it back up.

“I thought you said there was only one in here.”

“Can’t be too thorough,” he muttered as he stood on the side of the tub looking around the shower head.

“Well . . . thanks.”

“No prob.” He headed for the door. “You’re good.”

I shut the door behind him and turned on the water, worried he hadn’t gotten them all. The shower was probably the shortest of my life, and I quickly wrapped a towel around myself and cracked open the door.

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