Page 40 of Cutter

“Messed up,” Emily cut in. “That was totally my fault, and I owe you a million apologies. In my eagerness to get things moving, I dragged you into this and endangered you. I am so sorry. I won’t repeat everything Cutter said about that night. Just know he thought the blond wig was ridiculous, and with a little effort, anyone could’ve recognized me.”

Yoanni giggled. “Now that you say it, he has a point. It was kind of silly. And the Goth makeup was a bit much.”

Emily frowned. “You don’t need to rub it in, darlin’. Look on the bright side. Barron is still taking you to dinner. Obviously, he’s interested.”

Yoanni pouted. “I was afraid my Little had come out, and I’d scared him away.”

“Nah. Something tells me these Spawn guys have a thing for Middles and Littles. Cutter does.”

Yoanni’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Oh, yes. In a big way. He’s a Daddy.”

“He is? Actually… I can see that in him. He’s pretty bossy. So what happened yesterday?”

Just like that, Yoanni’s curiosity overtook her earlier disappointment. However, Emily wasn’t ready for her friend’s probing questions, as she had no good answers. Her relationship with Cutter was balancing on a thin edge.

She switched the focus back to Yoanni. “Where are you going for dinner?”

“A place in Savannah by the river. He said I’d like it.”

“There you go. He’s still being careful because of the investigation. Barron wants to be with you, so he’s taking you away from town. No interference, no unfriendly eyes.”

“This could be interpreted in a different way,” Yoanni said.

“I understand where you’re coming from, but you shouldn’t. This situation should teach us to be a little more assertive and confident about our charms. Being Little or Middle doesn’t make us lesser women. We have a lot to offer, and guys like Cutter and Barron want every bit of our uniqueness. Keep that in mind.”

“Who are you? And what have you done with my skittish friend Emily?”

Emily laughed. “Weird, huh? Took one day and one evening in Cutter’s company to change my outlook on a few things. It’s kind of an awakening.”

“All right, all right. Now it’s getting to your head.”

Emily touched Yoanni’s arm. “Feel better?”

“Thank you. You’re a true friend. And you know what? I’m going to book the first available flight. Maybe I’ll get lucky and get a morning departure. I miss my family. I’m not going to sacrifice my needs because a cute guy wants to take me out.”

“Way to go, girl. If you need help convincing the captain to give you extra time, let me know. He hates arguing with me. I always win.”

“Count on it.” Yoanni glanced at her wristwatch. “Crap. We spent too much time out here. Let’s go back before the captain sends someone out or, worse, comes looking for us.”

Emily gave a start. “Yikes, you’re right. We need to hurry back.”

“Now what?” Yoanni asked.

Emily was already on her way toward the station’s sliding front doors. “I left my cell phone on the desk. You-know-who might be calling. I’ve committed to being accessible day and night.”

As she sped down the hallway and careened into her cubicle, the soft buzz stopped. Picking up the phone, she stared at theEB initials on the screen, muttering a curse. Immediately, she returned the call.

“Kitten,” Cutter answered. “Where were you?”

Loud background noise made it difficult to hear him. “I’m sorry. You’re going in and out, and it’s noisy.”

“It’s the wind,” he shouted. “Call you back.”

Cutter ended the call, and Emily scanned the room. Newton had no pending cases or at least none that he cared about. He was still bending the poor switchboard officer’s ear. McCormick wasn’t back. The two snoopy detectives worried her the most. Newton and McCormick were sneaky and political and played a good game. Anyone else in the station, excluding the captain and Yoanni, didn’t pay much attention to her. Nevertheless, she couldn’t take the chance of anyone overhearing her conversation with Cutter.

Sliding the phone into the pocket of her slacks, she walked past Newton, ostensibly empty-handed. The less ammo she gave him, the better. Emily dropped her head, hoping the irritating detective would ignore her.

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