Page 12 of Shattered Secrets

Matt nodded and the corners of his lips pulled up. “That’s the plan.”

“Good,” Cade said. “You keeping your place in Seattle or selling?”

His house in Seattle had been sitting vacant for the last year. As much as he liked the old Craftsman, too much shit had gone down within those walls, within that city. Sure, he’d still return once in a while to visit his brother, sister-in-law, and folks since they all lived there, but otherwise, he was done with that chapter of his life.

A glance around Hudson’s charming downtown had his insides settling, relaxing. There was no baggage here. No soul-crushing memories. Though it had taken a while, he finally accepted that this little slice of the Pacific Northwest was his new home.

“Selling.” Matt shrugged. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Cade said with another backslap.

Matt smiled as they reached their vehicles. He was glad, too.

“Well, after you meet with Gavin, swing by the house around five. We’ll throw some steaks on the grill, crack open a couple beers to celebrate your new job, and run over all the cat stuff.”

With a chuckle, Matt opened the door to his truck. “Will do. But isn’t the cat stuff just food and water?”

“Oh fuck no, man. Poppy has a whole routine with those damn cats.” Cade heaved out an exasperated sigh, but his grin told a different story. The guy would do anything for his woman, crazy cat routines and all. He was that besotted. Not that anyone could blame him. Poppy was pretty cool.

Matt’s mind flashed to Scarlet, and he wanted to kick himself. There were a million reasons why he needed to stay away from the young woman. And he would. He wasn’t the kind of man she needed in her life. She deserved a partner who didn’t have as much baggage as him, and someone who was a whole hell of a lot closer to her age.

Waving goodbye to Cade, Matt told himself that his concern for Scarlet was based solely on the events that had transpired this morning. It wasneighborlyconcern. That was it. That was all it could be.

Twenty minutes later, Matt pulled into the Hudson Security parking lot. He crumpled the wrapper of the protein bar he’d just wolfed down and stuffed it into the small trash bin next tohis seat. Taking a deep breath to quell the sudden nerves in his stomach, he made his way to the building’s front door.

“Hi, Mel,” he said once he was buzzed inside, greeting the receptionist he’d met on a handful of occasions.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Alvarez,” she said, motioning to the small seating area. “Gavin’s expecting you and will be right out.”

“Thanks, and you can just call me Matt or Alvarez.”

“Of course, sir.”

Matt suppressed a cringe. He understood formalities. He did. But damn ifsirdidn’t make him feel ancient. Taking a seat, he blew out another breath.

Holy shit, this is really happening.

Matt didn’t have to wait long before Gavin opened the door separating the reception area from the secured offices.

“Mel,” Gavin began, “I know you two have already met, but Alvarez is officially joining our team. Can you get him set up with access cards and all that good stuff? We’ll be meeting in the main conference room for a couple hours.”

“You got it, Gavin,” she said, then turned and flashed Matt a smile. “Welcome to the team. I’ll have everything you need ready by the time you leave today.”

“Appreciate it,” he replied, once again impressed by the efficiency of the operation. With the SPD, it had taken two full days to get a new key card when his had suddenly stopped working.

Following Gavin, he took in the open floor plan of the office space. In the center was an array of workspaces and tables that reminded him of his former bullpen. However, unlike his former bullpen, the area didn’t induce claustrophobia. The entire far wall was floor-to-ceiling windows—bulletproof, of course—that made the space feel enormous.

To the left were closed doors, which he knew led to management’s private offices. To the right, where they were heading, waited numerous conference rooms.

Entering one behind Gavin, Matt waved at Bean, who was seated at the end of the large conference table, laptop open in front of her. She returned his wave with a smile, then refocused her attention on her screen.

“Alvarez, have you met Esmerelda Abara?” Gavin asked, drawing Matt’s attention to the woman who walked into the conference room behind them.

Esmerelda looked to be in her early to mid-thirties, five-five, and athletically trim. Dressed in sky-high heels and a light-gray pantsuit, her white blouse popped against her bronze skin. Her long, wavy black hair was slicked back into a high ponytail. Simply put, the woman was stunning. But more than that, there was a sharp, no-nonsense air about her.

“Esmerelda keeps this place running and everyone in line,” Gavin said. “She handles all the logistics for the teams and—thankfully—all the HR paperwork, too. She works remotely from Seattle and comes into the office for a day or two every few weeks, but she’ll be relocating to Hudson soon.”

“In your dreams, Frazier.” She chuckled and held out her hand. “Welcome, Mr. Alvarez. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

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