Page 30 of Once a Killer

His gaze burned into her as she drove. “You think someone in my lab is most likely,” he said, his voice flat.

“I’m not assuming anything. But they have access to you. Access to the lab. That puts them at the top of the list. The cleaners are a close second.”

She pulled into the parking lot for the lab and parked the car out in the open. Where she could see it from Jameson’s office.

Again, her hand hovered over her gun as they walked across the parking lot. There were a few other cars in the lot, but she didn’t see anything suspicious. Anything worrisome.

They made it to the lab uneventfully. Just like the day before, they were the first ones to arrive. As Jameson walked through the lab, she opened her computer on the small table in his office and got to work.

Throughout the day, everyone in the lab took turns watching her. The back of her neck itched, and since she was sitting perpendicular to the rest of the people in the lab, she could simply glance out of the corner of her eye to see who was watching her.

The role reversal was… jarring. Uncomfortable. When she watched someone, it was because she was looking for a threat. Trying to sense danger. Waiting for the small actions that often betrayed guilt, movements they likely didn’t even realize they were making. The people in Jameson’s lab? They were merely curious. And maybe one of them was feeling uncomfortable. Worried. Beginning to panic.

That was exactly the feeling she wanted to elicit from the guilty party. Make him or her nervous enough that they made a mistake. Revealed their guilt.

All four of them took turns coming into Jameson’s office to talk to him. She pretended to be absorbed with what she was typing, but she listened carefully to each of them. Since she couldn’t understand most of it, she assumed they were talking to him about their programs. Were the questions legitimate? Or were they made-up stuff to have an excuse to see what she was up to?

She’d bet all four of them wanted to know more about her.

By the end of the day, she’d resorted to playing Solitaire on her computer, alternating the game with typing random stuff so it would seem like she was working. None of the four engineers did anything she’d consider unusual. They all seemed focused on their work. Haley was obsessively neat, as she’d expected.

Brewster McKay looked completely focused on his work. He didn’t surf the web, like Stu Rivers did, or play games on his computer, as Stu also did. He frowned as he stared into the distance. Typed again.

Joe Lewandowski was also a hard worker. He sat at his desk, frowning as he scribbled on a yellow legal pad. Crossed it out and scribbled again. Stared into the distance, then typed something on his computer. He seemed to be completely wrapped up in his work. If he noticed the other engineers, Bree couldn’t tell. She’d noticed he didn’t interact much with the other people in the lab. But when someone approached him, he seemed pleasant enough.

Tomorrow, she’d spend time with Joe and Stu. Talk to them. Get an idea of who they were. How they worked. Suss out whether either of them could be the person targeting Jameson.

Once she’d done that, she’d research the hell out of all four of them. See if any of them rang any bells for her.

She wanted to find the person targeting Jameson and get the hell out of Dodge. She didn’t like the way she’d reacted to Jameson last night. She should have told him to go back to his bedroom if he wanted to work. Instead, she’d welcomed his company.

The sooner she figured out who was targeting him, the better. She could help him solve the problem, then disappear from his life.

Better for both of them.

But it sure didn’t feel that way. She enjoyed working with him. He was thoughtful. A nice guy. Listened, mostly, to what she told him to do.

The ideal client -- other than the fact that she was attracted to him.

Which was the biggest mistake in the protection business. One she’d never made before.

But Jameson Ford was pushing all her buttons.

Chapter 11

When they exited the SUV in the parking lot of Jameson’s lab building the next morning, Bree scanned the area, looking at everything -- cars in the lot. Vehicles driving along the street. Pedestrians. Nothing appeared out of place. Different. Concerning.

As they headed for the door of the building, she nudged his arm. “Another stress-free trip from your apartment. Good times, right?”

“If you like boring,” he answered without thinking.

“Boring?” She stopped walking and turned to stare at him. “Do youwantbig SUV’s chasing us? Trying to hit us?Killus?”

“Of course not,” he said, trying to reassure her. “But it’s more fun watching you work when there’s a little tension in the mix. You’re like some secret agent, with all your fancy moves and killer driving. Don’t you like watching someone who’s really good at what they do?”

“Yeah, when their work doesn’t involve guns. Or big honkin’ SUVs trying to run us down.” She stared at him, disbelief in her gaze. Finally shook her head. “What’s wrong with you, Jameson? You should be grateful for the reprieve. Thankful that we’ve had a couple of boring commutes. A whole twenty-four hours when no one’s trying to kill you.”

He yanked open the door of the building and waited for her to walk through, then followed her in. They both nodded to the security guard, then headed for the elevators. After they’d stepped inside and the doors closed, Bree put her fingers to her lips. Pulled out her bug detector and ran it around the tiny elevator car.

---