Page 3 of Betrayal & New Beginnings

We got her all set, and thenItook her out to show her around the place.

I should have hadTammydo it, butIhad this weird compulsion to be near her.Itold myselfIwas just looking afterJack’ssister, even thoughIknew that wasn’t it.

We toured the kitchen and the break room in the back.Iintroduced her to other staff, and then headed out to the bar area and main dining room.

I took her behind the bar to show her where everything was, and for the first timeIrealized just how tight that space was.Ourbar was long and could easily fit two dozen patrons, but the space behind the bar was narrow for the bartenders and staff.Withme,Ellie, andTammybehind there it was cramped.Elliewas right in front of me, and my body vibrated with an odd excitement.Shewas so closeIcould smell her perfume.Shesmelled like lemons and cookies, or maybe that was just her shampoo or something.Whateverit was, my body wanted to be closer.

She andTammytalked about what was a good time for her to come and shadow the next day whileIjust stood there awkwardly and stared at her.Icould tell she had a great body, even though most of it was hidden behind a bulkyT-shirt and jeans.Still, those jeans hugged her curves, emphasizing the attractive figure beneath.

Nope.Don’tgo there.Jack’ssister.Jack’slittle sister.IfIkept repeating it in my mind, hopefully, it would sink in.

“Wade, you good?”Ilooked up to seeTammystaring at me with a knowing eye.

Yep, she’d caught me looking atEllie’sass.Shejust grinned her sneaky little grin at me, andIrolled my eyes.

“Yeah, you good?”

“Yep.She’sall yours,”Tammysaid winking at me. “I’llsee you tomorrow, girl,” she added, looking atEllie.

I tookEllieback to the office and grabbed a few things. “Wedon’t have a uniform per se, but everyone just wears theseT-shirts with our logo on them.Almosteverybody wears them with jeans.”

“That’s fine,” she said, taking theT-shirtsIhanded over. “Wehad to be dressed up at my last restaurant, soI’mlooking forward to being more comfortable.”

Her mouth made a half smile, half smirk.Myfirst thought was to kiss that smirk right off her face.

Damn.Wheredid that thought come from.

Shut it down.

“Do you have time to show me toJack’sapartment?Ifnot,Ican just get the key and show myself in,” she said.

That’s right.I’dbriefly forgotten she was staying inJack’splace until she could find her own.

Great.Justgreat.

BecauseJack’sapartment was right next to mine.

“Uh, yeah,Ican take you up,”Isaid, grabbing the key from my drawer.

I walked her out the front door ofTheWateringHoleand to the left side of the building, where the separate entrance for bothRangerShieldSecurityand the apartments was located.Justinside, a small entryway led to a compact office space on the left and a main hallway that extended toward an elevator.

To the left, a glass door bore theRangerShieldSecuritylogo, with its name imprinted on the wall beside it.Inside, the front lobby doubled as our reception area—a modest space with a receptionist’s desk and a few chairs for waiting clients.Behindthe desk were two small conference rooms where we met with clients in person.

Since the glass door was open,Ipoked my head inside to introduceEllieto our administrative assistant.

“Ellie, this isRuthie,”Isaid, motioning toward the woman behind the desk. “She’sour receptionist extraordinaire forRangerShieldSecurity.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,”Elliesaid, stepping forward and offering her hand toRuthie.

Ruthie replied quietly and calmly, like always.Therewas definitely a back story to that woman.OneofArcher’ssticking points about starting this business with us wasRuthie.He’dtold us,“Sheneeds a job where she can be safe, so she’s our new receptionist”.Vince,Jack, andIknew there was more to the story but dropped it, knowingArcherwould tell us when he was ready.

“I didn’t know you guys had the security firm up and running already,” she said as she turned to me. “Jacktalked about you guys starting one, butIdidn’t know it was already open.”

“SinceJackisn’t finished with his last tour yet, we’ve been getting everything up and running, and then he can just jump right in when he gets back,”Itold her.

We waved goodbye toRuthie, and walked back out to the entryway.

I pointed to the elevator and gave her a keyring with two keys, asIexplained one was for the front entrance door, and the other was for the actual apartment.

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