Page 69 of Wicked and Claimed

She fished around and found a humidor. When she lifted it from the shelf and shined the light on it, she found it padlocked. “Damn it. He was either looking in or putting something into this… Everything happened so fast, but?—”

“Hand it to me.”

She did, watching as he set the fancy wooden box on her boss’s pretentiously large desk. “What are you going to do?”

He pulled another pick out of the little kit in his pocket. “It would be easier to just break the lock, but he’d know someone was onto him. So picking this sucker it is.”

“Won’t it take a while to— Okay, that was fast,” she murmured as he lifted the lid. When she flashed the light on the interior, she was surprised as hell. “That’s not a cigar.”

“Nope.” He lifted the Glock out of the humidor and checked it out. “Loaded. He’s ready for action.”

That terrified her. “Does he intend to defend himself or go postal on the office?”

“Or something else entirely. And what do we have here? His passport, valid and in his name, along with a wad of cash—at least ten grand in hundred dollar bills.”

“Is that, like, his go-stash?”

“Or a nefarious, hiding-shit-from-his-wife stash. Maybe this will give us the answer.” Nash pulled a phone from the box’s interior.

Haisley frowned. “That’s not his usual phone.”

“Your boss having a burner phone doesn’t automatically make him guilty…but it looks suspicious as fuck.” Nash tapped a button, and the screen flickered to life, prompting him for a passcode. “Damn it. Any ideas?”

“Mila’s birthday?” She rattled off the date.

Nash tried the numbers. “Nope. We don’t have time to stand here and guess. And I don’t want to lock us out of the device. I’m taking this with me. My brother will get it pried open easy.”

“Are you insane? What if Benedict comes back for it before Monday?”

“You got a better idea?”

She didn’t. “If you get it back to me by Sunday night, I’ll come in early Monday morning and try to sneak it in before he arrives.”

He shook his head and shoved the device in his pocket. “We’ll have to lock Benedict’s office door behind us, and you won’t be able to get in without me. I’ll take care of it. What else is in here?”

Did he really think she was going to let that slide? “You’re cutting me out.”

“I’m keeping you out of the danger as much as possible.”

“But—”

“I already didn’t want you here, where you might be implicated if something goes south. But I’m not involving you any deeper. You’re going to be a good girl and give me your office key so I can repeat this tomorrow—alone.”

“The hell I am.”

He turned to her, the kind of displeasure all over his face that used to make her shiver. “What is it you don’t understand? I’m trying to protect you.”

“I didn’t ask you to. And if you get caught with my key, I’m out of a job. So stop shoving me out of the way.”

“What? I respect you too much for that. Baby, you’re smart, and you keep me on my toes. If it weren’t for the bad guys and all the women disappearing, if we were holed up in a war room trying to solve this shit, there are few people I’d rather have helping me than you. But you understand that being fired for helping me is way better than what will happen if you’re caught by the bad guys? You’ll be dead—or worse. This is myjob. No. Fuck it. That’s not the only reason. I didn’t have you in my life for two goddamn years. Do you think I’m going to risk you when I’ve only had you back for a handful of days?”

Haisley gaped, her heart suddenly chugging. Did Nash mean that the way it sounded? Romantically? Like he’d never gotten over her? “Nash, I?—”

“Shh.” The sound was soft, but he zipped a hard palm between them. He whipped his phone from his pocket, his face tightening as he scanned the illuminated screen, then cursed under his breath as he arranged everything but Benedict’s hidden phone back into the humidor. “Put the box back. Someone’s coming.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Goddamn it.

---