Page 119 of The Savior

His voice had lowered, but it wasn’t as if they had personal space. Everyone could hear everything, maybe even the weird way she was breathing.

“Cool your jets, my friend,” Chelsea said.

“I’m your partner, not your friend.”

The elevator stopped, and another woman joined them.

“I’ll talk to you upstairs.” Then Chelsea turned away, though she could feel his gaze boring into the side of her skull. The elevator doorsstillhadn’t shut. Chelsea jabbed the door closed button.

Once again, the elevator stopped. This time on the third floor. Both women exited. Mac took the extra room to step into her line of sight.

“Whatis your problem?” she asked again.

The elevator doors inched closed, and Chelsea decided to ignore Mac.

“I know who dropped you off,” he shared.

“Good for you.” Chelsea clamped her jaw shut.

He crossed his arms as though he’d scored a point in an investigation. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor and emptied. Mac pressed the door closed button.

As soon as they were alone, she snapped. “Stand down, partner.”

“As your partner, I need to know what the hell is happening with you.”

Coldness chilled her blood. “I could ask the same thing about you.”

“Bullshit.”

Her throat tightened. This wasn’t any of the conversations she had readied to wage. “Stop cursing at me.”

But he knew the words didn’t matter. She pressed her fingers to her temples. “I haven’t even sat down yet, and you’re jumping down my throat.”

“We have an agreement.”

They did, and it revolved around a strict openness in all work and home aspects. Knowing the other’s mindset would keep them alive. But it only worked if they both were on board, and Mac definitely wasn’t. Chelsea threw her hands out. “You want to throw around our rules? How about you set Calhoun straight about mydrinking problem.”

“What the hell do I know?”

Furious, Chelsea waved him away. “You know.”

“I know you’re out cavorting with—”

“Cavorting?” She turned, ice shards flowing in her veins. “What kind of accusation is that?”

“A very specific one.”

“You have no idea what I’m doing. Back off.”

“I know what you should be doing with your best friend’s boyfriend.Nothing.”

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