Page 53 of The Protégé

Had Orion always lived by a list? It was too structured. Too rigid for me. It would drive me crazy. I made lists too, but nothing like this.

Did he know how to live without structure?A successful man like him had to be disciplined, keeping his eyes on the goal. But if he always had his eyes on one thing, then he’d be missing everything else along the way, right?

Did he ever have any fun? What did he do for fun?

I stared at the list, which was a printout of the document in the shared drive.What would happen if I deviated from his list? Would that annoyhim?

I smiled as I envisioned him fuming.

Excellent.

I reviewed the first location on the list and gathered as much information as I could. Then I compiled the data into a document organized by location. I also cropped pictures, creating a collage to give me a quick snapshot of that location. A visual map of all the things connected to this case would behelpful. He didn’t ask for any images, but I was a visual person and this would help me do my job.

Next, I made a list of places to visit, hoping to talk to anyone who might have known him. Or might have seen something.

I got lost in the work until someone knocked on my door. There was only one other person on this floor. It had to be him, but I pretended I heard nothing.

I was still mad.

After a third knock, I asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me. The only other person on this floor.”

I rolled my eyes. “Come in.”

He opened the door and stood in the doorway, looking gorgeous.

I couldn’t tell if he was still irritated as I was. Maybe he was pretending everything was fine too.

“I’m ordering lunch. Would you like anything?” He gave me a stack of takeout menus.

I’d planned on heading out to grab something, but at the moment I wasn’t even hungry.

“I’m not hungry. But thank you.” I handed the menus back to him. He took them and stared at me.

“I’ll pay you to have lunch with me.”

“What?” I gaped at him. “Why?”

The gaze intensified for a while. I could tell thoughts were racing through his mind. This man perplexed me. Earlier today, he kissed me passionately only to dismiss me, saying it was a test.

Now he wanted to pay me to have lunch with him?

“You can save money and just eat in your office.”

“You can make extramoney by eating with me. We can discuss the investigation.”

He knew I needed money when I took the advance from him to pay my uncle. The extra money would help pay for my mom’s massage chair and fix the leaking roof.

“Okay.”

The security guard dropped off our food. Orion brought my turkey club and fries and his steak and cheese sandwich into his office, which was four times bigger than mine. Tall windows revealed a gorgeous view of the city, allowing abundant sunlight to stream in. He walked to the furnished balcony, opened the wide doors, and placed the food on the table. Pots of beautiful plants made the balcony welcoming.

My steps slowed as I approached the balcony. Anxiety climbed up my body like snakes. Heat increased and my legs wobbled, remembering the fear that had been instilled in me all those years ago.

Be brave. You’re stronger than that.

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