Page 24 of A Labor of Hate
Jerks.
I shrugged, oh-so-nonchalantly turning my attention back to Colt.Based on the position of Gauthier and Co., Colt had a far better angle to watch them than I did.My job now was to provide a cover for him, a reason to be looking that way.As much as it pained me to admit—and it pained me greatly—Colt was good at his job.
You know, in an aggravating way.
I struck up meaningless small talk with him, ranting about the inequality of women’s pocket sizes in pants.Something he could nod along to and appear to be listening to without hurting my feelings when he wasn’t actually paying attention to me.Even if I was right, which I was.
Keeping an eye on Gauthier now was more of a formality.A number of agents—myself included—had tailed and surveilled him for weeks, hoping for some intel we could use.What we’d been able to glean was all we had to work with.But since it was technically possible we could learn something new by observation or a slip-up on their part, watching wouldn’t hurt.
“What you’ve got to do,” a voice interrupted, “is find yourself some shorts like these.”
I turned toward the voice, cognizant of the intense focus sharp in Colt’s features as he followed the speaker’s movement.I’d never, ever, admit it to him, but that small warning was probably the only thing that kept the surprise and recognition from showing on my face when I turned to find Vivienne Gauthier beaming at me.
I returned the smile, directing my attention to her biker shorts.Sure enough, her entire hands fit in the side pockets over toned, tan legs.She spun to model the shorts, her bleached blonde hair swishing in its ponytail.
Okay, I admit it: I was jealous.Of her ridiculously small bump for how far along she must've been, her muscle definition, her movie-star good looks.And, of course, her pockets.
My mouth dropped open.“No.Way.Where did you get those?Finding anything with pockets is hard, but findingmaternityshorts with pockets?”I shook my head, genuinely impressed.“Impossible.”
Trust me, Jewel-from-accounting and I had tried.The options for maternity clothes in every major retailer were downright depressing.Either the selection was slimmer than a fettuccine noodle, or it should’ve been on the front cover ofPioneer Weekly.So, we’d improvised a bit.The majority of my new wardrobe consisted almost entirely of flowy shirts and stretchy bottoms, and, honestly, I wasn’t mad about that.If I got to keep any of it after the assignment, it was going to be open season come Thanksgiving time.No buttons?No limitations.
Her grin widened.“I know, right?Would you believe I got them off Amazon?”
“For real?”This woman may be married to a gut-wrenching criminal, but she had good taste in clothes, I’d give her that.
“Uh-huh.”She nodded her head at my belly.“You two here for the Lamaze class, too?”
“As much fun as sitting in random hospital lobbies is, I’ll confess we have ulterior motives.”I shot Colt an annoyed glance.“Somebodyhere has a deathly fear of being late, so we’ve been here a while.”
Vivienne laughed, stopping Colt’s retort before it could leave his mouth.Bless this woman.“That’s cute he didn’t want to miss it!You’re so lucky to have such an involved partner.”
Okay, her taste in men wasdefinitelyskewed.
I swallowed my instinctual reply, instead squeezing Colt’s hand and looking at him with what I hoped was a dreamy look.I had to picture him as a giant slice of chocolate cake, but I managed it.“I sure am.”
And the Oscar goes to me.
The only indication that my behavior was at all weird to Colt was the barely perceptible flicker of muscle in his jaw.He smiled before anyone who didn’t know him could notice, though.“I do get a little nervous, I’ll admit.But that’s pretty normal when it’s your first, right?”
Um?Who was this guy masquerading as Colt right now?Certainly it couldn’t be him, because this guy was actually charming.He even managed to make a bashful pink color his freckled cheeks.What a devious little scoundrel.
“Oh, for sure!”Vivienne cast a glance over her shoulder at her husband and his posse.“My Charles is the exact same way.He?—”
She cut off, her shoulders sagging marginally.Behind her, the hired bodyguard shook his head the slightest bit.“Um, sorry, I should probably get back to him, actually.It was nice talking with you, though!”
I smiled as cheerfully as I could manage, pretending not to notice her disappointment.The last thing she needed after her husband’s goons sidelined her attempts to socialize was anyone pitying her for it.“Same here!Hopefully we’ll see each other in the class.”
She offered a smaller, more contrite smile before scurrying back to the horde of beefcakes.
Colt let out a soft sigh next to me, relaxing marginally.“Well, that went better than expected.”
“No kidding.”I cast another glance at Vivienne amongst the group, chatting happily with her husband.“But I already learned something new.”
Colt raised an incredulous brow, which sent a spike of defensiveness through me.“Oh?And what’s that?”
Honestly, I would’ve shared my hunch about Vivienne’s hunger for friends amidst her husband’s controlling bodyguards.I really would have.If he hadn’t looked so skeptical and holier-than-thou at me, that is.So, instead, I took the mature route and vowed to discuss it later while taking my chance to annoy him in the process.
“I need to get me a pair of those shorts.”
