Page 21 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“When?” I frowned. I had planned on doing the same thing I had each night that week: run home and hide.
“Tonight, so you might want to cancel that dental appointment.” She laughed as she turned and walked out of my office. “I don’t know why you’re avoiding that man, but you must have a great reason!”
“Whatever!” I called after her.
Once left alone, I quickly wrapped up the rest of my tasks. The studio was a good forty-minute drive from the office, even without traffic. I wanted to get there in enough time to make sure I could relieve Sandra, the guard on duty, before Luke.
“This is good,” I said after parking. I walked across the lot and headed to the post. “I won’t have to worry about seeing him here.”
“Seeing who?” Raymond's head popped out from around the corner ahead of me.
“Holy shit!” I skidded to a halt.
“Hey, you’re supposed to be here on guard duty. Can’t let someone sneak up on you like that.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I got a call Luke was sick, so I figured I would fill in.” He grinned.
“I’m here to do that, so you can go home.”
“Now, that doesn’t make sense.” He ran his hand over his beard. “I’m the second-in-command. Shouldn’tyougo home?”
I shook my head. “You’re the second-in-command, so you should do as you’re told.”
“Ah, got me there,” he sighed. “Still, I think I’ll stick around.”
“Why?”
“You’ve been avoiding me. There are things I want to talk about.” An evil grin spread across his face. “You’re insisting on being here, so you have plenty of time.”
“Fine, I’ll leave.”
“Oh, darn!” he shouted. “I’m not sure I remember the protocols here. I would hate to mess something up!”
“You wouldn't dare mess anything up.” I turned on him. “That would look bad on both of us.”
“Correction: that would look bad on you. Remember, this is a temporary thing for me. I’m not the one who needs a long-lasting reputation of upstanding service.”
I wanted to stomp my foot but decided cursing was better than looking like a child. “Son-of-a-bitch!”
“Lead the way, oh leader.” He stepped aside, waving me forward.
“I cannot believe you're pretending as if you don't know how to do this job on your own,” I complained as Raymond followed me through the lot. Soon, we would reach the post where Sandra waited, so I didn't want to get too much into any conversation she might overhear. No matter what, we had to look professional. I would not let my discomfort or annoyance with this man ruin my business.
“I thought you would appreciate my desire to learn everything I can.” He slowed his pace, but I kept going, forcing him to keep up. “What if I have to step in when you can't?”
“Isn’t that why you came here?” I shot him a nasty glare. “You said you intended on doing the job, which meant you knew what you were doing, because why would you come here if you didn't?”
“Darn it, you caught me in a lie.” He shrugged in that playful way that made me want to pop him upside the head.
“So you admit to lying to me.” I pointed at him then dropped my finger when I heardmy name.
“Miss Brown, it's good to see you. Thank you so much for coming to relieve me,” Sandra called out as she stepped outside of the guard post. I kept my thoughts about Raymond to myself as I greeted her.
“Of course, you know how I am. If you guys need me, I'm here.” I smiled at her.
“I've completed my rounds and everything is good to go,” she reported. “They're just really getting started on the new production, so there is a little more foot traffic than over the last couple weeks.”
