Page 26 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Jericha, it’s been a long night.” Again, Raymond’s voice softened in a way that made me question everything about him. “Make yourself a voice note as you drive home and write the report in the morning.”
“You’re being really insistent about this.” I sighed.
“I am.” He nodded.
“Fine,” I agreed.
He squinted at me, clearly not believing a word I said. “Are you going home?”
“Yes,” I blatantly lied. Anything to end the conversation. I’d never let a man tell me how to live my life, and I wasn’t about to start just because one with green eyes and locs to his ass wanted me to.
I took his advice about the voice note. As I drove from the studio after he pulled out ahead of me, I recounted the events aloud, recording them on my phone to make for easier transcription later. I took the less direct route to the office, hoping if Raymond had suspected me of lying, he wouldn’t see me as I made the approach. I felt like I’d gotten away with it when I pulled up to the building. There were no cars in the lot.
Then, my headlights illuminated the entrance, and standing right next to the door was…Raymond.
“Of course,” I muttered as I parked the car. I guess I wasn’t that convincing a liar.
8
Accidents Happen
As I got out, I scanned the area, looking for his ride, and saw the convertible parked in the lot across the street. Well played.
“What are you doing here?” I sighed as I pulled the office key from my bag.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Raymond shook his head. “You said you were going home. You lied to me, Jericha.”
“God forbid a woman changes her mind.” I threw my free hand up. “Besides, I told you—I want to write this up while it’s fresh in my mind.”
“Great. I’ll help.” He smiled. “I really should give you my point of view to make the report as thorough as possible.”
“You could always just write your own report and we can file them together.” I offered an alternative that would get him out of my hair.
Raymond stepped around me as soon as the door was unlocked and strolled inside, holding it open for me. “I like my idea better.”
“Of course you do,” I muttered as he waved me through.
Raymond followed me through the building, shadowing everything I did, including grabbing a snack and a bottle of water from the kitchen. He hummed as we moved through the space and yawned when I finally headed for my office.
“If you’re that tired, you can always go home.”
“And leave you to write our report by yourself? I could never do that.” He placed his hand on his chest. “That’s no way for a gentleman to behave.”
Inside my office, I turned on dim lighting, hoping it would convince him to go home or at least go to sleep and stop bothering me. Just as I sat down at my desk, I heard Raymond groan. I looked up to see him wincing in pain as he pulled off the jacket he wore.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Are you hurt?”
“Just a little pain, no big deal.” He winced again. “It’s expected after being knocked around in a fight.”
I got up and walked around the desk. “Let me check it out. If you’re hurt, I need to add that to my report.”
“Anything for your report.” He winked at me. “Have your way with me.”
“Hush and sit down so I can see.” As soon as he sat, I could see the faint stain of blood through the white shirt he wore. “You’re bleeding.”
“Am I?” He looked back at me as I pulled his collar to the side.
“Take that off. It doesn’t look that bad, but I should clean the wound and bandage it. Better to avoid infection.”
