Page 19 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

“There are five floors in total. You’ll be cleaning the third floor, which is the research department, and the hardest to clean.”

“Why is that?”

“Because everything has to be kept extremely clean. There are a lot of electronics, so we do a very thorough cleaning every night.” We walked over to the elevator and stepped inside. My boss seemed to be a tad cross, but I could deal with that. I was used to angry people. I’d survived more than I cared to admit at the hands of people like her. Not that I could compare her to some of the other people from my past. Compared to them, she was a saint.

We stepped off onto the third floor and she took me room by room. “Most of these labs are connected to an office. You’re never to touch the equipment other than to clean it.”

“Understood.”

“And every computer is password protected. If you enter the password wrong one time, you only have one more chance to enter it correctly. After that, the police are called.”

My eyes widened as she narrowed her eyes at me, like I would attempt that. “I’m not interested in what’s on computers. I doubt I could even turn one on.”

“Yeah, that’s what they all say.” She turned and walked down the hall. “There are cameras on every level, in every lab and office. If you attempt anything, we’ll have evidence and you’ll be prosecuted.”

Geez, it was like I was working at a government research facility or something. “Can I ask why you hired me?”

I didn’t have any identification, and I needed to be paid under the table. It didn’t make sense that a place like this would hire just anyone off the streets. With all this technology, shouldn’t they be hiring properly vetted people?

She turned to me with a fierce expression. “Do you want the job or not?”

“Of course, I do,” I answered. I just didn’t understand why if they were so wary about their technology that they would hire someone they didn’t have information on.

“We have security in place. If you do anything, we’ll know.”

But somehow, I thought I was being set up. I couldn’t be sure about it, but the pay was better than anything I’d made before, and the hours were ideal for me. So, against my better judgment, I accepted the job.

“You start tomorrow. You’ll work with Rianne for the first week. Once she’s sure you can do the job, you’ll work on your own. Am I clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good, be here tomorrow at 8:45.”

9

CASH

I walkedthrough the doors of OPS, still thinking about how Sinner was taken six months ago. It could have ended so much worse, and we were lucky that we only lost Sinner because he chose to go back to Reed Security, whatever Sebastian Reed thought of the situation. It bothered me that we could never find out who was behind the attacks on not only Vanessa, but one of our own. And in the months after Sinner left, Reed had been stonewalling me on what was happening.

Part of me thought it was because he blamed us for what happened to Sinner, but I got the feeling something else was going on that we weren’t privy to. When Sinner was taken, it really shook everyone up, especially Red. He’d been the one to stick by Sinner’s side as we got him to the hospital. After vowing to take care of Cara for Sinner, he wouldn’t leave her side until he was sure she was okay.

“Boss,” Rae said, running up to me. “Um, we might have a problem.”

“Nope,” I said, walking right past her. She ran beside me to keep up. Her short little legs made it easy for me to get away from her. Though she trained with our guys, and could easily hold her own against them, that was in the ring. And I wasn’t in the ring. I knew better than to go up against her. She was scrappy, using her small stature against all of us.

“What do you mean? You’re the boss. If there’s a problem, I come to you.”

“Rae, it’s not even eight o’clock in the morning. I got stuck in traffic behind a five car pileup, I haven’t had any coffee yet, and if you must know, I haven’t gotten laid in weeks.”

I pulled open my office door, determined to shut it in her face, but she easily blocked me and ducked under my arm to slip inside.

“I brought you coffee,” she said, handing me a cup. “Just as you like it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you prefer lattes to blackmancoffee. I’ve also been tracking your phone, and I know you stopped by your ex-girlfriend’s house, which I’m assuming is because, as you said, you haven’t gotten laid in weeks. And since you’re still in a grouchy mood, I’m guessing she didn’t take you back just because you wanted sex. And it’s actually now one minute past eight.”

She stood there with a satisfied smirk on her face, waiting for me to say something. And she thought I would keep my mouth shut because that’s what most guys did. I wasn’t most guys.

“I actually did get laid this morning, if you must know. It was extremely satisfying in every way, but you’re right. She still feels the same way as before. My job is too dangerous and the hours are too long. Not that I’m surprised she feels that way. Most women I dated while in the military couldn’t handle it. I didn’t expect much different after I got out. The military may have been an excuse at the time, but I’m still the same person, with the same drive at work. And you’re wrong on the lattes. I don’t prefer them over blackmancoffee, as you suggest. I get them because you like them. And at some point during my morning, you always steal my coffee.”

Her jaw dropped open and then her eyes flicked to my coffee. She snatched it out of my hands and drank it. “Well, since I know you do that, I’ll expect one every morning.”

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