Page 17 of Deserving Maddie

"Is Trista cloning herself now, or is this punishment for something I did in a past life?"

The question was directed at Ray, not her. Probably a good thing, considering she had no idea who Trista was. And she didn't want to think about how Ray knew this mysterious woman. It made it easier to forget the twinge of jealousy she was blatantly doing her best to ignore.

"I'm going to go with punishment, but not from a past life. This one for sure. Maybe if you stopped snapping at people for commenting on your dimples, the female population would be nicer to you."

Maddie jumped when Wes hollered, "Get the fuck out of my truck before I reconsider my reason for hiring your stupid ass."

The threat didn't bother Ray in the least. The man actually laughed as he climbed out.

"Because you need me and you know it."

Ray helped her out before slamming the door on a still-grumbling Wes. Ray had the audacity to keep smiling as he escorted her away.

"I don't think antagonizing your boss is the best idea. He seemed pretty mad at us."

Something she should've remembered before she called him grumpy. It was no wonder he wanted them gone. Her outburst was completely out of character for her and not something she was proud of.

"Actually, that's how he shows he cares. Now if he ignores you, then you should worry."

She was too shocked by the revelation that she missed the first two security precautions to enter the building. But by the third door, she had regained enough of her senses to look around and ask.

"Did I miss the part where we're entering the White House? What's with all the security?"

Who were these people, was probably a better question because nothing about this situation screamed normalcy.

"Uhhh …" Ray fumbled with the code he was entering. The light on the keypad flashed red, and he was forced to reenter the numbers all over again. "Wes takes our security seriously."

Wait, Ray sounded nervous. Ray never sounded nervous. Maddie was starting to think she had really shitty taste in men. First Anthony, and now Ray.

What kind of person needed that much security? Only one who had things to hide was all she could think.

"Wait." Panic started to set in. "Is he some sort of criminal? Like a mob boss?"

Chapter 9

Thatescalatedquickly.Therewas no denying how scared Maddie looked or sounded. At first, he was worried she would figure out what he did for a living. But he didn't expect her mind to immediately jump to something so sinister.

"No, I would never work for a mob boss," he tried to reassure her, but she didn't look like she believed him. "I can assure you, we're the good guys."

Maybe “good” was pushing it a bit. His teammates had no problem stopping the criminals at all costs, and he helped them do it without an ounce of remorse. To some people that probably didn't scream “good” but they were a hell of a lot better than the criminals. Or a mob boss, like Maddie just insinuated Wes was.

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" Maddie threw her hands onto her hips in the universal sign that she was pissed. "We haven't exactly talked about what we do for a living."

Ah no, they haven't. Their time spent together didn't involve talking. That was usually how he preferred his interactions. Until he met Maddie. Now he wished they could have something more. But she was the one, just days earlier, who made it perfectly clear that wasn't what she was interested in, so why was it bothering her now that they hadn't exchanged that kind of information?

Since this wasn't a conversation he was thrilled to be having in the hallway, Ray guided her to his office and shut the door.

"You’re right, but I would be happy to change that now if you like while we wait for the tow company to take your vehicle. I texted a buddy of mine who works at the garage in town and he said he can look at it tonight, and worst-case scenario, get a new tire for you tomorrow."

Trepidation.

Ray didn't like seeing it on Maddie's face. Not when it came to him at least. He wanted to do his best to ease any discomforts she had, but without betraying his company. Broadcasting some of the things Bravo Team did wasn't an option.

"Not ideal, but it's not like I have a choice." A frown twisted onto her lips. "I'll have to get a rental car if it can't be fixed tonight. I have to take my kids to school tomorrow, and despite my best friend being in town, we haven't had the chance to get her a rental yet."

"You can borrow mine."

The suggestion flew out of his mouth before he could think better of it. It wasn't like he needed his car. More often than not, he took his motorcycle to work anyway.

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