“Where’s your dad stationed now, or did he retire?” The dark shadow passed through her eyes again and he realized his blunder too late. “Oh, Evie, I’m so—”
“No, it’s all right,” she reassured him. “Well, it’s not all right, but it is what it is. Dad didn’t come back after his last tour. He was killed in Iraq six years ago.”
“Fuck, Evie,” he said, “I had no idea I was bringing up something like this for you.” He reached across the table, taking her hand in his.
She felt the warmth of his fingers caressing hers for a moment then smiled. “We were stationed in California last and so that’s where I stayed. My sister got married out of college and now lives in North Carolina where her husband is from. Mom moved there to be close to her grandchildren. We miss dad terribly…but as mom says, he would have wanted us to keep living. So we do…with his memory always close.”
The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, his hand still holding hers, gently rubbing her fingers.
“So, enough about me,” she concluded, finally pulling her fingers back. “What did you want to meet about?”
Patrick leaned back in his seat, staring at the enigmatic woman sitting across from him and rethought his position. He came to charm her into giving him information but that deceit died quickly in him. Ah, hell. Just go with the truth and if she leaves…fuck, I’ll just have to accept it.
“To be truthful, I wanted to ask you about the report. The one that your company would have completed, when the shipment went missing. I can’t get the missing equipment out of my head and considered doing a little investigating on my end.” He held his breath for a moment, wondering if she would storm out in anger.
Eyes widening, she exclaimed, “You too? I’ve been thinking the same thing.”
Releasing his breath in relief, he said, “Do you think that you could share your report with me?”
Her face scrunched in thought before she said, “I’m not sure if it’s public or not.”
“Evie, I’m fairly certain that it’s not.” He let the words hang out in the air between them, giving her a chance to discern his meaning.
Suddenly, she jerked back, her eyes piercing his. “You’re asking me to give you information that you don’t really have a right to, aren’t you? Patrick, I could lose my job! And how do you know it wasn’t on your end?”
“I don’t,” he replied honestly. “But the odds of someone being able to transfer the large, heavy equipment off base once it was there is minimal.”
She sighed long and slowly, admitting, “I know. I already thought of that when I brought the missing shipment back up in a meeting.”
So, she’s been thinking of this also…enough to talk to her superiors about it. “How’d that go for you?”
Grimacing, she said, “Not very well. Everyone considers the inquiry closed. Well, except for Saul. He’s the man who was with me the other night.”
A flash of jealousy bolted through Patrick as he attempted to tamp down those unfamiliar feelings. “Is he your…?”
“Oh, my goodness, no! I don’t date in the workplace,” she exclaimed. Blushing, she admitted, “And he’s…well, he’s just a friend.”
A friend who wants in your pants, Patrick thought with irritation. “You sure he feels that way?”
“I’ve let him know,” she answered, then her lips thinned before adding, “Why am I telling you this? My personal life is none of your business.”
“If we’re going to be working together, I think it’s my business if this guy could be a complication.”
“Working together? Who says we’re working together?” Evie defended.
“Look, Evie. You and I both want to discover what happened. We want the truth. And since the military and your company are moving forward without getting answers, you and I should put our heads together and solve the puzzle. We’re both engineers…call it our nature to solve puzzles.”
She settled back in her seat as their food was delivered. For a few minutes, neither spoke, each enjoying their food and pretending the elephant was not sitting at the table with them.
Finally sighing, she said, “You’re right. I want to know the truth. I hate the idea of someone stealing military equipment. How do I know my dad might not have been killed if all his equipment was with him? And the soldiers now…they need what you requisition for them.”
Nodding his agreement, Patrick reached back across the table to grasp her hand but, before he could say anything, she continued. “And we need to set some ground rules. This is professional only.” Blushing, she rushed on, “Not that you meant this to be anything else, but I wanted to put that out there.”
Grinning, he squeezed her hand. “We’ll see, Evie. For now…just professional. But who knows what we’ll build.”
Biting her lip, she nodded, uncertainty filling her expression. But can I tell my heart that? I could so easily fall for him…and then he’d be assigned somewhere else…and I’d be left behind.
Chapter 7
As Patrick walked Evie back to her car, he kicked himself for not offering to pick her up so that they could spend more time together. Turning to her as they stopped by her driver’s door, he said, “We need to get together soon…to go over what we think may have happened.”
She lifted her gaze to his, nodding her agreement. “I’ll see what I can get my hands on tomorrow and then maybe…”
“Tomorrow’s perfect,” he rushed. “I could come over. I’ll even bring Chinese.”
“Now, who can resist that?” she laughed, noticing his dimples for the first time. “I live in the—”
“I know where you live,” he admitted, his eyes twinkling. “I happened to be there a few weeks ago and noticed you by the pool.”
Blushing, she said, “Oh…uh…oh.”
“Don’t worry,” he replied, lifting his hand to smooth a strand of hair back behind her ear. “I don’t think you even noticed me.” He watched as the setting sun sent shimmers through her hair as a few more strands blew free from her ponytail.
“I did,” she acknowledged. Heaving a sigh, she confessed, “It would be hard not to notice you. But then I saw your military dog tags around you neck and…uh…”
“And the last thing you wanted to do was be around someone in the military. Too many memories…I get it.”
Placing her hand on his muscular arm, she hurried to explain. “That seems so judgmental, hearing it from you. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said, stepping closer to her, battling between wanting to press her body between his tall frame and her car. “Would it make a difference if I told you that I will be discharged in less than three months?”
Her eyes widened, moving back and forth between his. “Really?”
Smiling, he nodded. “Yep, so you can become my…sleuthing partner, without fear of me going back overseas.”
Grinning in return, she thrust out her hand and replied, “Agreed, partner.”
Taking her hand in his, he lifted it to his lips instead of shaking it. “Until tomorrow.” Placing a soft kiss on her fingers, he assisted as she slid into the driver’s seat of her car and stood to watch as she drove away.
You didn’t tell her you were moving back to Virginia in three months, asshole, he chastised himself. Giving a mental shake, he thought, it doesn’t matter. I need her help to find out where the missing items are and once we do, perhaps…well, perhaps… Frustrated, he hauled his long frame up into his Jeep and drove home.
* * *
The next day, Evie downloaded the report and printed it. She had read through it but had not paid close attention to the statement from the substitute truck driver. It was only two printed lines, giving no more detail than what she had read before. But it had his name. She tried to google his name and address but did not come up with anything. Since that was the extent of her investigative skills, she shoved the printed copies into her oversized purse. Not wanting to use company email, she sent Patrick a text telling h
im what she had.
He sent one in return, asking for the name. After typing it to him, she startled when Saul poked his head into her office.
“Whoa, sorry to scare you,” he said, laughing as he walked in.
“Oh, I must have been daydreaming,” she replied, pushing her phone down in her lap. “What can I do for you?” she asked, her voice more curt than she intended.
“Well,” he said, “I didn’t think it was a bad thing for me to just come over and visit. But if you’re busy…”
“No, no, I’m just distracted.”
“Thinking about the new job?”
Smiling, she admitted, “Yes. I’ve talked to Human Resources and, of course, I have to reapply, which I actually did this morning.”
“Yeah, but you realize that’s just a formality?”
“I hope so. I understand when GMS hired me, I was told that I would be up for the next engineering position, but you know how things can get screwed up.”
“Listen, Evelyn, I know you and I spoke about trying to find out more about what happened to that shipment and I was all ready to help you…and I still am,” he rushed on, “but, well maybe this isn’t the right time.”
Cocking her head to the side, she was curious. It had been in her mind to ask him to help her and Patrick, but now she needed to hear what he had to say.
“It’s just that I overheard dad and Gary talking yesterday. They want to avoid any negative publicity. If there was something that happened, they want it handled in-house.” Rubbing his hand over his face, he looked up at her. “I’d like to help…I’ve just never been very good about going against what they wanted.”
She saw his dejected face and realized that before talking to Patrick, she would have felt sorry for Saul, but right now…all she felt was irritation. If there’s something going on, then it needs to stop, not be swept under the rug. Another realization slammed into her at the same time. I was attracted to Saul at one time…but now, seeing him after spending just a little time with Patrick…No comparison! I’m glad I put Saul firmly into the friendship-only zone.
* * *
Patrick placed a call and before he heard his sister’s voice, he could hear the squeals of little girls in the background. She must be catering another party. After a few seconds, Angel had moved to a quieter location and greeted her brother enthusiastically.
“Are you calling to tell me you’re moving here early?”
Chuckling, he replied, “No, no. The Army’ll keep me until the end.” They chatted a few more minutes about family and friends and then he said, “Listen, I’m checking into something here and I’d like to be able to get the Saints to help out a little. Could you give me Monty’s phone number?”
“Sure,” she said, rattling it off. “Does this mean you’re thinking about working for Jack when you move here?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Sis. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to the princess party. Talk to you soon.”
Disconnecting, he placed the call to Monty Lytton, Angel’s fiancé, who worked for an elite company, the Saints Protection & Investigations. After greetings and a few minutes of pleasantries, he got down to business.
“I need some help and thought I’d reach out to you first to see what you thought.” It took several minutes to bring Monty up to speed on the missing equipment. “So, the problem is that I have an inquisitive mind but not the tools to figure things out.”
“Tell you what, Patrick,” Monty said. “Give me the name of the driver and I’ll have our computer guru, Luke, check on things for you. I’ll also talk to Jack and see what we can work out.” Chuckling, he added, “Does this mean you’re thinking of joining the Saints when you move to Virginia?”
“Angel asked the same thing. I honestly don’t know right now what I want to do, but let me finish my Army job and work on the investigation of this missing equipment. Then we’ll talk.”
“Sounds good,” Monty replied. “I’ll call you with what Luke finds.”
After the call, Patrick sat in his chair for a while, staring out of the window once more. The Army had been good to him, but after his last tour of duty, he no longer felt the desire to return to a war zone. Sitting at the desk job had solidified his resolve to not re-up again, even if he stayed stateside. He watched as soldiers used forklifts to move the materials around to get them loaded for transport. The idea of finding out exactly what happened to the missing equipment fired through him.
His phone vibrated with an incoming message from Monty. Driver – Chris Tompkins. Addrs – 114 Carbo St., Sacr.
Jesus, Luke works fast. The idea of being able to investigate with the right tools at his fingertips sounded better and better each day. Remembering what he learned when he visited his sister a few months ago, he knew the company was started by Jack Bryant, a former Army Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer. Jack had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of men on several critical missions and when he was honorably discharged, he replicated that in the civilian world. Monty had been former FBI. He knew Luke was former CIA. Patrick did not know the rest of the group, other than hearing some were from DEA, police, ATF, and probably other members of the government alphabet soup.
What they would all bring to the table…fuckin’ hell…an investigator’s dream team. Maybe, just maybe, that’s for me.
Another vibration from his phone jerked him back to the present. A second text came in from Monty. Jack says he’s on board. Keep us informed.
Patrick’s grin slashed across his face. I may be on the other side of the country, but looks like I’m working with some Saints!
* * *
Evie nervously paced her condo waiting on Patrick. She had changed into comfortable yoga pants and a long, tunic blouse that hung below her ass. He said he would bring the food, but she had beer for him and tea for herself, plus she indulged and purchased cheesecake from a bakery down the road.
Walking by the mirror once more, she debated pulling her hair up, when there was a knock on the door. Throwing it open, she stood dumbfounded as she looked at the man standing on her stoop. A tight black t-shirt pulled over the muscles she remembered distinctly. Faded jeans, faded in all the right places. Long toes sticking out of flip-flops. Staring at his feet, she wondered, How the hell are toes sexy? But they were and held her attention. Hearing him clear his voice, her head jerked up, a blush blazing across her face.
“Oh, um…come in,” she stammered.
Grinning, he entered her apartment accompanied by the delectable scent emanating from the bags in his hands. While she had been perusing him, his eyes had taken a trip themselves.
He had seen her in professional attire, supporting his knowledge that she was beautiful. He had seen her in a bathing suit, supporting his knowledge that she was gorgeous. But seeing her almost makeup free, shining face, hair hanging down about her shoulders, and comfortable clothing that, while modest, did nothing to hide her curves…he wanted to drop to the floor and worship her. Discreetly moving the bags to the front, he hid his hard-on while giving his dick a stern talking-to. Don’t embarrass me now…the last thing I want to do is scare her off!
They sat down to sesame shrimp, chicken fried rice, cheese rangoons, and egg rolls. Moaning orgasmically, Evie loved every bite, unknowingly causing Patrick to shift several times to ease his erection. Conversation over dinner was easy, mostly about their engineering degrees.
“Remember how many girls were in your engineering classes?” she asked.
He thought back, but admitted, “Not really, there were so few.”
“Yep,” she nodded. “I loved what I was learning but it was a lonely major for a woman. The other engineering students didn’t want to date me, especially if I performed better than they did on a project. I studied all of the time, so I never went to frat parties. And as soon as I would meet a guy, once I told him I was in the Geomaterials Engineering program…his eyes would glaze over and he’d beat a path to the door.”
“I gue
ss on top of moving around from base to base as a child, you did feel isolated,” he acknowledged, understanding more than ever her desire to find a home where she felt as though she belonged.
“That’s why I made a vow to stay put. I’ve got a good job and I’ll soon be hired with GMS as an engineer. I’ve got this great condo,” she continued, waving her chopstick around. “And I’m not moving again!”
Patrick shifted uncomfortably in his chair again, this time not to ease his erection, but out of guilt. I should tell her I’m moving in a couple of months. To the other side of the country. Fuck!
He glanced around the condo and saw comfortable furniture—the kind you buy when you land your first big job and want to finally spend some money to make a home. She had knick-knacks around, candles, cute lamps, and family pictures. She’s turned this place into a home…a real home.
“So tell me about you?” she asked, spearing another piece of shrimp.
“I always loved to tinker…puttered around with my granddad as a kid. He was proud when I became an engineer, even prouder when I joined the Army, and about busted his buttons when he came to my Special Forces graduation. I was the Company Executive Officer and helped train the Special Forces Engineer Sergeants. Did two tours in Afghanistan and decided that was it for me. Loved the military, but was ready to move to the next phase of my life.”
Scrunching her nose, she cocked her head and asked, “So how’d you end up in California?”
“To finish out my time in service, I was assigned to the Corps of Engineers base here. It gives me a chance to oversee the equipment requisitions that we used in the field.”
“What’s next for you…besides investigating skullduggery?”
“Skullduggery?” he questioned, laughing while choking on a bite of egg roll. Coughing, he tried to appear suave while trying not to sputter, but knew he was failing miserably.
Evie jumped up and began slapping him on his back, only to make the coughing worse. Twisting, she grabbed her glass of tea and assisted him to take a few sips. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Saints Protection & Investigations Book 7) Page 5