by Dale Mayer
He froze again, turning to look at her. “I’m sorry.” His tone was low. “I didn’t mean to.”
“What you said to Mason though, that wasn’t very nice.”
He nodded. “But it’s how I felt.”
She thought about that and then said, “Well, I guess honesty is worth something.”
“Hell, yeah, at least with me. I’ll always be honest.”
She’d had relationships where a couple men had said, “I’ll call you in the morning,” and, of course, she had never heard from them again. Those were lies. But then she thought of her last boyfriend, who’d said he was staying at a friend’s, when what he meant was, he was staying at her friend’s house. In her bed. Those were bigger lies. And she considered all the times she’d been hurt because of those lies and deceptions. “Honesty is worth a lot. It’s very hard for me to trust people.”
“That’s because you have to have an honest relationship for trust to develop.”
“I’m not sure I’ve had one of those before.”
“Exactly. Hence the celibate part too.”
She sighed. “That sounds fun and all, but I do like sex.”
A rumble ran up his chest, but he managed to control it before it came out as an amused laugh.
She glared at him.
“I do too,” he said gently. “I’m just choosing the time and place a little more carefully.”
Then Tesla walked over. “Is it safe to talk to you two now?”
“Sorry about that,” Penny said. “I don’t normally make a display of myself.”
Tesla flashed her a beautiful smile. “Best be yourself from the get-go,” she announced. “Saves a lot of time and trouble sorting through the layers of who you really are later.”
Warrick stared at her in surprise. “That’s very insightful.”
“Oh, I read it somewhere,” Tesla confessed. She grinned at them. “Do you think you can help Mason with the steaks now?”
Penny tried to get back up again, but Warrick kept his arm around her. “I can, or somebody else can,” he said. “Are you short on men?”
Tesla snorted. “Nowadays we’re never short on men.”
Just then Corey stepped forward, his grin a mile wide as he studied the two of them on the chair. “That’s all right. I’ll take Warrick’s place. He’s obviously busy at the moment.”
At that, Penny struggled again to get up, but Warrick clamped his arm tighter around her and pulled her closer to him.
“Relax,” he muttered and nodded at Corey. “Thanks.” He looked over at Tesla. “Is there anything you need help with?”
She was trying to smother a grin. She shook her head. “I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.” She took off, chuckling.
Warrick glanced back at Corey to see his grin was still huge as when he gave Warrick a thumbs-up. And then Corey walked over to Mason, and the two of them layed the steaks on the hot grills.
“We have about six minutes,” Warrick said, “and then it’ll be food time.”
“How can you tell?” she asked suspiciously. “That’s a very specific time frame.”
“Steaks, if they’re done right, take about three minutes on each side. Of course, I like mine on the medium-rare side.”
“So you’re gonna let me out of your arms in six minutes?”
“I have to,” he said. “It’s pretty damn hard to eat a steak with one hand.”
She smiled. “Unless we work as a team. I could cut it, and you could eat it.”
“Sounds a whole lot better than being at odds with each other.”
She agreed. He let his arm relax, and she shifted slightly as she twisted a little more to look at him. “Do you think he’s right?”
“Who?”
“Tanner,” she said. “I heard him talk about the reason you kept coming in to see me.”
He stared at her, flummoxed. “Honestly I don’t know. I don’t want to insult you, but I didn’t think so.”
But there was almost relief inside her as she agreed. “It confused me because, if that’s what you were doing, and that’s what I was doing, why were we playing games?”
“I’m not much of a game person,” Warrick said.
“Neither am I.” She thought about it for a minute. “But then I’m not big on trust, remember?”
Warrick nodded. “Since my girlfriend broke up with me after a three-year relationship, I guess I’m not either.”
“So probably we should agree that maybe that’s what we were doing, but we wouldn’t want to think that’s what we were doing.” For her, that was an offering of an olive branch. But did he understand that?
He studied her, and the smile that dawned was enough to steal her breath away.
He nodded slowly. “I agree. So what are we doing about it?”
She smiled as her olive branch had been accepted. “We could try lunch sometime. Or even coffee.”
His lips twitched. “Or we could try coffee one day, lunch the next day and dinner the day after that.”
She glared at him in mock horror. “That might be a little too far, too fast,” she joked.
“You’re right, but it’s better than jumping straight into bed.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her lips twitching as she tried to hold back a big grin. She leaned forward and said, “After that last kiss, I’m not so sure about that.” She hopped up. “I’ll see if the ladies need any help.” And she raced inside.
Chapter 2
Monday morning, Penny was in her office when a phone call came through. “Warrick is here to see you.”
Her heart jumped, and then she tried to school the silly smile off her face. She got up, grabbed a pen and walked out front. Warrick stood at ease at the counter. His gaze lit up when he saw her, and then immediately a shadow moved across his face. She understood how he felt. They hadn’t exactly had the easiest beginning.
She smiled. “I hope you have the paperwork.”
He shrugged. “I need help.”
That startled a laugh out of her. “Come into my office, and let’s take a look.” She snatched up his paperwork, studying it as she walked back to her office with him following. She motioned toward a chair. “Go ahead and sit down.”
She walked around to her side of the desk, sat on her chair and went through the paperwork. At least, if she focused on it, she might manage to get through this. All she wanted to do was hop back into his lap and let him give her a kiss like he’d given her before. She’d been unable to think about anything else since.
She worked her way through the pages, asking him questions about the couple boxes he had left blank. Before she knew it, it was done. She flipped it around and put an X on the signature line. “Sign here.”
He signed it and looked at her. “Is it over?” he asked with relief, his expression hopeful.
She nodded. “It’s good.” She put it back on her desk. “Now you’re off the hook, at least until we get this processed.”
He sagged back in his chair and grinned. “May I take you out for lunch as a thank-you?”
She stared at him. “You may take me out for lunch but not as a thank-you.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“I don’t want anything to make it sound like it was a bribe to do my job.”
He nodded in understanding. “Well, I came in because it’s almost lunchtime. So, if you’re free, maybe we can go now.”
She glanced at her calendar and nodded. “I think I can do that.” Grabbing her jacket and purse, she walked him back to the outer office. It was empty except for Sally off in the corner. Penny called out, “Sally, I’m heading out for lunch.”
Sally didn’t even look up. But then Sally was sixty-five and working her last thirty days until she got to retire.
In the elevator, Penny and Warrick were silent. As they walked through the lobby, Warrick asked, “Where would you like to go?”
She glanced at him. “Did you have a place in mind?”
He shook
his head. “Not really. But I’m always up for a burger.”
“Of course you are,” she said drily. “That’s definitely man food.”
“Nothing wrong with man food,” he protested.
“No. But we could go to a place where there’s man food and woman food.”
“Don’t tell me that you want us to eat rabbit food?”
At that, she laughed. “Well, at least I like a salad with my burger.”
“I think you can get that at the man places I go.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.” Just as they walked outside, she said, “If we’re driving, we need to take my car.” She pointed at his cast-covered foot.
He glared at it and nodded. “I forgot. I got dropped off as it is.”
She laughed. “Come on. My car is over here.” She led the way to a small Kia.
He got into the front, feeling like the sides were closing in on him.
She motioned at the seat and said, “Push back so you can get some leg room.”
He adjusted the seat backward and that helped some.
She turned on the car, pulled out into the traffic and headed toward Bob’s Burgers.
“How did you know I was talking about this place?” he asked when they pulled into the parking lot.
“It’s very much man food.” She laughed.
It was also very busy. They had to wait a good ten minutes for a table. When they finally sat down, one of the waitresses walked over with menus and said, “Hey, Penny. Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Hi, Kathy. How you doing?” She exchanged pleasantries with the waitress whom she’d known for a couple years. “May I have a burger with a Caesar salad?”
Kathy nodded, wrote it down and turned to look at Warrick. He ordered the house burger and fries. She took the order and disappeared. Just as they were about to start a conversation, she returned with coffee.
And instantly the awkward space that they’d been in before returned.
When Warrick’s phone chimed, he pulled it out, looked at the message and said, “An officer lost his temper and emptied his handgun at stationary cars on base this morning, The MPs are trying to track him down but say it’s possible he got off before security locked it down.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Really? I hope they catch him fast.”
“Me too.”
“Is Mason on base himself?”
Warrick nodded. “He is at the moment and will keep us in the loop. Not to worry.”
Just then her phone went off. She glanced at it. “It’s my boss. He said there’s a shooter somewhere close by. He heard the man escaped the base. He wants to know where I am.” She sent a text back as to where they were and frowned. “How often does this happen? Maybe once a year?”
“It’s been a little more often than we’d like, but, yeah, once a year maybe.”
But something was in his tone. She glanced at him. “Did you know about this?”
He shrugged. “I heard a rumor this morning from one of the men in my unit. But it was never backed up.”
“A rumor?” she asked, her tone low. “What kind of a rumor?”
“That somebody went on a rampage this morning. He then disappeared, and the base was looking for him.”
She thrummed her fingers on the tabletop and studied him. “But obviously you didn’t know it would escalate.”
“Of course not,” he said. “Unfortunately there’s been a lot of escalation lately. An awful lot of very unhappy people are out there.”
She thought about that. “I think they’re unhappy all over the world.”
“I know. With all this unrest, I’m hoping to get back on my feet before my unit heads out for any missions. I’d hate to be sidelined with medical issues.”
“How long for the ankle?”
“A couple weeks.” He flashed her a smile. “Maybe faster if I can get in to see the doctor once that paperwork is processed.”
She laughed. “Could’ve done that days ago.”
He nodded.
Just then Kathy returned with their orders and asked, “Did you hear about a shooter?”
Penny nodded. “Hopefully they’ve caught him by now,” she whispered.
The waitress nodded, disappeared and came back with ketchup a moment later. She said, “You take care of yourself.”
Penny nodded. “You too.”
“I can’t see this having anything to do with either of you,” Warrick said. “Although, if this guy’s got to fill out paperwork like I did, I can see him getting mad enough to kill someone.”
It wasn’t a very good joke. Particularly considering the offices where she worked were near the base. Many servicemen and women from the base came through her claims processing division when they required more specialized medical care than the navy could provide locally. As long as the shooter was on base, then she was free and clear. “Still, it’s not good news.”
“No, it isn’t.” Warrick picked up his burger and took a big bite.
She realized he was right. They could deal with only so much at one time. And right now, there wasn’t time to do anything. They didn’t know anything yet. They would find out soon enough.
She’d just finished her burger when her phone went off. She wiped her hands and face, took a quick sip of water and then answered. “Hello.”
And her boss’s voice was strident. “Are you still at Bob’s Burgers?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The shooter has taken some hostages.”
“Who?”
“A couple doctors, a nurse and a patient at the hospital.”
“So what’s that got to do with me?”
“He mentioned you specifically. So the cops are looking for you.”
“What? Who mentioned me?” she asked in bewilderment. “And I haven’t heard from the cops.”
“You will. I gave them your number. As to who’s asking for you—it’s the shooter.”
“Why?” she asked, raising her horrified gaze at Warrick, who was obviously listening in. She held the phone out a little bit more so he could hear more clearly.
“He says you need to get your ass down there. Or he’ll take out the patient first.”
“Who’s the patient?”
Her boss sighed. “It’s Nina.” And her boss hung up.
“Who is Nina?” Warrick asked in a hard tone. He put down his french fries fast, as if realizing they were leaving in seconds.
She stared at him. “A coworker who was in a really bad relationship.”
“And what do you have to do with it?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t even know she was in the hospital.” She turned to look around the restaurant.
Just then the waitress came racing back. “Here’s your bill.”
Penny looked at Kathy, confusion on her face. “How did you know?”
Warrick said in a low tone, “I waved for the bill after that call.”
She nodded blankly as her phone rang again. Sure enough, it was the cops asking her to join them at the hospital.
“We have security set up. Identify yourself, and you’ll be let through.” The policeman hung up, leaving her staring at Warrick.
He got up, tossed enough money on the table to cover the bill and reached out a hand. “Come on. Let’s go.” He led her outside to the car. He stopped, then said, “Give me the keys.”
She looked at him in surprise. “I can drive.”
He shook his head. “You can explain while we go.”
Mute, she handed over the keys and got in on the passenger side. Maybe it was for the best after all. She was still adjusting to the news. He got into the car, pushed the seat back for more legroom, started the engine and reversed the car out of the parking lot. “Tell me about Nina.”
“She was engaged to a naval officer,” Penny said. “But he was very abusive.”
“How abusive?”
“He threatened her with a knife, punched her in the face a couple times, broke her ribs.”
/> “And she stayed with him?”
A wealth of disbelief resided in his voice, and Penny understood because she’d had that conversation with Nina several times, trying to convince her to leave George. “I know it’s hard to understand why an abused woman goes back to her abuser,” she muttered. “The thing is, the last time I convinced her not to go back.”
“Okay, now we’re getting down to the real reason you’re the one involved.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know about that. There’s no reason for him to want to see me.” But she knew on the inside there was. “Nina must have told him something about me.”
“If he’s holding her hostage along with a couple doctors and a nurse at the hospital, then that would make sense.”
“Nothing like this ever makes sense,” she said. “I tried to convince her for years to leave him. And it was always the same story. He loves me. He needs me. He’ll never do it again.”
“What was the trigger this time where she did leave him?”
“He broke two ribs,” she said. “I convinced her to leave, but she was walking and talking and definitely not in the hospital the last time I spoke to her.”
He shot her a glance as they sped through traffic. “Do you think she went back?”
“I hope not. But it’s possible,” she admitted. “It’s also possible he tracked her down and beat her up.”
“But didn’t kill her. She managed to get to the hospital, and he came after her again?”
Penny shrugged. “You know as much as I do.”
As they approached the security perimeter, he pulled up. When the police officer walked over, Warrick explained the gunman was asking for Penny.
The police officer nodded, picked up his radio and then motioned to him. “Head toward the hospital. They’re expecting you.”
Penny asked in a worried tone, “What does that mean?”
“It means, they’re looking for this vehicle. We’ll pull over when they tell us to. Then we’ll get out. We’ll do whatever they say.”
“What if the policeman wants me to go inside the hospital?”
“They won’t let you,” he said. “They won’t put another person in danger.”
“But I can’t let George kill those other people,” she cried out.