“I’ll take a beer and he’ll have water.”
Mel raises her brows at her and then turns toward me. “What do you want to drink, hon?”
“I’ll take a water,” I say, forcing a smile on my face. She hesitates before nodding and spinning around, leaving the silence between me and Geena.
“So, Pop’s having a birthday meal.”
“Okay.”
“Will you be able to get the time off?”
She shrugs. “You’ll have to give me the date, Evan. How am I meant to ask for it off if I don’t know when it is, huh?”
“Right.” I clear my throat and pull my cell out to give me something to focus on, clicking on my calendar even though I already know the date. “It’s the twenty-second of next month, so just over a month. That should be enough time for you to get it off, right?”
She pulls her own cell out, presumably checking her own calendar so I wait, but when she starts to giggle like a schoolgirl, I frown.
“Geena?” I ask.
“Wait a sec,” she gasps, holding her finger up in the air to silence me. “This is just hilarious!”
I look off to the side, scanning the entire place as I wait for her to acknowledge me. The blue cloth-covered pool table that sits over on the left side of the bar has a crowd of guys surrounding it, almost all of the booths and chairs are taken by people drinking, eating, and laughing at the conversations that they’re having.
The place is full of happy and excited energy, yet why is it that I feel the opposite? Why do I feel like one wrong move could land me in serious shit? Why is my skin crawling and my brain screaming run?
“What were you saying?” she asks when she gets herself back under control.
“Pop’s birthday meal?”
“Oh, that… yeah, I’ll let you know.”
I nod in reply, my gaze catching Mel’s as she comes out of the back kitchen with two plates of food. My stomach rumbles at the smell and the sight of it.
“Here you go, hon,” Mel says, setting the plate down in front of me.
“Thanks, Mel.”
I wait until she sets Geena’s down and walks away before looking up at Geena’s scowling face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, picking my burger up and bringing it to my mouth. I can almost taste the meat and the homemade sauce that sits between the bun and the meat.
“She’s always calling you pet names.” She shakes her head and looks at me. “She knows you’re my boyfriend, why does she do that?”
I take a bite of the burger and chew slowly, my eyes closing halfway at the taste. I almost wish I would have gotten a side of ribs too.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah,” I mumble before swallowing the burger. “I’ve known her since I was a kid, there’s nothing to it, she does it to everyone.”
She rolls her eyes and looks over at Mel where she stands talking to Barney before cutting her gaze back at me. “She needs to learn not to.”
“Geena,” I sigh. “I’m here with you and she’s married. Just let it go.” I place my burger down and take her hand in mine, holding it on the top of the table and not moving my eyes from hers.
“Yeah.” She smiles and squeezes my hand before letting go and picking up her own burger, but it doesn’t go unnoticed her giving Mel dirty looks for the rest of the night.
“So, you make all of the equipment you guys use here?” Dean asks.
I move my eyes from the new surveillance device that I’ve adapted. I want something that is small and can record in real time and then connect to a server, which in turn makes the recording into a video that can be accessed by any of the team. I also wanted it to have a GPS location of its own with the ability to be switched on remotely.
“Sometimes,” I answer, lifting my eyes to his where he sits next to me at my computer station in the warehouse. “Most of the time I adapt what I already have and make them better.”
He nods as he watches me attach the speaker inside the device that is no bigger than a baby’s fingernail. It’s discreet and untraceable to anyone but me. I know I’m not out on jobs often—most of the time staying in the van that I kitted out myself with all kinds of devices and electronics—but I know that what the guys do can be dangerous, and anything I can do to help keep them safe but also have the evidence to back up what we do is my top priority.
“So…” I clear my throat and close the back of the device, setting it alongside the other four that I’ve just adapted. “Kitty says you’re going to be staying a while.”
His blue eyes lift to mine. “Yeah.” He shrugs. “I have a few months before I have my next assignment so I’m gonna catch up with Kitty and make sure that she’s doing okay.”
“Yeah.” I swallow against the dryness in my throat.
I still feel responsible for the situation that Kitty got into. I caught her taking those pills after she should have stopped and I knew as soon as I looked at the label that she hadn’t gotten them from her doctor, instead she was scoring them. I should have known better than to trust her when she said that she would stop. Addicts will say anything to keep their addiction going, but at the time, I trusted what she said. I wish I hadn’t because I could have put a stop to it all and got her the help she needed sooner.
It all worked out though because she ended up going to rehab and she came back the same bubbly, sassy, Kitty we all know and love.
“She’s doing good right now, although I haven’t seen her much, she’s spending all her free time with Charlie.” He shifts in his seat and leans forward, his arms hanging loosely over his thighs, the tattoos that cover them moving as his muscles tense. “I mean, I get it. I really do. I just don’t have much to do at the moment, so I’m kinda bored.”
My eyes move to the office door that sits on the other side of the warehouse, right across from me. “Have you thought of asking Ty?”
“Asking him?”
“Well, you’re trained, right? Ex-marines?”
“Yeah.” He sits up straighter, his eyes widening as he gets what I’m saying. “You think I should ask if I can help out for a while?”
“Couldn’t hurt.” I shrug. “You’re sitting around here anyway, may as well make yourself useful.”
He moves his gaze to the wall behind me, staring off into space as he thinks about what I just suggested. While he sits there like a robot, I stand up and collect the new devices, placing them in the box that I have for them. The outside is a sleek black that feels and looks like plastic but it’s actually a safety box, complete with a code so that nobody but me can get in to it.
I make sure all of my devices are locked away safely. Even though we live on a compound that is surrounded by an electric fence and a safety gate, it doesn’t mean that if someone wanted to get in, that they couldn’t. I’m always prepared for anything, which is why these babies will be going into my safe room in my cabin.
None of the guys know that I have a safe room. It’s something I installed myself, and it’s bigger than my actual cabin. It’s basically a basement, only this basement is full of equipment, weapons, and devices, covered in reinforced steel. Not one person but me knows it’s there, and that’s how I intend for it to stay.
Most people would see a normal cabin when they look at my home, but it’s what they don’t see that is important. I have bulletproof metal lining between the two layers of wood: nothing and nobody can get through the walls or the main door without me wanting them to.
I stand up, ready to go back to my cabin, but as I do, Ty comes out of the office and looks around the wide expanse of the warehouse.
“Evan?”
“Yeah?”
“I need a word.”
I push the box inside my pocket as I slap Dean on the shoulder, bringing him out of his daze. “Having fun where you are?”
He chuckles and shakes his head before I spin around and walk across the mats and into the office.
I make my way to the sofa that sits on the left and thro
w myself down onto it, bringing my hands behind my head as I turn to face Ty where he leans on the desk opposite the sofa.
“Sup?”
“I need your help.”
“Such a hard life being needed all the time.” I wink.
Ty snorts and pulls the beanie hat off his head, running his hands through his hair as his brown eyes sharpen.
I can see that something is about to go down, but I don’t let my body portray that I know. I’m this easy going, fun loving guy; at least that’s what I try to portray. I don’t want any of them to know just how messed up I feel inside. It’s not for them or anyone else to know. It’s my burden.
“I had a call from someone important.”
“Okaaaaaay.”
“He needs some help with something he’s working on. He needs surveillance equipment.”
“So, tell him to go buy some,” I answer, lifting up from the position I’m in and sitting forward as a frown starts to form the longer I watch Ty.
“The kind of stuff he needs you can’t get from the store.”
I tilt my head to the side, wondering what the hell is going on. Ty has never asked me to let outsiders use my equipment before.
“What’s going on?” I ask, standing up and widening my stance. I may not be as ripped as Luke, but I match Ty in height and I work out regularly; I know that people only see the nerd but underneath my slogan t-shirts and trendy jeans, there’s a hell of a lot more to me than that.
“He’s coming down to explain. I told him that I couldn’t just hand him over the equipment he’s asking for without knowing what’s going on. He’ll be here within the next week or so.”
I stand there for a couple of seconds, watching Ty and spotting something else in his gaze. He knows something already but he’s not letting on what it is. I go to open my mouth so that I can ask him what’s going on but then I decide not to.
When this dude gets here, I’ll find out what’s going on. Ty may own MAC Security, but all of the equipment is solely mine: I buy it, I make it, I adapt it, and most importantly—I keep it in my safe room.
“That’s it, ladies!” I shout, walking between them all as they practice their self-defense moves. “No,” I say when I get to a couple of ladies that aren’t blocking the hits right.
“Stand like this, shoulder width apart… yeah, that’s it, now bend your knees slightly.” She does as I tell her. “Now when she comes at you, you hold your hand out, palm facing towards the ceiling and fingers curled in.” I point to where my palm meets my wrist. “This is the part of your hand that you will use. Put enough force behind it to injure the person enough so that you can run away.”
I step back and watch as she does it correctly this time, giving her a thumbs-up and a smile.
“Run away?” she asks, stepping back and wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
“Yeah.” I nod. “You want to injure them enough that you can get away and call for help… nothing more and nothing less.”
She smiles in understanding before I walk away, continuing to watch them all as they practice. This class on a Friday is a beginner’s class and where I get my most frightened women. Taking that step and deciding to learn how to defend yourself can make you feel like you’re gaining some power back. I’ll do anything that I can to make these women feel safe.
I clap my hands as I stop at the front of the room. “That’s it for tonight, ladies!”
They all watch me with eager eyes as I look at them one by one, making sure to give each one the silent attention that they need.
“Remember, you’re not trying to beat an attacker, you’re just trying to get yourself out of the situation enough so that you can run away and get help. Don’t try and be a hero.” I wink on the last word and I’m rewarded with a few chuckles. “I hope to see you all here at the same time next week.”
I give a final nod of my head as I take a step back and watch them all gather their things from the back wall.
I don’t move from my position until they’ve all gone and when they have, I make my way down to the bathroom, needing to splash my face with water and get some of the sweat off.
The place is silent, much how it usually is, but I know I’m not going to run into Roy pottering about and fixing things because he’s not here in the evenings now and I’ve yet to meet the criminal he employed.
Once I’ve washed my face, I walk back to the room, locking the main doors before I go to put all the mats and equipment away. I grab my cell out of my pocket and put my playlist on, resting it on top of my bag and moving my shoulders up and down to the beat.
I get caught up in the songs on my party playlist, and before I know it I have all the mats rolled up and I’m juggling six of them in my arms while still dancing to the song that’s playing. I walk out of the room and to the door that sits right next to the main room, opening it and putting the mats away before spinning around and jumping five feet in the air.
“Fuck! Jesus, fuck, fuck, fuck.” I hold my hand over my chest, my heart pounding so hard that I can almost feel it thumping against the palm of my hand.
“I—sorry.” I step forward, closer to the girl who is standing in front of the closet door and she takes three large steps back.
“You scared the bejesus out of me.”
“I’ve been watching you,” she blurts out and then her eyes widen. “I didn’t mean—I meant—” Her chest rises and falls as she takes a big breath before she closes her eyes, clearly trying to get herself under control.
My gaze wanders over her as she centers herself and I take note of her dark, almost black hair and the tattoos that run along her arms, the red of the flower on her forearm popping against her skin.
I don’t think I’ve seen her here before. Was she in my self-defense class? No, I would have noticed her for sure. She’s wearing black leggings—the kind you wear when you’re working out and they cling to her shapely legs like a second skin. My eyes rove down to her toes and back up, an oversized wool, beige sweater covering her torso but hanging off one shoulder loosely.
“I meant, I saw you teaching. Not that I was watching you.” She snorts, opening and rolling her eyes. “I’m not some crazy person.”
I stare at her, words not able to come out of my mouth at the sound of her voice. I’ve never heard anyone like her before. Her voice is a soft whisper but has a slight rasp to it.
She suddenly steps toward me and throws her hand out, only she doesn’t judge the distance right and smacks me in the stomach, catching me completely off guard. I bend at the waist, my arm wrapping around my middle as I groan.
“Oh, shit,” she gasps. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
I lift my head, my eyes meeting hers and I have to swallow from the intensity that shines through them. I can’t quite place the color, it’s gold around her pupils and then fades into green and then brown. I’ve never seen eyes quite like them, and I don’t just mean the color, I mean the openness of her gaze, I feel like she just showed me her soul.
“I’m Evan,” I say, finally able to make words with my mouth.
“I’m Lexi,” she says, her shoulder sagging. “Roy employed me.”
My eyes widen as I realize who she is. What she is.
“You’re the… the…”
“I’m the one who just got out of prison.” She grimaces. “I understand if you don’t want to talk…” She trails off, the hope in her eyes dissipating to sadness. “I’ll just…” She hooks her thumb over her shoulder and nods at herself before scuttling off into the office behind the front desk.
What the hell just happened?
I can’t believe I did that! First, I tell him I’ve been watching him, and then I hit him; I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to being around men, at least, not men who aren’t wearing a prison guard uniform.
I squeeze my eyes shut tight as I remember his face when he found out who I was. Livvy had told me no
t to outright explain to people why I’m here, but I couldn’t help it. My mouth has a mind of its own and I can’t control it.
I stand in the corner of the office, my arms straight by my sides, my shoulders slumped and my back against the wall as I try to take myself to the safe space that I’ve been so used to.
When I was first taken to the seg ward, the only thing inside the room was a small toilet bowl and a mattress on a flimsy metal frame. I never felt safe on the bed so instead I would stand, just like this, in the corner of the room, watching the door constantly.
It’s a habit: a habit that I want to break, but I don’t know how. Right now, I just need to get his shocked face from my mind and wait for him to leave the building before I can come out of my corner.
A vision of his eyes springs into my mind causing mine to snap open, wanting to get them out of my head. The honey color of them with a starburst pattern had held me captive. I’ve never been held by a pair of eyes before, they rendered me a bumbling idiot.
No, Lexi, you can’t be thinking like that. He thinks you’re scum. Remember his face when he found out who you were. There was so much distrust in his eyes.
I shake my head, trying in vain to rid myself of all my thoughts.
“Knock, knock.” I gasp at his deep voice, the gravely tone making goose bumps spread over my arms.
“Who’s there?” What? Really, Lexi?
He steps inside, his head tilting to the side as a smirk lifts up the corner of his lips. “You know I could totally make a joke here.”
I cringe at myself and push my back further into the wall. His eyes flit over my face, his lips dropping into a frown.
“I erm…” He lifts his hand to the back of his neck and rubs it. “I didn’t mean…” He points out of the office.
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “I know what people think.” I try to pull my lips up at the corners but by his reaction, I’d say the smile I’m trying to achieve came out looking more like a grimace.
“Shall we start over?” he asks, holding his hand out on front of him.
I look down at his large hand hanging in the air and back up to his face. He tilts his head, encouraging me to step forward.
ReBoot (MAC Security Series Book 4) Page 5