She went rigid for a split second before returning his gesture.
“I’m very,” he pulled away and laid hands on her upper arms, “very sorry for your loss, Jessica. I mean that.”
“Thank you, Randall.”
He backed away, leaving less space between them than there was a moment ago. “I liked your eulogy...short, but powerful.”
“Thank you. And thank you for coming.”
“It was the least I could do.”
She regarded his smooth cheeks. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the scruff.”
He touched his face. “I only grew it for the Mexico assignment.”
She smiled. “Well, you don’t look a day over thirty-five.”
“Is that so?” The thirty-six-year-old Randall recalled her half of a recent conversation: There’s still time. You’re only what...forty or so?
She pretended to cup her chin. “I think the beard threw me off before.”
“Uh-huh,” he grinned, “sure.”
She chuckled.
He slipped hands into pants pockets, glanced beyond her right ear, and turned away, his carefree expression morphing into a scowl.
Devlin envisioned the casket behind her. “You know it’s not your fault, right? I don’t blame you.”
Staring at the ground, he nodded. “But I do.” After a few moments of examining blades of grass, he lifted his gaze and eyed her attire. “You look nice.”
“You mean I look nice,” she put a hand to her stomach, “for a fat girl.”
After giving her a sharp look, “Oh,” he rolled his eyes and his head at the same time, “come on. I said it was a little tummy bulge.”
Having achieved her goal of lightening his mood, she snickered.
He glimpsed her midsection. “You can’t even see it, Devlin. Honest.”
“I’m just busting your chops.”
He nodded. “I know. And I know what you’re trying to do too. Thank you.”
She smiled.
Randall ogled the funeral-goers who had fanned out and were climbing into vehicles.
For the next few seconds, she joined him in watching those who had paid their respects, her eyes finally settling on her husband sitting behind the wheel of her truck.
“Listen, Devlin, I also came here to give you my answer about the job offer. I wanted to do so in person.”
Turning her head, she half closed an eye at him. “I can’t tell. Is that a good thing...or a bad thing?”
“Well, that depends.” He made a circle with his thumb and forefinger and wiggled the remaining digits. “I have three conditions.”
“Okay.” Devlin folded arms below her breasts, turned a pointed, high-heeled toe outward, and shifted weight to her other foot. “I’m listening.”
His forefinger went skyward. “One...I want to carry whatever gun I choose to carry...” he motioned toward her, “just like you and your forty-five.”
“Done.”
Randall’s middle finger joined his index finger. “Two...I’ll follow your lead when we’re in the States, but if we find ourselves in another country, especially a hostile country, you have to let me call the shots.”
Drawing a breath, she bobbled her head left and right. “I’m willing to discuss that.”
He squinted. “That doesn’t sound like a ‘yes’ to me.”
She nodded. “You’re right. But it’s also not a ‘no’ either.”
Staring at her, he rubbed his jaw with the back of his hand. “We’ll table that one for now.”
“Sounds good to me.” She stabbed her chin at him. “And number three?”
“Whenever we go somewhere...together,” he tapped the gold bar keeping his tie in place, “I do the driving.”
“That’s pretty male chauvinistic of you, isn’t it?”
“I prefer to think of it...” Randall made a show of adjusting his tie knot while rotating his head right and left one time, “as being a traditional male.”
Devlin snickered. “All right...I guess I can yield the driving privileges.”
For the next few seconds, the new partners eyeballed each other, Randall barely nodding his head, Devlin showing the trace of a grin; both of them privately speculating on what new adventures the future held.
Randall smiled. “I’m glad to be working with you, Jessica.”
Devlin mimicked his jovial appearance. “And I’m glad to be working with you, Noah.”
“I hope,” curling his fingers, “I’m not overstepping my bounds by...” Randall let his words hang in the air while he extended his balled hand and regarded her. “Take one for you.”
She observed the familiar gesture, her mind showing her an image of Hawkins. Her chest swelled, and her lips disappeared inside her mouth. A heartbeat later, she met Randall’s gaze. “Blake would be honored.” She bumped Randall’s fist with hers. “Not if I take one for you first.”
∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞
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Chapter 1
Easy, Tiger
7 may—9:21 p.m.
seattle, washington
Although beat from sitting in front of a computer and crunching numbers for the last twelve hours—her company’s year-end reports were due by the close of the day tomorrow, and her boss had been hassling her to finish them today—Belinda had compelled herself to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Huffing, Any exercise is good exercise, she tugged open the third floor stairwell door and shuffled into the hallway outside her apartment, her two-inch high heels scuffing over the carpeting.
Fumbling with a key ring, while listing to one side to keep a brief bag slung over her shoulder, she sighed. Dinner, she pinched her home’s entry key, or straight to the wine? Either way...if I don’t get some sort of release, she clenched her jaw, I’m going to—
Approaching her apartment door, she glanced at a couple down the hall, groping and kissing each other. The fifty-five-year-old accountant shook her head. These days they can’t even wait to get behind closed doors.
Belinda turned a deadbolt and shoved open the door. This generation is so sexed-up. Pushing the bag’s strap further up her shoulder, When I was younger, we showed restraint, she ambled into her abode. We controlled our passions.
She dropped the leather carrier, shed the top half of her red pantsuit, and pushed on the metal barrier, sneaking another peek at the indiscreet couple. “Carl,”
