“For good?”
“Yeah, for good.”
Carson considered that. It was a relative term. These men knew a lot about him and he didn’t doubt they would use the leverage they had against him should they need it again. But that was a two-way street. In any event, the thought of getting out from under this cloak of devious behavior was like the first breath of fresh air after escaping from a burning building. He still didn’t like any of this shit and knew damn well he wouldn’t like whatever this upcoming big job was. Hell, he wanted no part of what Chops had planned for him already but, if he looked at it like he was protecting a teenage girl from a predator, it wasn’t quite so unsavory. It’s not like he had a choice anyway.
“Understood. I’ll take care of this guy for you.”
Chops grinned. “I knew you would.” He gestured back down towards the Caddy, which immediately accelerated towards them. They’d only walked a couple of blocks, so it was at the curb in a second. Chops climbed in, rolling down the window after he shut the door.
“I want this done by the end of this weekend. We’ll talk soon.” The car was moving even before the window started rolling up, leaving Carson standing alone on the dark street. Lightning flashed to the west, followed quickly by thunder to tell him it was time to get under cover. He started back in the direction of his car, hoping to avoid the coming storm. It looked like a bad one.
Chapter 2
Wandering About
Katherine peered down the corridor ahead of her before turning and looking back down the corridor through which she’d just come. There should have been an elevator here. She shook her head.
The complex of buildings and similar, drab color scheme of the passageways, combined with the dearth of windows, had her so completely turned around she wondered if she had wandered into a different zip code. She’d left her house well ahead of schedule to ensure she'd arrive on time for this training class. Now that goal appeared to be in jeopardy.
She stopped at a map on the wall to once again gain her bearings. How could such a little state have such a big government building?! For some unfathomable reason, the ‘You Are Here’ stickers that adorned every single map in malls, on city streets, and in hospitals were absent, and it took her several minutes to determine she was at the junction of hallways C3 and D2. Katherine traced lines with her finger, and eventually determined if she took C5 to D6, and then walked to the end, she would arrive at the elevators and could take one of them to the fourth floor, where Training Room 3 would be right across the hall.
OK, got it. Of course, she had “gotten it” the last three times, so she considered her confidence might have been wishful thinking. She turned the corner to C5 and took two steps only to stop in her tracks at the yellow police tape strung across the entrance with a sign: “Passage Closed for Maintenance.”
“Oh, son of a bitch!” she fumed as she walked the few steps back to the map. She looked for a reasonable detour, but just got more confused. Without realizing it, she verbalized her thoughts. “I’m never going to get out of this damned maze!”
“Yes you will. We have search dogs and stuff.”
Startled, she whirled to face… wow. His strong jawline worked well with the closely-cropped head of dark brown hair. He was about 6-foot, with broad shoulders and a solid build. The way his full lips smirked at her in amusement drew her attention – and her imagination – for an extra beat. Even though it was camouflaged under his uninspiring button-down shirt, the impressive musculature of his upper-body could not be completely hidden. It spread down his shoulders and arms to his powerfully-built hands, which looked as if they could grab Katie, throw her over his shoulder like a caveman, and drag her away.
His eyes, though, truly pulled her in. They lacked the overly-eager but vapid look she saw in most young men upon their first meeting. Instead, the green jewels of his irises were dulled and hidden under eyelids that sagged as if weighed down from having seen too much of the wrong side of life. Even with that, his gaze seemed able to dissect her in an instant, like he could figure her out without looking like he was doing exactly that. It resonated with her, promising to be a window into a complex and rather old soul, one she would like to learn more about. Overall, the package standing before her was enough to cause a slight tightening of the muscles just below her belly, the ones that reacted when she saw something she liked. And wanted.
She returned his smile. “I’m glad. Where’s your Saint Bernard?”
His eyes flashed down to the Visitor badge she wore on her hip. “I gave him the day off,” he joked. “Getting between buildings is tough if you’re new to it,” he said. “Where ya headed?”
“Training Room 3. I’m new, and I’ve got a class on a new payment disbursement system.”
“Well, it’s your lucky day. I’m in the same class. Come on.” He leaned his head towards C3 and started off. Katherine took a few hurried steps to catch up.
“Thanks. My name’s Katherine Kra-Barrie. Katherine Barrie.”
Carson mouth twitched upward as she stumbled over her last name. “Nice to meet you, Katie Kra-Barrie. I’m Carson Fischer.”
“Sorry. Trying to get used to my maiden name again.”
“No problem.”
That was close. “Most people call me Katie anyway. I just started as the Benefits Disbursement Officer in the Sussex County
