She picked up her phone from the desk, then held it out to him. “I’m going to let you take a look.”
He snorted, a sound that felt…familiar? He took the phone and moved through the screens with ease, his attention focused.
A buzz told her his friends had arrived, and when the door opened, when they walked in, Sunny realized she should have taken the meeting outside.
Her office wasn’t small, but she’d never crammed three men this large into it before.
The two new ones were, thankfully, not quite as large as Connor. They were taller, but leaner. One wore a suit, his hair a dark brown, almost black, and trimmed short. He had blue eyes and dark stubble over his jaw. The other had slacks and a button up shirt on, but no jacket. His hair was shaggier—a light brown—and his eyes were so light amber, they were almost yellow.
And again, that nagging bothered Sunny, one she couldn’t place.
They’re familiar.
Which was insane, because there was no way she would ever forget these three if she’d met them before. She’d seen glimpses of them, but she’d seen all the men who came to the shelter to help from a safe distance. So why couldn’t she shake the feeling she knew them?
Connor didn’t look up from the phone or toward the other men. “She got a call where no one talked—I’m checking for the number.” He didn’t mention the panic, the passing out or her stupidity.
Which she was grateful for…
Even so, she felt the need to be honest. “It really was nothing, I’m sure.”
The man in the suit smiled as he took a seat beside Connor. “Sure it is. I know you feel like because you’re the director here, you have to put on a brave front, but you don’t need to, not with us. Any potential threat is worth looking into. I’m Garrison, and that’s Trent. I don’t think we’ve met.”
Sunny went to say no, they hadn’t, when Trent interrupted. “You’ve worked pretty hard to make sure we’ve never met.”
Sunny sat up straighter. “That isn’t true. I’m just very busy.”
Connor snorted, his attention still on her phone, though he’d pulled his out as well, as if checking something.
That sound…
“I appreciate your help, really,” Sunny said, trying for her best consolation prize voice. “But I think this really has been overblown.” She rose, wanting to subtly tell them it was time to go.
Connor set her phone on her desk. “I can’t trace the number here. It seems like it was pretty well hidden, because the number that shows up is a dead end. I’ve taken down the info, and I’ll see if I can’t get someone to look a little more closely into it later.”
Sunny took the phone and tucked it into her pocket. “Thank you. I’m sure it was nothing, though. It was just when they called the shelter, too—”
Garrison stopped her short. “You got a callhereas well?”
Sunny bit her lip as she realized she hadn’t said that part of the story earlier. “Yes. I get lots of hang-ups on my personal number, but right after the first call, someone called the shelter. I thought they laughed, but now I think I was overreacting. It was just a prank call, I’m sure—”
Garrison exchanged a loaded, unhappy look with Connor before he glanced back at her. “That’s a very different thing, Ms. Kaylor. That implies someone might not only know where you are, but about the shelter, too.”
“It’s not like that,” Sunny tried to assure them. “It’s been years since I’ve had contact with…” She couldn’t get his name out, even after so long. “He doesn’t even know where I live, has never tried to find me or contact me. I’m sure it was just a coincidence.”
Garrison answered her, lowering his voice as if not wanting it to carry. “I respect your desire to be tough, Ms. Kaylor, but you’ve worked here long enough to know how dangerous this could be. If it was anyone else, what would you do?”
Sunny wanted to lie. She wanted to say whatever it took to get them out of her office and to get back on with her life, to push this fear to the back of her mind like she always did.
Still, his question compelled an answer. “I’d have them call you guys and ask for help, then make sure we had police drive-bys for the next few nights. I’d also ensure all employees had escorts to and from work.”
Garrison nodded, as if she’d answered correctly.
Which, to be fair, she’d had plenty of time to learn.
“So, you need an escort home, don’t you?”
She sighed. “Apparently so.”