Chapter Thirteen
Zane struggled to bringfocus to his jumbled thoughts. He trudged from the glass building, toward his truck at the back of the business-center parking lot. Another interview down.
Fuck.He wanted to yell into the wide open space. All the people coming and going might not appreciate that, and the last thing he needed was to make his situation worse.
He’d been doing great in there, as far as he could tell. Getting along with the panel of interviewers, comprised of a manager and several peers. He’d aced all the technical questions. They were a little easy, but he couldn’t be picky at this point. Then the manager asked about on-the-job experience, digging for details. Zane gave them as much as he could. The way the conversation closed off after that point told him it wasn’t enough.
Maybe he’d hear back from them. He doubted it. His mood shifted another notch closer toirritatedwhen he saw the woman leaning against his truck. Slacks. Long legs. Black hair pulled into a tight bun. His former commanding officer... And ex-girlfriend.
A rush of images surged into his thoughts. Plaguing. Taunting. Tormenting. Digging into his core, until the graphic images and guilt threatened to devour him. He swallowed down the memories her presence summoned, pasted a cool smile in place, and paused when he was within conversation distance. “Sabrina.”
She pushed away from the truck, and gave him full salute. “You wear the suit well, Sergeant.”
The formality burrowed under his calm. “What are you doing here?”
“You weren’t returning my calls, so I’m trying a new approach.” Her tone was pleasant and smooth. He knew the voice—it was the one she used when tried to coax something out of someone. To figure out how they ticked. To glean enough to shift the conversation in her favor.
He wasn’t interested in letting that happen. “And if you track me down, say, in front of a potential employer’s office, rather than at home, you figure I’ll be polite. I’ll rephrase my question. How did you find me here?”
“I’m a spy.” A tiny smile danced on her lips, and a giggle laced her words.
A few years ago, he fell for the act. He knew better now. “I have someplace else to be.”
“If you were me, how would you have found you?” Her tone went flat, and the teasing vanished.
He ticked through a mental list of the options. She might have used the same methods they did back then, when they worked together. Gotten to know a friend of his and dragged out enough information to penetrate his computer. His ego wouldn’t let him believe that could slip by him. “GPS on my phone.”
“See? This is child’s play for you. How’d the interview go?”
He stepped around her. “Have a nice day, Captain.”
“The job won’t be on the table much longer.”
He paused with his hand on the door of the truck. “Which is fine. My answer hasn’t changed.”
“Let’s go somewhere and talk. Coffee, conversation, catching up... It’ll be like old times.”
He clenched his jaw at the fresh wave ofold timesmemories. Not just the results of his actions, but the relationship he had with her. “Not interested. If this is a limited-time offer, pull it now and go find someone else. Unless there’s a reason you want it to be me.”
Her bitter chuckle was enough to draw his gaze, and he turned to face her again. She clucked. “Check your ego at the door, Sergeant. You’re not the best. Not anymore. But you’re still incredible, and your motivations go beyond cash.” The wordincrediblerolled off her tongue with smooth sensuality.
He never should have gotten involved with her. “Most people know that about me.”
“Fine. I’ll drop the pretenses. You’re not going to find better somewhere else. This position will push your limits and give you access to top-secret technology. And don’t bother playing themoralscard. We both know that’s a fuzzy line for you. If you’d walk away from your unrealistic fantasy of a civilian life, you could admit you’re perfect for the kind of work I’m proposing.”
“I’m not.” He yanked the car door open harder than he intended. “The answer’s still no. Have a good afternoon.”
His hand shook as he started the truck and backed out of its spot. The confrontation wasn’t a big deal. A stilted conversation, at worst. Her words haunted him though. The certainty he’d cave again. That regardless of how hard he tried to convince himself he wasn’t that man, her offer was more tempting than ever. Not only because he couldn’t find work, but because she was right. It would push his limits. He’d gain so much experience.
He stowed his doubt under familiar reassurances. There was no reason for him to go back to that. He’d learned that lesson. The words repeated in his head as he drove home, running round and round until he believed them.