• • •
The first thing Rylee noticed when she walked into her department that morning was all the attention she got. And she knew the reason why. Several workers had a copy of yesterday’s newspaper in plain view.
“You looked absolutely stunning Saturday night, Rylee.”
She glanced up at the woman standing in the doorway—Trish Calloway. She and Trish had started working for the company the same day, but had been assigned to different departments. Like her, Trish had been a divorcée entering the work force for the first timein a long time and the two of them had had something in common--they’d both been married to cheating husbands, and had given up on the idea of marriage.
Only three years later, Trish had met Salvador Sessions and her resolution never to wed again had faltered. Before long, they were married. And shortly after that, Trish and Salvador had welcomed their son into the world, then a daughter, the year after.
Rylee hadn’t told Trish of her plans to leave the company, nor had she mentioned her second job as an audio narrator. Although she liked Trish, early on in their relationship Rylee had realized Trish had a tendency to let things slip, especially after indulging in too much of her favorite wine. More than once, Trish had shared confidences with Rylee that others had shared with Trish.
That let Rylee know what she could tell Trish and what she couldn’t. Other than that one flaw, Trish was a friend and a good person, who loved her husband and family tremendously.
“Thanks. It was nice to see you and Sal there. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk much. Making sure everything went smoothly kept me on my toes that night,” she said.
Since Trish managed the customer service department, she’d been expected to attend the gala, like all the other Connelly Enterprises Management staff. Rylee, as an assistant manager, had never had to attend before, because Hank usually went.
“I can’t believe Mr. Connelly picked you up in his Town Car.”
“It was very kind of him.”
“So how was it?” Trish asked, entering her office and closing the door behind her.
Since Trish worked on a totally different floor, the fact that she was here, in her office, told Rylee that Trish expected details. Details she wouldn’t be getting. “How was what?”
“How was it being that close to Frazier Connelly? I love my Sal, but Frazier Connelly is drool-worthy.”
Rylee had to agree with that assessment. “Mr. Connelly is very nice. And he was extremely pleased with how successful the gala was. We raised a lot of money for the American Heart Association.” That was all she intended to say, so she changed the subject, asking Trish about Sal and the kids.
Trish eventually left and Rylee thought about the photo in yesterday’s paper. Trish was right--she had looked good and Mr. Connelly was definitely drool-worthy. But all they had was a business relationship. Nothing more.
Since Mondays were always crazy, she settled behind her desk and got to work. She had a lot to do today. And it would be better for her if she could put Frazier Connelly out of her mind.
But that was easier said than done.
“HOW DID YOU FINDthis place?” Lennox asked as she followed Roland into the cabin through the back door. The place was small, containing only one bedroom, a bathroom, an eat-in kitchen and a living room. The fireplace made the cabin appear cozy, even though it wasn’t lit.
“I didn’t. This is one of the FBI’s safe houses. Special Agents Warner and DuBose suggested it. At first, I wasn’t sure I should take a chance with them—there’s still a mole in their organization somewhere. But we’ll only be here for one night. Come morning, we’ll be back on the road.”
“Then what? There’s a lot of distance between here and the Rockies.”
“After tonight, my network team will arrange the other accommodations. I’m not comfortable letting the Feds know our final destination. When we leave here, they won’t have any idea which direction we’re headed in. And I intend to keep it that way.”
Lennox watched as he moved around the building, looking in every nook and cranny. He also checked thesecurity of the windows and even got on his knees to look up the fireplace, making sure nobody could enter through the chimney. He had parked the Jeep under a bevy of tree limbs to hide its presence from anyone arriving in the front or back.
They had been on the road a good twelve hours, and once again, Roland had turned down her offer to drive. They had stopped for breakfast, then again for lunch. For dinner, they had grabbed a take-out meal from one of the diners to eat here. He had explained that if they did twelve hours a day, for the next few days, they would arrive in the Rockies on Thursday.
Roland placed her luggage aside and glanced around. “I don’t think Special Agents Warner and DuBose liked not knowing where we were that first week in Pennsylvania. Although I’m sure they appreciated us being around to help break up that human trafficking ring, it probably threw them for a loop when they discovered we were in Pennsylvania and not closer to Texas.”
Lennox raised a brow. “Why would they think we’d be in Texas?”
He smiled conspiratorially. “That’s what I told Joy to tell them. Until they finish rounding up their rogue agents, I don’t want them to know too much about what we’re doing and where we’re going. I’ll breathe a lot better when we make it to the Rockies.”
After glancing around, he said, “I’m going to check around outside, just to make sure this place is as secure as Agent Warner claims it is.”
“And I’ll pull the meal out the bags for our dinner.”
He moved towards the door…then turned around and looked at her. Walking back, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. And this time, she felt something different. Something more than desire…something she was not yet ready to acknowledge or claim.