He hopped out of the vehicle, hoping like hell Statler had left the building because he wasn’t certain he could act civilized if he met him.
* * *
When Sarah read the text from Jay that Riley and two of the General’s men would be guards at the warehouse, she was thrilled but also a bit frightened. Believing she was relatively safe from Statler’s evil ways might cause her to lower her guard, which might prove fatal. The other issue was that Riley would be close by. The man did something to her insides whenever he was near, and she hoped she could act indifferently around him.
As if she’d conjured him up, the front door opened and three men strode in, one of who was Riley. Her stomach swirled and twisted with unwanted lust. The man had the most adorable scowl on his face as if he was working hard to appear a real badass. The shorter, stockier of the two unknowns had a frown to equal Russ’s, and the taller one seemed to be spending his time looking around, rather than attempting to appear tough.
Down the corridor, the door leading to Statler’s office opened and she froze, fearing her boss or Russ would fire her for ogling the men and not tending to the women. Instead, a huge man, who looked vaguely familiar, strode down the hallway. She wished she could remember where she’d seen him.
Oh, no. Was he a buyer for the women?
“Gentlemen,” the giant said, “Come with me.”
Okay, maybe he wasn’t here to buy the women. Riley froze as if he, too, knew the man, but then glanced her way with a hunger in his eyes that nearly undid her. Whoa. Even when he was scowling, he exuded sex appeal.
“Who are they?” Amy whispered as she slid next to her.
Sarah slapped a hand over her chest. She wasn’t used to having another nurse work with her, but Amy was still on the old eight-hour schedule. “You scared me.”
Amy looked over at her and smiled. “Sorry. I was staring too hard at those men. All I can say is wow.”
Sarah twisted toward her. “You aren’t supposed to drool. You’re with Russ.”
She shrugged then grinned. “There’s always room for one more.”
Just then Russ rounded the corner and stalked toward them, and Sarah hoped he hadn’t overheard his girlfriend’s comment. “Gotta get back to work,” Sarah said.
Needing to regroup, she headed to the eastside room, where Nancy was located. When Amy had come into work two hours ago, Sarah had told her the bad news about the twelve-hour shifts. While Amy wasn’t happy, she didn’t seem all that upset. She’d said that Russ’s hours would probably be extended because of Darnell’s departure and that she liked working when Russ was around. It must have occurred to Amy that with the addition of the three men, the guards’ schedules might change.
Until Sarah finished her shift in two hours, Amy would be there to take care of the other five women. Not having to rush between the rooms, even for one day, would be nice.
Less than thirty minutes after her Riley sighting, the door to the women’s room opened. She thought it was Amy, but when she turned around, Riley was coming toward her, and her pulse shot up.
He glanced around the room, probably to check out the location of the cameras. Four had been installed today. Without moving her head, she motioned with her eyes to each of them.
She straightened her shoulders, pretending to be put off by a guard coming into her domain. “Can I help you with something?”
“Just checking the place out.” He smiled and her heart zinged. “The truth? You looked a little lonely when I came in.”
That comment threw her for a loop. Was this Riley, her fellow agent, or a fake guard who was trying to mislead Statler? She cleared her throat, not willing to discuss whether she was lonely or not. “What do you want?”
“You,” he whispered.
Me? Lust pooled between her legs. He’d said the word so softly that a mic wouldn’t be able to pick up the sound. What was his game? The last time she’d been with him, he’d acted like he didn’t even like her. Or was this another acting job, like the one in the convenience store? She didn’t dare pose the question in here.
Sarah would have turned away from the cameras, but they seemed to be everywhere. Riley slipped a hand into his pocket and leaned close. Her breath caught in her lungs at his nearness, and while his power and raw manliness excited her, she had a job to do.
He reached out and stroked her arm with a finger, and she couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to. Goose bumps skittered across her skin, but whether it was from excitement or a bit of fear she didn’t know. When his hand reached hers, he slipped something square into her palm, and the puzzle pieces fell into place. It had to be the antibiotics. He understood that if Statler had seen the exchange, one of them might be killed.