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CHAPTER SIX
“Bishop!”
His eyes widened, and his head snapped up.Shit.
Rocco glared over at him from the other side of the war room table. “Tell me you were not fuckingsleepinginstead of reading that file.”
“No, sir.” Though he had seriously zoned out… and maybe slept. “Processing.”
Reading that file would’ve been like paging through a gossip magazine—if he had done it.Painful.
He flipped the folder back open, ready to start again. “I’m back on it.”
“No need. The eco-princess is waiting.”
“All right.” Bishop rubbed his face to get the blood flowing again.
“Give me this.” Rocco snatched the folder. “Hit the head. Whatever you have to do. Meet her in the second conference room on the north side of the building.”
“Right.” He prayed the next assignment would involve explosives. But for now, he would stay in the area, do the security gig, and earn his stripes.
As quietly as Rocco had stormed in, the hurricane left the room.
Bishop pushed back from his rolling chair and let it drift to a standstill. He lumbered up and grabbed a beef jerky stick from a side table, tearing at the wrapper. Jerky cured all, and he ripped into a bite.
Titan headquarters was a labyrinth, and as he ambled down the hall, Bishop figured it would take only a week, maybe two, for FBI investigators to clean up the threats against this Eco-Ella personality, then Titan would be off security.
He twisted the conference room door handle and a woman slammed into his chest, squeaking in surprise. Her face hit his hand, sandwiching the jerky to his chest.
“Sorry.” He fumbled back, trying to make apologies, knowing that a handshake would’ve been better. Damn, maybe he was better suited for the field rather than this private security bullshit, but hell if he wasn’t getting older and wanted to keep the action going and—
“Oh, God.” The woman made a gagging noise.“Could you tell me where the restroom is?”
“What? Are you, um, okay?” They’d run into each other; he hadn’t manhandled her. Was she sick?Wait—what the hell?His mind jumped fifteen years into history—hishistory—as he took in the red-faced beauty, who looked as if she were close to vomiting. “El?”
Eloise Lewandowski.No way.
Bishop took a cautious step back as the woman’s hands covered her contorted face. He would know everything about Eloise anywhere. Except, it couldn’t be her.
“Bathroom?” This doppelganger was spastic and… dry heaving—or something—as she spun away.
“Down the hall. To the right.”
She took off, wiping at her tongue as her long snow-white skirt trailed.
Bishop dropped his gaze to the beef jerky then back to the empty hall. “What the hell just happened?”
That woman was his protective detail? That crazy lady?
He didn’t know what to do, standing there, looking around as if it were a joke. And he was now certain this was part of a Titan newbie hazing plan.Goddamn it.
It was a sucker punch that the brief glance made him think the woman looked so much like Eloise. Now there was a memory he hated to remember, as much as he could never forget.
Bishop nodded to himself. “Titan hazing is a go.”All right, Rocco and Jared. Not a problem.He could handle this. Before Crazy could make her way back, Bishop stomached the rest of his jerky and chucked the wrapper into a trash can.
He took a seat, waiting for her to come out of the ladies’ room. One minute passed, then two. He blew out a breath and locked his knuckles, stretching and waiting. Was it hazing or a test?
Five more minutes passed.