Page 178 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

The room is quiet, so it’s loud when one of the men’s stomachs growls audibly in my office. I glance at the corner sitting area.

What were their names? Bakari and Darren?

I risk eyestrain again to look at the clock on my computer.

“Hey, it’s past midnight. I have about thirty minutes’ worth of work left,” I say. “Why don’t you go to the canteen and grab a snack? There are some vending machines down there.”

The only thing left is the file transfer I’m waiting to finish. Apparently, it’s a fuckload of files.

Bakari makes a low sound Ithinkcontains words, but I don’t catch what he says. Nonetheless, when his stomach growls again, I give him a long look and tell him, “Fine. I’m going to the break room and I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, Ms. Rivers,” Darren says, and I wave him off.

“I really need to stretch my legs anyway. I promise it’s okay.” Darren and Bakari share a look.

“I promise not to tell your boss,” I tease, and their faces remain unchanging. “Look, it’s literally down the hall. I’m within view if you lean out my door.”

“All right,” Darren says right when Bakari’s stomach grumbles again.

The office is deserted, which I’m grateful for because the relative silence helps me feel safe enough to deflate. After all the grandstanding I did at the board meeting, it’s been non-stop work ever since. Luckily, I had Melissa to take much of the load, but there was a lot of data to pull from Zane’s devices, and even more to match up with the underground stuff Melissa already found.

I walk into the canteen, which has long, thin rails of undercabinet lighting illuminating the room.

The tall, glass-faced fridge where I have grab-and-go meals and drinks stocked for the staff stands ready in the corner. It looks like the service has been by recently, so I lean over to examine the turkey sandwiches versus the chef’s salads.

Slam.

I jump about three feet in the air, immediately stepping back to get a line of sight down the hall toward my office. Bakari steps out, nodding in my direction.

“You okay in there?” he calls out. I look around at the empty canteen.

“Yeah,” I reply, my voice still shaking. Jesus, get a grip. It was probably a box falling or something.

“I’m gonna check it out,” Darren says, and Bakari moves to where I can see him, waiting for me to return to the office.

My stomach growls.

Get a snack, finish the file transfer, then get the hell home.

Guilt at havinghourslapse since messaging Storm feels like a visceral ache.

Yes. I want to get home. I want to take a long soak, curl up in Storm’s arms, and fall into deep sleep until the morning. He told me the date with Tempest went well, and he sent me a picture of them eating pizza together, tomato sauce smeared over my daughter’s face.

Everything is great. So…does that mean I’m ready for the next step?

My stomach growls again, as if answering my unspoken question with a,Yes, girl. Get your fill.

I pivot back to the case and grab three sandwiches and three Vitamin Waters, tucking everything into my arms. I try not to feel ridiculous as I scamper back to my office like a child running to get under the covers so the monsters won’t eat them after turning off a light.

Bakari and I don’t look at each other as we eat, and I hold my sandwich in one hand and move my computer mouse in the other. Darren comes from examining the noise, making a beeline for the sandwich.

“Carpet cleaning crew,” he says between big bites. “They come at this time of night, so the floors are dry in time for morning.”

My shoulders drop. See? Nothing to be so damn jumpy about.

Yeah. I need some damn sleep.

“Ah, I see. Thanks for checking,” I say. Bakari grunts and finishes his sandwich in four bites and under a minute.