Page 16 of Duty Compromised

I winced at Ben’s bark of laughter. “Oh fuck, Ty.”

“In my defense, there was no photo in the file, she was wandering around muttering about pens, that auburn hair escaping the braid like it had places to be. She looked…not like the person in charge.”

“Did you just say that auburn hair?”

Yes. Fuck. “No. Plus, she thinks I’m an idiot anyway. Called me a bull in a china shop.”

More chuckling. “Well, never let it be said you don’t make an impression. Just be careful, okay? You sound a little?—”

“What?” I asked, eyes refusing to stop watching her. If typing speed were a crime, she’d be doing life.

“Interested.”

“I am.” I tore my eyes away from her. “In the assignment.”

He laughed. “Right. The assignment that has you memorizing personnel files and quoting her résumé like a fan.”

“It’s literally my job to keep tabs on her.”

“Professional tabs only, right?”

Charlotte leaned across the desk to snag something, and my thoughts tripped over each other. “I have to go.”

“Dude, just be careful, okay?”

“I will, Dad. Thanks for the pep talk.” I hung up before Ben tried to give my feelings a rank and serial number.

Back inside, I dropped into my squeaky chair and pretended to care about security reports. Entry logs. Badge audits. Risk summaries that said minimal so often, I started to think it was a password. I tried to read. My attention refused to be tamed.

“Well, hello there, stranger.”

Darcy materialized beside my desk like she’d scheduled her entrance for optimal effect. Pencil skirt, sharp heels, blouse one button too brave for HR. Her badge said computer engineer; her posture said she knew exactly how to get attention.

“Darcy.” I kept my eyes on the report one beat longer than necessary.

“Bored yet?” She perched on the corner of my desk, crossing her legs in slow motion. “All this sitting must be killing someone like you.”

“Someone like me?”

“You know what I mean.” She leaned forward, making sure I noticed what she was offering. “Man of action. Probably used to more…exciting assignments than lab security. More dangerous. More physical.”

“It’s fine.”

“You don’t sound convinced.” She glanced toward Charlotte, her expression shifting to something almost pitying. “I should warn you—our ice queen doesn’t do social. Ever. But especially not on Fridays.”

“What’s Friday got to do with anything?”

“Everyone else gets excited for the weekend—making plans, going out, having lives. Charlotte? She hates having to stop working. Honestly, she’d probably sleep here if Alex let her. I think she actually asked once.”

“She asked to sleep in the lab?” That tracked somehow.

“Mmm-hmm. During a big project last year. Alex had to practically force her to go home.” Darcy’s fingers traced along the desk edge, then found my forearm. “Unlike some of us who know how to have fun. There’s this amazing Italian place downtown. Tiny, locals only, the kind where the owner’s grandmother still makes the sauce. I could show you around the city. I know all the best spots.”

“Rain check.” It wasn’t that Darcy wasn’t attractive, I just…wasn’t interested. Fuck if I knew what that meant.

She tipped her head, amusement a shade cooler. “Your funeral. When you get tired of being invisible to our brilliant queen, you know where to find me.”

After she sauntered away—and it was definitely a saunter, hips swaying more than necessary—I watched as the lab team started taking lunch breaks. Most people grabbed their food and headed to the break room or their offices, probably chatting about weekend plans. Normal people with normal lives.