Releasing a loud, agitated sigh, I drop my gaze back to the blueprints, carefully crosschecking them with our security plan, forgetting all about everyone else in the office.
Once I’m done, I find that it’s already nearly three o’clock and I have yet to eat anything, no wonder I’m starving. Pulling the lunch Tessa brought me closer, I open the top and grab a sandwich, taking a huge bite as I moan in appreciation. Damn, even her sandwiches are better than any I’ve had before. I finish the first in four bites and eagerly demolish the second along with everything else the teenager packed for me.
Once finished, I stand up, heading out of the office to get some coffee as Iris hasn’t dared to come back in again. Ignoring the woman behind the reception desk, I stride into the kitchen, pouring some coffee into my mug and adding the sugar, coming back out, I almost walk into Rich, the young mechanic that Mac sent over.
‘Caleb’ he greets me, hand out as I grab it and shake, ‘I was just coming to see you.’
I nod, ‘you finished already?’ I ask, glancing at my watch in surprise.
Rich pulls a face, glancing over at Iris who is watching us out of the corner of her eye. Taking the silent cue, I lead the man into my office, shutting the door.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask waving him to a chair.
Rich drops into the offered seat with a sigh, dragging his fingers through his hair, ‘your tyre mate’ he mutters gruffly, ‘it wasn’t a nail, that thing was cut.’
I frown, not understanding, ‘cut?’ I repeat, ‘with a knife or something?’
Rich nods, ‘yeah’ he admits, ‘whatever happened to it, it wasn’t accidental, it was deliberate.’
Caleb’s POV
Tessa was a little quiet last night over dinner, but when I asked her about it she just gave me that small smile and told me she was tired.
This morning I contemplated waiting for her to get up before I left, but decided that I had no place forcing her to talk if she didn’t want to and so I hauled my ass to the gym instead.
‘Back again? I thought maybe you’d taken another hiatus’ a voice calls out behind me and I turn around to find the same redhead from before openly ogling me, her tongue darting out to lick her lips as she rakes her gaze over me.
‘This is a gym, people tend to come more than once’ I reply, pushing off the machine and making my way toward the treadmill to cool down.
Stepping onto the belt, I drop my towel over the handlebar and program the machine, jogging slowly for a minute before picking up speed.
‘So what are you doing afterwards?’ the redhead asks, climbing onto the machine beside me and pressing the button for the slowest walk option it has.
‘Work’ I retort gruffly, what the hell does she think I’m going to do?
‘Oh’ she sounds disappointed, ‘maybe you want to play hookie?’
‘Chelsea’ a voice growls and I sense the woman beside me stiffen as she stops the machine and turns toward the voice. I keep running, not interested in her or whoever is heading her way.
‘Hey baby’ she simpers, ‘what are you doing here, I thought you had to work early?’
‘Cancelled job’ the male voice replies curtly, ‘what are you doing? Who is this guy?’
Chelsea shrugs, ‘I don’t know baby, we were just on the machines at the same time.’
‘You eyeing my woman?’ the man grinds out and I feel him close in on me.
‘Nope’ I reply, not stopping or turning around to look at red head’s boyfriend.
A hand slams down on the emergency stop making me stumble and I grab the handle quickly, turning in annoyance toward a muscle heavy asshole who is glaring at me. ‘I was talking to you’ he snarls.
‘No you weren’t you asked me a question and I answered it’ I reply, looking at him coolly.
‘You keep your damn eyes off my woman or we’re gonna have issues, you hear me?’ the idiot orders, pointing his finger at my face.
‘I’d drop that finger if you want to keep it’ I murmur, holding his stare, this guy is all gym muscle, steroids and soft hands, he’s never seen a days combat in his life.
Stepping closer, he gets in my face, ‘you threatening me?’ he demands.
‘Oh no mate’ I chuckle darkly, ‘I don’t do threats, that’s a full-on promise.’
I see the twitch in his shoulder before he even raises his fist, and my arm is up to block him instantly as I jump off the machine and bring my other arm upward, catching him in the stomach.
Behind me red head is screaming but I don’t give a f*ck, prick wants to act like he’s in charge around here, I’m more than happy to take him to task.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.