Actual Stop (Agent O’Connor #1)(71)

“So, you’ll do it?”

I sighed softly. “Yes, sir.”

Matt smiled at me and turned to go, but he’d barely gone two steps before he stopped. “Ryan?”

“Yeah?” My free hand was poised on the door to the gym.

“You might want to do the run outside today. Perhaps on the bridge.”

“Why? You think he won’t be used to the incline at the beginning, and it will give me an edge?”

“No. You can smoke him without that. But it will be useful for you to have an excuse to wear a turtleneck or a scarf or something.”

“Why would I need to wear a scarf?”

“To cover that hickey on your neck.”

“What?”

Surely he wasn’t teasing me. I’d been in such a rush earlier I hadn’t even glanced at myself in a mirror, so maybe he was just fishing, hoping I’d give something away.

Matt’s smile widened into a full-fledged grin, and that mischievous twinkle was back in his eye again. The tips of my ears burned, and I instinctively sought out the nearest escape.

“I guess that means you and Allison finally worked things out. It’s about damn time.”

My blood suddenly ran as cold as though someone had injected ice water directly into my heart. I tried hard to cover and keep my face completely neutral, but I wasn’t quick enough, if Matt’s low chuckle was any indication. Shit! What the hell would make him say that? I knew he and Allison were sort of chummy, but I didn’t think she’d actually talk to him about me, no matter how close they were. And what did he mean about us finally working things out? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“Allison who?” I said.

Matt made a low noise in the back of his throat. “Really, Ryan? That’s what you’re going with?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I hoped my deliberately bland tone was convincing.

“Oh, I’m fairly certain you do.” He was enjoying this way too much.

“What makes you think Allison had anything to do with it?” I demanded, wanting to protect her.

Matt merely gave me a knowing look and pointed at himself with his thumb. “Trained criminal investigator.” And with that, he turned and strode away, chuckling.

I scowled and slunk back into the gym.





Chapter Twenty-three


I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall in my office as I finished inputting the last of the PT scores. It was still relatively early, and I still hadn’t heard from Allison, but I was trying hard not to think about that. I was also trying not to check my email every two seconds. Between the lack of sleep and all my worrying, I was drained. It was going to be an extremely long day—hell, a long two weeks—if I was already this spent. Maybe it wasn’t too late for me to call in sick for the next month or so.

I leaned back in my chair and stretched, which caught Meaghan’s attention. She looked up from whatever she’d been doing to fix me with a contemplative expression. “Tired?” Meaghan wanted to know.

“I’ll live.”

“You sure about that? You look terrible. Did something happen?”

I shook my head. “No. I just had to take the PT test this morning. We ran the bridge.”

Meaghan blinked. “Didn’t you already take your test for last quarter?”

I sighed. Matt had, of course, been one hundred percent correct in his assessment of Eric Banks. Within five minutes of our formal introduction, he’d extolled the virtues of my ass to one of the other guys in a loud whisper; made crude comments in reference to wanting to watch me and one of his female classmates count push-ups for one another in a somewhat louder voice, which I’m positive he meant at least her to hear; and implied that he was in better physical shape than all of us and disappointed no one would present him much of a challenge. Needless to say, I’d thoroughly enjoyed disabusing him of that last notion.

“I did. But I wanted to take it again, and now I’m beat.”

“You sure that’s it?”

“What else would it be?”

“Don’t know.” A pause. “Did you go to the wheels-up party last night?” She averted her eyes as she asked that, and I tensed.

“Yeah.”

“Good time?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. What was she getting at? “Always.”

She cleared her throat, still staring at the papers on her desk in a show of acting casual that was so forced I was positive anyone would be able to see through it. “Was Allison there?” Her voice was strained.

I inhaled sharply and prayed she hadn’t heard. “Why?”

She shrugged. “Just curious.”

I didn’t know what difference that made or how to answer. I also didn’t care to share the mental images that immediately popped into my head, although they did make me blush. I adjusted the collar of my dress shirt to make sure the hickey—which was indeed present and extremely noticeable—was covered. Meaghan had most likely already seen it, but that didn’t stop me from trying to hide it anyway.

“She was, yes.”

“Must’ve been nice to see her again.” I hadn’t thought it possible, but Meaghan’s voice sounded even tighter.

“It was fine.” I didn’t know what Meaghan was angling for, but she wasn’t getting anything else out of me. Partly because I respected Allison’s privacy, but mostly because I wasn’t in the mood for all Meaghan’s questions or to try to get to the bottom of her sudden attitude problem. Whatever was bothering her was going to have to wait.