Chapter Eight
For about the millionth time, Lara’s head drooped down, and she yanked it back up, which only made her wince. The nasty bump from last night was the only real proof that anything even happened at all. If only her phone hadn’t been smashed by the hulking meathead. Even if she didn’t want to reveal Magnus and his companions, she still needed the evidence against the Azilians.
The elevator dinged, and she knew who it was before she even looked: Peter. The man was the boss who never seemed to be on her side and who’d chide her for taking coffee breaks but strolled in at ten like it wasn’t a problem. Not that the owner cared.
The best she could tell, the entire paper was some combination of tax write-off and talking point. All he wanted was for the place to break even and not to be bothered. Peter made sure on both counts.
Lara chewed her lip. She should try again. After what she’d seen last night at the compound, it was worth saying something. Maybe after she told him about her suspicions, he’d back the article.
Not letting herself get talked out of it, she stood as Peter came to her desk.
“Morning, Peter,” she said and gave her best smile.
He paused. Lara knew what he was thinking. That when she smiled like that it was because she was flirting with him. If only he could read her thoughts. Not only did she hate everything about his personality, but pretty much everything else about him was a total turn-off.
It was always hard to tell Peter’s age. Some of the things he said made her think that he was younger, but judging by his face and lack of hair, she would have guessed late fifties. Maybe he didn’t take care of himself.
“Laura,” he said and smiled as if he knew that pronouncing her name that way pissed her off. Really, was it so hard to say La-ra? But he was a petty man, and that was the way petty men gained control over every situation. One of these days she wasn’t going to hold back, and she couldn’t wait to see the giant prick fall. Before then though, she needed some major wins, so she’d have the influence to take him down.
“If I could just have a moment,” she said politely.
He nodded to the door of his office. Lara raced from around her desk and stepped into the room.
The click of the door shutting filled her with dread. This was such a bad idea. She was on his turf, and that gave him a sort of power over her.
“What can I help you with?” he asked and leaned against the front of his desk.
She was sure the pose was supposed to look cool, but from him it just seemed desperate. It took a lot of effort not to snicker.
“Well,” she said and stared straight at his head. “Do you remember that piece I was talking about that involved the Azilians?”
His face fell instantly. His agitation all but filled the air.
He walked to the other side of his desk where he sat and glared at her.
“The one I said not to bother with? Or did you just conveniently forget that?”
She ignored his words and pushed forward.
“Well, I thought last night I’d just check if I could see anything,” she hurried on. Things were just a theory anymore, after all. “They are for sure up to something. I snapped some pictures, but my phone got damaged. I really think this could be a major story.”
Peter sat, staring at her in silence. She twisted under the weight of his stare. This was not going like she’d hoped.
“So let me get this straight,” he said quietly. “You went against what I said? I explicitly forbid working on that story. You took pictures and then broke your phone, which was a pretty nice phone. That about sum it up?” He snickered. “And you said you wouldn’t need that work phone we issued you. Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t take that one, though, it would have been paper property damaged instead of yours.”
Lara bit her tongue to keep from yelling that no one forbid her, not even her parents, but didn’t. It wouldn’t make a difference in the end. She nodded.
He slammed his hand on the desk, and she jumped.
“Now you listen here,” he said and stood. His stomach touched the desk as he leaned over it. “When I give you a job to do, you do it. Have you even started on the fall festival piece?”
The words stalled in her mouth as she stared at him.
“Get your shit together, or I’ll find someone more willing to fill your shoes.”
He raised a brow, as if suggesting that she could be more willing in other ways. Her stomach churned, and she bit back the venomous response that wanted to escape.
Without a word she stood and walked to the door.
“Laura,” he called when she’d opened it.
Lara turned to stare at him, even more irritated than usual about him mispronouncing her name.
“I don’t want to hear anything else about this. Are we clear? Crystal clear?”
Afraid to talk, she kept quiet and offered a short not.
Lara stepped out into to the hall, her hands shaking from anger. There were only ten people in the office, and every eye was fixed firmly on her. By lunch it would be all over town. With the way things got around, the place might as well have been a gossip rag.
As calmly as she could, Lara picked up her laptop and placed it in her bag along with her purse. No way was she going to spend the day there and let that smug prick lord over her.
Stiffly, she walked to the elevator and waited for the doors to open. Before they had even closed behind her, she could hear the staff starting to whisper and tightened her hold on the bag.
She’d hadn’t gone to J-school for this crap.
The elevator slowly made its way from the second to the first floor. She stepped out and nodded to the insurance receptionist holding down the fort on the floor below them before heading out into the misty morning.
He hadn’t been waiting for her. Really he hadn’t. There was no reason Magnus would need to check in on her. Well, besides the never-ending worry that she had gone to work and ratted them out.
He stilled on the bench as she stormed outside the door. He watched as she took a few steps away from the building and then proceeded to kick the hard concrete repeatedly.
“Shit, mother fucker, shit balls, fuck,” she said and kicked it a few more times.
He raised a brow at her antics. Sure, he’d heard women curse, but she certainly had a mouth on her.
Involuntarily, his eyes went to her pretty cupid bow mouth, and he breathed in deeply. Her rich, earthy scent filled the air around him. Slowly, he rose and made his way over. He was nearly on top of her before she even noticed.
“Holy shit!” she shouted and jumped away.
A few older women emerging from the building tutted and shook their heads at her language.
Lara scowled at them.
“Don’t you give me that look, Doris,” she said to one of the women. “Someone who gets around as much as you do has heard way worse.”
A woman with dark dyed hair huffed loudly and stormed off down the road.
“And cat suits don’t look sexy if you have no ass,” Lara shouted.
Magnus stared down at her in disbelief. Maybe that bump on the head had made her lose her mind.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said and turned around. As swiftly as she could, Lara walked away from him.
It only took a few strides to catch up to her, but he was surprised that he’d been dismissed that way.
“Bad day?” he asked.
Abruptly, she stopped to stare up at him.
“Yes, thanks to your meathead friend,” she spat out. “Who just breaks a phone? He does know I could have deleted the pictures, right?”
Magnus opened his mouth to respond, but she pushed right on.
“Seriously, who does he think he is? Talking to me like that? Acting like I’m supposed to give him a little side action.” She waved her hands in the air.
He frowned. Obviously they had moved on from Marcus to someone else.
“Who is trying to get side action from you?” he asked. There may have been a little more growl involved than he intended, but it snapped her out of the rant.
“Peter,” she said. “My boss.”
Magnus crossed his arms across his chest. “Your boss wants to have sex with you?”
Lara opened her mouth and then closed it. It was obvious she’d said more than she intended, but that didn’t mean anything. Right at that moment, he would have given anything to shove that bastard’s teeth down his throat. He needed to keep his relationship professional.
He opened his mouth to say as much when Lara suddenly placed a hand on his arm.
“It’s him,” she whispered.
Magnus turned to look where she was staring. An armored truck sat outside the local market. The man in the driver’s seat glanced their way and then looked back to the store. He definitely had a rough quality about him.
He could hear her heart pick up each time he looked their way.
“The ones from last night?” Magnus said quietly.
She shook her head slightly.
“Only the one,” she said. Just then another man stepped out of the store and climbed into the truck. Her hand tightened on his arm.
Magnus glanced back to the men. The one in the driver’s seat looked over at them again. This time he stared a little longer. It was only going to be a matter of time before he recognized her.
“Do you trust me?” he asked and pulled her closer.
Lara looked up at him with wide eyes but still nodded.
Before she could even speak, he leaned down and locked his lips to hers.
Her fingers bit into his arm, but she didn’t try to get away.
Slowly he moved her back toward the man and glanced over to the truck. The man watched them for a moment and then started it up. Magnus watched as they pulled away and drove down the road.
Just as he was about to pull back, he felt her hand move up his arm and wrap around his neck. Her fingers danced against the skin there.
He bit back the growl that threatened to come out and instead pulled her closer until her body was flush with his.
She could feel him. His need for her pressed hard against her soft middle. She shifted a little and pressed herself even harder against him.
The bell from a shop cut through their passion, and he pulled back.
Lara stared up at him, her lips puffy from his mouth against hers.
“I…” He stumbled and took a step back. Lara leaned into him before taking her own step back. “They’re gone,” he finally got out.
Lara blinked a few times and then glanced across the street, then back at him.
“Yes,” she said quietly.
Magnus took another step back. The breathiness of her voice was almost too much.
“I, um, just came to check on you,” he said.
Lara nodded. “Check on me. Right.”
He looked back to the truck. If he didn’t make a quick exit now, things were going to get way out of hand.
“You seem to be okay,” he said. He rubbed his neck, awkwardness warring with the residual attraction.
Lara nodded and glanced to the coffee shop.
“I was just getting coffee,” she said. “Not that dangerous even on the worst of days.”
He nodded and took another step back. “Well, I won’t keep you.”
Unable to stand there much longer, Magnus turned and practically raced to the truck.
He watched her from the truck as she made her way to the coffee shop. He needed to be careful around her. If he wasn’t, he might end up doing something he regretted.
Magnus shook his head and gave a hollow laugh. In truth, he was pretty sure that he’d never regret anything he might do with her. However, she might, and that made all the difference.
Tearing his eyes from her, Magnus started the truck and drove out of sight.