CHAPTER 21
When the Hudson Kings were working on a big case, Rothgar made it part of Missy’s job to remove external distractions. Part of this meant getting the team fed and back in the war room as soon as possible each day.
Team meals involved a lot of food, a lot of noise, and a lot of good old-school “family” time; Cecily could see more and more why Dex was so drawn to this life.
Unfortunately, Dex was too busy glowering across the table at Shane to enjoy much of Missy’s truly stellar breakfast or make much conversation with said family.
Shane avoided Dex’s stink eye by focusing almost exclusively on shoveling in his food. But every once in a while, his eyes would meet hers and sparks would go flying, and Dex would look pissed, and the rest of the guys would exchange amused looks.
Except for Rothgar.
Rothgar watched over the table like a man whose mind literally never stopped for a break. Cecily noticed him take in the discord at his table. His eyes met hers, and he hooked his chin toward the side counter lined with at least five different methods of coffee-brewing equipment alongside a pyramid of mismatched mugs that varied in design from kittens hanging off branches to absurdly offensive slogans.
Cecily swallowed hard and mumbled something about a refill, and then she got up and headed his way. Rothgar was just huge, and though he sure as hell didn’t remind her of her father, between the intensity of his expression and his 24-7-alert body language, she had the distinct sense she was in some kind of trouble.
“Hi,” he said turning to the espresso machine and spending a long time concocting a very specific cappuccino complete with a precise tap of cinnamon. “You and I need to talk.”
“It’s okay,” Cecily managed. “I get it.”
Roth’s mouth quirked. “Maybe. Know that I back Dex one hundred percent, so I back you. You played it cool at the restaurant, and I’ve got no complaints about your abilities in the field as a novice . . .”
My abilities in the field? In what universe am I having this conversation? And why am I so pleased I might actually be good at some of this stuff?
“But you asked me for a favor to give James a little payback, and now the mission’s over. So if what I’m hearing—that you’re interested in getting on with your life—is true, don’t be offended if I tell you I think that’s a good idea to make that happen sooner rather than later.” His gaze pierced her. “I consider you one of ours, and that means I look out for you now, but it also means we talk straight. Do you have a plan? Do you need a job? Is there something holding you back you need help with?”
Something holding me back? God, yes. Well, someone. Of course she still wanted to follow through with her original plans for a new life in New York City. It wasn’t like she was going to up and decide to become part of a mercenary team instead of a graphic designer. Not that Rothgar was offering. What if he actually did offer? Suddenly the idea didn’t seem bat-shit crazy. Maybe just regular crazy. Of course, regular crazy was still doable . . . oh, man, when had things gotten so complicated?
But Rothgar didn’t offer. He simply said, “You got an answer for me?”
“Oh, no.” Embarrassment had Cecily beet red; she knew this because she could feel the heat all over her face. “You don’t . . . thanks, but I’ve got plans on the outside. I actually had plans to check out some classes tomorrow. So, I’m, um, making progress. But, really, thanks, Rothgar.”
“You hear about Ally?”
“Allison? Yeah.” Cecily nodded.
“Go meet her. If you like her, like the apartment, get it done. You might be off Armory territory, but you’re still in our sights, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. And that means making sure you log out with Missy before going into the wild. Don’t think you’re out of here, you’re on your own. We’re keeping tabs on James; we’re keeping tabs on you.”
Considering he was throwing her out, he was doing a good job. The way he said it, it was almost like he was asking her to take on a mission. Not the kind of mission that had as much appeal as maybe it should have. Your mission is to get Shane to stop looking at you like he’s starving. Which means you should probably go live somewhere else. She glanced back at the table: Shane and Dex still throwing daggers; the other guys riling them up. “You’ve got a big job to do.”
“Yes.” Roth took a gulp of cappuccino, which seemed to empty the mug by half, at least. “This is what I do. It’s important. And when something clouds the picture, I move the clouds. I try to make it a big win for everybody, but I’ll settle for making it a big win for just my team if I have to. You get me, I think.”
“I’m sorry—”
“You don’t have to be sorry. But right now I need him thinking about the job, so there are decisions to be made, and like you pointed out, we’re in the middle of something big. We’ve all got to do what we’ve come here to do.”
Cecily took a deep breath. “Is it that you don’t think it’ll last anyway, or you don’t want it to?”
“Does it matter?”
Cecily flinched but held her ground.
If she and Shane found their sweet spot, some place where they made sense in spite of their differences, a place without drama and distraction, why couldn’t they have it all?
She just nodded. “I understand,” she said softly, biting her lower lip with her teeth.
“Give my regards to Ally, if she’ll take them.” Rothgar raised his mug by way of dismissal and headed to Shane’s place at the table. “Anybody got questions about today? Mostly same old, same old we’ve been doing for a week now.”
A lot of head nodding. No questions. Cecily knew they were on to the next phase of building a case against Anya Gorchakov. That meant Shane would be out in his car a lot, which also meant that Shane wouldn’t be rolling around on every available surface behind closed doors with Cecily.
“Shane,” Rothgar continued. “Got something to add to your plate. Keep going with the usual today and tomorrow but add Romeo’s nighttime shift.” He looked around the table. “I’m taking him off the roster indefinitely.”
Shane’s eyebrows flew up. Cecily had to wonder if Rothgar was giving Shane extra work to keep her away from him.
“Grab blueprints from Missy after lunch. You can hit me with any questions in an hour.” Rothgar paused. “You got a problem with that?”
A faint snicker pierced the silence. “Aw, Shane, it’ll be all right. You can be charming when you want to,” Chase called across the table.
As Cecily took her seat, she made a mental note to ask Missy for a few more details about Romeo’s specialty.
“I don’t want to,” Shane muttered.
“But you’re good for it,” Rothgar said.
Shane glowered at him, like he was pissed Rothgar had to ask. “You know I’ll do what needs to be done.”
“Glad you’re good for something, bro,” Nick called.
Shane turned to glower at him too and just missed being beaned by half of a bagel.
“Don’t worry about Rothgar,” Missy whispered to Cecily, licking the butter dripping from her English muffin over the back of her hand.
Missy said this a lot. Cecily wasn’t planning to worry, but it did inspire her to get her ducks in a row with respect to her new career path and an alternative to living in a fraternity house with a band of mercenaries. It said something that she was feeling secure enough about things with Shane to think about what she wanted for herself during her own time. “I’m fine. It was super awkward, but it’s not that big of a deal, since I’m not angling to move in permanently. I’m trying out some classes tomorrow. Rothgar’s the one who shouldn’t worry.”
“Oh, yeah? You’re planning to leave soon? I thought it was going well with Shane.”
“It is going well,” Cecily whispered, hoping Missy would take the hint and lower her voice.
“Aha!” Missy grinned. “I knew there was a reason you bought him a blankie. So do tell. Is bigger really better?”
Nick looked over, his eyebrows hiked.
Cecily buried her smile in her coffee cup.