KCPD Protector by Julie Miller

fears, Elise went back to the one thing that had never failed her. Work. Tucking the receiver between her shoulder and ear, she typed Quinn’s name into the computer. “Would tomorrow morning work for you?”
    “That’ll be fine. See you then.”
    Elise replaced the receiver in the phone cradle, holding on until she heard the voices in the other room. She pushed the chair back from the desk and stood, but not before George Madigan filled the open doorway.
    “What’s wrong?”
    Stone-gray eyes locked on to hers, and Elise nearly answered the concern written there.
    But the shrill voice of common sense interrupted before she gave in to temptation.
    “It’s not as if I’m asking you to do this for a stranger.” The curvy blonde who made frequent appearances in the deputy commissioner’s office nudged George aside and walked into the room. She picked up a file folder from the desk and, after an exasperated sigh, fanned herself with it. “Ken Biro was your partner. You’d think you could help with a simple birthday party.”
    “Good afternoon, Mrs. Mad—Ms. Reiter.” Elise corrected her greeting to the boss’s ex-wife, tipped her chin to a relatively confident angle and crossed the room to return to her desk. “Quinn Gallagher just made an appointment for tomorrow morning to discuss Titov Industrial and potential munitions contracts with the city,” she reported to George. “I marked your calendar. I’ll bring in the file with the negotiations transcripts to review for your two o’clock. The retirement banquet speech is on your desk.”
    Elise quickly slipped by him out the door, but he grabbed her hand as she passed, forcing her to stop and turn. George’s steely eyes silently demanded an explanation, but it was the warm brush of his thumb across her knuckles that almost had her spilling the details about her connection to Alexsandr Titov and the potential threat he represented.
    “Good afternoon, Elise.” Courtney Reiter’s gaze had zeroed in on the clasp of hands between boss and assistant.
    Telling herself she was glad for the blonde’s dismissive tone, Elise snatched her hand away and hurried back to her desk.
    Muttering a curse beneath his breath, George strode into his office. He plucked the file from his ex-wife’s grasp and set it back on the desk. “I thought this conversation was over, Court. You never even liked Ken. Why is this such a big deal?”
    Courtney’s voice grew louder as she approached the door. “Ken has been a part of our lives for years. Just because we fight like cats and dogs on occasion doesn’t mean he isn’t my friend, too. In fact...” The blonde waited for Elise to look her way before she smiled sweetly...and closed the door.
    Well, that message was clear as crystal. Stay out of my business. Though whether the older woman’s warning stemmed from an arrogance that relegated Elise to being the hired help who needed to remember her place, or a more possessive streak of jealousy at seeing George and Elise holding hands, was less clear.
    The click of the door left Elise feeling chilled and alone. Could Alexsandr Titov really blame her for his brother’s murder? After all, she’d been Nikolai’s victim. He’d swept her off her feet and she’d fancied herself in love with him. She’d even slept with him because she’d been that desperately lonely and he seemed to care. But once she found out how he’d used her to gain inside information on Quinn Gallagher and GSS, she’d willingly labeled him a criminal and provided a deposition against him.
    What would she have done if Courtney Reiter hadn’t laid claim to George’s time and attention? Would Elise have turned into that broad chest? Spilled her guts? Confessed how a previously unacknowledged, forbidden attraction had simmered to the surface with the intensity of the summer heat wave?
    Elise folded her hands together in her lap and rubbed the spot where George had held her. The firm clasp of fingers. The gentle