emotions under control, reminding himself to breathe evenly because passing out in front of people who worked for him was embarrassing. “Please don’t do that again. If anything happened to you—” He swallowed. “It would be terrible. Very terrible. Okay?”
She crossed her arms and gave him her patented you’re-such-an-idiot look, which he was used to. It didn’t faze him. “Please, Megan?”
She sighed. “Yes, Mr. Jarrett. Do you need anything else?”
Yep, he’d pissed her off. Excuse him for being worried about her. “No, Miss Graham.”
She spun on her heels and stalked out.
“That went well,” Ben commented. He had wisely stayed out of the conversation, keeping his eyes glued to the laptop in front of him while they had their discussion. “How long have you been in love with her?”
“What?” Alex was rarely at a loss for words, but he sputtered for a few moments. “She’s my personal assistant. Falling in love with her would be incredibly inappropriate, not to mention incredibly stupid on my part. If I fell in love with Megan, she’d leave. And then who’d tie my tie and remind me incessantly about appointments I have no intention of keeping?”
“Because you’re always so worried about what’s appropriate.” Ben snorted out a laugh. “Alex, you made a pass at Pam when you hired us, and she’s got twenty years and thirty pounds on you. You’re telling me you never tried anything with Megan?”
“Once.” Now it was his turn to glue his eyes to his computer screen. “She shot me down so fast and so completely I’ve never quite recovered.”
“Yeah, you ‘never quite recovered’ enough to be hitting on my girlfriend at a party,” Ben said with a grin. “Everyone knows your reputation, Alex.”
“Janni never said she was taken. But we didn’t really have time to get to the whole ‘do you have a significant other’ conversation before she got that phone call.” Alex eyed Janni’s sleeping form. “Was she serious about hiding in the bathroom? Is that what I do to women these days?”
“Maybe,” Ben said. His tone said “definitely,” and his mouth curled up at one corner.
“I don’t believe this. My own employees are ganging up on me.”
“I’m an independent contractor, not an employee,” Ben said smugly. “Good grief, I can’t imagine working for you …”
“Hey! I take very good care of my employees.”
Ben laughed. “Oh, I know. I just like twitting you.”
“Well, stop it. My fragile ego can’t take much more.” Alex’s phone rang, and he looked at the number displayed on the screen and picked it up. “Yeah, Jeremy?”
“I’ve got a guy in custody. He was armed with an H&K PSG-1 sniper rifle and sitting on the hill overlooking the rear garage, about five hundred yards out. What do you want me to do with him?”
“Tie him to a chair in the kitchen by the scary knives. You know how.” Alex bared his teeth in an expression that wasn’t a smile. “We’ll be down directly.”
He stretched, and his lung sent a stab of pain through him, reminding him not to do that. He turned back to Ben. “Want a look at one of them?”
“Damn right I do,” Ben said.
Chapter Four
Ben’s breathing and heartbeat accelerated as soon as he saw the man Jeremy had zip-tied to the chair, Megan noticed. She watched the hacker out of the corner of her eye.
“Ben?” Janni said, putting a hand gently on his arm. “Are you okay?”
“Other than the fact that this is the guy who used a cattle prod on me, and then ducked my head into a bucket of freezing water when I wouldn’t tell him anything? Yeah, I’m fine, honey.” Ben swallowed, and Megan smelled sweat and adrenaline as he made an effort to keep his fight-or-flight reflexes in check.
He put the island of Alex’s gourmet kitchen between himself and their prisoner and eyed the sniper rifle on the counter between the fridge and the double oven. “‘Unseemly glee,’ I think the term is.” A
She crossed her arms and gave him her patented you’re-such-an-idiot look, which he was used to. It didn’t faze him. “Please, Megan?”
She sighed. “Yes, Mr. Jarrett. Do you need anything else?”
Yep, he’d pissed her off. Excuse him for being worried about her. “No, Miss Graham.”
She spun on her heels and stalked out.
“That went well,” Ben commented. He had wisely stayed out of the conversation, keeping his eyes glued to the laptop in front of him while they had their discussion. “How long have you been in love with her?”
“What?” Alex was rarely at a loss for words, but he sputtered for a few moments. “She’s my personal assistant. Falling in love with her would be incredibly inappropriate, not to mention incredibly stupid on my part. If I fell in love with Megan, she’d leave. And then who’d tie my tie and remind me incessantly about appointments I have no intention of keeping?”
“Because you’re always so worried about what’s appropriate.” Ben snorted out a laugh. “Alex, you made a pass at Pam when you hired us, and she’s got twenty years and thirty pounds on you. You’re telling me you never tried anything with Megan?”
“Once.” Now it was his turn to glue his eyes to his computer screen. “She shot me down so fast and so completely I’ve never quite recovered.”
“Yeah, you ‘never quite recovered’ enough to be hitting on my girlfriend at a party,” Ben said with a grin. “Everyone knows your reputation, Alex.”
“Janni never said she was taken. But we didn’t really have time to get to the whole ‘do you have a significant other’ conversation before she got that phone call.” Alex eyed Janni’s sleeping form. “Was she serious about hiding in the bathroom? Is that what I do to women these days?”
“Maybe,” Ben said. His tone said “definitely,” and his mouth curled up at one corner.
“I don’t believe this. My own employees are ganging up on me.”
“I’m an independent contractor, not an employee,” Ben said smugly. “Good grief, I can’t imagine working for you …”
“Hey! I take very good care of my employees.”
Ben laughed. “Oh, I know. I just like twitting you.”
“Well, stop it. My fragile ego can’t take much more.” Alex’s phone rang, and he looked at the number displayed on the screen and picked it up. “Yeah, Jeremy?”
“I’ve got a guy in custody. He was armed with an H&K PSG-1 sniper rifle and sitting on the hill overlooking the rear garage, about five hundred yards out. What do you want me to do with him?”
“Tie him to a chair in the kitchen by the scary knives. You know how.” Alex bared his teeth in an expression that wasn’t a smile. “We’ll be down directly.”
He stretched, and his lung sent a stab of pain through him, reminding him not to do that. He turned back to Ben. “Want a look at one of them?”
“Damn right I do,” Ben said.
Chapter Four
Ben’s breathing and heartbeat accelerated as soon as he saw the man Jeremy had zip-tied to the chair, Megan noticed. She watched the hacker out of the corner of her eye.
“Ben?” Janni said, putting a hand gently on his arm. “Are you okay?”
“Other than the fact that this is the guy who used a cattle prod on me, and then ducked my head into a bucket of freezing water when I wouldn’t tell him anything? Yeah, I’m fine, honey.” Ben swallowed, and Megan smelled sweat and adrenaline as he made an effort to keep his fight-or-flight reflexes in check.
He put the island of Alex’s gourmet kitchen between himself and their prisoner and eyed the sniper rifle on the counter between the fridge and the double oven. “‘Unseemly glee,’ I think the term is.” A
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