“Of course not. Where would I go?” He gave her a reassuring smile as he stood and stretched, his shirt lifting just enough for Evie to catch a fleeting glimpse of his toned stomach and the blonde treasure trail disappearing beneath the waistband of his dress pants. “I am afraid you are stuck with me.”
“Good.” Evie relaxed, feeling the fingers of panic loosen their grip on her heart. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”
***********
Evie and Thorn arrived at the Asia Gate of the Bronx Zoo a few minutes before opening and joined the lineup that had already formed at the ticket office. The drive there had been spent discussing the few vague details he could give her about his upcoming op. While she wasn’t thrilled that he would be gone for six weeks, she felt better when he told her he would be able to stay in touch.
“It is not a dangerous mission. I am going undercover as a bodyguard for an important person in Germany who has received intelligence that someone in their close inner circle is planning an assassination attempt. They want someone brought in who can speak the language but is removed from the issues in the country to look into things.” He explained as he expertly navigated the traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in his Chevy Silverado, the only truck he could find that was big enough for his height.
“I will be able to call and text while I am there. It is common for them to hire from outside security firms, so I am not trying to hide my identity. I am hiding why I am there.”
“So, you’re basically going over as a bodyguard from Sloane Security Services.” Evie nodded as it clicked.
“As far as everyone but the client and his immediate family will know, yes.” Thorn checked his blind spot and changed lanes to merge onto the Grand Central Parkway. “They have been having some issues with a new group that is against immigration, and with the role Germany is taking on regarding Russia and Ukraine. Since I speak German fluently and can pass for a citizen, they believe I will be able to get close enough to get the information they need and prevent a tragedy.”
“Well, if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
They got to the zoo just before ten and joined the line to pay the admission fee. Evie had a list of animals she wanted to see, specifically the big cats and a few of the smaller, cute animals like red pandas, otters, and lemurs. She showed Thorn the list she’d made while they looked over the map and figured out the path they were going to take.
“I would like to see the birds of prey and reptile exhibits.” Thorn pointed to the World of Birds and World of Reptiles.
“Of course you would.” Evie sighed. She hated snakes, but Thorn loved them. He grinned and dropped his arm around her shoulder, steering her toward the path to the Wild Asia Monorail.
“One day, I’ll prove to you that snakes are gentle creatures who just want to be left alone.”
“Well, I’m more than happy to do just that.”
They made their way through the zoo, checking out the exhibits until they reached the Dancing Crane Cafe, where they stopped for lunch.
“So, are we gonna talk about what you wanted to or not?” Evie asked once they had their food and were seated at a picnic table outside. The sounds of excited children from the nearby Bug Carousel carried over on the cool spring breeze.
“Mmm.” Thorn nodded as he swallowed a bite of his double cheeseburger and reached for his Sprite. “Yes. Actually, it’s two things, but they’re sort of related.”
Evie nibbled on a French fry, watching him curiously. “Okay, two things that are sort of related? Related how?”
“They both have to do with my role with Sloane Security Services.” He set the burger down. “I want to step down as Director of Protective Services and move permanently into contracting.” He took another bite, and Evie felt her jaw drop.
“Ookaay,” she said slowly. On one hand, she understood why he’d want to switch. He wasn’t a man used to sitting at a desk, stuck behind a computer doing paperwork. But on the other hand, he’d proven himself to be very good at the job. Tommy had barely needed to involve himself in the day-to-day operations for almost three years. He pretty much just approved the budget and signed the quarterly reports, trusting Thorn completely to run the division. Kara and Nissa didn’t even have that level of freedom from Tommy’s oversight.
“I’m bored.” He shrugged. “It was fun at first, new and exciting, making a business plan, learning from Tommy, creating the training regimens, hiring people, and teaching them how to do their jobs. Now I have people who do all of that for me, and I spend every day sitting at my desk doing paperwork. And honestly, I don’t like being in charge.”
He rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of fries. “It’s constant problem-solving for other people, intervening in petty fights and silly, childish dramas that should never reach the point where I need to be involved.”
“I had to fire a security guard, put two others on probation last week, and implement new rules around dating in the office because a grown man and two of his friends were harassing a woman who turned him down by turning up at the building they were assigned to when he was off duty and she was on shift and ‘haunting’ it.” He made bunny ears as he said haunting, and Evie’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean by ‘haunting’ it?”
“Sneaking around, making noises, going into the security office when she was doing her rounds, and moving things or hiding them.” He grumbled, looking extremely annoyed. “Because he was also assigned to the building, he knew how to avoid the cameras. She figured out it was him and set up a hidden camera in the office to get the proof she needed.”
“Wow.” Evie wasn’t sure what to make of that. She couldn’t believe someone would go through so much trouble to get back at someone for turning them down. “Shouldn’t HR be handling that?”
“They should,” Thorn agreed, running his hand through his hair. “But the types of people who apply for security jobs tend to be either older, retired cops and veterans who aren’t ready to stop working or young guys who didn’t make the cut to be police officers or soldiers. The young guys like to play pranks and think they know better than everyone else, while the older guys have no patience for them and complain. The HR department is small and has to respond to complaints. Anything significant gets kicked up to me.”
“Alright.” Evie felt a rush of sympathy for him, knowing how little patience he had for drama and stupidity. “If you aren’t enjoying being in that role anymore, then yes, you should absolutely talk to Tommy about switching.” She smiled at him and ate another fry. “But just out of curiosity, what’s the second reason?”
She watched a faint blush cross his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I have met a woman I would like to date, and she has expressed interest in me, but because I am her boss, I cannot ask her out.” He mumbled the last part, avoiding her eyes. “I know it is a stupid, silly reason to want to step out of the leadership role, but I haven’t met anyone I’ve wanted to be with since… well, since I met you.”
“Oh.” Evie wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She knew nothing would ever happen between them; she understood why and had made her peace with it a long time ago, but she still felt a flicker of jealousy and a little possessiveness at the idea of sharing the limited free time he had with someone else. Pushing it down and focusing on the fact that she didn’t want him to spend his life alone, she reached for his hand and smiled.
