Laughing, she shakes her head again. “We decided to call his system theunsystem.”
I’m not sure when it happened, but Alison’s hand has found its way into mine. As we hold hands, we laugh, and it feels amazing. “So, does this mean we’ve got to hold off on us until after they hire someone to replace Sam?”
“Yeah.” She sounds remorseful. “We do.”
I nod and smile. Not a big one but enough for her to see I’m still in this. “How has everyone else been treating you?” I’m thinking mostly of Brendan. He can be an ass.
“I received quite a few glares after Graham announced my new role. Then Sam’s meltdown happened, and it helped, I think. Brendan has been nothing but professional with me, as have the rest of the management.” Squeezing my hand, she pulls hers out of mine, and I miss it. God, when did I become such a damn sap? “Some offices have moved around. You’re now in Lindsay’s old office.”
I smile. “Nice. She’s got a window.”
“I know,” she says, smiling right back. “She moved into the big office after Clive moved up.”
“He was promoted? Again?”
“Sort of. He’s now an executive assistant. I hear he’s doing a great job.”
“He was a good assistant. He’s smart. I’m happy for him.” I really am.
Alison shivers. “It’s getting chilly.”
“Here.” Unzipping my hoodie, I slip it off and place it over her shoulders.
“Thanks.”
We walk side by side back the way we came. The urge to reach out and take her hand is overwhelming, but I need to wait. Icanwait. For her, Iwillwait.
As we walk, she tells me more about the current projects at work and that I’ll be able to pick up where I left off, which is good news. I’ll be able to hit the ground running on Monday.
“Look out!” someone shouts from somewhere to my right. I look that way, but before I can figure out what’s happening, I feel myself being pushed hard to the left. So hard, in fact, that my body lurches to the side, and then just as quickly, I’m being forced back and then down. The loudest crash I’ve ever heard blasts through my brain while a body falls on top of mine, which causes me to lose my breath.
It takes me a minute or two to figure out what just happened. I mean, the whole incident couldn’t have lasted more than thirty seconds, but still. I blink a few times until the body on top of mine comes into focus. “Alison?”
“You okay?” she asks, panting.
“I think so.” I’m pretty sure I hit my head on the sidewalk but not hard enough to mention. I wrap my arms around her to keep her close. “What happened?”
Rolling off me, she pushes herself up to sitting. I do the same. When she points to a car that seems to be the cause of the sounds I just heard, she says, “We were almost roadkill.”
I do my best to focus on the car. It’s literally wrapped around a light pole. It’s got to be totaled. Thankfully, the pole is still standing. Smoke is billowing out from beneath the car’s hood, and the windshield looks like an elaborate spiderweb of cracks and breaks.
When the door of the vehicle starts to open and a person emerges, I hear an audible gasp from Alison.
“That son of a bitch.”
Jumping up, I lurch to my right, doing my best to stay upright. Still dizzy from my fall, I stomp, weaving a little bit, over to the man who just tried to kill us. “You fucking asshole!” I shout as I raise my arm to take a swing at him, but he beats me to the punch—literally. Who knew Sam had such a great right hook?
I’m down like a lead weight, hitting my head good and hard this time.
It’s the last thing I remember.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ben
“Ben?”I feel my body being jostled about, and I don’t like it. “Ben?” It happens again, and it’s starting to piss me off. I need to sleep. I’m so damn tired.
“Ben!” the person shouts, this time close to my ear.
