“Man, that guy of yours has one heck of a body on him.”
“Kathy!” Alina said, not necessarily shocked but definitely embarrassed, because she knew Trevor had heard every word her friend said. “You have a boyfriend!”
“Yes, I do.” Kathy took one of the bags of chips and opened it. “But it’s not like I’m asking Trevor to drive me around in a minivan. I’m just stating the obvious.”
Alina simply shook her head, giving up. Her friend was the very definition of the inappropriate neighbor.
“So I guess Trevor said he loves you, huh?” Kathy asked out of the blue as she nibbled on a chip.
Alina did a double take. “What?”
“You’re glowing,” Kathy explained. “I figured you and Trevor are in love.”
Alina heard a chuckle from the bedroom and had to ignore the curious look Kathy threw that way. “Yes. Trevor said he loved me…and I said I love him in return.”
Kathy smiled broadly. “Finally. So you guys getting married soon?”
Alina gaped at her friend. “Kathy, slow down. We’ve only know each other for a month.”
Kathy nodded thoughtfully as she ate a few more chips. Picking up the bag, she called to Molly. “Come on, girl. Can’t keep Katelyn waiting.” Opening the door, her friend turned to look at her. “By the way, I’ll take that as a yes, since you didn’t actually say no.”
Alina would have tried to get in a snappy comeback, but the door closed behind her friend before she could come up with anything. Trevor came out of the bedroom with a big grin on his face.
“Marriage, huh?” he said. “That friend of yours might be onto something.”
With that, Trevor walked over to hold open the door for her, leaving Alina to wonder what the heck her best friend had just started.
Epilogue
Rebecca Brannon looked up from her computer as William Hamilton walked into her office. It was early, and her secretary wasn’t in yet, so there was no one to see him. Which was exactly the way Rebecca preferred it. She might be appointing William the director of the DCO, but she still wanted to maintain the pretense that they weren’t close. She wanted to sell it as a management decision, and a chance to take the DCO in a new direction after the debacle that was Thomas Thorn.
William came around her desk and gave her a warm kiss on the cheek that lingered there as he traced his fingers down the arm of her expensive suit jacket. Not that Rebecca necessarily minded. William was a very attractive man, even if he was a few years older than she was. He knew his way around the bedroom even better than he knew his way around the corridors of power in DC. As long as he recognized who was running things, she had no problem with him engaging in a bit of sexual game playing.
“I saw on the news last night that Chadwick-Thorn is going to be broken up and sold for spare parts,” he said as he took a seat in the chair in front of her desk. “Well played, Rebecca. Though I have to say, I thought you would have been satisfied to have the man dead. Destroying his legacy seems a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
Her mouth tightened. “Thorn was an obnoxious pig. I didn’t have the chance to enjoy seeing him get shot in the head, so grant me the small pleasure of destroying the company he spent much of his life building. I’m also arranging to have his absurd mansion over near Embassy Row torn down and turned into a dog park. I find great pleasure in the thought that there will be dogs shitting on the place where the man used to lay his head.”
William arched a brow. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
Rebecca smiled. “I just did.”
He inclined his head. “I thought you’d want to know that I’ll be stopping in at the DCO this week and introducing myself to a few of the people there, especially Landon Donovan and his partner, Ivy Halliwell. Once again, I have to commend you on a game well played. I have no idea how you convinced John Loughlin to walk away from the organization.”
She stood and walked over to a low credenza that hid her refrigerator. Opening the door, she pulled out a small carton of orange juice. She held it up to William, giving him a questioning look, but he shook his head. She poured a single glass of juice and brought it back to her desk.
“Sorry to interrupt you, but these long hours dealing with Thorn and his schemes have made a mess of my routine. My blood sugar levels are a train wreck.”
William nodded, waiting while she sipped her orange juice. Normally, she’d never reveal a weakness like this to anyone, but William already knew about this particular weakness, and many more. Besides, there was a certain power to be gained by letting a man think you trusted him. It made him malleable if handled correctly.
“I simply spoke the right words when John was at his weakest in those fragile hours when he thought his wife might die,” she said. “At a time like that, it’s not hard to convince a man that his priorities have been askew.”
The look of admiration William gave her would have made her blush if not for the fact that he was likely trying to play her. She didn’t resent him for that. It was simply what they did with each other.
“And those hidden shifters John worked with?” William asked curiously. “They’re out of the picture as well?”
“Most likely.” She took another long sip of juice, relaxing as she felt the sugar flood her body. “Everything I’ve learned so far indicates their involvement was in direct response to Thorn. With him and John out of the picture, they shouldn’t be a problem for us.”
