“I’m surviving,” I told him. “Bored off my ass, but surviving. How are you? They give you someone else to follow while I’m sidelined?”
He snorted. “I got babysitting with Squeeky McGee.”
I almost spluttered coffee. “Okay, Jackson is not that bad—anymore.”
To be fair to Rudy, Jackson McGee had been a wet behind the ears, fresh out of college with a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism and the cockiness of young people everywhere who thought they knew what they were doing. A few really bad moments had almost ended his career early. Then he’d been given the “human fluff piece” beat to work some of the shine off of him.
“He’s got the lunchtime news, and it’s all old ladies, cookie sales, and kid scouts building beaver bridges and shit.” Rudy mimed a thumb and forefinger gun before putting it to his head and making a shoot gesture. “He also insists on doing vocal exercises before he starts a segment—everytime.”
I had to bite my lip, cause, yeah, that sounded terrible. Right, so I put on a sympathetic smile. “So, rub some of the newness off of him. Drop him in front a meatier story, teach him.”
“Mall, kid, I love you. But Squeeky is still Squeeky cause he think he still knows everything and it’s us Plebians who haven’t managed to catch up to his greatness.”
Making a face, I shook my head. “Well, I’ll do my best to get back and rescue you.”
“Thank God,” Rudy said with vehemence. “But for now, you stay alive and in one piece.”
“You too.” I lifted a hand to say goodbye but he was already gone. The call ended and the screen went dark.
The safe house hummed back into focus.
I exhaled.
Only then did Brewster lean in, close enough that his lips practically brushed my ear.
“Now,” he said softly, “we talk about whatournext move is.” His nearness sent a ripple of goosebumps over my flesh.
“Our move?”
“Yes, you’re keeping your people out of it and that’s a good thing. But we need to decide how we’re going to respond to theUnsub.” He didn’t back off an inch, and every syllable let his breath whisper against my earlobe.
My stomach went taut and my nipples peaked. The swift, physical reaction also sent a flush through my system. Refusing to be overwhelmed by the attraction, I shifted in my seat to face him. He was still too damn close but I lifted my chin.
“Is this your way of trying to control me?”
Something shifted then. Subtle. Electric. I swore I couldfeelthe way his gaze caressed me as he studied me.
“Be careful how you decide to play this, Mallory,” Brewster said softly. “You want to keep me as your ally.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that a warning?”
For half a second, the world narrowed to the space between us. His eyes dropped—this time to my mouth. Just long enough for the wildness to spark. Then he looked back at me, a bare hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.
“Yes,” he said.
Then he pushed his chair back and rose.
"Let’s go.”
He was out of the kitchen and down the hall with me a couple of steps behind him before I realized I’d just—obeyed. Stopping abruptly, I glared at his back but he didn’t wait for me, just went into the office he’d claimed and most likely expected me to follow.
And dammit, that was exactly what I did.
Chapter
Twenty
MALLORY
