“Background check.”Rob didn’t look up at Luke but kept scanning through the file.Luke leaned over his shoulder.
“That doesn’t look like Duane Flagg, our target.”They’d been given a new assignment as Rob had come back from lunch with June.He was in charge of getting intel on Duane Flagg’s associates.“June Macintosh, who is she?A new contact or suspect in this case?”
“Neither; she works at Dr.Shane’s office.I’m helping her out after a situation arose Friday night.”He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, just learning more about her.He was really curious about her brother, especially seeing there wasn’t really anything on him.Not even an address.She was secretive about what he did.She could have just been being coy like he had been, but he didn’t think so.Why he was so intrigued, he couldn’t say.
“She the one who distracted you from having my back?”Drew accused from his desk across the room.He glowered at Rob for being slightly late for their meet-up.
“Yeah, she was a woman in distress.She was being assaulted in an alley.I couldn’t just walk away.”Not like others had.That had disgusted him.A woman in obvious need of help and everyone else turned a blind eye.The sad part was it happened all the time.
“She okay?”Drew’s attitude instantly changed realizing Rob hadn’t been blowing him off for no reason.No one on their team tolerated people who abused others—it didn’t matter whether they were man, woman, or child.
“The situation was handled.I was making sure she got to her car safely when you called.”
“You should have told me,” Drew grumbled but would no longer meet Rob’s eye knowing he’d been in the wrong.
“It shouldn’t have made a difference my reason for being late.You should have known I would be there.”Drew nodded in agreement.Drew had a major chip on his shoulder that therapy and time would cure.They were all there for him; he just needed to realize it.
His old unit had been ambushed, and he was thought to be dead.For years he was a POW, until he was found.They all knew he had a fear of being forgotten again.Eventually, Drew would figure out they had his back.
“Regardless, I’ve offered to give her some self-defense lessons as a result of being assaulted.”Well, almost.If he hadn’t gotten there in time, she would have been.He didn’t doubt June could have handled herself if push came to shove.When he saw her bending down, she hadn’t looked subjective but plotting.
She’d realized no one was coming to save her, and it was up to herself to get out of the situation.Who knows if she would have gotten out of it without him interfering?He couldn’t fault her for wanting to protect herself.He couldn’t always be there, and no one should have to rely on others to save them.
“Damn, Rob,” Jack said coming up and looking at the picture of June over his shoulder.“I would have ditched his ass too for a fine piece like that.I might need to make an appointment to see Dr.Shane and check her out.She single?”
Rob whipped around and was out of his chair in a second.Jack jumped back with his hands held up in surrender as the other guys circled around them ready to break up a fight if needed.It wasn’t the first time one of the guys had teased another over a woman, but it was a first for Rob, and he didn’t like Jack looking or talking about June like that.
“Stand down,” Luke ordered in a calm voice.Luke didn’t yell.Ever.He didn’t have to.He was the leader of their group.When he spoke, the team listened.
Jack took two steps back.“Sorry, Rob, I didn’t realize you were interested like that.”
Rob was shocked by his own reaction.He hadn’t been thinking about June in a romantic sense, but hearing Jack talk about her like that had him seeing red.He supposed it was because he didn’t like any woman being talked about like that.“No harm, and I’m not.”
“So why are you doing a background check on her?Is there a reason for concern?”Luke questioned, taking the focus off of Jack.Rob couldn’t blame Luke’s curiosity.He didn’t do checks on people outside of targets and their contacts.
“I’m curious about her.”He had seen June on numerous occasions, and yet he knew nothing about her.The same as she’d accused of him.He was hoping to rectify that, but that didn’t mean he was interested in her romantically.
Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been with a woman.It had been close to a year ago, and it was a quick fling when he had an itch to scratch.He didn’t do relationships.
Jack snorted.“Here’s a hint.Ask her.Trust me, I know a lot about women.They don’t like you doing background checks on them.”
It was true.Besides there wasn’t much information in her file.There were the details of her accident and schooling, but nothing about her personally.Nothing about the fact she had a funny sense of humor and the brightest, most intelligent eyes.Research wasn’t going to tell him what he wanted to know about her.
“You’re right.”He found the listing of her next of kin, her brother, Liam Macintosh.He would look more into him.What was the reason she was so protective about him, and what did he do?
“Now what are you doing?”Jack asked, sounding exasperated.
“Looking into her brother.He’s stationed at Fort Irwin.She was being secretive about what he did.”Avoiding his question had made his senses go on alert.At first, he’d thought it was because maybe her brother was a bum or something she was embarrassed about, but the only thing in Fort Irwin was an army base.Why wouldn’t she tell him that?That’s what he wanted to know.
“Like we are about our job,” Jack remarked in a mocking tone.“Dude, you better not teach her your better moves.”His tone turned jovial.
“Why?”He hadn’t made a plan yet about what he was going to teach her, but why shouldn’t he teach her his better moves?
“She’s going to drop kick you and stomp you in the ground for digging into her family like that.How would you like her doing the same to you?”He wouldn’t like it.It was invasive.Fine, he got Jack’s point.
“Fine.”He pouted like a child who had been denied a treat as he pushed away from the screen even though he had been in the wrong.It was just that June was a mystery, and he liked solving them.He solved mysteries by research, not by asking people point blank.
“So, what are you going to teach her?”Greg asked coming into the conversation and abandoning his own work.
