Hindsight is twenty-twenty, or so they say. And if this thing with Colt lasted like she hoped, the pain she’d experienced in the past would be worth it. She just prayed Colt’s feelings for her were as real as those filling her heart.
You should tell him how you feel. Maybe he’ll open up to you, too.
The air in her lungs grew thick with nervous reservation. That conversation could wait. They were still new, and the last thing Alex wanted to do was to scare him away.
He’s not going anywhere. He’s quitting the CIA, remember?
So he said, but once the time came to resign, would Colt truly be able to leave the job behind? Only time would tell, which seemed to have become her running motto as of late.
It was true, though. His job, her feelings and his . . . those things would work themselves out eventually. Until then, Alex refused to sabotage this thing between them, choosing to focus on the positives instead.
Things like getting more coffee.
Lots and lots of coffee.
A smile lifted her lips seconds before she yawned.
Standing at the small counter in the back of the gallery, Alex inserted a new pod into the machine. With her mug resting beneath the spout, she pressed the top and waited for the liquid gold to brew.
The sounds of the mechanisms working within the machine preceded the fresh stream of java pouring into the mug from the spout. The scent of roasted beans was heavy and robust. Heat escaped into the air as a swirl of steam.
She decided not to mess with grabbing her creamer from the small refrigerator to her right. As tired as she was, she needed her second dose to be as strong and undiluted as possible.
I blame you and your magical hands, Coulter Morgan. This is all your fault.
Alex yawned again before taking a cautious sip. The slight sting from the hot coffee bit her lips in the best of ways. She may have moaned a little when she swallowed it down, feeling thankful for the extra caffeine.
Thoughts of the rest of the day’s schedule filtered through, which turned to thoughts of lunch. She hadn’t had time that morning to pack anything to bring with her, but she remembered some take-out she’d gotten a few days before.
She went to the fridge, opened it up, and was blasted with an unpleasant scent that twisted her face and scrunched her nose.
Yuck.
Alex set the mug down onto the nearby counter to keep from spilling the precious brew. Reaching into the fridge, she pulled out the disposable container half-filled with Chinese food that had clearly become rancid.
Through her mouth—as opposed to breathing through her nose—she sucked in a full, deep breath. Holding it in, she rushed to carry the container to the trash can by the back door.
Alex dropped it in and immediately set about gathering the half-filled bag’s edges. She pulled it from the can, tied it in a double-knot, and released the lock on the door with her free-hand.
No way was she waiting until the bag was full to toss it out. It was bad enough the smell had already permeated throughout the entire break room. If she left it in the can until trash day, the entire gallery would stink,and her customers would run away screaming the second they walked inside.
They’d probably think I had a dead body hiding somewhere back here.
Alex smirked as she stepped outside, releasing a harsh exhale. After taking in a few breaths of the much cleaner air, she walked over to the dumpster, lifted the lid, and dropped the bag inside with the others.
As she did, a slight shuffling sound reached her ears from somewhere close behind. She started to turn around, to face what she assumed was probably the usual stray cat or dog. But before Alex could see what had created the noise, something struck her hard in the back of the head.
Pain erupted throughout her skull. A fraction of a second later, she felt herself starting to fall. She didn’t have time to cry out, and there was no way for her to yell for help.
It was too late for that. Too late forher.
She was already knocked out cold.
“Knock, knock.” Coulter rapped his knuckles on the opened door leading to Garrett’s office.
His brother looked up from where he sat at his desk, abandoning whatever he’d been looking at on his computer. A look of surprise flashed across his rugged face. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
“You got a minute to talk?”
