Page 12 of Knot Innocent
My body sags into the chair after being twitchy throughout the whole meeting. “Um. Okay.”
The relief of not being grilled has left me feeling a little lightheaded. I was sure with each passing second, the next thing to come out of Knot’s mouth would be to ask what Bastien was talking about. Despite my best effort to be emotionally neutral, I’ve been increasingly nervous, and I know my boss noticed. What I don’t get is that he hasn’t tried to squeeze an explanation from me.
That’s not to say Knot is the controlling type. He’s always been sort of a father figure to me, having recruited me to Virginia at the ripe old age of 21. He was a little overprotective when I first came on board, something my parents appreciated.
Come to think of it, Knot’s lack of curiosity is… well, curious. Eying my tablet and the stack of papers—because the government hasn’t graduated to our digital level of operating—I’m slow to gather my things before standing. As I rise from the chair, a last look at Knot finds him studying me again. His head tilts to the side, and he asks, “Something on your mind?”
“You, ah, you haven’t asked.”
Knot leans back in his chair and crosses his massive arms. “I assume if there were anything to tell, you’d volunteer the information.”
“Oh,” is the only reply I can manage.
My feet still don’t move, and Knot leans forward again, placing his elbows on his desk. “Birdie, you should know that I see you in the same light as my daughters. Even so, you’re wiser beyond your twenty-seven years. Though we’re all capable of making bad decisions, I don’t see you running headlong into trouble. Still, I hope you know that I’m only a phone call away if trouble finds you.”
Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I answer softly, “I do, sir.”
“Good, then get out of here. You’ve got work to do,” he says.
“Yes, sir.”
I leave Knot’s office, somewhat in a daze. I’ve always respected the man for giving me a shot when everyone else took me for a criminal. Not only that, but Knot has always cared about those who work for him. Until today, I had no idea that he considered me family.
Returning to my office, I don’t notice my visitor until I hear the crackle of a candy wrapper. I glance at my guest chairs to see Sadie peeling the paper off a truffle from my nearly empty candy bowl.
Unfortunately, my defenses are down, and she reads me almost as well as Knot can. Seeing her in my office, I can’t help but sigh. “You should refill your candy,” she says with a smack of her lips.
Setting my stuff down, I drop into my chair and reach for the black bag of truffles to refill the bowl. “You’re a little early for a sugar fix.”
Sadie scrunches her nose. “I thought these didn’t have any sugar in them? They’re what? Black chocolate or something. Bitter as hell.”
“And yet, you keep emptying the bowl,” I tease.
Sadie rolls her eyes. “Anyway, Bash wanted me to find out if you’re dealing drugs or selling yourself for sex.”
My best friend’s straightforwardness takes me by surprise, making me laugh. It’s a good thing, too. Subtlety would have been disastrous. Sadie knows me too damned well for me to act my way out of the question. “Why the hell would he think I’m doing either?”
Sadie shrugs. “I don’t know. He says he had to rescue you from some angry, gropy dick last night.”
It’s my turn for a dramatic eye roll. “Come on, Sadie. Women have to deal with gropy dicks all the time. Well, except you. You naturally let off a don’t-fuck-with-me vibe when assholes are near.”
Her expression is thoughtful, and she nods her head from side to side a few times, weighing my statement. “True but stop changing the subject. Who was this guy?”
Damn, you, Bastien. “Just a guy I met online. He creeped me out in person, so I made an excuse to bail. The guy didn’t like it, and Bastien just happened to be there and chased him off before I could tase his ass.”
Sadie tilts her head and pins me with a studious glare. It looks like she’s trying to read my mind. A moment later, she decides, “I don’t like it. Try again.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Like it or not, every word I said is the truth.”
Sadie’s suspicious scowl doesn’t ease up. The more time passes, the harder it is to keep from fidgeting in my seat. The tension stretches out a bit longer before Sadie relaxes and nods. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay. I can’t say I’m a fan of online dating, but my track record with the in-person variety isn’t exactly a confidence builder. All I ask is that you add a little strength and defense training to your running schedule. You should be able to do whatever ass-kicking is needed whenever it’s needed instead of having to be rescued.”
“Never said I needed to be rescued,” I mumble.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you.”