Page 6 of Operation Heartbeat
She waved a hand. “Yes, I know all that. But why are you trustingme? There has to be somebody more qualified for this job.”
“You have all the accolades. Also, you worked on the Valero manuscript case.”
Her eyes widened. He knew about that?
“It only took you three hours to crack the code in that ancient book that led to a lost artifact.”
“Well, yes.”
“You were brought in to assist on a case when a spy was caught with a notebook filled with codes that led to stolen data. Which kept a lot of people’s credentials out of the wrong hands.”
“Um…yes, but—”
“You won the Cipher Award five years in a row.”
Sophie let out a sigh. “All right, so I have the credentials. But I already have a job.”
Those granite eyes settled on her. “We can pay you more. We’re the government.”
“That actually means you’ll pay me less.”
He gave her a flat look. “Not for this work.”
“I can’t just leave my position at the university. I need to speak with Dean McCall and clear it with him first.”
“He already cleared it. You have no more excuses, Ms. Edwards. We have to go now.” Up until this point, he’d been standing dead still, like a soldier in front of a commanding officer. When he moved toward the door, she saw the raw power harnessed in his muscular form on full display.
He stepped into the corridor, and she trotted after him like a small dog.
“What do I pack?”
He threw her an exasperated look. “What does that matter? Pack whatever you want.”
“It matters. I need to know our destination. Do I need lightweight linen or a parka?”
He stopped walking and gave her a once-over. Suddenly, she felt as if her outfit was under scrutiny. The fitted trousers and blouse that buttoned up her neck and ended in a frill of lace felt like the perfect mix of masculine and feminine that morning when she put it on. In a man’s world of male colleagues, all sporting doctorate letters, she enjoyed flaunting that a woman could be seen as their equal.
Now she felt as if that frill of lace circling her throat was choking her.
“Do you live on campus?” Con asked.
“A few blocks away. I drive to work.”
He eyed her. “Fine, go home and pack a bag with everyday clothes. Make sure it’s small. We don’t have much room. Meet me back here in twenty minutes.”
With a nod, she took off at a fast clip. Her car was parked a few lots over, and she was a little winded by the time she reachedit. As soon as she was behind the wheel, she swiped her rain-wet bangs off her face again.
When she woke up this morning, she did not think she’d be leaving to decipher a cryptogram. Her brain was so occupied by the turn of events, she reached her small rental home on the corner of a quaint, quiet street in no time.
Luckily, she didn’t have anybody to answer to, not even a pet to take care of. Sophie tuned in to her task. In minutes, she had a few belongings tossed into a weekend bag and was back in the driver’s seat.
When she returned to her parking space, she inwardly groaned at the rain that was falling faster. She reached behind the seat and felt around for her umbrella, then she remembered she lent it to a coworker and they’d never returned it.
She opened her door into the overgrown bush that crowded her crappy parking spot and shimmied past it, hoping the cold, wet branches didn’t snag at her clothes. But they still did, leaving a trail of wetness along her top.
Who cared about that? It was raining, and she was already wet anyway.
After she finished packing, she strode across campus to the building where she’d left the special operative. In the movies, the people who were asked to crack codes were always glamorous, but she was far from it. She was damp, her boots squishing in the wet grass, and lugging a bag.