Operation: Endeavor (When The Mission Ends)

by Christi Snow

  “Penelope, there’s no way I’m going to sit back and let you to go into work today. Someone attacked you there yesterday. You’re still hurt. You don’t need to be there today. I won’t allow it.”

  “Won’t allow it?” She worked to keep from yelling at him. “I’m thirty years old. If you think you can keep me from heading in to do my job, you have another thing coming.” She took a deep breath to try to control her temper and then regretted the action when it caused her ribs to twinge in pain. Unfortunately, Colton spotted her grimace.

  “See, you can’t even take a breath without it hurting. There’s no reason they can’t work without you today, Penelope. Just call them and check in and I promise you they’ll tell you the same thing.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact, the bookstore is mine. My responsibility. My obligation. My job. I’m going in today.”

  “Come on, Penelope. Be reasonable. You spent half the day yesterday in the ER. You need to take at least one day off.”

  “I did take one day off…yesterday. Today I’m going in, at least for a few hours. I promise I’m not going to overdo it. I’ll be fine.”

  Colton looked seriously at her. “Okay, we’ll compromise. You can go into the bookstore, but I’m going with you. That way if you get tired or start hurting, I can bring you home.”

  Penelope rolled her eyes, although she had to admit, the guy was hot when he got in full alpha-mode. She needed to write one of the male heroes in her books based on Colton. But writing about a hot alpha male and trying to live with one were totally different things. “Oh my God. You just don’t give up, do you? Okay.” She threw her arm into the air and then immediately regretted the action when she felt the shooting pain through her ribs. Thankfully, Colton missed the grimace she managed to hide. “Compromise it is, but I don’t want to hear a peep out of you when you’re bored to tears with nothing to do.”

  Colton winked at her. “It’s a bookstore, right? I’ll have hours of entertainment right at my fingertips.”

  “Okay, it’s your day wasted. I know you have things you need to be doing for Mad Rob. We leave in thirty minutes.”

  She would never, ever admit it to him, but she was secretly relieved he insisted on going with her. She didn’t want him to know how much the idea of stepping foot inside of her store terrified her. It was her store. Her oasis. That someone had violated that infuriated her. She hated the idea that she needed to lean on him. She was stronger than this, but the idea of Colton’s big, muscular body protecting her provided her with a much needed peace of mind. She just wouldn’t tell him that.

  * * *

  Overall, it had been an enjoyable morning, but that was about to come to an end. Colton closed the book he’d read while sitting in the little reading nook of the bookstore. He’d just caught sight of Penelope’s pale face as she searched the shelves for a book in the main part of the store. Whether she wanted to or not, it was time for her to call it a day. She looked wiped out.

  He walked up behind her to hear her talking on her cell phone. “I’m sorry, Thomas, but I was in an accident so I won’t be able to come out for a couple of weeks.”

  Thomas? Who the hell was Thomas? Was there another guy in her life that he didn’t know about?

  “No, no, I’m fine.” She moved some books to face out as she continued talking. “It’s really nothing. Just an accident at the bookstore, but it’s left me with a bum wrist which would make doing my job there difficult. I’ll miss you guys, but I’ll be back out as soon as I can. Thanks, Thomas.” She ended the call, but her back was still to him.

  Colton frowned and wondered who this guy was but that immediately fled his mind as he saw Penelope sway. He cupped the elbow on her uninjured arm to steady her. “It’s time to go home.”

  She turned to him. He didn’t like the sight of the dark bruises under her eyes on her pale face. She looked like she was going to argue, but then thought better of it. She gave a short nod. “Let me go tell Aunt Alix I’m heading out.”

  “Smart girl.”

  She glared at him. “Don’t be a condescending ass.”

  He raised both hands in surrender. “I wouldn’t think of it, sweetheart.” He smirked at her.

  “Pfft.” She snorted in disbelief. She looked around the store with a slightly haunted look. “Do you think she’s okay to be here alone? Jon’s not supposed to be in for another twenty minutes.”

  Colton glanced down at his watch and then looked back at her pale face. “Tell you what. If you promise to go sit down in that very comfortable chair in the reading nook that I just vacated and rest, we’ll stay until he gets here. I’ll go tell your Aunt Alix the plan.”

  At her easy acquiescence about both the rest and talking to Alix, Colton worried she was hurting more than she let on. He eyed her critically as she sat down gingerly in the large leather club chair. As soon as her head hit the back of the chair, her eyes closed. Damn, she’d overdone today. He shouldn’t have let her come in, but he gave an internal chuckle as he thought about what her reaction would be if he voiced ‘I told you so’ to that thought. Penelope was as stubborn as she was beautiful.

  Shaking his head as he went, he bounded up the steps to the second floor where Alix was shelving books.

  Alix looked up at him as he walked into the Reference and History room. Her eyes were furrowed with concern for Penelope. “Please tell me you’ve convinced her to go home and rest.”

  He nodded. “I have. Right now, she’s relaxing in the reading nook while we wait for Jon to arrive.”

  “Good. Thank you for taking care of her. I know Penelope is grateful that she didn’t have to go to her mom’s while she recuperates. With their relationship, spending time with her mother isn’t exactly relaxing for Penelope. Actually,” Alix chuckled softly, “spending time with Anna isn’t restful for anyone.”

  “I’m just glad I’m here so I can help.” He looked at her curiously. It was none of his business, but he couldn’t resist asking. “What happened between you and Penelope’s mother?” Penelope told him they didn’t speak anymore, but he had no idea why.

  “That’s not my story to tell, but I have a feeling Penelope will let you in on it someday soon.” She gave him a wink. “You’re good for her.”

  He smiled and chose his words carefully. “Don’t get any ideas about us. We’re just roommates. Pen is awesome, but it can’t go anywhere beyond that.”

  “Hmm.” She looked at him with a single eyebrow raised which made Colton want to squirm a bit. Luckily, their discussion was interrupted with the tinkling of the door as Jon walked in.

  Colton turned back toward Alix. “I’m going to take her home now. Remember, no one should be here alone until they catch the guy who attacked Pen. We still don’t know why he was here and he may try to come back to finish.”

  She murmured, “Don’t worry about us. Just take care of our girl and see if you can get her to stay home tomorrow.”

  He rolled his eyes at her. “You obviously don’t know Penelope as well as I thought if you think I could accomplish that.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think you may have a better chance than the rest of us when it comes to Penelope.”

  Chapter 12

  Penelope awoke and listened to the quiet of the apartment. She couldn’t hear Colton anywhere. She glanced at her bedside clock. She’d slept for three hours straight, and her body obviously needed it because she felt much better. Colton was right. She shouldn’t have gone in to the bookstore today… not that she’d ever admit that fact to him.

  She gingerly rolled over and tested the aches and pains of her body. They were definitely still there, but she didn’t feel like a Mack truck had run over her in the last hour anymore. The headache, on the other hand, was still fully present, even after napping the afternoon away. She’d decided when she took the pain pills at lunchtime that those were the last ones she planned to take. She may have to re-think that plan.

  When she came int
o the living room, Colton was sprawled on the couch reading the book he’d started at the bookstore. “Hey,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. Thanks. The nap helped.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “I think I could eat.” She gave him a smile and then looked down at the coffee table. It was covered with bits and scraps of paper. “What were you working on?”

  Colton scooped them up looking embarrassed. “Sorry about the mess. Just trying to figure out some of the details for Mad Rob… like what kind of planes to buy. It got kind of overwhelming, so I decided to dive back into the fictional world.” He gave her a meek grin.

  Who knew that big, bad Colton could look so boyish and embarrassed? She liked seeing this side of him. “Planes, as in plural? How many are you planning on buying?”

  “Two. One for the jump school and then one that we can use for charter flights. We’re also working a contract with Homeland Security and if that comes through, then we’ll have access to a third plane too.”

  “Wow. You’re gonna be a big business tycoon aren’t you?”

  “Not quite and we certainly aren’t there yet. We have tons to take care of.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I still haven’t even managed to talk to Chris about it yet.” He assessed her. “But right now, we have other worries, like what to feed you.”

  She smirked at him. “Yeah, I can see where that should be right up there in your worries about what to do with the rest of your life.”

  “Well, it certainly can be the most important thing for the next half hour.” He walked up behind her and nudged her toward the kitchen area of the loft. “Let’s go see what I can scrounge up for us to eat.”

  They had just finished their sub sandwiches… a roast beef for Colton and a veggie for Penelope, when there was a knock at the door. Colton cocked a brow at Penelope as he headed toward the door.

  She answered his silent question. “I have no idea. I’m not expecting anyone.”

  When Colton opened the door, the first thing Penelope spotted was a huge arrangement of white daisies. She peered behind it and spotted Damon’s anxious face. He muttered a quick, “Hi, Colton,” before he strode into the room toward her.

  Colton gave a half-hearted wave behind Damon’s retreating back and muttered a sarcastic, “Hi, Damon. Want to come in?” as he shut the door.

  When Damon reached her, he set the flowers on the counter and gently grasped her chin to turn her face, brushing the hair off her forehead so he could see her bruise.

  “Damon—” she started, but he interrupted her.

  “I went to the bookstore and they said you’d been hurt. Fuck, that looks painful. Are you okay? Why didn’t you call me? I know we haven’t known each other that long yet, but I thought we were friends.” He had a hurt look on his face but Penelope couldn’t decide if it was in empathy for her pain or the fact that she hadn’t thought to call him.

  She reached up and rubbed his shoulder. “I’m okay, Damon. Really, I am. I was in and out of the ER within a couple of hours.” She gestured to the beautiful bouquet of flowers. “Are those for me?” At his nod, she answered, “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

  She looked closer at the bouquet when she spotted a bit of gold glimmering out of the front of it. She reached over and brushed the daisies aside to reveal a beautiful golden daisy, set in amongst the real ones. It was the same size as the real daisies and the golden metal petals appeared just as delicate as real petals. She could even see the veining on the paper thin gold. “What’s this?” She caressed the incredibly delicate golden flower.

  He looked embarrassed as he said, “I thought you might need an extra little something to pick you up in your bouquet.”

  Her mouth dropped open in shock. “This isn’t one of the flowers from the Golden Garden is it?”

  He shook his head ruefully. “No, I wish they looked this good. From what we’ve uncovered they’ve been crushed under tons of dirt for thousands of years and will never look like this again.” He touched the delicate petals lightly. “This is a reproduction that our artists created based upon what remains of the few flowers we’ve uncovered so far. This is what we think they looked like originally.”

  “Wow, it’s exquisite.” She examined the flower. “What are these markings?” There were tiny delicate marks etched onto the flowers which at first glance looked like a part of the veining.

  Damon looked at her oddly. “You’re observant, aren’t you? We haven’t uncovered all the mysteries of El Regalo and that’s one of them. We think it’s some sort of code.”

  He suddenly seemed uncomfortable talking about his project, which was very odd considering it was his entire life right now. Penelope looked closer at him. Damon was wearing relaxed fit jeans and a worn t-shirt. It was the most casual she’d ever seen him looking. There was an intriguing glimpse of a tattoo peeking out of his neckline and at the bottom of the sleeve on his right arm. He didn’t look sloppy, but something about him gave a feel of exhaustion. There were dark circles under his eyes which hadn’t been there the last time she’d seen him. She frowned.

  He looked from Colton to her and then down to their dinner plates. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening…”

  “You didn’t. We just finished dinner. How are the negotiations working at the University?”

  “I’m not here to talk about that.” He brushed off the inquiry way too quickly. Penelope felt a chill of worry for him.

  He turned to Colton who’d been standing off to the side watching them interact silently. He nodded back to Penelope before asking Colton, “I get the idea she’s glossing over how she’s really feeling, so will you tell me? How’s she really doing?”

  Colton gave a grimace. “Definitely not as well as she likes to think, but she’s doing better.” He looked critically over Penelope. “She doesn’t look like she’s at the edge of death anymore.”

  “You really know how to flatter a girl, don’t you, Colt?”

  He smirked at her. “Only telling it like it is, sweetheart.” But then his face got serious and he growled low at her. “If she’d stay home from work like I suggested, she’d be feeling much better.”

  Penelope stuck her tongue out at him. Arrogant man.

  He just gave her a slow smile. “And then she’d be able to act her age and not have to give into the fact that she knows I’m right.”

  Damon watched their by-play with interest, before he turned back to Penelope. “You need to take care of yourself. I’m holding you to your promise of taking me to that party Saturday night.”

  “Aw, that’s right. I did promise to introduce you to some hot single ladies didn’t I?”

  “That you did, so I need you to be at 100%, because you know if some hot young thing wants to take me home, I’ll look like a cad if you aren’t feeling better.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

  “Well, in that case, I promise not to get out of bed until Saturday night. We can’t have my infirmity interfering with your ability to get laid now, can we?”

  Damon smiled at her, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “As long as your priorities are intact.” He glanced down at his watch and frowned. “I better go. I have an important call coming in about thirty minutes.”

  He reached over and brushed the hair off Penelope’s forehead once again. “Get better, Penelope…oh, and stay away from crazy robbers wanting to throw you down the stairs.”

  She grabbed his hand. “I will. I promise.” He started to pull away, but she didn’t let go.

  Damon looked back at her questioningly and she could still see the shadows in his eyes so she gently asked, “Are you okay?” She didn’t like to see one of her friends hurting and she definitely had the feeling that Damon was hurting.

  He gave a quick nod and headed toward the door. “Just perfect. As always.” He started to open the knob but had a second thought and turned back toward Colton. “Keep her safe,” Damon said, and then he left the apartment.<
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  Colton locked the door behind Damon before turning back to Penelope. He looked at her curiously. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression that you two were dating.”

  She gave a weary smile. “I know, right? He’s like my perfect guy. Oh my God, did you see that tat?” She gave Colton’s hard body a once-over. “You don’t have any tats hidden under there, do you, Colt?”

  He frowned at her and rolled his eyes, ignoring her question. “Penelope, focus. We were talking about you and Damon.”

  She waved a hand dismissively. “Oh yeah. There isn’t going to be any Damon and me. No chemistry.”

  She was still looking at Colton, trying to imagine him with tattoos. It just didn’t fit his persona. She shook her head to clear it and then wished she hadn’t when a stab of pain shot out from her temple.

  “Have you taken any pain pills lately?” Colton was already headed into the kitchen and picking up the bottle off the counter, which he brought to her with a bottle of water.

  She reached up and took them from him, with a murmured, “Thanks.” As her fingertips brushed his, a tremor snaked up her arm. Yep, there was that chemistry she didn’t have with Damon. She glanced at Colton’s lips. Would kissing him elicit more of a response than Damon’s kiss had? This jittering, this moment of connection, this chemistry told her yes. As she watched his eyes darken, she knew he felt it too. Chemistry. Just why the hell did she have it with Colton, one of the most domineering, controlling, serious men she knew?

  Chapter 13

  He growled into the phone. “What the fuck happened? How did she get hurt?”

  “I’m sorry. She showed up and I panicked. No one was supposed to be there that early. You said it would be clear.”

  “So you decided to hurt her? You could have ruined everything.”

  “I didn’t mean for her to fall down the stairs. I was just trying to push her aside so I could get out of the building before she called the cops. She wasn’t supposed to fall, but I called an ambulance right away.”