“It got my point across.”
“Did it?”
I’m with Jason. I don’t see how his display of trying to throw another agent under the bus helped get his point across. It just made him seem petty. Establishing himself as the alpha shouldn’t be at the expense of the other agents. Besides, David is clearly the one in charge, both in authority and presence. These guys could learn a thing or two if they stopped trying to one-up each other long enough to see the senior agent already had the upper hand by not getting into their pissing match.
I smile inwardly as I continue on that train of thought. David Snyder is the one I should be listening to. He knows what he’s doing. He wouldn’t be the boss if he didn’t. Know how to read your opponent. That’s what he said. I catch each of the men in my peripherals. They’re both scowling, clearly pissed at the other. It makes for a nice, quiet run. It also makes it really uncomfortable. I don’t want to run another three miles with this much tension surrounding me.
Jason seems the type who needs to be the center of attention. He pouts if he doesn’t get his way. My brother Derek is the exact same way, so I’ll deal with the pouting TREX agent the same way I deal with my brother when he gets like this—get him to talk about himself. “Did you ever play any sports, Jason?”
“Dude, did I!” He lights up. “I was the star QB, baby. I took my team to state three years in a row. It was epic, the best time of my life. Went to college on a full-ride. College was awesome, but it didn’t beat high school.”
Of course. Guys like Jason can’t let go of high school. He probably peaked and ran the school his senior year. That would explain why he still acts like a teenager. It explains why half my house acts the same way.
“What about you, Jackson?”
“I was too busy helping my dad with the ranch to play sports.” The single statement says it all. Jackson is all about his pride. He works hard for what he has and doesn’t appreciate guys like Jason having things handed to them—like a full-ride to college. “When I wasn’t ranching, I was hunting food for the table. Elk. Deer. Grouse. Whatever was in season.”
“That makes TREX a natural career choice,” I point out, drawing a grin and nod.
“Yeah, I guess it does.”
We fall into a nice stride. A quiet, tension-free pace. I still have no idea why they joined me on my morning run, but don’t mind it now. Having running partners is kind of nice. I’m used to running alone. I’m used to doing most things alone. We push through another mile and only have one left as my legs start to cramp. Eight miles is my limit and I still have another to go.
Without a word, they both stay with me as I slow. I eye the diner coming up on our right and the tension returns. Emma is working, probably still pissed at me for being a complete dick yesterday.
“I need a break.” Jason slows to a stop. So do I and walk over to the nearby bus stop, using the bench to stretch my legs. He nods at the diner. “Does that place have coffee?”
“I smell bacon,” Jackson adds.
“It is a diner.” I change legs and ignore the jolt to my system at the thought of them possibly dragging me inside. We won’t be able to finish the run if we stop for breakfast. Besides, I have to work in half an hour. I need to get back to my mod and shower before I spend the next six hours chained to a desk.
“Is the food any good?” Jackson is already ahead of us, completely fixated on the diner.
Jason follows. “Guess we’re about to find out.”
“Guys,” I protest. “I have to work.” They both wave me to join them. “I didn’t bring my wallet. Or my phone to call in late.”
“I bet there’s a phone inside.”
“And bacon.” Jackson clearly has one thing on his mind. “Come on, Ryan. Breakfast is on Bowman.”
“The hell you say. Last one to the door pays.” Jason breaks into a sprint. Jackson follows on his heels, but isn’t fast enough. “Looks like breakfast is on you, Banks.”
Damn it. This will be the second day in a row I’m late to work thanks to TREX. If I pass the third test and get into the internship program, I’m going to have to quit my job at the computer lab. That is, if I don’t get fired first.
As we walk in, the smell of bacon and coffee hits me, followed by the sweet, sweet scent of a giant stack of pancakes as one of the waitresses walks by carrying a full tray of food. My mouth waters and I scan the room for an open booth.
That’s when I spot her. Emma is waiting on a table, her pen furiously moving as she takes the order. I can’t pull my attention off her. Jason leans over and elbows me. “Is that your girl?”
I don’t answer. I can’t. I can’t even move. It’s more than the run that nearly drops me. It’s more than the fact there isn’t an open seat in the entire diner. It’s her. Seeing her again after the way I treated her has my heart racing. I feel like throwing up, which could also be from the run, but is probably more from the thought of facing her after what I did.
“I take the fact he hasn’t stopped staring at her since we walked in as a yes.” Jackson slaps me on the back, breaking me out of my trance. “Come on, lover boy. I’m starving. Running makes me hungry.”
“So does breathing,” Jason lobs back and laughs when Jackson flips him off.
“There’s nowhere to sit.” Just as I say it, a booth opens up. Jason rushes and takes a seat, motioning for us to join him. I keep my attention on Emma as we approach. Her back is to me. Maybe she won’t see me. Maybe she’ll turn the other way and completely miss the fact I’m only a few feet from her.
She whips around. When she spots me, the giant pot of coffee slips from her hand. The scalding liquid will burn her ankles if I don’t do something. I jump forward and grab it before it hits the linoleum and shatters. Ouch. Jesus, that’s hot. Gripping the handle, I set the pot on the dirty table in front of Jason and ignore the pain of first-degree burns now on my palms.
“Sweet. Coffee.” He grabs a cup and inspects it by sniffing it. He then shrugs and pours himself a cup. It doesn’t even faze him that he’s using a dirty mug. Nasty. “Impressive reflexes, dude.”
“What are you doing here?” Emma asks.
“I…uh…I was…um…” Great, I’m back to stuttering with her. I sound like a moron.
“We were running,” Jason says slowly, nodding at me, leading me. “And we…”
“We, uh…”
“Smelled bacon,” Jackson finished and slid into the booth.
“What’s wrong with you?” She stares at me. “Why are you stuttering?”
“I…”
She punches my arm, snapping me out of it. I don’t miss the dance in her eyes. She’s flattered I’m nervous talking to her. Nervous? Ha! I’m terrified she’s going to tell me to go to hell and even give me directions. She punches me again, this time harder. “Stop it. You know better than to stutter with me, Ryan. Now go sit down. I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
Completely numb everywhere except where she assaulted me, I grin. She called me Ryan. “Boyfriend abuse.”
She spikes her eyebrow and I immediately take a seat, just to get her to stop looking at me like she’s debating which appendage to cut off first. “Thank you. Let me clean off your table. Coffee?”
“Got some.” Jason lifts the mug. “Thanks.”
She swipes the cup from him, leaving him empty-handed and slack-jawed. “That’s gross. That has someone else’s germs on the brim. Germs you now have rolling around in your mouth.”
“Emma hates germs,” I point out. Although she contradicted herself the other night at the bar when I caught her snacking on the bar mix. I know better. I know her—at least I think I do.
“Emma,” Jason sings. She narrows her gaze, clearly unamused. He loses his smile and grabs a menu from behind the napkin holder, using it as a shield.
Jackson laughs after she clears the table and walks away. “Way to show her who’s boss.”
“Control is your thing, not mine.” He regards me. “Your girl is a
little scary, dude.”
“You have no idea,” I mutter and watch her as she returns with three clean mugs and fills them before setting the pot on the table and grabs her order pad.
“I haven’t seen you two around before. Are you brothers?”
Jason and Jackson give each other once-overs. I know what they’re thinking. Jason has blond hair and blue eyes, whereas Jackson has dark hair and even darker eyes. They’re wondering why she thinks they’re related.
“Not blood brothers,” I explain. “Deltas.”
“No,” Jackson answers right away. “I have better things to do with my time than play house with a bunch of other guys.”
Jason drops his jaw. “Rude. There’s nothing wrong with being a Delta.”
“There’s plenty wrong with being a Delta,” Emma counters. She then rivets her glare to me.
Okay. She’s still pissed about what I said. Good to know.
“I’m Jackson.” He nods at Jason sitting on the opposite side of the booth. “This is Jason. We’re friends of Ryan’s.”
“I didn’t know he had any friends.” She says it so matter-of-factly, I cringe. She’s only known me two days and has no idea if I have any friends. The fact she assumes I don’t and even states it as fact annoys me. I mean, it’s the truth, but she doesn’t have to jump to the conclusion so quickly. “How do you guys know Ryan? How do you know to even call him Ryan? I only gave him that name Thursday night.”
“Actually, his dad gave him the name twenty-three years ago.” Jason blows at his coffee. I’m not ready for her to learn who my dad is and hope he didn’t just screw that up. Sure, there are lots of Ryans out there, but there’s only one Ryan in charge of the foundation providing funding to so many colleges this side of the country—including BU. When his comment earns him three sets of glares, he looks around. “What?”
Jackson motions at his sweatshirt. “We’re running buddies. He told us about the name change on this morning’s run.”
“I guess torture has no prejudice. Do you know what you want?” Her attention rests on me and I can’t breathe. I know exactly what I want. She’s standing in front of me, staring at me, shorting out my brain. I want her to smile. I want her to laugh that throaty laugh I love. I want her to forgive me for pretending to be something I’m not, for being a dick and making her cry. Because I’m sure she did after she stormed off yesterday. I spotted tears shining in her eyes as she told me off. It destroys me knowing I caused those tears.
Jackson’s words echo in my head. He said the same thing to Bailey to prove his point, as he called it. My head is about to explode with all the advice the TREX agents are giving me. None of it is helping. How can I turn into something she wants if I can’t make sense of anything anyone is telling me?
“I think we lost him. Earth to Ryan?” Jason smacks me in the head with the back of a spoon. I glare at him as I jerk the spoon out of his hands. “Seriously impressive reflexes, dude.” He and Jackson exchange an interesting look and nod in unison. I bounce my attention between them. When they catch me watching them, they both stare at the menus.
“I’ll take the meat lover’s omelet,” Jackson says and returns the menu behind the napkin holder.
“With bacon,” Emma adds and makes a note. “Would you like a side of bacon on top of that?”
He grins and nods. “Yes, I would.”
She laughs huskily and my skin hums. There it is, the laugh that boils in my blood. “How about you, Ryan?”
“Pancakes.”
“Hitting the carbs early, huh? How many miles did you get in this morning?”
“Eight before we stopped here.”
Her mouth falls open. “You ran eight miles this morning?”
“I still have another mile to go.”
“Oh, my God. I’m never running with you, like, ever.”
The fact she says it like there’s going to be an ever between us has my heart back to racing, my pulse drumming in my ears. Instead of pointing that out, I play it down and casually say, “We’ll see.”
“Dream on, buddy.” She regards Jason and loses her smile. “And for you?”
He wiggles his eyebrows at Jackson, who shakes his head. Jason nods before returning his gaze to Emma. Something moves in his eyes, and I don’t like it. He’s eyeing her like a predator about to strike. “I’ve got a big appetite this morning, sweetheart. What would you recommend?”
She bristles at being called sweetheart. I’m not okay with it, either, and square my shoulders. If he says one more thing to upset her, I’ll hit him with more than a spoon. We’re sitting on the same side of the booth, granting me enough access to heave him out if he doesn’t stop looking at her like she’s on the menu. “Kitchen sink omelet. It’s got a little of everything and is so big, you can eat off it for days.”
“I guess what they say is true.”
There goes that eyebrow again. “If you make a reference to size matters, I’m going to stab you with your fork.” She then smiles sweetly. Interesting. Jason is the perfect Delta. Like Brad. Like so many of my frat brothers. Like what she claims I need to be to get the girl.
And she can’t stand him. Very interesting.
“You said it, sweetheart. Not me.” Jason laughs, the asshole.
“Call her sweetheart one more time,” I snarl and refuse to stand down. Yes, this is stupid. Yes, he can kill me with a single move, I’m sure. But that’s the second time he’s made a derogatory comment to Emma. I won’t let him make a third. It’s not the word so much as how he says it that’s got me ready to take him on.
He looks at me, not an ounce of amusement in his expression. “Are you seriously in my face right now?”
“Ryan,” Emma says to catch my attention.
“Yes, I seriously am.” I won’t let her stop me from defending her this time. I should have jumped Brad in chem yesterday for talking to her like that. I won’t let it happen again. “Don’t talk to her like that. Her name is Emma, not sweetheart. Show her some respect.”
“Ryan.” She’s more urgent in her request. When I don’t look at her, she pinches my tricep. Ouch. Goddamn, that hurts. I turn to her and rub what will no doubt turn into a bruise. “If you claim boyfriend abuse, I will end you. It’s going to be boyfriend homicide if you don’t answer me the first time I say your name next time. Capisce?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer and walks away. I’m going to pay for ignoring her, but it’s worth it. She needs to know I won’t let anyone talk to her like Jason did. Or Brad did. She deserves to know I’ll always stand up for her. Again, Jackson’s words echo in my brain.
“Well?” Jason regards Jackson, who answers with a nod. Jason nods as well, though he doesn’t seem the least bit pleased. If anything, he seems disappointed. At what, I have no idea. When Jason faces me, I brace myself. Is he about to attack? To make me pay for challenging him in front of Emma?
“What?” I bounce my gaze between them, my suspicion up.
“It’s nothing,” Jackson hurries out. Whatever. Let these two have their little bromance. I excuse myself to use the diner’s phone and call in late for work. No one answers, so I leave a message instructing Brandon to open up as soon as he gets in. I highly doubt there’ll be a crowd of students anxious to use the computers at eight in the morning on a Saturday.
The guys immediately stop talking when I rejoin them at the booth. My suspicion edges higher. Again, I ask, “What?”
“We were just discussing the final test,” Jackson explains and gives Jason a look, who closes his eyes in response and shakes his head.
“What about it?” I keep my attention on Jason.
It’s Jackson who answers. “We haven’t decided what to do about it, yet. Right, Jason?”
“Yeah.” He nods but still won’t look at me. I want to say he’s mad over the way I called him out over talking to Emma like a douche, but somehow I know it’s more. Jackson mentioned the final test. Did it come and go without me knowing? Did I pass? Based on the
way Jason won’t even look at me, my guess is no.
I have to admit, I’m disappointed. I didn’t even know I wanted to be a part of the internship program until I failed the test that would have got me in. I don’t know what to say. Neither do the guys, so we sit in awkward silence. This will probably be the last time I ever see them. They aren’t going to waste their time with someone who failed their test.
By the time Emma delivers the food, I’m ready to collapse from the disappointment. She sets my pancakes in front of me. The top cake has whipped cream with a single blueberry in the center for eyes and spikes of bacon for hair. It’s like she knows I need cheering up. I force a smile so she knows I appreciate the gesture, though I don’t feel like smiling. At all.
“I’m off at two,” she points out and disappears. I glance at the guys. Jackson has his eyes closed as he inhales the scent of bacon wafting up from his plate. Jason already has his mouth full of whatever is in a kitchen sink omelet. I stare at my pancakes and smile again.
“I think you got some of my bacon.” Jackson reaches over to steal my bacon.
I lift my fork, ready to defend my plate at any cost. “Back off. I’m not afraid to use this.”
“See? Protective instincts through the ass.” Jason takes another bite and continues to talk with his mouth full. “I think he’ll make a better frontline agent than sideline.”
“That’s not for us to decide,” Jackson fires back before shoving an entire piece of bacon into his mouth. These guys eat like animals.
“He should at least get a say.”
“He’ll get a choice once he finishes the program.”
“He should get a choice on which program. My brother is a great forensic tech, but he’s even better in the field. Chris McKoy was a fair field agent but is a master with a keyboard.”
Jackson rolls his eyes. “Your point?”
“TREX has a way of pigeonholing agents into their field of study instead of letting them choose. There’s a reason why we can’t recruit anyone under the age of twenty-five. Most that age don’t know what they want to do the rest of their lives. The thought of being stuck in the same field for the next fifty years scares the shit out of them. We’ve got to be more flexible than that.”
Reluctant Hero (TREX Rookies Book 1) Page 15
