Finding Trust (Centre Games)

by Natalie Gayle

  Something had been bugging Rihanna for days about this whole operation. She was seriously worried about the operations of the private laboratory they’d visited in Brisbane. “What’s happening with the lab in Brisbane, Tom? What’s to stop them being involved in a similar operation again?”

  He looked at her thoughtfully. “Matthews is dead, as you know. The Federal Police have ceased the facility in conjunction with a couple of other departments. The place is effectively shut down for private use. Sullivan is also ‘considering his options,’ but I’d suggest he’ll remain with the facility under some very close supervision. I don’t think his other option was particularly appealing, from what I heard.”

  The boss looked around, confirming there were no further comments or questions.

  “Okay team, we’re done here. You all have your assignments to get to then. Miss Mason and Miss Carter, I need you to remain for a few minutes.”

  Rihanna looked at Jazz across the table as the others filed out. Jazz raised her eyebrows at Rihanna in silent question as to what this was about.

  A moment later, just the three of them remained.

  “Right, now about the two of you,” Tom stated as he shuffled some more papers and placed a bundle in front of each of them.

  Both women were taken back at the harshness of his tone. Rihanna sat back, waiting; Jazz glared at Tom, clearly challenging his authority.

  “What you have in front of you is an employment contract with the Centre.” Both women audibly gasped but Tom was undeterred and ploughed on. “You’ve both signed nondisclosures yada yada but I’ve been thinking about things since James laid his cards on the table the other day. We are going to need some changes around here and it might as well start with you two.”

  He looked from one woman to the other, assessing their reactions.

  “But we both have jobs, Tom,” Jazz pointed out.

  “Ha.” He snorted. “Miss Mason works for her father and the government on contract scientific research. Her contract will be immediately signed over to the Centre on the completion of the paperwork. As for you, Miss Carter.” Tom paused and stared right at Jazz. They were like two prize fighters sizing each other up. “From what my sources tell me, you’ve just completed your psyche residency and have been offered a position at a cushy private hospital. The fact that you haven’t accepted it after a month tells me you really aren’t that keen.”

  Tom’s lip curled slightly in amusement. He was enjoying this. Jazz, on the other hand, had kept her glare cool and devoid of emotion. Rihanna watched in fascination as these two toyed.

  “You’ve also proved you’re pretty handy to have around in the field,” he conceded.

  “What would my duties be?” Jazz was at least curious enough to ask.

  “You’d be the team doctor. Essentially, you’d be providing medical support wherever needed. I wouldn’t mind having some of your quack skills available from time to time, either.” They all knew Tom was referring to Jazz’s qualifications in a very colloquial sense just to piss her off. “Occasionally, we run into some ordinary things. Counselling is needed but to date no one we’ve used understands about the special needs of the team. You’d be different.”

  Tom trailed off, leaving the field open for Jazz. “So that’s it? You want me to be a glorified school nurse when I can earn seven figures a year in private practice.”

  Jazz pushed the contract a few inches farther in front of her, indicating her disinterest.

  “I guess you haven’t had time to read over it, Miss Carter. The remuneration schedule’s at the back. I should also mention you’ll be given additional specialised trauma and genetics training. You’re also free to initiate research programs to keep you occupied if you so desire.”

  Rihanna realised the tables had just turned. Tom had just put out the biggest carrot that anyone ever could for Jazz. A puzzle. Jazz loved puzzles and finding the answers to things. It was something they both shared. Tom had just given her free rein to dream up hypotheses and then answer the questions they presented.

  Jazz tilted her head and raised her lips into a very calculated smile. “I guess I could take the time to look it over.”

  The boss gave a knowing chuckle. “You do that, Miss Carter. I expect your answer within a week.”

  “Two weeks. This whole thing has interrupted my holidays. I couldn’t possibly make a decision within a week,” Jazz countered, purposely sounding high-maintenance.

  “Two weeks, and not a day more.” Tom smiled, wise to her game.

  All she gave him was a nod of acknowledgement.

  Tom turned his attention on Rihanna.

  “So what demands do you have, Miss Mason?”

  Rihanna shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not at all sure I have a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “What do I need to do to make you happy here at the Centre?” Tom clarified for her.

  “You don’t need to do anything because I haven’t agreed to become part of this.”

  Tom tilted his head back and looked towards the roof as if seeking help from above. Dealing with the pair of them was obviously taxing his nerves.

  “Okay, let me start from the beginning, Miss Mason. I’d like to offer you the opportunity to come and work at the Centre. I’ve been observing your skills and abilities the last couple of weeks and I recognise that it would be extremely advantageous for the Centre to have our own in-house vet. A lot of the issues we deal with are animal- and disease-related. Your skills and knowledge plus your more in-depth understanding of what the Centre is about will be very useful to us.”

  Rihanna considered his words for a second and then came to the obvious conclusion.

  “Is this just about keeping Brayden happy?”

  Tom sat even straighter, if that was possible, and glared down his very sharp nose. “I’m not in the habit of employing civilians in order to make my team happy, Miss Mason. You have a skill set that I believe will be useful and I want it in-house.”

  Okay, then, maybe it was the other obvious conclusion.

  “Or is this just a way of keeping me close because of the baby?”

  Tom took a deep breath to calm his fraying temper.

  “Miss Mason, the baby is obviously important to the Centre for a number of reasons. Firstly, it will be the first child conceived by one of the team members; therefore, it will be special because of all the obvious aspects that accompany that. Secondly, it will be important because we are very close knit and we consider ourselves a family. What this job isn’t is a ploy to have you close. I’m relying on James to take care of that for me.”

  A smirk of arrogance momentarily crossed his face and anger prickled her skin. She checked her rising temper.

  “I’m not sure I’m interested, Tom. I like working with my father and I haven’t even given a thought to what I’m going to do when the baby arrives.”

  “Miss Mason, do you think that I would offer you the job without considering your impending motherhood? Naturally appropriate leave and hours have been factored into your contract. If you’d also care to review it before jumping to rash conclusions.”

  A knock at the door sounded before it opened. Brayden and her father walked through the door and stood beside the table.

  Brayden gave her a gentle smile before he placed his hands on the back of a chair and braced his arms. The muscles rippled in his triceps and shoulders and Rihanna immediately felt her stomach flutter. Gosh, he was incredible to look at. All that strong hard muscle. She missed him and she hadn’t even left yet.

  “What’s going on here, boss?” Brayden asked, curious about their meeting.

  “I was just trying to persuade Miss Mason and Miss Carter to come and join us in working at the Centre,” the boss confirmed for him.

  Brayden smirked and Rihanna noticed a flicker of amusement cross her father’s face.

  “How’s that working out for you, boss?” Brayden politely enquired in a deadpan manner.

  “Seemingly mo
re difficult than one would think the situation warrants.”

  Brayden looked accusingly at both of the women. “Why am I not surprised to hear that?”

  Tom turned to her father. “All sorted with the Agriculture boys?”

  Her father nodded. “Everything seems to be in hand. I’ll check in with them daily to make sure they get it all squared away properly.”

  “Thanks, Peter, I’d appreciate that.” It was the first time she’d heard Tom in anyway drop his very formal and chain of command manner. How strange.

  Her father merely nodded his acknowledgement.

  Tom pushed back from the table. “I’d best be going. Rory will give you a hand to clean this place up. I understand he’s going to hang around for a few days to keep an eye on Quade.”

  Tom reached the door and turned back to Rihanna. “You also have two weeks to give me an answer, Miss Mason. Make sure it’s the right one.”

  He was gone and the door closed before she had a chance to respond.

  “What was that all about?” Brayden asked them.

  Rihanna looked at Jazz and lifted her eyes, indicating she would respond. “Like you don’t know, Brayden. Did you put Tom up to this just to keep me around?”

  Brayden looked wounded at her words and she knew the answer immediately.

  “I think you should have seen enough of the boss by now to know that he doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to. I had nothing to do with it.”

  She glanced over his shoulder and caught another fleeting glimpse of an expression on her father’s face. What was with him today? Why was he acting so weird?

  An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.

  Unable to bear it any longer, Rihanna pushed her chair back from the table and started to struggle to her feet. Brayden immediately wrapped an arm around her to help her up.

  Once steady on her feet, she moved out of his hold and he reluctantly let her go. “I’m going to go pack my things up. I guess you’re going to want to head home, Dad.”

  Her father cleared his throat. “Actually, Rihanna, I think it best if you stayed here for a bit and sorted things out with Brayden.”

  Shock scalded every pore in her body. “Dad—”

  But before she could utter another word, he cut her off. “The place is a mess and the lab is still being refurbished. You’re all banged up and I know you’ll just overdo it at the moment.”

  Who was this person and could somebody please tell her what had happened to her father? “Aren’t I welcome in my own home anymore?”

  Her father looked at her tenderly and moved towards her. “It’ll always be your home, Rihanna, but it’s time you moved out and sorted out your life. I don’t think you can do that living at home anymore.”

  Words failed her. Her father was literally kicking her out! While she was still coming to terms with that, he leant forward and gave her a gentle hug and kiss to the forehead.

  “Right, I’m off. I’ll call you tomorrow and see how you feel.” With that, he turned and hightailed it out of the room.

  Rihanna moved to the table and went to perch her hip on it for support. She looked at Jazz across the room. “I can’t believe he did that!”

  Jazz shrugged her shoulders and tossed her hands up but offered no comment.

  “What—you’ve got nothing to say?” She glared at Jazz.

  “You know me better than that, Rih. I’ve got plenty to say but you’ve had enough for today. Go lie down for a bit. You should probably still be in hospital.”

  She felt Brayden’s arms close gently around her as he swung her off the table and lifted her. “Come on, Minky, off to bed with you.”

  Rihanna didn’t miss the devilish look in his eyes as he proceeded out of the room and down the long hall. He kicked the door open of his room and placed her gently on the bed.

  She immediately went to get up and he put out a hand to steady her.

  “Do you need me to help you to the bathroom?” he asked, obviously wondering why she was getting up when he’d just put her down.

  “I’m going into one of the spare rooms.”

  He placed both hands on her shoulders and eased her back into a reclining position, and then sat on the bed beside her. She noticed a muscle in his cheek twitch and she knew he was pissed.

  “Let me get a few things straight. I know we’ve got a lot to work out and mark my words, we will sort things out. But you stay here, in our room, in our bed. You do not go into another room and sleep, ever. You belong beside me always and I will not accept anything less.”

  His blue eyes bore through to her very soul. She knew he was making a point and marking his territory at the same time. A big part of her was affronted that he’d dare dictate this to her. The more primitive woman in her was excited and wanted to give in to his demands. Nor did she miss his use of the word “our.” How did she feel about that?

  “Fine, have it your way.” She huffed and rolled over. Hardly mature, she knew, but she really wasn’t up to coming up with a snappy reply.

  He gently rolled her back and laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much it turns me on when you get all snooty and pissed off. God, you’re sexy like that.”

  “Leave me alone, Brayden. I asked for time; this is not giving me time,” she pleaded.

  “Give me a kiss, then you get some sleep.” He leant forward and closed his lips over hers, giving her no option but to comply. Not that she wanted to do anything else. Whenever he kissed her, she melted into a pile of hot molten goo. He affected her like no other. And this time was no different. Even royally annoyed at him, she still wanted him.

  He gently broke away from her, stood and walked out the door, not before popping his head back to give her the little wink she dearly loved.

  What the hell was she going to do? Her life felt as if it was a complete disaster.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Rihanna woke and immediately noticed the absence of Brayden’s long, hard body beside her. How had she become so used to sleeping in the same bed as him in just a couple of weeks? The truth was she missed him. She missed the closeness they had shared. The warm arm curled around her when she woke in the morning. His soft, feathery kisses along her neck.

  She reached her arm out and stretched it across the bed where the indentation of his body still remained. The sheet was cool to the touch so he must have been gone for a while. She didn’t really remember him coming to bed last night, although she’d swear he wrapped his arms around her in the early hours of the morning. Either that or she was dreaming. Jazz had packed her off to bed shortly after dinner, claiming she needed to rest. All this mollycoddling was starting to seriously piss her off.

  Easing herself from the bed, Rihanna pushed to a stand and was pleased to discover she wasn’t as stiff as yesterday. She gingerly walked forward towards the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised to find she could walk much easier. All good signs. Maybe if her body hurt less, she could make sense of what she was going to do with her life.

  Rihanna found Brayden, Rory, and Jazz all sitting around, outside on the veranda, enjoying breakfast.

  Brayden was tracking her presence across the room and stood as soon as she came close. She could almost feel his super senses wrapping around her now that she knew what to look for. Without doubt, he was carrying out an appraisal of both her health and her mood.

  “Morning, baby,” he whispered into her ear as he brushed a kiss against her neck, causing shivers to run up and down her spine. It annoyed her no end how much her body betrayed her whenever he was near. He helped her into the chair and filled her glass with juice.

  She pushed back from the table, about to head in and get some coffee. Her actions were cut off by Brayden. “Where are you going, Minky?”

  “Going to get a coffee. Anyone want a refill?” she offered to the table at large.

  “Sit, Rih. You can’t have coffee; it’s not good for the baby,” Brayden reminded her.

  Her good mood imme
diately evaporated. Now she was pissed. “Bloody hell,” she muttered as she slid back into the seat.

  “Sorry, Minky, I know how much you like your coffee. Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “What—a nourishing glass of milk?” she snapped, already over the doting and apologetic faces. Fuck, how could this have happened?

  Jazz looked at her carefully across the table. She and Rory were yet to say anything. They were both clearly not wanting to intrude on the morning “moment” with Brayden.

  “What—nothing to say?” Rihanna spun her attention to both of them. She knew she was being a bitch but, fuck, she just felt irritable and annoyed.

  Jazz just snorted a huff, knowing exactly what her game was.

  Rory finally finished chewing long enough to speak. “Hey, don’t mind me, I’m just catching up on all the food I missed over the last week. Christ, I’ve been starving. I’m so glad you two know about us. At least I can frickin’ eat now. It was seriously killing me. You don’t know how many times Quade and I raided the fridge in the middle of the night.”

  Just like magic, the mood at the table had improved. Rory just had that knack.

  “I wondered where all the food had gone. I could have sworn there was another whole rump in there a few days ago.” Rihanna laughed.

  “Guilty as charged. Quade and I polished that off the night the

  boss arrived. Surely you must have noticed the stud disappearing from bed to eat his fair share?”

  She shook her head indicating she hadn’t.

  “Minky sleeps like the dead, particularly after she’s had a bit of exercise.” Brayden smirked and Rihanna felt the warm sensation of blood rushing to her cheeks.

  “Yeah, you lucky thing,” Jazz teased.

  Rihanna ignored her and turned to Brayden. “Did you really go and raid the fridge each night?”

  “Most nights,” he said with a twinkling grin. His eyes had lit up full of humour. “I’m just not so obvious because my tastes are a bit more varied. These guys tend to stick mainly to red meat if they can. I’ll chow down on just about anything and I don’t need quite the same amount of protein from meat. I can live well on grains, fruit, and vegies.”