Today's Excerpt is from
Protecting his Wolfe
Written by Melissa Keir
Late one October evening, after most of the staff had left, Betsie chose to get the last of the filing done before heading out, hoping to earn some bonus points from Miss Hildebrand, the imperious clerical supervisor at Anderson. After all, nobody waited at home for her.
She kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes, glad to be free of the fashionable toe-pinchers after a long day. Grabbing the stack of papers, she walked over to the tall filing cabinet. She sniffed and sneezed. “Julie must have worn the whole bottle of Chanel this morning.” Her co-worker’s “more is better” perfume policy made their close quarters trying at times. Juggling the folders in one arm, she pushed the window open for fresh air then sat on the floor to sort the files. Perhaps Mrs. Hildebrand, the old dragon who ran the secretarial pool, would appreciate her efficiency and lay off her for once. Few, if any, other staff members remained so late in the day. Only the soft hum of the fluorescent lights broke the quiet, and she was able to work quickly without all the interruptions of the business day.
As she finished alphabetizing A-L, harsh voices echoed from outside, startling her.
Who could that be? She crept closer to the window, but found it too high to see the people below. Perhaps she shouldn’t have stayed alone at night, no matter how it might benefit her career.
“Do you have the stuff?” The voice sounded familiar. She scrunched her eyes, trying to envision the person behind the sound.
“Yes, I do, but the drugs are hidden until you pay me twice the amount we agreed on.”
She held her breath and crouched behind the file cabinet, afraid to make a sound. Is that Mr. Anderson? Why is my boss talking about drugs?
“That’s not the way to do business. We agreed on a fee. I did the loading and driving. I had all the risk.” The rough voice took on a menacing tone with a rasp that sounded like he—and it was clearly a man— had smoked three packs of cigarettes a day for twenty years.
“But it’s my company and my name on those trucks, which means I’m taking the biggest risk if we get caught moving your drugs. So the amount is double.”
Betsie’s heart raced. She’d never known anyone who’d been involved in dirty business, and now she was working for one. I wish I hadn’t worked late. Her leg hurt from her cramped posture, and she rubbed her calf to try to ease the pain. Closing her eyes, she retraced in her mind the office layout and an escape route. Just in case.
“I don’t have the money now. You should know that. You write my paycheck. You’ll pay for lying to me!” Johnny, her friend from the warehouse. He’d always treated her like a sister. How could he be involved in such a dirty business?
“Don’t threaten me. You won’t like it when I’m threatened. Find a way to get that money by Tuesday, or I’m selling them to another customer.”
Their voices faded until Betsie couldn’t hear them anymore. How could she be sure they’d left the premises? Had she heard the whole conversation right? She didn’t want to chance running into them, so she looked for a place to hole up. Could the men have been talking about something other than drugs? Maybe it wasn’t Mr. Anderson and Johnny. After all, she hadn’t actually seen the people.
Terrified someone might still be hanging around and learn she’d overheard their conversation, she tiptoed to the door, stuck her head out, and looked around, alert for the slightest movement. The screech of a cat and the rattle of cans falling in the alley made her jump. Throwing her shoulders back, she forged ahead. She couldn’t stay there all night. On the walk home along the dark streets, her heart fluttered as if it would escape her chest, especially after Mr. Johnson, walking his dog, said hello.
Twisting each of the three locks on the door made Betsie feel a tiny bit safer, but it wasn’t until she climbed into bed and pushed the largest knife from the kitchen under her mattress that she felt relaxed enough to sleep.
Passion has a way of igniting when people are under stressful situations, but is Betsie and Jonah's relationship a matter of desire, or is it something more?
Protecting his Wolfe is part of the
