Facade

“Good thing no one pays you to be observant,” she said.

“I can hear your grin.”

“Good. Because it’s there. Now, here’s how we’re going to get out of here. To the left of us is the northbound staircase. We’re going to go down to the third floor. We’re going to exit on the third floor and shoot straight across to the nearest window. There are outside fire exit staircases, but they only go up to the third floor. Getting out of this building gives me a chance to assess how bad this is. If it’s safe, we can make our way to a cab. If it’s not safe, we can stick to the back roads until we get a few blocks away from this place. The gunmen have a white van as a getaway. He’s going to be using the main streets to circle the block until the gunmen can get out of this building.”

I heard footsteps echoing down the hallway, and Sam’s hand clamped down over my mouth. I was trembling. I could see the outline of her body as the red lights continued to flash in the hallway. Her eyes were piercing and her body was still. I couldn’t even hear her breathing. She held her compact gun up to the side of her face as the steps continued down the staircase, fading from our ears before she dropped her hand.

“On my count,” Sam said.

I was impressed, wholly impressed with her. Everything about her was planned. The walkie-talkie. The way she was going to get me out of here. Even that kiss. That kiss had served as a way to relax me and keep me from freaking out because she knew those men were going to be coming down those steps.

That was annoying. Her kiss had been too soft and too enjoyable to be nothing but a part of her grand scheme to save my life.

She quickly opened the door and looked both ways. She took my hand and tugged me out into the hallway as we ran through the red-drenched corridors of the building. We eased our way into the staircase and ran all the way down to the third floor, where we busted through and came to a door across the hall. Sam reared her foot back and thrust it into the door, barreling it open with one swift kick before she looked back at me.

“Come on. The window opens easier than that.”

She threw the window open, steadied me onto the fire escape, and away we went. We touched down onto the ground, and she shoved me into the brick wall, listening for any signs of shooting. When she was satisfied, she took my hand and led me to the main road. The commotion was still inside as she led me toward a car I didn’t recognize.

She opened the door for me to get in, but I paused.

“Whose car is this?” I asked.

“Get the fuck in, Mr. Steele,” Griggs said.

I slid into the car before she dipped in next to me. My eyes roamed her body as I reached for the champagne in the back of the car. I popped the top and started chugging, trying to rid my mind of the events of tonight.

Fuck. I’d even left my award behind.

How the hell did this woman do this for a living? I was a mess, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. At least three gunmen had been at this event, and I had no idea if anyone was safe. I downed half the bottle of champagne before I allowed it to swing between my legs.

But not Sam.

Sam was as put together as they came.

She had done all of that in a dress and heels, an elegant dress that accentuated the lilt of her hips. I refused to believe that kiss was planned or some part of a grand scheme to calm me down. It had been too delicate and too soft to be anything else. If she had been desperate for something, the kiss would’ve been desperate.

That much I knew about women.

We all rode in silence all the way back to my house. We went through the gate as Griggs drove us to my front door. I slid out of my door and tried to wrap around to open hers, but she was out and on her feet before I could jog around.

She escorted me to my door as Griggs sat there in the car.

“Thank you. For this evening,” I said. “I’m glad I hired you.”

“Maybe now you’ll listen to me,” Sam said.

“I’ll take that as your version of a ‘you’re welcome,’ ” I said.

We stood on the porch as her eyes roamed the house. I couldn’t tell if she was admiring it or studying it. I took out my keys and placed them into the lock. Then, I went to open the keypad I would have to type a code into in order to twist the key and get inside.