Page 15 of Breaking His Code
The man hovering in the doorway smiles as he strips off his jacket. By the look of his brown leather bomber, this summer storm is a doozy. “I hope I’m notinterrupting.”
“You’re not. Al Hagen, meet Camilla Delgado and Lucas Parker. They’ll be overseeingyourwork.”
I extend my hand, and Al’s firm grip is accompanied by an odd expression. Almost surprise. Then again, most people look twice at my cane when they meet me. “CallmeCam.”
“You're the programmer?” Vague disbelief infuseshistone.
I’m used to being looked down on in the tech world. Not only am I a woman, but I'm also Mexican. My brown skin and inky locks don’t earn me as much prejudice in Seattle as they would in Fresno or Modesto—where I grew up—but for every five enlightened Seattleites, one is still stuck in thedarkages.
“I am.” I plant my cane and push to my feet. Al’s stocky but short, and I have a couple of inches on him.Thank you, Papa, for your height.“Ever since I leftthearmy.”
“Oh. Great.” He can’t turn away fast enough, and when he gets to Lucas, he offers another handshake. “So…what’s the plan?” He addresses Royce, rather than either one of us, and I’m starting to really dislikethisguy.
“Cam’s the project lead. Lucas is going to oversee the cabling. You’ll take your orders from them. Get to work.” Royce stands as well, dismissing us, and I can’t help the twitch in my right arm. The urge to salute him lingers, even a decade after our last mission together. But I manage to limit myself to a curt nod, and the three of us head for thebullpen.
“Listen,” I begin when we’re standing at my desk, but before I can give Al a piece of my mind—professionally, of course—he holds uphishand.
“Please. Let me say something first. I really need this job. And I don't want to let anyone down. You tell me what to do, I’ll do it. Hell, I’ll crawl through the dingiest, darkest ventilation ducts the hotel has just so I can work. And I’m sorry for earlier. I didn’t mean to imply a woman can’t handle this job. Royce called you ‘Cam’ when we met the other day, and I thought it was short forCameron.”
He's so earnest, I relent and gesture to the conference room. “Schematics are in there. Get yourself some coffee, and we’ll go overtheplan.”
* * *
By midday,Lucas, Al, and the crew are set up in the parking garage, and I’m headed back to Coana to check on them and install Oversight’s base framework. None of her modules are fully customized yet, but what I have to do today will form the foundation of the entiresystem.
My phone buzzes as I step onto theelevator.
How am I supposed to go all week without seeing you? Will you have time to gametonight?
If my heritage allowed me to blush easily, I’d be crimson right now. I had more than one dream that involved West last night, so I rush toreply.
You’ll be begging formercy,stud.
By the time we’ve exchanged a few racier texts, I’ve set up my laptop and hooked into Coana’s network. Their existing security feeds reveal Lucas and the crew hard at work. Al and his friends chat amiably, with Lucas off on his own, miserable. I’ve got to find a way to make things uptohim.
The next few hours drag on, though the install goes off without any major hitches. Well past six, as I’m contemplating packing up, I call Lucas up to the server room, hoping I can find a way tocheerhim.
“What’s up?” He’s covered in cobwebs and dust, with a particularly thick smudge under his eye. “We’re done for the day. About toheadhome.”
The keycard slides across the narrow desk. “Royce has three interviews scheduled on Thursday. I can’t override him—and we won’t finish this job without you running cable this week. But consider this a promise. As soon as he hires someone, I’ll rely on you here. In thischair.”
Lucas spins the card in his palm. “Cam, I…Thankyou.”
“How’s everythinggoing?”
After a shrug, he drops into the chair next to me. “Al’s good. Hard worker. His buddies could use some social skills, but they’ve done what I’ve asked without complaint. We’re going to try to get through the seventh floor by the end oftheweek.”
I glance down at the schedule and smile. “If you can do that, you’ll be back in this chair before youknowit.”
“Did you ever call that guy and apologize? The SEAL?” The coat of Lucas's frustration slides away, and all of a sudden I’ve got my friend back. “Do I need to steal your phone and take matters into my ownhands?”
“Never!” I snatch the phone up and hold it to my chest. “We’re having dinner onFriday.”
“That’s all I get? Spill it, Delgado. I needdetails.”
Before long, we’re laughing like there’s never been any tension between us, and a piece of my life slips back intoplace.
* * *
