Page 34 of Operation Protector
“Here we go,” she heard Liam say as the front door was pulled open.
Ali watched as Irene looked curiously at Liam, then at Colby. She said something, so quietly it came through as anunintelligible murmur. Her expression was too neutral for Ali to read. Even as she thought it, Hayley confirmed her feelings.
“She either doesn’t care, or she’s experienced enough not to show her own feelings while at work.”
“Colby said she’s always been civil to him at least,” Quinn said as the woman closed the door, leaving the two men on the porch.
A couple of minutes ticked by, and Ali was growing more and more irritated on Colby’s behalf as he was, clearly intentionally, kept waiting.
“She’s quite the manipulator, isn’t she?” she muttered.
Hayley nodded. “Frequently used way to remind people you’re in charge is to keep them waiting.”
“Because of course your time is more important than theirs.”
Hayley gave her a sideways look. “You have some strong feelings about this.”
She let out a sigh. “I hate people who play power games all the time. It’s one of the reasons I left the city and came here.”
“Well, there’s a lot fewer of them here, I promise,” Hayley said.
As distraction Ali looked around the room again. It had the air of a comfortable great room in a well-designed house, which had been a surprise to her because of the commercial look of the outside. If someone had hired her to take the utilitarian building and make it feel like a home, it might well have ended up something like this. Which made her like these people even more than she already did. And now it was personal, not just by reputation.
“And who is…this?”
Liz’s voice, with more than a little undertone of distaste in it, came clearly through the earpiece, and Ali’s gaze shot back to the screen. As predicted, she was looking at Liam as if he were some sort of insect that had found his way too close to her door.
“Liam,” Colby said. “New apprentice.”
“Really.” It wasn’t a question, and her undertone was one of disbelief. Probably that anyone would want to learn a trade that was actually useful.
“My car broke down, so he gave me a ride,” Colby explained.
“Too bad you can’t afford a decent one,” Liz said.
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Liam had apparently had enough of being ignored. Ali drew back, smiling because she couldn’t help it. He had truly poured on that Texas drawl. And it made Liz’s nose curl and go up even farther.
And then she spotted the truck. The truck that was so obviously a working man’s vehicle, with racks above and a ladder and a tool box in the bed.
“You expect my daughter to ride in…that?”
“I cleaned it out, ma’am, I truly did,” Liam said earnestly, still with the exaggerated drawl, as if trying to impress in a job interview.
“We’re not leaving town,” Colby said.
“You’d better not.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He was sounding weary now. Or better, bored with dealing with her. She couldn’t help smiling at the difference Foxworth had already made in his outlook. His voice had the same tone when he said, “Will you call Grace, please?”
Yes, bored, especially the almost blatant insincerity of the politeness. And she guessed there was nothing that would insult someone like Liz more than being found boring.
There was a moment of silence, and Ali got the definite impression Liz was weighing whether a battle now and over this was worth it. Apparently she decided it wasn’t, because she then turned her head and yelled toward the back of the house.
“Grace, now.”
So quickly Ali knew she had to have been anxiously awaiting the call. Grace appeared in the doorway, looking up at her father excitedly. She gave Liam a puzzled look, but clearly getting awaywith her father was more important than any questions she had. She grabbed Colby’s hand and started for the porch steps.
“You have until 6:03,” Liz said loudly as they headed for the truck. “And don’t ruin her dinner.”
