Page 37 of Smoke Screen
“I can’t believe he’s doing this.”
“I can.” Cilla shrugged. “He’s Phin. That’s a good man, right there.”
“Sounds like it. I barely know him.”
“Well, if I were you, I’d change that.”
7
Feeling ballsy,Phin illegally parked in front of FBI headquarters and hopped out to meet Cilla and Maddy at the door.
He bypassed the thirty reporters and cameramen who’d eyed him and clearly decided he wasn’t worth questioning.
Good. He wasn’t in the mood for any of their nonsense. All he wanted was to get out of here without Zeke throwing a major tantrum and lecturing him on lying low.
He knew all that. Really did. But Maddy? Kinda gettin’ screwed here.
And that pissed him off.
Which, on some level surprised him. People got screwed all the damned time and he accepted it. All part of life.
Maddy? She didn’t deserve this. Unlike him, she was a straight arrow. A woman passionate about her job, dedicated to doing the right thing. He admired her spunk and her brains and the way every time he got within ten feet of her, he wanted to touch some part of her. Any random part. Just let his hands roam until she was on top of him, her eyes lighting up when he gave her an orgasm that would blow her into orbit.
Jesus. He had to stop.
He ran a hand over his face, shook off thoughts of naked Maddy, and focused on the next few minutes.
Hustling through the door, he found Cilla and Maddy crossing the lobby, Cilla’s quick strides causing Maddy to make some serious effort to keep up.
“Hi, Phin,” Cilla said. “Thanks for the help.”
“No problem.”
She peered outside, taking in the crowd. “Eh. Not that bad.” She spun back to Maddy. “It’ll be quick, but overwhelming. The second we step out, they’ll converge and you’ll feel like every ounce of oxygen has been sucked away. Fight it. Breathe and stay calm. That’s your only job. I’ll take care of everything else.”
Damn, the woman was good.
Maddy bobbed her head, sending her curls into a frenzy. She may have been agreeing, but her eyes, all wide and spooked, told the tale.
He tugged on one of her curls. “You’ll be fine. Cilla’s an ace at this and I’ll cut a path. We’ll be at the car in under a minute.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I parked illegally.”
When she laughed, he considered it a job well done.
“You two are awesome. Thank you.”
“No. Thankyou,” Cilla said. “I live for this.”
Phin led the charge to the door while Maddy and Cilla, heads high, stayed just behind him.
Once they hit fresh air, the crowd mobilized, the group of them rushing forward in a solid wall of bodies and cameras. Men and women holding microphones, jockeying for a front row position, all of them forming a circle around them.
“Ms. Carmichael, did you steal the Pierres?”
“Ms. Carmichael, are you a suspect?”
“Back up,” Phin hollered, his arms in front of him, tunneling through the crowd and making sure not to push anyone.
All he needed was to knock someone over. The lecture Zeke would level on him would literally turn him to stone. Then, as a brutal reminder to Cruz and Rohan to mind their p’s and q’s, he’d use Phin as a statue in the entrance to the Annex.
