Page 104 of Broken
After shuttingand bolting the door, she walked into the living room. As she stared through the picture windows into the dark night, she thought about Prescott.
I shouldn’t be feeling this way. He derailed my career.
Despite the war raging within, she was falling in love with him. Even if she fought herself every step of the way, she’d still fall.
Jacqueline knew herself well enough to know how she felt. And she couldn’t even hate herself for feeling that way. Being with Prescott Armstrong was the absolutebestthing that had ever happened to her.
14
UNEARTHING THE PAST
Jacqueline
As Jacqueline rang the doorbell, a kaleidoscope of butterflies zoomed around her stomach. She couldn’t wait to see Prescott, but she was dreading working with him. Their history was so divergent it was hard to reconcile that Mac and Prescott were the same person.
When he opened the front door, a zing of attraction skittered through her. Dressed in a white dress shirt and dark blue dress pants, he held a tie in his hand.
Swinging the door wide, he said, “C’mon in. I just got back.”
She followed him into the kitchen. A handful of toys were scattered across the family room floor, a laundry basket filled with Ethan’s clothes sat nearby, and breakfast dishes waited on the kitchen island.
He offered a sheepish smile. “We had a challenge getting out the door today.”
She smiled. “Your house looks like a home. Where are we working?”
“My office. Coffee?” He poured himself a mug.
“I’m good.”
He led her down the hall and into a large room with a beautiful walnut desk that looked like it had been made for that space. A dark walnut border ran along the edge of the stately furniture. Behind the desk stood a wall of built-ins. Other than a handful of books and several framed photos, the space was bare.
A guest chair sat in the corner.
“It might be easier if I work beside you.” She rolled the spare chair next to his. “In case we need to review the same files.”
She pulled out her laptop and eased into the chair. The second he sat beside her, his manly scent filled her lungs.
Delicious.
“After you left, I couldn’t sleep, so I worked on the case,” she said.
“After I left, I couldn’t sleep either.”
She patted his thigh. “You had your chance.”Stop touching him and concentrate.“Like I mentioned the other day, I read through Gloria and Bert’s ALPHA missions, then Addison and Hawk’s.”
He nodded.
“Like Hawk and Addison, Gloria and Bert partnered a lot. Is that common in ALPHA?” she asked.
“Operatives develop work relationships that bleed into missions,” Prescott explained. “Sometimes they can choose their partners, but most times Cooper puts together the mission teams.”
“Gloria and Bert were both married. Neither spouse was in ALPHA. I couldn’t find anything that leads me to think they were having an affair.” She tucked her hair behind her ear as her phone started ringing in her handbag.
It was Naomi.
“Sorry, I’ll just be a sec.” She answered, “Hey, what’s up?”
“My neighbor asked if any of our puppies are still available,” Naomi said. “I wanted to check with you about Loki.”
