After the Fire (3 page)

“You didn’t ask. I said I’d wait here.” He looked at her, hands on his hips, standing his ground. “I wouldn’t keep the boss waiting, if I were you. He doesn’t like that.”

“I know that—”

He held up his hand to stop her from further comment. “Just go. We’ll discuss your attitude to your superiors on your return. Now run along, like a good little girl. Go on, run, scoot, skedaddle, adios, vamoose...”

“Yes,
sir
.” Freddie stifled the irritation as Jason moved around the desk and sat, propping his feet on it. He used to do that years ago after a disagreement because he knew it annoyed her further.

She left the room, files in hand and rucksack still on her shoulder. She took a deep breath. She was a wreck after only two minutes in the same room as him. How was she meant to do a whole case that could take anything up to three months? What was her problem?

Oh, that’s easy, Freddie. The problem is you see Jason the man, not Jason the vice president. After all this time, you’re still not over him…and if you’re honest, you never will be
.

****

Sadie’s team worked out of the big office which took up half of the second floor. Relief flooded Freddie when Sadie wasn’t at her desk. That saved half an hour of briefings. Freddie gave the files to Roj. “Here are all my cases, along with comprehensive notes as to where each one is, with one exception. I’m hanging on to that one as the case is virtually done save for one meeting I have scheduled. It seems silly to assign someone new just for that.”

“Sounds fair enough.” Roj signed for the files and smiled at Freddie. “Have a good holiday.”

“Thanks. That’s the plan.”

Freddie left the office and headed back to the stairs. She walked up the two flights to the boss’s office. In light of the new information, she’d have a fight on her hands if the boss knew she’d kept the file, but she had no choice. His secretary wasn’t at her desk. Raising a hand, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Freddie opened the door and smiled. He was her boss, and she was going to prove he wasn’t involved. No matter what it took. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes, have a seat. Did you give Sadie the files?”

“She wasn’t there so I left them with Roj.” Freddie sat down.

“All of them?”

For a moment, Freddie was tempted to lie, but she’d never felt comfortable with lies. Cover stories for undercover work were one thing. Outright everyday fibs that resulted in being found out and making things worse were another.
Be honest…just don’t tell him which file you kept.

“All except one.” Freddie watched Edwin’s face as she spoke. His eyes remained expressionless. “I can’t hand over that one as it’s almost done. I have one last meeting scheduled, and I’ll be finished with it. Roj agreed it’d be silly to hand over a case, just for the finishing touches. I can start work with Mr. Bryant as soon as I get back from holiday.”

“I’d like the Rafferty file, now.” He held out a hand.

Freddie caught her breath, hiding her reaction. She hadn’t said which file she was keeping to anyone. “Sir?”

“I wanted all your files, with the exception of the Rafferty case, handed to Sadie. You did me a favor by not handing it over. I assume it’s the one you held on to?”

“Yes, but—”

“I’d like that one. Now, Ms. Flynn.” His tone of voice indicated it wasn’t an option.

“Is there anything else, sir?” Freddie asked as she pulled the file from her rucksack and gave it to him.

“No.” He took the folder, his fingers curling around it. “Have a good holiday. You start work with Mr. Bryant on your return.”

“Yes, sir. Goodbye.”

Freddie left the office and headed down the corridor, her mind reeling. She had to work with the one guy she’d hoped never to see again. The man, who despite everything they’d been through, she was still truly, madly, and deeply in love with.

As for the Rafferty case, she was grateful she had copied the original file and put it in the locked store. There was only one reason she could think that the boss wanted her off the case. And that made her feel sick to her stomach. It merely fueled her determination to see it through to the end. To prove one way or another that he was innocent. She was going to Cornwall for her summer holiday anyway, and she’d just combine the two things.

But right now it was imperative to get the original file and evidence out of the locked storage and into her car, before that vanished. Without that all was lost.

Heading down to security, Freddie signed out the wooden box. It was bigger than she remembered and heavy. At least it was still snug in the holdall it had been delivered in. Refusing security’s offer of help, she left the building via the rear exit—only to find Jason Bryant leaning against her car, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

Just what I don’t need…
She looked at him. “I thought you were waiting in my office.”

“I thought you were coming back.”

Freddie rested the holdall on the ground next to the car and pulled her keys from her bag.

“Well?”

He knows
. She fumbled with the keys, dropping them. Jason bent and picked them up, fixing his firm gaze on her scarlet face.

“Would you like the boot open?”

“Please.” She picked up the holdall and heaved it into the trunk. She stretched up to shut it, his hand closing over hers. Her gaze slowly meandered along his sleeve, perfectly formed abs and up into those deep fathomless eyes. She shook her head.
He’s your boss. Nothing more.

Jason held her gaze and let go of her hand. She immediately shoved it into her pocket.

“Look, Flynster. We have to work together.”

“Flynster?” She raised an eyebrow. No one had called her that since uni.

His smile grew. “Would you rather I called you double-oh-Ef?”

“You lost the right to nicknames a long time ago.” Freddie tore her gaze away and turned to close the trunk. “I said I’d see you before I left and now I have. I’m on leave, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you next week. We’ll start this new case, then.”

Freddie turned to find him standing behind her. She jumped, and looked down. He could read her like a book. He always had been able to. After a moment, she lifted her gaze. He stared into her eyes, and she shuddered. She could so easily lose herself in the beauty of his brown eyes. She took a deep breath. The old feelings were there no matter what she tried to tell herself. She could never stay mad at him for long. At least, not when he was around her. When he wasn’t there it was different.

“What do you want, sir?”

Jason smiled. “How about we just do this and get it over with?”

“Do what?” Freddie shivered as his hand pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. Buried feelings welled up, and she fought to push them back down. Her fingernails pushed into the palms of her hands, the pain forcing her mind to concentrate.
Don’t lose it, girl.

“Work. What did you think I meant?” His intent gaze held hers.

Did he know how much she wanted his arms around her and how hard this was? Was he doing this deliberately?

“I told you, I’m on holiday. I’ll see you next week.” She slid into the car, and shut the door. Her heart pounded.
He knows, he knows. I’m about to get called on it.

She sat there, taking deep calming breaths. The passenger door opened, and she jumped as he climbed into the car beside her. The scent of his aftershave flooded the car, making conscious thought an effort. “Please, Jason…”

He smiled softly. “Finally. I thought you’d forgotten my name, Freddie.”

“Fat chance of that.” She looked at him. “I thought you’d forgotten me.”

“There’s no way I could ever do that. I knew who you were, from the moment I joined the company. I’ve followed your career in the years since. You have one formidable reputation. Did you ever marry?”

He should know from her file that she was single, but she wasn’t going to say so. “No. I’m making use of the gift of singleness.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What about you?” She shrugged, trying unsuccessfully to shove down the grief his question brought to the surface.

His eyes held hers captive. “There’s only ever been one woman for me, Freddie.”

“Really? You sure have a funny way of showing someone how much you love them. Jace, you’re the last man—”

“—on Earth you want to work with. I know that, but these are orders from on high, so let’s do this and then go our separate ways. You can start by being honest. You’re not really going on holiday at all, are you?”

“Yes, I am.” His piercing gaze made her squirm in her seat. “Really, I am.”

“With work stuff?”

“All right. It’s mostly holiday with a tiny bit of work thrown in. I know I was told to hand over all my cases and I did. Apart from one. That one is so close to being done, that even Roj agreed it wasn’t worth handing over.” She took a deep breath. “I booked my leave weeks ago. But I’m using it to go undercover to finish this case. Please don’t stop me. I have a really good reason for doing this. I just can’t—”

“Stop a minute.” Jason held up a hand. “You were going to do this despite being told not to?”

“It’s all booked and paid for…”

“I meant the undercover bit, working the case. Not your holiday.”

“It’ll only take a couple of days and I’m in the general area, anyway. ‘Sides you know how I am. I can’t—”

“Can’t?” He didn’t let up with his stare and Freddie felt her cheeks burn. “Tell you what. You let me tag along—”

“No way are you coming on my holiday,” she said. She couldn’t possibly work with him there.

“Don’t interrupt. You said you were working undercover. You let me come along—as your partner. You keep me in the loop, and we’ll deal with the rest when we get back.”

“I only booked the one room.”

“So book another. Or I’ll sleep on the couch. “

Freddie looked across the parking lot.
What do I do?
“What about the boss?”

“I’ll talk to him. This is the only way, Freddie.”

She met his gaze. No, there was no bending there.
I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. What choice do I have?
She nodded and started the car. “All right. Go home and pack for several days. I’ll change the room reservations, text them to you and meet you there.”

“Oh no, I don’t think so. I’ll pick you up, and we go together. Not that you said where we’re going.”

“I’ll tell you when you pick me up. And I’ll drive.”

Jason touched her hand. “We’ll take my car. It’s bigger and faster than this. Where do you live?”

Freddie took a deep breath and pulled her hand away, his touch burning. “124 Dunbar Street. I’ll be ready in half an hour. And don’t forget your other ID.”

“Book me in as Jason North.” Jason opened the car door. “You know, you haven’t changed at all. I know how to pack for undercover work, Ms. Flynn.” He got out and leaned down, looking at her. “Thirty minutes and you’d better be waiting for me.”

Freddie waited until he was out of the car and had shut the door. “You haven’t changed either. And that is just going to make this so much harder.”

****

Jason watched Freddie drive away and headed across to his car. He pulled out his phone and called the boss. “Hi, it’s Jason. You were right. Short story is I’m going with her.”

“On holiday?”

“Something like that.”

“Did she say where she was going?”

“No, but she agreed to me accompanying her which is a start.” Jason unlocked his car and got in. “We’ll be back next week at some point.”

“Don’t let her out of your sight, Jason. She’s not to be trusted.”

“I won’t. Bye.” He hung up and drove home, praying as he went. He didn’t know what Freddie was hiding, but hoped it wasn’t what Edwin suspected her of. Seeing her again had left him so confused. Even if things became an unmitigated disaster or went pear shaped as his mother termed it, he had the next few days to put right the wrong he had done her—hopefully without doing anything more to hurt her.

****

Freddie put her suitcase into the trunk of Jason’s Jaguar. If he wanted to take his car that badly, he could drive the whole of the four-hour-long journey from Berkshire to Cornwall. She carefully set the holdall containing the wooden box next to the cases. Then, she sat in the passenger seat, bag by her feet, watching the built up areas lead to fields as they hit the motorway.

“So, where are we going?” Jason glanced at her. “Or are you keeping that a secret, too?”

“We’re staying at Daybreak Guest House in Trelawney. It’s a small fishing village on the west coast of Cornwall. I managed to get two more rooms in the guest house I was booked into.”

“Three rooms in total?”

“I figured we could use one as an office, rather than having to use either your bedroom or mine. The web site describes the boarding house as cozy.”

“That would be translated as small, then.”

“Of course.” Freddie had been surprised the landlady, Mrs. Bowman, had the rooms available and didn’t mind her taking up another two at this busy time of year. At least one thing had gone right today. She angled around so she could watch him as he drove. Aside from the grey around his temples, he really hadn’t aged much. Unlike her.

“You’re doing that staring thing again.” Jason glanced at her then turned his attention back to the road.

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, I’ll stop. I was admiring your grey hair. Aside from that you don’t look any older.” Freddie shifted in the seat a little, stifling a smile as he snorted.

“Pffft. It’s been fifteen years, Freddie. I’ve gained weight, got arthritis in my left knee, sciatica in my back, and I get out of breath running upstairs.”

“Rubbish, you don’t look a day over thirty seven.” Freddie mimed playing a violin. She knew exactly how old he was.

Jason glanced at her. “And you are still as beautiful as you were, then.”

“I wasn’t pretty at twenty, and I’m not now, either.” She paused, pushing the glasses up her nose. She really should get them tightened. Maybe there was an optician in Trelawney she could go to. “Why did you do it?”