Page 102 of Protecting Love

He pulled the USB out of his pocket. “Can you look this over? It’s password protected, but I’m positive it’s not anything major.”

“Sure,” Avery said, taking it and putting it in her purse. “Do I get a heads up of what I’m looking at? Some deep secret for that new job of yours?”

“Nothing for West,” he said. Everyone knew where he landed.

Hell, half asked him to put a good word in to get them jobs.

And some, he would, if he had a need.

“Then who?” Avery said. “Got to give me something.”

“Westerly Consultants is under his umbrella. It’s family on top of it. One owner has had a bit of trouble.”

“Trouble you’re not going to share?”

“Nothing worth mentioning right yet. She finished a job and went back through, trying to see if she missed something and found this file. She didn’t remember seeing it before and can’t get into it.”

“So not much cloak and dagger stuff. Has to be driving you nuts,” Avery asked.

“It’s not that bad.”

“You’re lying.”

“Nah. Just takes some getting used to.”

“Sure you’re not just saying that?” Avery said. “I won’t tell anyone. Maybe I want to know what it’s like on the other side.”

He smirked. “It was hard at first, but yeah, it has its perks. I’m not being shot at anymore.”

“You stopped being shot at when you got your promotion.”

“True.”

He’d taken that job for the money, the reduced risk, and the time home with his family.

Which all felt meaningless in the end.

Though if he hadn’t taken that job, he might not have come to the attention of West Carlisle. Or met the woman who was making him feel like a man again.

Like someone who looked forward to going to work daily hoping to see her again.

That she’d find some excuse to stop up and talk to someone else just to catch a glimpse of him.

Or hope that she’d need him to take her somewhere.

“If this is as easy as you say, I should be able to find something in a day or so. I just took a break right now. Working on a big case.”

“No rush. I know what it’s like.”

“Give me a few days,” Avery said, standing with her coffee. “And I need to get back. If you don’t hear from me and need it sooner, just shoot me a text.”

“Will do.” He stood with his coffee and walked back to his condo.

He’d parked and walked over after leaving Paris rather than going into his place.

He knew Ian would question that and the less his son knew the better.

He finished his coffee, put the empty cup in the first garbage bin he saw, then entered his building and rode the elevator to his floor.