Page 22 of Blake

“A clear message.” Jack and Alex were both nodding their chins firm, jaws rigid.

“But for who?”

Jack asked the question Blake had been thinking and he had a distinct feeling it was for him. Something felt off about that attack. How did the guy know his moves before he did them? It was like they had sparred before, trained together and knew each other—and that knee wheel? It was a good move but not one used a lot. How did they know to go for his knee? It could have been a coincidence, but Blake didn’t think so.

* * *

“What the fuck is going on and don’t even think about lying to me.”

Roz stood in front of Pax’s couch, her body perfectly still. Roz had a way about her when she was angry that seemed to suck the air from the room and Pax had the unexpected urge to open all the windows to let some oxygen back in. Instead she stayed still.

This moment was always going to come. She would have just preferred it in her own time.

“Roz,” Evelyn began trying to calm their boss down.

“No, Evelyn, it’s fine. This is my mess. Let me explain.” Pax interrupted Evelyn, patting her on the knee. She looked up at the stunning face of her boss and swallowed. “Three nights ago I was attacked at the gallery. I was waiting for a client that had booked for seven pm. They were late and I started to lock up. I was just grabbing my backpack from the desk when two men attacked me. They beat me,” she said waving at her face. “As you can see, I didn’t exactly put up much of a fight. Then they warned me to keep my nose out of things that weren’t my concern and my dad couldn’t protect me this time. Then they left.” She looked down at her hands, waiting for Roz to blow.

“Why was there no evidence on the security cameras?” Roz began to pace slowly.

“I erased it. But I did make a copy,” she added quickly.

Roz swung back around to her and the look on her face was furious, her voice deadly quiet. “You fucking what?”

Pax met her look head-on. This was no time to wimp out, she had done enough of that. “I erased the footage.”

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

Pax didn’t answer for a second. How did she tell the person who had put so much faith in her that she was embarrassed because she wasn’t as badass as they were? It was time to ’fess up and if Roz fired her then she would just have to find another job. Maybe something in Europe would be fun. A fresh start so to speak but then her mind went to Blake. She would miss him and what had nearly started.

“Pax.” Roz was obviously done waiting for an answer.

“I was embarrassed all right,” she spewed standing herself, and pacing from the sofa to the window and back, rubbing her hands together in agitation.

“Embarrassed?”

Roz seemed confused and it was a tone Pax normally only heard when she was being told stuff about parenting. Roz was a feared assassin, a leader, and could probably take out a small army with her hands tied behind her back. But the girls she’d adopted after she’d rescued them from a sick piece of shit who planned to sell them, scared the crap out of her most of the time. She loved them with the fierceness of any mother but a natural Suzy homemaker she was not. It almost made Pax laugh—almost.

“Yes, I was embarrassed that I got jumped like that and couldn’t defend myself. That would never have happened to the others. Shit, Bebe or you—any of you—would have wiped the floor with those jerks. I got my ass handed to me. So yes, I was embarrassed and didn’t want you all to know. So I cleaned up and erased the file then drove home.”

Roz sat down heavily on the couch beside Evelyn as Pax stopped pacing and watched her, waiting for the inevitable explosion, but it didn’t come.

“I should fire you for gross misconduct. Wiping evidence and hiding shit that goes on in my organisation is a betrayal.” Pax held her breath her heart breaking at the thought of losing her job, her friends, the women she had come to think of as family. “But I won’t.” She included Evelyn in her look. “Even though I should, I won’t fire you either, not when it’s my fault.”

“Roz—”

“I’m talking now.” Roz’s glare stopped Pax from continuing. “This is on me. I’m to blame for you feeling this way. It is my fault. I should have made sure you had the same training as the others. Just because you’re our support coordinator doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to step up and do other jobs. The problem is, and I’m not trying to make excuses, I can’t afford to lose you from the office. Nobody can organise things like you do, Pax. If I asked you to arrange a military coup in a twenty-four-hour window you would do it.”

“I don’t know about that.” Pax felt a blush creep over her pale skin and inwardly cursed her red hair and fair skin.

“I do. You are so integral to Zenobi that I don’t know what I’d do if you wanted to go out on missions. But that’s no excuse for leaving you vulnerable and for that I apologise. That said, you will start training as soon as your ribs are healed.” Roz turned back to Evelyn. “I want you and Mustique to take over the office for a month while Bebe and I get Pax up to speed.”

Pax was in a state of shock as she listened. I’m not fired? I’m not the weak link? “I thought I was untrainable—”

“What?”

“I thought you didn’t think I had it in me to be like the others. That perhaps I was soft.” She sat down suddenly exhausted.

“You are soft but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a deadly badass too. Look at me.” Pax and Evelyn snorted with laughter at Roz’s smirk. “You are every bit as important as the girls that go out on missions. Never forget that and if you decide that’s the way you want to go, then I’ll have to suck it up and find someone else to keep Zenobi running efficiently.”