Total pages in book: 189
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
“You going to stay for a while?”
“As long as I need to. Have at it.”
Moon nodded. Then he got up to let Viper have the chair. Taking his gun, he left the security room. Viper was already raising the garage door as the door of the security office closed behind him.
Striding across the parking lot, he went up the path behind the clubhouse. Going to the picnic table, he lifted himself to sit on the top, his feet going to bench where people normally sat.
Staring out into the dark night toward the mountains, he opened the cigarettes and took one out to light. Setting the pack down on the table within easy reach, Moon cleared his mind. Concentrating on the thefts in the factory like a never-ending reel, over and over the reel played. Intermittently, he would put out a cigarette and light another.
He’d gone through half a pack and dawn was beginning to light the night sky when he put out a cigarette half-smoked and rose from the table.
Returning back to the security room, Viper looked at him expectantly. “Well?”
“We’ve been going off the idea that it’s an employee taking advantage of one of our weaknesses that we don’t know about. It’s more organized than that.”
“How organized?”
“When I talked to Shade, I thought two. It’s more than that. There’s more going on here than we assumed. They’re using the trucks.”
Viper shook his head. “We’ve been monitoring them too closely.”
“I don’t know how, but they’re stealing what they want during the shipping.”
“Solution?”
“We have to bring in a plant.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“Is there anything I forgot to buy?”
“Let me think …” Larissa pretended to give Moon’s question a deep thought as she looked at the salesclerk who was ringing up the colossal amount of purchases Moon was making. “Do you sell prom dresses?”
“No, but we get new merchandise every week.” Humorously, the clerk continued ringing the purchases.
Her breath hitched in her throat when Moon gave the clerk a captivating wink.
“I’ll leave my number, so you call me.”
Reaching into his back pocket, Moon took out his wallet to take out his credit card. She realized he wasn’t joking when he asked for a pen and paper to write his number down. The salesclerk’s features turned a bright shade of pink as she gave Moon his receipt and card back.
“I’ll make sure to give you a call,” she gushed, “when the new inventory comes in.”
Wanting to get away from the flirtation going on right in front of her face, Larissa reached for a couple of the bags within reach.
Moon moved the bags away. “Go ahead to the car. I’ll come back for these after I carry the boxes out,” he directed her.
“Okay.” She stepped around Moon as he easily lifted a box containing the crib they had chosen and walked through the sliding glass door.
Outside, she waited next to the SUV while Moon lowered the box to the ground to press the unlock button.
“I could have carried a few of the bags,” she snapped, angry at herself more than at Moon. Why did she care he had flirted with the clerk? What he did was none of her business. She had to keep her head on straight and not let the responsibility Moon felt for the baby she was carrying get tangled into believing he felt the same way toward her. Nor let her emotions overrule her common sense.
“I wanted your hands free as a precaution. The sidewalk has a big step down. With me carrying the box, I wouldn’t have been able to catch you in time if you had any difficulty.”
“I didn’t think of that.” Ashamed at herself, she glanced away from Moon. “I’m not usually such a Negative Nancy.”
“It’s cool.” As he opened the car door for her, the smile he gave her reminded her of the one he had given the salesclerk.
She got in the SUV and waited as Moon went back inside the children’s boutique. Scrolling on her phone to keep herself from imagining Moon talking to the clerk without her presence made the wait drag by.
After fifteen minutes, she wanted nothing more than to call Lana or Priss to pick her up. Not willing to make a fool of herself twice in the same day, she remained sitting in the car, promising herself it would be the last outing with Moon. Other than the baby appointments, there was no need for them to spend time together.
Once she came to the stark conclusion, Larissa found it easier to wait patiently and was even able to give Moon a nonchalant smile when he got in the car after loading the purchases in the back.
“Sorry it took so long. The clerk wasn’t able to find the key to the storeroom where the dolly was kept. She had to call the manager.”
“No problem. I was able to take care of a few emails.” Brushing off his apology made her feel more in control than she had in a long time.