Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
“Umm...”
Jaike’s eyes widened. “Really? Then is it also true that Sabastian Gabris saw...” When Bobby didn’t protest, Jaike shook her head in utter amazement. “Seriously? I honestly thought that the news were all exaggerated and now you’re telling me every bit of it is true?” Jaike paused. “Did Sabastian get mad?”
“Of course not. He understood what really happened.”
Jaike waited for more, but a few seconds passed and she realized that it was all Bobby going to say. It made her even more curious and worried, but out loud, all she asked was, “Where are you now?”
Bobby pressed the Up button for the elevator. “At the new headquarters of Áf̱xi̱si̱.”
Jaike’s eyes widened at Bobby’s answer. “You’re at Leandro’s old racing club? Why?”
“The fundraiser our foundation was planning with Versatile turned out to be sponsored by Christopoulos, Inc.,” Bobby answered shortly. “I received a message last night requesting my presence here so...here I am.”
“Are you really sure you can do this?”
Everyone kept asking her that. Did Leandro ever get asked the same question or did everyone think that she was the only one to suffer if they happened to meet again?
Bobby lifted her chin. The whole time she and Leandro had been separated, she had not allowed anyone to comfort her. Something inside her had rebelled against showing vulnerability, and she had no plans doing otherwise now.
She answered brightly, “Of course. It’s been ages since we broke up. I have Sabastian now. What he does doesn’t concern me at all.”
“WELCOME TO ÁF̱XI̱SI̱,” MJ Cartwright, the club’s resident photographer, greeted her with a shy, awkward smile. Her long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her body, covered in a loose checkered polo, gray tank top, and faded jeans, was so slender she appeared taller than she looked.
Bobby remembered Leandro telling her once that MJ was the same age as her – nineteen now – and that she had joined the club even though she was mortally afraid of bikes for one all-important reason: she had a secret crush on one of the club’s bikers.
Wondering if the cat was out of that particular bag now, Bobby smiled back at MJ. “It’s nice to meet you again, MJ.”
MJ’s cheeks flushed, making Bobby realize that MJ was a lot shyer than she realized. “Same here.” MJ was playing with the SLR in her hands, as if needing the contact with her gadget to keep her from bolting. “I’ve been sent by Helios to show you around while the officers are having a meeting. It should be done soon.”
Bobby debated asking whether Leandro was part of the meeting and decided that with MJ, it was safe to do so. “Feel free to tell me it’s none of my business if I’m violating some kind of club rule, but is, umm, Leandro part of the meeting?”
“He is.”
“Oh.” A chaotic mix of emotions erupted inside Bobby at MJ’s answer. She felt lightheaded, her heart jumping even as her stomach dropped. Damn him. Damn him to hell. She hated how he could make her feel so mixed-up even after learning of his callous use of her.
The silence became strained, and MJ asked hesitantly, “Shall I give you the official tour now?” She didn’t know Bobby Granger very well, but she did read the papers and knew from club gossip that things weren’t exactly great between Bobby and her ex-boyfriend, the notorious Leandro Christopoulos. She had a feeling the other girl needed a distraction, and MJ hoped to provide her with one.
MJ’s invitation made Bobby flash her a smile tinged with relief. An official tour would definitely keep her from dwelling on the fact that once again Leandro was nearby. “Please do. I’m excited to see the whole place.” She looked around with unfeigned interest. The building’s elevator opened directly to the lab’s small mezzanine, which had waist-high glass walls and steel rails. It gave Bobby a nice bird’s eye view of the lab, which was so expansive she could barely see what was going on at the very end.
The lab had shiny hard plastic walls, and fluorescent LED bulbs installed behind the glass edges of the ceiling blazed down on the cemented white floor like alien-powered beams.
“It looks like a spaceship, doesn’t it?” MJ asked cheerfully.
“Umm, yeah, it kinda does,” Bobby agreed laughingly. “But I like it so much better than the old club.”
“I feel the same way, too.” MJ started for the stairs and Bobby fell into step next to her. “Teamwork is very important to the club, and it’s why there are no dividers separating the different work areas. The only rooms here are those that absolutely require privacy like the conference suite, the private quarters of the officers, and the security room.”
“Security room?”
“It’s where the CCTV monitors are plus the club’s database servers and their armory.”