“Doesn’t mean anything,” she spoke under her breath.
Not all married men wore rings. Especially if they were a physical risk due to their jobs.
Except Jake and the others on Alpha Team all wore their rings. So did the Bravo guys who were married.
Get a grip, Ems. And some damn batteries.
Snatching up a pack of yellow sticky notes and a pen, Emma started to write herself a reminder to stop at the store on her way home when the office door opened once again.
Glancing up, she saw a young man in baggy jeans and a worn Metallica t-shirt. In his hands was a medium-sized cardboard box.
Delivery boy.
“Good morning.” Emma gave him a smile.
The kid grunted and set the box down onto her desk. “Jake McQueen here?”
She blinked, his abrupt demeanor taking her by surprise. Glancing down, she spotted a white piece of paper taped to the top of the box with Jake’s name on it.
“He is, but he’s in a meeting.”
A strange look crossed over the young man’s face. “I’m supposed to give this to him.”
Upon closer inspection, Emma took a mental picture of the kid’s face...and the dragon tattoo on his neck. She wasn’t sure why, but something about him gave her the creeps.
“I’ll make sure he gets it.”
Emma reached for the box, but the boy pulled it out of her grasp at the last second.
“I’m supposed to hand itdirectlyto McQueen,” he growled.
Irritation began to build, but she managed to keep a polite smile plastered across her face. “I understand. But like I said, Mr. McQueen is in a meeting, so you’ll have to leave it with me. Do I need to sign for it?”
Looking confused—along with something else she couldn’t quite decipher—he shook his head. “I don’t need no signature.”
“Well, if you’ll just give the package to me, I’ll take it back to his office right away.”
The boy still hesitated briefly, almost as if he wanted to say something more. After a few additional seconds, he gave in.
“Fine.” He shoved the box into her hands. “Just makes sure he gets it.”
“Oh!” Nearly dropping it, Emma did her best to remain professional. “Um...thank you. Can I tell him who it’s from?”
Ignoring her, he turned his back on her and hastily walked away.
“Jerk,” she mumbled as she carried the package—which was heavier than she’d expected—down the hallway and into Jake’s office.
Sitting it on his desk, she started to leave, but paused as an unsettling feeling gnawed at her gut. Lifting the package again, she studied all four sides, but found nothing.
No postal stamp or any sort of official label. Just Jake’s name scribbled across the piece of paper.
That’s odd.
In her short time here, Emma had accepted numerous packages on the company’s behalf. But this was the first time something had been delivered without a return address.
For a moment, she considered interrupting the meeting to tell Jake about it now, rather than later. But then she decided against it.
You don’t need to interrupt an important meeting to tell him about a delivery.