With her suspicious imagination still whirling, Emma headed back to her own desk. As she walked, she made a mental note to tell Jake about the strange delivery the second he got out of the meeting.
Several minutes later, she was finishing up a phone call with a potential client when she caught movement from the corner of her eye.
“Hey, Emma,” Jake hollered at her from the middle of the hall. “Where did you put those files I asked you to make for today’s meeting? I didn’t see them this morning.”
She smiled. Jake McQueen was a lot of things...great boss, badass operative, wonderful husband and father. But the one thing he was not, was organized.
Not when it came to paperwork, anyway.
They’re in the tray on your desk. I set them there before I left last night. Oh, and a package came for you a little while ago. It’s on your desk, too.”
“Package?” He stopped just outside his office doorway. “That’s odd. I’m not expecting anything today.”
The nagging feeling started picking at her again.
“Itwasodd.” She stood and began walking toward him. “So was the kid who delivered it.”
Jake’s dark brows bunched together. “What do you mean?”
“First, he insisted he give it to you, directly. Then, when I told him you were in a meeting, he got agitated. I finally talked him into giving it to me, but he left before I could get any more information. I almost brought it straight to you, but I...I didn’t want to interrupt the meeting. I probably should have, though. Right?”
“No, you did just fine.” Jake shook his head, glancing back toward his office. “And you don’t know who it was from?”
“That’s what’s so strange.” Emma continued moving closer. “It doesn’t say.”
“There’s no return address?”
“Nope. Just your name on a piece of paper.”
Staring through his doorway toward his desk, Jake made no move to enter his office. His expression hardened, and a second later, he was pulling his cell from his pocket.
Tapping the screen, he put the phone to his ear and waited. “It’s me. I need a bomb squad to our building, ASAP.”
Bomb squad?
Emma stopped in her tracks, barely making it to the hallway’s entrance. Surly, Jake didn’t think someone had sent him a bomb. Right?
“Not confirmed, no,” he told whoever was on the other end of the call. “But I received a suspicious package, and I don’t want to take any chances.” There was a pause and then, “Thanks. Will do.”
Ending the call, Jake shoved his phone back into his jeans and turned to her. “Get out.”
The order was clear and crisp.
“What?”
Emma’s heart thudded hard against her ribs. Staring back at him, she tried to wrap her mind around the possibility of what he’d just told the person on the phone.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Jake spoke quickly. “But with our line of work, we can’t afford to risk it. The bomb squad is on its way, and the building is being evacuated.”
“B-but the others...” She looked past him to where the conference room was located. She couldn’t leave her brother and Mac.
“I’ll get them. Now, go!” He yelled back over his shoulder. “And take the stairs, not the elevator!”
Forcing herself to move, Emma started to turn away as Jake took two large steps toward the team. A second later, the world around them exploded.