Man Of Action. Janie Crouch

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СКАЧАТЬ whispered something to Grace and she eased back and disappeared into the crowds of law enforcement. She was gone too quickly for Andrea to get a read on whether she believed Andrea or not.

      “So help me God, Drackett, if you tell me we need to listen to what this child is telling us...”

      “This young woman has more actual intel than anyone else here. I’m not asking you to stand down, Lionel, just to listen and make sure you have all the facts before making any big move.”

      “I’m not going to wait for these gunmen to kill someone before we move in. SWAT will be ready to storm the back door in three minutes. We go then.”

      Everything about Lionel screamed determination. Andrea didn’t even try to convince him; he wasn’t going to listen to her.

      She took a step back. She had done all she could do. Things inside the bank would play out the way they would play out.

      She was about to fade back even more when Drackett looked down at a message on his phone. He turned and walked the three steps so he was standing directly in front of her.

      “You. Name. First and last.”

      “Andrea Gordon.” He wasn’t angry with her but the abrupt statement had her giving her real name rather than a fake.

      “Just wanted to know the name of the person who’s going to cost me my career if you’re wrong,” he whispered. “Go stand back there with that uniformed officer. All hell is about to break loose.” He motioned for the officer to come get her.

      Andrea walked back with the cop, but when he became distracted with something else, she slipped away. She eased into the crowds. She’d come back for her car another time.

      She heard and felt the chaos behind her a few moments later. A shot fired then a bunch of people yelling. She just kept walking, not looking back.

      * * *

      ANDREA WASN’T SURE what had happened in the bank that evening. She’d watched the news the next day and it seemed as if the men had been stopped without any problems. One of the gunmen had been wounded in the raid; the other had surrendered without a fight. All the hostages had left the bank unharmed.

      The third man was never mentioned or shown by the media. Andrea accepted that maybe she had been wrong; maybe he hadn’t had anything to do with it. But then she thought of that evil smile the man had given her in the bank. Even now it had the ability to make her stomach turn.

      Andrea hoped Mr. Drackett and Grace hadn’t gotten in trouble because of what she had told them. She’d probably never have any way of knowing, so she put it out of her mind.

      Until they both walked in to Jaguar’s a couple of hours later.

      Andrea was immediately self-conscious. She wasn’t onstage dancing—thank God—but she was serving drinks, and even though the waitress outfits were more concealing than whatever the dancer was wearing, it still left very little to the imagination.

      They were obviously here for her. Jaguar’s rarely got customers in business suits. Especially suits that screamed law enforcement.

      It was too dark for Andrea to read their expressions and body language as well as she would like, but anger radiated off them. This had to be about the bank. They must have gotten in trouble. And now they were here to let Andrea know. She wondered if she was about to be arrested.

      “Harry, I need a break. I’ll be back in fifteen,” she said to her manager.

      Harry leered at her the way he always did. “Any more than that and I’ll dock your pay.” He stepped closer, grasping her chin. “Or we can work out our own way of you paying me back.”

      He didn’t see that Drackett and Grace had made their way up behind him, overhearing his words. Drackett cleared his throat.

      Harry pegged them as cops as soon as he turned around. “And by paying me back, I mean working extra shifts,” he muttered, going to stand farther behind the bar, glaring at the suits.

      “Andrea, could we talk to you outside for a few minutes?” Grace said over the thump of the music.

      “Am I about to be arrested?”

      Drackett’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you say that?”

      Andrea shrugged, very aware of how much her clothes revealed. Her skimpy bra was clearly noticeable through the mesh of her top. The short pleated skirt she wore barely covered her bottom, and men often took it as an invitation to run their hand up her thigh.

      Andrea had stopped slapping their hands away once Harry threatened to fire her.

      She was used to men gawking at her body, but Mr. Drackett’s eyes hadn’t so much as left her face once since he’d arrived.

      “You’re angry,” she said. It wasn’t terribly noticeable in his expression, but she could tell.

      Grace was surprised. “I don’t think Steve is angry, Andrea.” She turned to him. “Maybe we’re wrong about her.”

      Steve shook his head once. “No, she’s spot-on. I’m pissed as hell that she’s working in a place like this.” He stepped closer to Andrea and she couldn’t help but take a step back. He froze. “I’m not angry at you, I promise.”

      Andrea believed him. “Okay.”

      “But do you mind coming outside with us? This will only take a few minutes.”

      Andrea grabbed her lightweight jacket and followed them out the side door. “I can’t stay out here very long. I’ll get fired if I do. I need this job,” she said in the quieter, cooler air of outside. Finally she felt as if she could breathe again.

      “You were right about the third man in the bank.” Grace smiled at her. “You probably saved a lot of lives yesterday. He had a briefcase full of explosives and was just waiting to use them. Was waiting for SWAT so he could take them down, too.”

      Andrea closed her eyes in relief. At least no one had gotten hurt and these two people hadn’t gotten fired.

      “Andrea, I’m going to cut right to the chase.” Mr. Drackett kept his distance so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. “We believe you have a gift at reading people’s emotions and microexpressions, even when they’re only available for a split second.”

      Andrea wasn’t exactly sure what microexpressions were, but she knew she was good at reading people.

      “Maybe.” She shrugged, clutching her jacket to her chest. “So?”

      “I’m Steve Drackett. Grace and I work for Omega Sector: Critical Response Division. We’re law enforcement, sort of like the FBI, but without as much red tape.”

      “And smarter and better looking,” Grace chimed in, smiling again. “We’re based out of Colorado Springs.”

      That was all fine and good, but what did it have to do with her? “Okay.”

      Drackett crossed his arms over his chest. “We’d like you to come СКАЧАТЬ