Kingpin Bear (A Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (The Agency Book 4) Read Free Page B

on. You can do this!
    Finally, with a determined bang of her fist off the armrest she pulled on the lever and the door swung open so fast it almost hit the concrete support pole running from floor to ceiling.
    “Get a grip,” she said, shaking her head as she gathered herself, and began looking around for where to go.
    At the end of the lane of spots she saw two men guarding a doorway. That seemed like a good place to start.
    “I’m sorry, miss, you can’t be down here,” one of the guards said as she approached, holding his hand out to halt her.
    She frowned. “I’m Nadia Samson, I was told to come here. I work here now, I guess,” she said with a friendly shrug. “My boss said to report to the lobby, where I’d get processed in.”
    The guards looked at each other, then the one who hadn’t spoken turned and said something into a microphone too softly for her to hear. A few seconds later he nodded and looked back at his partner. “She’s clear,” he said, before resuming his rigid position.
    “Okay ma’am, you can go ahead,” the first guard said. “Press the big button labeled Lobby . Don’t go anywhere else, understood?”
    She nodded, trying not to be condescending. What did they think she was, some kind of spy? “Of course,” she said in reply to his expectant look and then brushed past him and entered the elevator.
    It was shiny solid stainless steel, and the rumble of the doors as they closed made them seem heavy and intimidating. She waited for the elevator to start moving, which left her feeling surprised when the door dinged pleasantly and opened to reveal the lobby. That was indicative of some heavy-duty tech if she hadn’t even felt it begin to move.
    Impressed, and excited that her new workplace clearly didn’t skimp on things, she stepped out into the lobby area, her eyes sweeping it for a visitor desk of some sort. She didn’t see anything, so she stepped forward. The wall that the elevator was in was set at a diagonal to the building itself, forming a triangle with the two exterior walls. She was facing outside, and the area around her was mostly marbled floor, with a few plants, some chairs, and a handful more men, all dressed like the ones in the basement. They were hanging around the doors. They didn’t impede anyone who came in, but they were certainly not lounging, though they tried to make it look that way.
    Why does this place have so much security?
    She turned around and saw a giant staircase run up the middle of the wall, to a loft that overlooked the rest of the lobby. She could just make out the edge of a desk, and as she proceeded up the steps, couldn’t help but be overcome by a feeling of awe and power. It was like approaching the throne of some incredibly powerful king or emperor. Nadia knew it had to have been designed with that effect in mind. It was too strong an impression to be a happy mistake.
    The person standing—not sitting—behind the desk looked up as her shoes clicked on the floor.
    “Hello, how may I help you today?” he asked. The tone was perfunctory, but not overly polite, and she felt guarded as his eyes inspected her. Not from a physical standpoint, but a precise, military-style evaluation, as if to ensure she wasn’t carrying any weapons.
    “My name is Nadia—”
    “Ah, yes, Miss Samson,” he said without taking his eyes off her. He pulled a bin out from under the desk and placed it on top. “We’ll need your phone, as well as any other electronic devices you may have on you, and we’ll need to inspect your bag as well please,” he said.
    Again, his tone was polite, but none of that extended to his eyes. The look gave her a shiver as she removed her purse from her shoulder, setting it down in the bin and removing her phone from it.
    “I didn’t realize security was so tight here,” she said, pulling the hooded jacket tighter around her as another man approached from off to the side.
    “Mmm,” the man said noncommittally as he pawed