Sloan (The Protectors Series) Book #9 Read Free Page B

bird as he left on the bright pink scooter.

Chapter 3
    Sloan led Becky inside toward his office. When Jill and Caroline tried to follow them, he held up this hand.
    “I got this.” Sloan started to shut the door on their protests.
    “But, I need to show her—” Jill attempted to push it open.
    “Come back at lunch, Jill.” Sloan managed to close the women out. He headed toward his desk, but stopped and locked the door. He knew Jill well and she would find any excuse to come inside. He turned to see Becky staring at him wide-eyed. “Have a seat.”
    Becky sat in one of the two seats in front of his desk. “Listen, I’m sorry about the scooter. I didn’t know it was going to cause a problem, but it really is my only means of transportation.”
    Sitting behind his desk, Sloan cursed to himself. How in the hell did he find himself in these situations? He didn’t need a secretary, especially one who stirred feelings inside him that hadn’t been stirred in more years than he could count. He didn’t have time for this shit, but when he’d realized she had ridden that damn deathmobile in the dark, during rush hour, and across the river on one of the busiest bridges connecting Kentucky and Cincinnati, every protective instinct inside him demanded he do something about it.
    “This isn’t going to work.” Sloan acted on his protective instinct with his normal bluntness.
    “Excuse me?” Becky’s head snapped back.
    Before Sloan could respond, his phone went off and someone tried to open his door, then began to knock. Holding his finger up, he answered his phone and ignored the pounding on the door.
    “Sloan,” he answered, his voice harsh.
    “You got your pick yet?” Douglas McGeary’s voice boomed in his ear.
    “I haven’t had a chance to look, but it’s the first thing I plan to do this morning.” Sloan rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hated for anyone to rush him for anything.
    “Well, dammit, Murphy!” Douglas shouted, annoyed. “I’ve got leaders up my ass wanting more men and I promised you first pick, so fucking pick already.”
    “I said I will have my choice this afternoon, so shut the fuck up, McGeary.” McGeary was a standup guy, but way too fucking intense for him and that was saying something.
    Becky pointed to the door when Sloan glanced at her, but he shook his head. She just shrugged and sat back letting whoever pound, continue to pound.
    “I need a pick as soon as possible, Sloan.” Douglas calmed down some, but his voice still held an edge to it.
    “Well, if you don’t let me off the fucking phone, how in the hell do you expect me to do anything?” Sloan was getting more and more pissed off, to the point of hanging up on the son of a bitch, but he was doing him a solid giving him first pick.
    “You got the files?” McGeary questioned.
    “Yes, I have the files.”
    Becky pointed to the files piled and scattered beside his desk. Some had actually gone under his desk, because his feet kept sliding on them. He nodded and then watched as she started to bend toward the files. Fuck!
    “I’m hanging up now and will call you this afternoon when I told you I would call you.” Sloan hung up, then snapped his head toward the door. “Go the fuck away or die!”
    That stopped Becky from reaching for the files as well as the pounding on the door. “Can vampires get high blood pressure?” She frowned, looking at him concernedly.
    “No,” Sloan replied, his eyes going back to her.
    “So what files do you need?” She started to bend back toward the files, but he stopped her.
    “Listen, Jill did this whole secretary thing without my consent and….” Sloan had no clue on how to fire someone. Well, he did, but not a beautiful woman. He usually just told whoever he wanted to fire to fuck off and not come back, or literally, he’d kick their ass out.
    “So, you’re going to let me go because of my scooter?” Becky’s head tilted as she stared at Sloan. “Listen, Mr.