Читать книгу Damaged - Debra Webb - Страница 10

Colby Agency

6:45 a.m.

Lucky Malone stopped on the sidewalk and peered up at the gleaming building before her. Her pulse scrambled with the pounding in her chest.

She really worked here.

A smile spread across her lips.

The Colby Agency.

Her life was perfect now.

Absolutely perfect.

“You’ll get over that soon enough.”

Lucky turned to the man who’d spoken. Lucas Camp. The Lucas Camp. She recaptured the breath that had rushed from her lungs at the sound of his voice and her lips stretched back into that big smile without any prompting. “Good morning, Mr. Camp.” Good grief, she must look like a total idiot standing out here staring up at the building this way.

His wise gray eyes glittered with mirth but his lips never even twitched. “Good morning, Ms. Malone.” He gave her a quick once-over and nodded in approval. “You look fully prepared to launch into your second week on the job with Victoria.”

“I’m looking forward to the challenge, sir.”

For one long moment he studied her, as if assessing the comment.

Fear banded around her chest. “I mean the opportunity. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

This time Mr. Camp smiled. “I know what you mean.” He touched a hand to her elbow. “Come along and let’s see if Mildred has a pot of her famous coffee brewed already. Maybe Simon or Ian showed up with donuts.”

“That would be nice.” Lucky had to work extra hard to keep those donuts and pastries she loved from showing on her hips. There was nothing in the world like a warm, gooey, sweet donut with coffee.

She entered the lobby with Mr. Camp. Flashing a smile for security as she passed, she boarded the waiting elevator car. Mr. Camp stepped in right behind her and selected the fourth floor, then propped against the wall as the car bumped into motion.

A knot of fear abruptly twisted in Lucky’s stomach.

She would never, not in a bazillion years, be able to make a pot of coffee the way Mildred did. Lucky bit her lip. Maybe she could buy the coffee across the street at Maggie’s Coffee House and then pretend she’d made it.

Mildred Ballard, Victoria’s personal assistant, single-handedly kept the office running smoothly. She knew the assignments of every investigator on staff. Not to mention their birthdays, anniversaries and kids’ names. She worked magic with travel arrangements. And her coffee was famous.

Lucky would never be that good at any of those things.

Anxiety inched its way up her spine.

She wanted to keep this job.

If she proved good enough, maybe one day she would be a Colby agent. That was her ultimate goal. Meanwhile, she was starting out as Mildred’s backup.

The elevator doors slid open to an empty lobby on the fourth floor. Other than the top echelon of investigators, most of the staff didn’t arrive until seven-thirty—unless there was a special meeting.

As Lucky walked side by side with Lucas Camp along the main corridor, the realization that he had arrived at the office without Victoria took primacy above all the other thoughts whirling around in Lucky’s head.

“Mrs. Colby-Camp isn’t coming into the office today?” Lucky wouldn’t have to be so worried about making a mistake while shadowing Mildred if that were the case.

“She’s having breakfast with a friend this morning,” Mr. Camp said as he held open the staff lounge door. The fragrant smell of coffee greeted them.

Lucky nodded. “Oh.”

Being the consummate gentleman, Mr. Camp poured Lucky then himself a cup of Mildred’s amazing coffee. “You know, Lucky,” he said, his expression thoughtful, “I could use a small favor this morning.” He picked up his cup of coffee, sipped it and hummed his approval.

Anticipation zinged Lucky. “Absolutely, sir. Anything you need.” Slow down, Lucky. Don’t act like a fan-girl. She cleared her throat. “I’m happy to be of service.” Better.

“Let’s go to my office.”

Lucas Camp’s office sat directly across the hall from Victoria’s intimate waiting room. Mildred had told Lucky that the office Lucas now used had been an additional supply room, but one would never know it. Sophisticated was the first word to come to mind as Lucky entered the spacious office. A massive mahogany desk dominated the space. One wall was lined with distinguished-looking books, while another showcased numerous accolades, some of which were signed by the president himself. Like Victoria’s office, his desk sat before an enormous window with an inspiring view. Two upholstered chairs waited in grand style before his desk.

Mr. Camp unlocked his desk and retrieved a small package. About the size of a jeweler’s box, one made for a necklace or bracelet, the package was wrapped in brown paper. He passed it across his desk. Lucky shifted her coffee to her left hand and accepted the package.

She smiled. “A special occasion coming up?”

“You could say that,” he answered without the slightest hint of discernible sentiment in his voice.

Lucky didn’t make too much of his noncommittal tone or his unreadable expression. A man like Lucas Camp didn’t give away what was on his mind unless he wanted to. A lifetime of working under deep cover with the CIA had made him an expert in covert operations and interrogations and a lot of other stuff Lucky couldn’t begin to name, much less understand.

“I’d like you to take the package to an old friend of mine,” he explained.

Lucky’s pulse started that erratic race again. “An old friend?”

He scribbled something onto a notepad then tore off the page. “Here’s the address. My friend is expecting the package this morning.”

“I understand, sir.” She glanced at the address. It was not one she recognized.

“I’m sure the area is unfamiliar to you so take a taxi,” Mr. Camp suggested. “Have the driver wait. You’ll only be a moment.”

“Do I need a receipt as proof of delivery?” She wanted to do this right. Keeping Lucas Camp happy would be an important step up the ladder at the agency.

“There will be a verbal message,” Mr. Camp explained. “The message is the only receipt I need.”

“Yes, sir.” Lucky turned to go but then hesitated. “Your friend’s name is…?” She certainly didn’t want to make the mistake of leaving the package with the wrong person. Honestly, she didn’t want to make any kind of mistake at all.

“Jennifer.”

“Okay.” Lucky had just assumed the friend was another man. Good thing she asked. “I’ll be on my way, then.”

“Report back to me as soon as you’ve made the drop,” Mr. Camp said as she exited his office.

Lucky nodded. “Yes, sir.”

She crossed the hall to inform Mildred that she had an errand, but Victoria’s waiting room was empty, as was her office.

Lucky headed for the lounge to see if Mildred might be whipping up another pot of her amazing coffee. No Mildred in the lounge. Confused, she turned back toward Mildred’s office.

“Lucky, there you are.”

She kicked aside her confusion and posted a smile for Simon Ruhl, one of the agency’s top investigators. He and Ian Michaels served as seconds-in-command to Victoria and her son, Jim. “Good morning, Mr. Ruhl.” Wow, she was popular this morning.

Simon offered his usual friendly smile. “I just wanted to let you know that Mildred won’t be back in the office until later this afternoon. She dropped by to make coffee, but then rushed away more giddy than I’ve seen her in ages.” He smiled. “She’s having a makeover, compliments of Victoria.”

“Nice.” Lucky hoped that wasn’t something she was supposed to know already. Mildred hadn’t mentioned the appointment. “Is it Mildred’s birthday?”

Simon shook his head. “Her wedding anniversary is this week. Victoria wanted her to take the whole day off but Mildred insisted on stopping by and tying up any loose ends before leaving on her long weekend.”

Tying up loose ends was just another way of saying she wanted to make sure Lucky was prepared for her short absence.

“That’s really nice,” she said to Mr. Ruhl. All the more reason she felt immensely fortunate for having landed this position. The Colby Agency was like one big family. “I have an errand to run for Mr. Camp. Will my being out for an hour or so be a problem?” Victoria might not like having her assistant and her new assistant-in-training out of the office at the same time. The point of having a backup was to ensure Victoria always had an assistant on duty.

“We’ve got it covered,” Mr. Ruhl assured her. “Take care of Lucas’s errand. Let me know when you’re back in the office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lucky started for the elevator again.

“One more thing, Lucky.”

She turned back to him once more. “Sir?”

He gifted her with another of those warm smiles. “The sir isn’t necessary. Nor is the mister. We’re very informal around here. Call me Simon.”

She nodded. That would take some getting used to. Where she was from, one always addressed their superiors and seniors in such a way.

Simon Ruhl chuckled as he walked away.

Lucky relaxed a little. She would be okay. Everyone seemed to like her so far. Then reality dropped down on her like a rock slide. She wouldn’t have Mildred to keep her straight when Victoria arrived. A lump settled in Lucky’s stomach.

Don’t borrow trouble, she told herself. She would be fine. Her boss would surely understand the need for guidance with someone so new.

This time she actually reached her destination without being waylaid. She pressed the elevator’s call button and took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to relax. They didn’t really help.

In the lobby she waved at the two security guards as she strode toward the front entrance. The weather was beautiful. If she knew her way around a little better she would walk to the drop point. But getting lost was not a risk she wanted to take. And she wasn’t actually sure of the distance.

She’d no more passed through the towering plate-glass doors when a big black car with the darkly tinted windows of a limo pulled to a stop in front of her. The parking area at the front of the building was rather small, mostly for short-term parking and drop-offs. Lucky made a sharp left to go around the car.

The rear window powered down. Lucky hesitated. Maybe someone needed directions. She, unfortunately, wasn’t the person to ask. Three months in the city and she still got lost all too frequently. Chicago was very different from Houston in climate and in the way the city was laid out.

“Good morning, Lucky.”

Her eyes widened. The boss. “Good morning, Mrs. Colby-Camp.”

“You must have read my mind,” Victoria mused. “I was about to call for you to come down. I’d like you to accompany me for an appointment this morning.”

“Of course.” Lucky’s job was all-inclusive when it came to the needs of Victoria.

A frown pinching her face, Victoria Colby-Camp glanced past Lucky. Lucky turned to see if someone else had exited the building. She saw no one.

“Why don’t you get in and I’ll explain on the way.”

A little confused—but that seemed to be the theme for the day—Lucky climbed into the limo next to her boss. “Is everything all right?” Victoria seemed a little nervous, which was completely out of character.

“Yes, everything’s fine.” To the driver, she said, “I’m ready now.”

He turned back to make eye contact with the woman in charge. “The clinic?”

“Yes.” The head of the Colby Agency folded her hands in her lap, keeping her attention focused forward.

Clinic? “Are we meeting a client?” Lucky ventured. She was aware that the Colby Agency went out of the way to facilitate the needs of clients, so it seemed a reasonable question. But hadn’t Lucas said Victoria was having breakfast with a friend?

Mrs. Colby-Camp turned to face her. “Lucky, you’re brand new at the agency. But I trust that what I’m about to tell you will go no further.”

Lucky’s heart rate jumped back into that crazy, frantic rhythm. “You have my word, ma’am.”

The woman Lucky admired so greatly stared forward once more. “I am not one to keep secrets from my husband and my son, but this is for the best.”

Her voice sounded distant, wistful. “Is something wrong?” Every cell in Lucky’s brain screamed at her that something was very, very wrong.

“Yes.” Victoria inhaled a deep, halting breath. “Something is quite wrong.”

Sweet heavens. Lucky choked back the worry rising in her throat. “How can I help?”

“There is a treatment that may possibly outmaneuver this disaster,” Mrs. Colby-Camp said softly. “It’s fairly simple. Only takes an hour or so. I’ll know within the week if it’s going to work.”

That was why they were going to a clinic. Lucky wanted to ask what would happen if it didn’t work, but she couldn’t bring herself to voice her fears. The need to flat-out ask the nature of the disaster had her pressing her lips firmly together.

“I see no need to put my family through the emotional drama if this simple procedure will take care of things.” Victoria stared at her hands a moment. “Still, I wasn’t looking forward to going to the clinic alone.”

Lucky wanted to reach over and hug her. “I’m glad you thought of me.” Victoria looked so desolate, so unlike the strong, powerful woman whose reputation had plowed a famous path all the way to Texas. Lucky had heard the stories about the Colby Agency and she had known that being a part of the agency was what she wanted above all else.

“When the procedure is over,” Lucky’s boss went on, seeming to gather her courage once more, “we’ll return to the office and this will be our secret until such time that it becomes necessary to share the details with my husband and son.”

At the mention of Victoria’s husband, Lucky thought of the package in her pocket. Lucas was depending on her to deliver it…but this, well, this thing with Victoria took precedence.

Maybe when Mrs. Colby-Camp was settled in for the procedure, Lucky could have the driver run her to the address Lucas had provided. She would be back in plenty of time. Victoria wouldn’t even know she’d been gone. Lucky would have accomplished both missions and neither would be the wiser.

That would work.

Lucky sat back in the lush leather seat. She couldn’t help stealing a peek at Victoria from the corner of her eyes. She looked so grim. Whatever was wrong it had to be bad. Lucky’s mother would say this was a good time to pray.

But Lucky had stopped praying a long time ago. And her mother wasn’t exactly a stellar role model.

Funny, for a woman with the name Lucky, she’d never had much luck. Not the good kind anyway.

Maybe Victoria Colby-Camp hadn’t had much either. Lucky had heard bits and pieces of the story about her son. Jim Colby had been missing for twenty years when his mother had finally found him. During that same time her first husband had been murdered.

Seemed like the lady could use some good luck herself.