Soldiers of Pearl 2: Healing Souls (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read online

  She hit start and the sound of the fax working made her nearly smile, but instead she acted as if she totally wasn’t shocked that she did it and she glanced at Mr. Reynolds. “Would you like to call or text the person I sent that to and ensure delivery, or is the receipt from the fax on completion sufficient enough?” she asked.

  “How are you with conducting business, faxes, file sharing, et cetera through cell phone?” he asked.

  “I’m sure I can figure it out. Do you do a lot of correspondence through your cellular device?” she asked him. He was so stern and in charge. Being in this room with both men like this made her feel flustered. They were hard, firm, distant, take-no-shit men. She wasn’t sure this was such a great idea, but now she was deeper into the interview.

  “We do a lot through cell phone. If you get this position we’ll provide you with access to a lot of confidential information that we expect you to keep confidential. We’ll have you sign legal documents ensuring that you abide by the confidentiality rules we establish in this company. It’s very serious, Cora,” he stated, and she knew the man was not joking.

  “I can handle that, sir. It isn’t a problem.”

  “Good. So you said this was a mess in here,” he stated, motioning with his arm around the room. “How would you go about organizing it?” he asked.

  She looked around and then at Beau, who stared at her as if she were about to pull out a gun on him. The man was beyond intense. He was lethal.

  “Well, first of all you have your copier machine so far away from your computer and phone. Whether you were to hire me or not it would serve you both better to have this set up near your computer system. That way it’s within reach, organized, and directly connected. You have these wires across the rug that anyone can trip on and get hurt. Maybe that’s the mom in me, but it doesn’t make sense. Also there are so many filing cabinets spread out everywhere. Unless you have a specific reason why they’re not together and accessible, they should be in the same area. Perhaps you could change some of this around.”

  They stared at her as if they weren’t getting it.

  “Look. Picture your desk here. You want to be able to see who is coming by your door, but you also have this gorgeous view of your back patio and the flowers. You don’t want to obstruct that view, you may be working and need a moment to gather your thoughts and staring at a wall won’t help. To the right you have this blank wall that has boxes of stuff. Move that, rearrange this, and place your filing cabinets here for easy access. Take the all-in-one machine and place it here on this end table by the desk and near the filing cabinets. That way if anything needs coping it’s right here.” She started to go on when Blade stopped her.

  “This is what we’re going to do. We’ll have a trial run. Come back tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. and we’ll reorganize the room and then we’ll give you some jobs to handle. This is just a test run, Cora. No promises of employment yet,” he said.

  “That’s okay, but can you make it 9:00 a.m?” she asked and then hurried up to explain. “I have two children, six and four, who I have to drop off at school by 8:30. I can be here by 9:00 a.m.”

  He stared at her and looked her body over. Why she felt so self-conscious she didn’t know. She was a mom, had the stretch marks and the extra ten pounds to prove it, which seemed to land on her ass. But the man did something to her. So strange. Why am I thinking about my stretch marks? They’re barely visible. The scars from Anthony’s abuse are too. But no one will ever see those but me. God, I need to clear my head.

  “So having these two kids may interfere in you working sometimes?” he asked, sounding annoyed about kids. Did the jerk not like children?

  “My mom lives with me and can take care of them. My sister Arabella could always get them from school if need be, but I really don’t like to rely on other people. I also help Arabella with catering jobs but they are in the evenings. If it’s a problem then I guess this might not work out,” she said, feeling actually sad about this. She looked around this room and saw work to be done, organizing to be handled, and she felt confident she could do this job.

  “It sounds like you have backup plans, which is always important. We’ll see you tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Reynolds,” she said and accepted his handshake before they walked her out. One glance over her shoulder at the two men watching her and she felt a twinge of fear. These men were hard core, despite the fancy house, the obvious money they had, and she knew this was a great opportunity. She would show them she was more than capable of being their personal assistant and office manager. But there was a lot to do to get organized. She hoped that she could handle it.

  * * * *

  “That was interesting,” Blade said as he closed the door. He looked at Beau, could see the interest in his eyes. That was a first. Ever.

  “Did you really buy her whole experience-with-negotiations thing?” Beau asked Blade as they walked back toward the office.

  “Hell no. But there was some truth to it. I think. If she pans out, and is as capable and motivated as she seems then I’ll have you do a full investigation.”

  Beau held Blade’s gaze.

  “Why?”

  “She’s going to have access to a lot of high-profile clients. If we’ve learned anything it’s that trust is earned. I’m not taking any chances.”

  “Brock recommended her. Arabella, their woman, is Cora’s sister.”

  “And your point is what, Beau? Women are connivers. We’ve seen from the other ones we interviewed what they were after. Perhaps Cora has a different angle.”

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page when it comes to not trusting the women who we interviewed. I think Cora is different. You’ve had to travel a lot over the last year. Cason probably has more of the details, but you remember us talking about Arabella being stabbed, and how one of the guys got away.”

  “Of course I remember,” Blade said. He knew part of the story. Brock was a good friend.

  “Well, there were two men. Cora’s boyfriend, the one who is the father of the two kids.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, Cora, her mom, and Arabella were on the run from the kids’ father and his partner. Both were Special Forces. The boyfriend got away. The other guy was killed by police.”

  “So this guy is still out there?”

  “As far as I know. Cora’s been through a lot. I’ve seen her in town sitting in the park across from the school where her kids go,” Beau told him.

  “Damn. I can see why Brock recommended her. But you know we’ll have to see how tomorrow goes. As much as I’d like to help the woman get back on her feet and all, we need someone professional and experienced. We’ll take the next step after tomorrow. In the interim we’d better pull some of the black files we have lying around and place them into the locked cabinet.”

  “Good idea. Oh, and Calvin texted that he received the copies Cora sent. So far so good.”

  “They were faxes. That shouldn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out. I’m not sold on her yet.”

  Blade watched Beau exit the room and he couldn’t help but to think about Cora again. She was young. Twenty-eight, two little kids, and no husband. So the guy tried to take her? That was interesting. He would get the whole story from Brock, if she panned out tomorrow. No need to do the legwork of a full investigation if she couldn’t handle the position.

  He shook the thoughts from his head as the phone began to ring and he looked around the office. She said it was a mess, and she wasn’t kidding. The woman had courage, they would see how she did under real pressure.

  Chapter 3

  Cora wanted everything to be perfect, including the outfit she wore today. Knowing that they would be organizing Mr. Reynolds’s office, she wore a pair of dress slacks and a nice blouse with low heels. She would have loved to have worn high heels and get some height to her five feet four inches, but she knew her feet would be killing her by midmorning.

  Cora looked at herself in the mi
rror. She felt a mix of emotions. She was scared, but it was a different kind of scared. After dealing with nearly losing her life and her sister’s, nothing compared to that fear. Everything else seemed so minimal, so she could handle that slight anxiety fine. She was worried about her babies. Julia and Liam would be in school, and Arabella would pick them up then drop them off to their mom. It was covered, and they would be safe.

  She wasn’t sure how long Mr. Reynolds would want to keep her for today and that gave her a bit of anxiety. She always worried about Liam and Julia. She never wanted to be too far from them. Arabella already said that she would wait outside of the school a good hour before the kids got out if that would make Cora feel less nervous. It was sweet of her. Camille said to take baby steps with things like this, but the reality of life was that sometimes you needed to take leaps.

  “Cora, it’s after eight,” Arabella called to her from the kitchen.

  Cora headed out the door, and when she got to the kitchen her mom looked at her and smiled softly.

  “Look at you. You look so professional and pretty.”

  Cora looked at Liam and Julia, who were dressed and ready. Cora realized rather fast about getting the kids fed and dressed before she got dressed. If she hadn’t done that this morning then Cora would have had grape jelly all over her nice blouse. Liam loved to give sticky-finger hugs.

  She smiled.

  “Thanks, Mom, wish me luck.”

  “You won’t need it. You’ll do fine. You got through the first part, and today you’ll land your job,” her mom said with much confidence. More than Cora had in herself.

  Cora looked at Arabella, who seemed to appear uncertain and worried. She didn’t want her sister’s negativity about this job interfering in her own goal of making something of her life. She knew that Arabella meant good, but to Cora it seemed that Arabella didn’t think Cora could handle any of this on her own. It was definitely time to cut the strings.

  “Are we all set?” she asked the kids.

  “Yessee!” Liam sang as he ran to the front door with his small backpack in place. Cora chuckled then felt Julia’s hand on her hip pulling on one of the belt loops. Looking down, she saw her daughter’s perfect smile.

  “You look really pretty, Mommy. I’ll miss you today,” she said, and Cora felt her heart ache with love for her child and worry about separation anxiety. She felt the tears of emotions sting her eyes. Then she said thank you and smiled wide.

  “I’ll miss you too, but I’ll be home before you know it. You be good for Aunt Arabella and for grandma.” She had to show her daughter that women were strong and capable of anything and everything they set their minds to. Her daughter would learn so many important things from Cora. She was setting an example. Today destiny would change for all of them.

  * * * *

  Blade looked around the room. Cora had been here less than thirty minutes and already the office was looking better. When she arrived five minutes late and gave the story of her daughter’s teacher needing to talk to her for a few minutes, he thought he would blow his stack. He explained to her that being on time was extremely important to him and one of his pet peeves. Anyone else he would have sent packing, but something made him stop with Cora. He gave her the warning, saw the tears fill her eyes, and he dismissed the conversation. Now here she was lifting heavy boxes despite his request that she point and allow him or Beau to lift. Beau was setting up the all-in-one machine where she suggested.

  “Cora, I said to allow me to lift the boxes. Where is this one going?” he asked her, taking the box from her hands.

  “Over there, Mr. Reynolds, in the closet by where Mr. Spade is working.”

  “Cora, call me Beau. We went over this,” Beau barked as he seemed to be having difficulty with something by the machines he was setting up.

  Cora walked closer.

  “Why isn’t the power coming on? I attached everything and it should be working perfectly,” Beau stated.

  “Are you sure you did it right?” Blade asked.

  Beau shot Blade a dirty look.

  “Of course I did.”

  Cora walked over, looked around at the machines, and then bent down on the rug looking under the table.

  “The plug isn’t all the way in. It’s hanging out.”

  Blade took the opportunity to rib Beau by raising one eyebrow and staring at him as if Beau was a complete idiot.

  “Shit. How did that happen?”

  “You probably forget the simplest thing like plugging the machine in, that’s how it happened,” Blade teased.

  “Screw you, I had it plugged in. It must have come out when you were moving the desk again,” Beau replied.

  “It wasn’t my idea to move the desk a third time,” Blade replied, and then they both shot Cora a look and she immediately lowered her eyes. That strong capable expression she had most of the morning had instantly disappeared for a moment, and then she gained it back.

  “I’m sorry, it was my fault and I just wanted to be sure we got it right the first time so you won’t need to rearrange again. I suppose whomever your office manager is that they’ll change it to their liking anyway. Sorry, Mr. Spade, Mr. Reynolds,” she said and then walked back over to the other boxes and dragged one a few feet to the corner. Blade felt such an odd sensation. He couldn’t tell if the young woman was really so timid and insecure or if it was an act. Women could be such conniving bitches. He had difficulty trusting anyone, and Cora was no different.

  “It doesn’t matter, let’s finish this up and talk about the filing situation,” Blade said as his cell phone rang. “I need to take this.” He excused himself and began talking to Calvin.

  * * * *

  Beau finished setting everything up by the desk. Cora was there, adding the small filing trays to the top of the desk, and used the labeler to label each tray. Incoming mail, outgoing mail, contracts.

  He glanced at his watch and realized that lunch had passed. He pulled out his cell phone.

  “I’m ordering food from the Main Street Inn so we don’t waste unnecessary time. What do you like to eat from there?” Beau asked her.

  Cora looked at him.

  “I’m okay, but thank you,” she replied and continued to work.

  He looked her over. “We’ve been working since 9:00 a.m. I think we all need something to eat. I’ll order and have it brought here. We can take a small break to gather ideas about what you’d like to accomplish next in here. It’s coming along,” he said, and Cora pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded.

  She was easily rattled by him and by Blade. That was concerning. He couldn’t help but wonder if she could work under pressure and, more importantly, under their domineering bossiness.

  “Okay, Mr. Spade, whatever you want.” When she said those words and he locked gazes with her big brown eyes, something clicked inside of him. He never cared to wonder about anyone or anything. He was still living in anger, justifying his attitude with the knowledge he gained along with the experiences he had in the military. He was a good soldier, and a professional killer. His last mission should have sent him to his grave.

  “Mr. Spade, are you okay?” Cora’s calm voice interrupted his morbid thoughts. He quickly turned around and stared at her. He must have looked like he was about to hurt her because she stepped back, her eyes filled with fear.

  “Okay, looks like you’ve got your first letter to type up for me, Cora. Let’s sit down and go over this. I need it e-mailed to these e-mails within the half hour,” Blade said firmly as he interrupted the intense moment.

  “I’m ordering from the Inn for lunch. You want the regular?” Beau asked Blade, and Blade nodded, holding Beau’s gaze before he glanced at Cora then back at Beau. His commander wasn’t stupid. The man knew when Beau was in a negative state.

  “Grab one of those grilled chicken salads with the strawberries and walnuts for Cora. Is that okay, Cora?” Blade asked her, and she nodded her head then glanced at Beau. Beau walked out of th
e room.

  * * * *

  Cora’s head was spinning. These men could snap at any moment and practically bark orders at her. Their phones barely stopped ringing, and as she listened to the things they talked about she realized they were doing too much of the legwork with their business. If they were bosses why in the heck were they ordering things that needed to be ordered by the foremen on the jobs? They didn’t delegate jobs well at all. After typing a few letters and making some phone calls in regards to orders they needed to place, she realized that the men did not have as good of a grasp on the organization of this business as they thought. They needed her help, and she suddenly felt some kind of excitement at her being part of this.

  As she made some inquiries into another order that seemed to have gotten screwed up, she noticed that it hadn’t in fact been Mr. Spade’s or Mr. Reynolds’s faults. Someone on their employer’s staff by the name of Marvin had called in the second order and never even checked with his boss first.

  “Mr. Reynolds, I think you should see this,” Cora said, grabbing Mr. Reynolds’s full attention as he walked over toward the desk.

  She stared up at the man who towered over her. His black hair was crew cut and his eyes bold green. He was filled with muscles, and as he leaned over her by the desk she inhaled his cologne, his masculinity filled her senses. She felt her body shaking from his close proximity.