Bourne to Love Emma (RED-Stone Operatives Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

apartment
building greeted us with a smile, I felt so much better that I actually laughed
at myself for getting so worked up over a shiver and someone sitting in a car
at the park.  How often did I sit in my car checking e-mail or replying to a
text?  I shook my head at myself as we stopped to check the mail before heading
to the elevator. 
    Seriously, when did I become so
paranoid?
     
    ~Jason~
     
                I always end my run at the park around the corner
from the apartment building.  Number one, because it had a misting station and
a water fountain that actually gets cleaned by the city often enough to trust
it… for the most part.  Number two, because there is peace sitting on the grass
under a tree in the middle of a green space that you don’t get often in a big
city.  I miss wide open spaces.  I miss hammocks slung between two trees and
barbecue cookouts with neighbors who have to drive to your house.  But life
hasn’t ended there for me – at least not yet.
                As I walked slowly, winding my way through the
trees and toward the intersection to cross the street, my heart rate slows and
my breathing steadies.  I checked my stats on my Garmin and gave myself a
mental pat on the back.  I’m not as young as I used to be – and I spend way too
much sedentary time in front of my computer screens – but I kept my 8 mile run
under 58 minutes.  And that included having to wait at a handful of intersections
for traffic.  My smile stuck with me as I made my way down the street. 
    As I was about to cross the street in
front of the apartment entrance, I notice a guy sitting in a parked car a few
car lengths up the street.  I take a step toward the street to see his plate
number, make a mental note of the make and model.  On the off chance that he’s
hanging around for a reason and I see him again, I’ll be able to run his plates
and figure out if someone else needs to know about him. 
    I said hello to the doorman, Jim, as
I walk inside.  Jim has worked here for a long time.  Knowing he’s keeping an
eye on things when I’m not here makes me feel better about things.  He was
hand-picked by John.  He and Frank, the head of security, are the only ones who
are aware of how many RED-Stone operatives call this building home at least
part-time.  At this point, I’d guess maybe a dozen men and women under his
umbrella live here – at least when they’re stateside.  There are twelve
apartments per floor with the elevator bank in the center.  Ten floors total
less the ground floor which is office space and the lobby; there are 108
apartments here.  The 90% of the tenants who aren’t RED-Stone just get to enjoy
living in a building where they are safer than almost anywhere else and they
have no idea how deep that background check actually went before they were
cleared to move in.
    I saw a woman pushing a stroller into
the elevator and yell “hold the elevator” as I jogged across the lobby.  I
raised a hand to Frank, our security head, as I stepped inside and found myself
face to face with Emma.  All I can say is:  thank god part of my training is
keeping my thoughts from showing on my face – because I had no idea she had a
kid.
    “Hey, Emma.  Nice to see you again,”
I said as she pushed the button for our floor.  I smiled down at the kid in the
stroller since she was staring up at me as she shoved a yellow fish-shaped
cracker in her mouth.
    Emma smiled nervously, her cheeks
turning rosy red, and replied, “Hi, Jason.  Nice to see you, too.” 
    Even though I now have to label her
as off-limits because of the kid, I can’t help but smile a little bigger when I
caught her taking a good look at my sweaty chest.  I work hard to stay in
shape, so it really isn’t just me being cocky when I say the ladies generally like
what I’ve got to offer. 
    The little girl pointed her finger at
me and said, around a mouthful of orange mush, “what dat?”
    Emma