as milk. Then, to the group at large, âCould someone hit fifty for me, please?â
âFifty. Got it,â a man replied from the front.
With a slight lurch the elevator headed up. A glance around the packed car told her that McCabe was alone. His supersized friend hadnât made it on board.
Like the proverbial elephant in the room, he was impossible to ignore. But she tried, staring ahead at the elevator doors. Unfortunately, they too were made of brass.
Their eyes collided in the reflective wall. He was, she realized, once again watching her reflection. Since ignoring him was proving impossible, she decided to take the war into the enemyâs camp.
She turned her head. Their gazes met, but this time without the softening buffer of the brass.
âAre you following me?â That the question was muttered almost under her breath in no way detracted from the force with which she said it.
âLooks like it, doesnât it?â He gave her the smallest of mocking smiles.
Maddie scowled. She fumed. She thought. Then, after an ostentatious glance down at her watch, she met his gaze again.
âLook, I have a really important business meeting in exactly seventeen minutes,â she said, low-voiced. âWhat, exactly, does it take to make you disappear?â
FIVE
Talk to me,â McCabe said, his voice equally low. âFive minutes of your time. Thatâs all I need.â
âThen you swear youâll go away?â
âCross my heart.â
âFine.â Maddie glared at him. Whatever happened, she couldnât let him follow her up to the fiftieth floor, where Brehmerâs Pet Food reigned supreme. Not unless she was prepared to kiss the account good-bye. She would give him five minutes. She would be super-careful. And then, if she was lucky, he would be satisfied and go away, and leave her to get on with her life.
Except that someone had tried to kill her last night.
The elevator slid to a stop and the door opened.
âIs this the third floor? Could you let me out, please?â A woman on the other side of the car was edging toward the front. Maddie found herself wedged even more tightly against the back wall as the population of the elevator shifted. It was so crowded that several people were forced to step out into the corridor to let the woman exit.
âCome on, then,â Maddie muttered with a resentful glance up at McCabe, and used her briefcase to clear a path. When both she and McCabe had been disgorged, the elevator doors closed behind them. The woman whoâd gotten off just before them was already walking away. A gold-framed mirror hung above a walnut console table on the wall directly in front of the elevators. Funny, Maddie thought, catching a glimpse of her reflection, except for the big bad wolf beside herâwho, incidentally, was once again wrapping his hand around her armâshe looked unchanged. No one seeing her would guess that icy shivers chased one another up and down her spine or that her legs felt like rubber bands. A quick look around told her that to the left was a solid wall, covered like the others in blue-patterned wallpaper. To the right, the hall opened up into what looked like a mezzanine level. Groupings of beige leather couches and chairs stood in front of a polished metal rail that gave promise of a large open area below. At the far side of the open space, a towering wall of windows provided a panoramic view of cerulean sky peeking out between the surrounding skyscrapers.
âThis way.â McCabe took charge again, pulling her along beside him as he headed toward the mezzanine.
Maddie jerked her arm free and kept walking. His eyes cut sideways at her, but he didnât say anything.
By this time she had absorbed a great deal of visual information about him, starting with the fact that he was at least six feet tall, or maybe even a little taller. Even in heels, she had to look up to meet his gaze. He was
âFifty. Got it,â a man replied from the front.
With a slight lurch the elevator headed up. A glance around the packed car told her that McCabe was alone. His supersized friend hadnât made it on board.
Like the proverbial elephant in the room, he was impossible to ignore. But she tried, staring ahead at the elevator doors. Unfortunately, they too were made of brass.
Their eyes collided in the reflective wall. He was, she realized, once again watching her reflection. Since ignoring him was proving impossible, she decided to take the war into the enemyâs camp.
She turned her head. Their gazes met, but this time without the softening buffer of the brass.
âAre you following me?â That the question was muttered almost under her breath in no way detracted from the force with which she said it.
âLooks like it, doesnât it?â He gave her the smallest of mocking smiles.
Maddie scowled. She fumed. She thought. Then, after an ostentatious glance down at her watch, she met his gaze again.
âLook, I have a really important business meeting in exactly seventeen minutes,â she said, low-voiced. âWhat, exactly, does it take to make you disappear?â
FIVE
Talk to me,â McCabe said, his voice equally low. âFive minutes of your time. Thatâs all I need.â
âThen you swear youâll go away?â
âCross my heart.â
âFine.â Maddie glared at him. Whatever happened, she couldnât let him follow her up to the fiftieth floor, where Brehmerâs Pet Food reigned supreme. Not unless she was prepared to kiss the account good-bye. She would give him five minutes. She would be super-careful. And then, if she was lucky, he would be satisfied and go away, and leave her to get on with her life.
Except that someone had tried to kill her last night.
The elevator slid to a stop and the door opened.
âIs this the third floor? Could you let me out, please?â A woman on the other side of the car was edging toward the front. Maddie found herself wedged even more tightly against the back wall as the population of the elevator shifted. It was so crowded that several people were forced to step out into the corridor to let the woman exit.
âCome on, then,â Maddie muttered with a resentful glance up at McCabe, and used her briefcase to clear a path. When both she and McCabe had been disgorged, the elevator doors closed behind them. The woman whoâd gotten off just before them was already walking away. A gold-framed mirror hung above a walnut console table on the wall directly in front of the elevators. Funny, Maddie thought, catching a glimpse of her reflection, except for the big bad wolf beside herâwho, incidentally, was once again wrapping his hand around her armâshe looked unchanged. No one seeing her would guess that icy shivers chased one another up and down her spine or that her legs felt like rubber bands. A quick look around told her that to the left was a solid wall, covered like the others in blue-patterned wallpaper. To the right, the hall opened up into what looked like a mezzanine level. Groupings of beige leather couches and chairs stood in front of a polished metal rail that gave promise of a large open area below. At the far side of the open space, a towering wall of windows provided a panoramic view of cerulean sky peeking out between the surrounding skyscrapers.
âThis way.â McCabe took charge again, pulling her along beside him as he headed toward the mezzanine.
Maddie jerked her arm free and kept walking. His eyes cut sideways at her, but he didnât say anything.
By this time she had absorbed a great deal of visual information about him, starting with the fact that he was at least six feet tall, or maybe even a little taller. Even in heels, she had to look up to meet his gaze. He was
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