Love Nip by Mary Whitten Read Free Book Online Page B

back to our apartment building.
    “And her?” I asked , scared to hear the answer.
    “ Hers wasn’t so serious. I can’t even remember it’s been so long, but it had to do with a haircut, and her hair might also be a different color now.” She stopped at her stairs.
    “What color is it now?” I asked.
    “Blue.”
    * ** *
    I got to work extra early the next day, want ing to see Ezra before everyone got in. I knocked on his door before walking in. He was sleeping with the IV still attached to his arm. At least they had turned off his heart monitor and removed it. He looked so peaceful. I placed my hand to his forehead; he was burning up. I decided I didn’t want to wake him so I left. I walked into the hall, searching for a nurse or doctor, and found a girl sitting behind a desk wearing scrubs.
    “Excuse me, are you Ezra’s nurse?” I asked politely.
    She stood. “Yes, can I help you?”
    “He is burning up, have you taken his temperature lately?”
    “I’m sorry, the only person I am authorized to give information about Mr. Boyd is Mr. Sullivan,” she replied. I could tell she wasn’t sorry. I tapped on the desk and decided it wasn’t worth it to argue. Once I got back to the office, I found everyone at their desk. I was shocked to see an extra person sitting at Ezra’s desk.
    “Excuse me, can I help you find something?” I asked.
    “Nope,” she replied without looking up from the computer.
    I felt heat rising up. Who did she think she was? “This is Ezra’s desk,” I replied with obvious annoyance in my voice. Everyone’s eyes were on me, including hers.
    “Well, Ezra’s not here anymore, so now it’s my desk. I would appreciate if you would let me get back to work now,” she stated rudely. I could tell we wouldn’t be friends any time soon. I turned and walked straight into Roberts’s office and shut the door.
    “Who’s the bimbo?” I demanded.
    “Emily, that is Riley. She’s taking over till we decide what our next step is,” he replied, sighing.
    “We had a deal , Robert. Any person we hire has to be agreed upon by all of us. I didn’t know anything about this bisnatch joining our group. What about Kimmy? When are you going to let her come on?” I demanded, my voice rising and I didn’t care who heard our conversation.
    “Emily, please calm down and let me explain .”
    “No, Robert. I know you are the big , bad boss here, but this is bullshit. Ezra will get better and you are going to lose him. Are you going to be able to deal with that? We need him! Are you doing this to punish me?” I continued.
    “ Emily, Riley is Ezra’s maker.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
     
    Everyone sat at their desk staring at their computer screen. Tension felt thick in the air. I stared at my screen until I couldn’t focus on the words before me. I have never been in shock before, but I was pretty sure that’s what was happening. After receiving the news of Ezra’s maker taking over his job I couldn’t speak. I left Robert’s office and staggered back to my desk. It took me a long time to remember how to breathe. My phone beeped, letting me know I had a text message. I pulled it out of my purse and looked at the message.
    ‘Got a lead in our case . You want to hit it up and grab lunch after?’ Axle wrote.
    I grabbed my things and stood. “Well, I would love to sit around here some more and pretend to work like you guys, but Axle and I have a case to solve.” I flipped them the peace sign as I grabbed Axle’s arm and dragged him out with me.
    “ That wasn’t awkward,” Axle teased as we got into the elevator.
    “Did you know about this?” I asked , crossing my arms over my chest.
    “Nah, sweetheart . If I had known I would have had recorded that.” He smiled.
    “Can we grab some doughnuts on the way ? I really need to soothe my nerves with ten pounds of sugary dough.” I pouted.
    “This I have to see,” he replied as we exited the