The injector wavered along with the look on his face. Keeping the business end aimed in her direction, he worked his way around the desk until he was standing next to the window. The same window through which she had stared so long and so often ever since she had accepted her promotion to her present position. Beyond the protective exterior overhang, a light rain was visible.
Still keeping his attention focused on her, he reached back with his free hand and tried to open the window. He failed, because there was no lock and no handle. She shook her head slowly.
“Like so much else in this office, Seth, it only responds to my voice. Like the screen that’s been up between you and me ever since you pulled that toy out of your pocket.”
“You’re lying.” His eyes flicked from side to side, searching for suggestions of an ethereal shield.
She shrugged. “Then go ahead and try to shoot me. If you succeed, you’re further damned. If you fail, I’ll see you put up on charges of making the attempt. In addition to everything else.”
He hesitated a moment longer. Then he put the nasty little power injector down on her desk and stepped back. A ghost of the familiar captivating smile she knew all too well played around the corners of his mouth.
“You’re smarter than me, Lauren. You always were. I just thought that this one time I could stay a step ahead of you.”
“You were a step ahead of me,” she replied coldly. “It just took me a while to catch up.”
Nodding, he looked momentarily hopeful. “I just want you to know that however things turn out, I always meant what I said about your attractiveness. That was no lie. I loved your personality as well as your—”