Read Exchange of Fire for Free Online Page A

it.”
    “So those gazes she throws you when you’re turned the other way don’t mean anything?”
    “Interesting.” He dragged the word out as he stared at the sable-haired beauty navigating the crowds.
    “Yeah. But you also watch her when she’s not looking, and the employees watch you both. It’s quite entertaining.”
    “Happy to oblige,” he responded drily.
    “If you ask me, she’s one of the best hires you’ve made in a while.”
    “I agree.” He followed Sandra’s progress as she trekked through the central eatery. The way her jeans hugged her hips and the yellow uniform polo conformed to her breasts definitely had him noticing. But it was more than her sexy body that kept him interested. She had a quick wit and sharp mind that drew him in for more.
    She skirted past the escalator that carried patrons up to the laser tag floor and slipped into the Employees Only hallway. Grady rubbed his chin. He could be imagining it, but she seemed twitchy and her complexion a little pale. His internal radar went up.
    The persistent twinges in his gut over the past month suddenly grew stronger. Ever since that evening he challenged her to test her aim on a harmless video game, he’d noticed her pulling away and becoming more distant. Hell, some days he wondered when she left for the night if he’d ever see her again.
    When Sandra had applied for a position as Operations Manager four months ago, he couldn’t believe his good luck. Her résumé read like a page from his wish list of experience. What she accomplished in her twenty-nine years still astounded him. He even ran a background check twice to be sure.
    Wonder what could be upsetting her?
    Henry’s chair creaked as he rocked forward, pulling Grady out of his troubled musings. The guard picked up his walkie-talkie and clicked the side button. “Sid, move in on the group by the door leading to the paintball arena. See what they’re up to.”
    The receiver squelched and a youthful voice responded,
“On it.”
    “Glad to have you in here.” Grady patted Henry’s shoulder. Over the past few days he had overheard some of the regular kids talking about a drug ring migrating east from Knoxville. Disturbing on many levels. He refused to allow the haven he worked hard to build to be threatened by a bunch of thugs. Young folks needed a place where they could go that was free from all the bad influences they were bombarded with. A place where they could just hang out and not be bullied or harmed—in other words, a place to just be a kid.
    Unbidden, a memory of his eleven-year-old self down on his knees, hovering over his best friend Ashlyn’s unconscious body, rolled through his head. Tears had poured from his young eyes as he screamed for help and tried to wipe the blood off her face. The one day she had refused to wait for him to walk her home, a goddamn bully attacked, wanting the portable music player Grady had lent her. When she refused to give it up, the guy beat on her until Grady stumbled upon the horror hidden behind a vacant home’s line of trees and tossed him off. Impotent rage filled Grady because he had suspected the jerk of harassing her, but she wouldn’t talk about it, constantly brushing off his questions or blatantly changing the subject. His gut had told him he should skip football practice, but he had ignored it, allowing her to convince him that she’d be fine on her own. Two days later, she had died in the hospital from brain hemorrhaging. And the bully? That bastard’s father had lobbied to the court that Ashlyn had provoked his son and had gone so far as to throw the first punches. “My innocent little boy had only been acting out of self-defense when Grady came along.” Bullshit. But the courts didn’t have any proof to the contrary, so the kid walked away with only a few hours of community service.
    Ever since then, Grady vowed to always listen to his instincts and never let anyone bully or take advantage of anyone else again,