Man Of Action. Janie Crouch

heard and felt the chaos behind her a few moments later. A shot fired then a bunch of people yelling. She just kept walking, not looking back.

      * * *

      ANDREA WASN’T SURE what had happened in the bank that evening. She’d watched the news the next day and it seemed as if the men had been stopped without any problems. One of the gunmen had been wounded in the raid; the other had surrendered without a fight. All the hostages had left the bank unharmed.

      The third man was never mentioned or shown by the media. Andrea accepted that maybe she had been wrong; maybe he hadn’t had anything to do with it. But then she thought of that evil smile the man had given her in the bank. Even now it had the ability to make her stomach turn.

      Andrea hoped Mr. Drackett and Grace hadn’t gotten in trouble because of what she had told them. She’d probably never have any way of knowing, so she put it out of her mind.

      Until they both walked in to Jaguar’s a couple of hours later.

      Andrea was immediately self-conscious. She wasn’t onstage dancing—thank God—but she was serving drinks, and even though the waitress outfits were more concealing than whatever the dancer was wearing, it still left very little to the imagination.

      They were obviously here for her. Jaguar’s rarely got customers in business suits. Especially suits that screamed law enforcement.

      It was too dark for Andrea to read their expressions and body language as well as she would like, but anger radiated off them. This had to be about the bank. They must have gotten in trouble. And now they were here to let Andrea know. She wondered if she was about to be arrested.

      “Harry, I need a break. I’ll be back in fifteen,” she said to her manager.

      Harry leered at her the way he always did. “Any more than that and I’ll dock your pay.” He stepped closer, grasping her chin. “Or we can work out our own way of you paying me back.”

      He didn’t see that Drackett and Grace had made their way up behind him, overhearing his words. Drackett cleared his throat.

      Harry pegged them as cops as soon as he turned around. “And by paying me back, I mean working extra shifts,” he muttered, going to stand farther behind the bar, glaring at the suits.

      “Andrea, could we talk to you outside for a few minutes?” Grace said over the thump of the music.

      “Am I about to be arrested?”

      Drackett’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you say that?”

      Andrea shrugged, very aware of how much her clothes revealed. Her skimpy bra was clearly noticeable through the mesh of her top. The short pleated skirt she wore barely covered her bottom, and men often took it as an invitation to run their hand up her thigh.

      Andrea had stopped slapping their hands away once Harry threatened to fire her.

      She was used to men gawking at her body, but Mr. Drackett’s eyes hadn’t so much as left her face once since he’d arrived.

      “You’re angry,” she said. It wasn’t terribly noticeable in his expression, but she could tell.

      Grace was surprised. “I don’t think Steve is angry, Andrea.” She turned to him. “Maybe we’re wrong about her.”

      Steve shook his head once. “No, she’s spot-on. I’m pissed as hell that she’s working in a place like this.” He stepped closer to Andrea and she couldn’t help but take a step back. He froze. “I’m not angry at you, I promise.”

      Andrea believed him. “Okay.”

      “But do you mind coming outside with us? This will only take a few minutes.”

      Andrea grabbed her lightweight jacket and followed them out the side door. “I can’t stay out here very long. I’ll get fired if I do. I need this job,” she said in the quieter, cooler air of outside. Finally she felt as if she could breathe again.

      “You were right about the third man in the bank.” Grace smiled at her. “You probably saved a lot of lives yesterday. He had a briefcase full of explosives and was just waiting to use them. Was waiting for SWAT so he could take them down, too.”

      Andrea closed her eyes in relief. At least no one had gotten hurt and these two people hadn’t gotten fired.

      “Andrea, I’m going to cut right to the chase.” Mr. Drackett kept his distance so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. “We believe you have a gift at reading people’s emotions and microexpressions, even when they’re only available for a split second.”

      Andrea wasn’t exactly sure what microexpressions were, but she knew she was good at reading people.

      “Maybe.” She shrugged, clutching her jacket to her chest. “So?”

      “I’m Steve Drackett. Grace and I work for Omega Sector: Critical Response Division. We’re law enforcement, sort of like the FBI, but without as much red tape.”

      “And smarter and better looking,” Grace chimed in, smiling again. “We’re based out of Colorado Springs.”

      That was all fine and good, but what did it have to do with her? “Okay.”

      Drackett crossed his arms over his chest. “We’d like you to come work for us.”

      “What?” Andrea wasn’t sure she was hearing right. “Doing what?”

      “What you did at the bank. What you seem to be a natural at doing, if we’re not mistaken. Reading people.”

      Andrea’s gaze darted over to Grace then back to Drackett. “You don’t even know me. Maybe I just got lucky at the bank.”

      Steve tilted his head to the side. “Maybe, but I don’t think so. There are some tests that can help us know for sure. We’ll pay for you to fly to Colorado Springs and for all your expenses during testing.”

      Andrea grimaced. Tests, books, schooling were not her strengths. The opposite, in fact. She looked down at her feet. “I’m not too good at tests. Didn’t finish high school.”

      “It won’t be like math or English tests you took in school,” Grace said gently. “It’s called ‘behavioral and nonverbal communication diagnostic testing.’”

      Now Andrea was even more confused. “I don’t know what that means.”

      Grace smiled. “Don’t worry about the name. The testing will involve a lot of pictures, or live people, and we’ll see how accurately you can pick up their emotions and expressions.”

      Okay, only reading emotions, not words. Maybe she could handle it, but she still wasn’t sure. What if she failed?

      “Andrea!” Harry yelled from the door. “Time’s up.”

      Steve looked at Harry then back to Andrea. “There are no strings in this offer,” Steve said, his voice still calm and even. “You can check us out before you get on the plane, make sure we’re legit. Read up about Omega, so you feel safe.”

      Andrea studied them both. There was no malice in either of them as they looked back at her, just respect, concern and a hopefulness. They legitimately seemed to want her to join them.

      “What if I can’t do what you want? If I’m not as good as you think?” she whispered.

      “Then you’ll be paid handsomely for the time you’ve spent doing the testing,” Grace said. “And we’ll fly you anywhere you want to go. It doesn’t have to be in Arizona.”

      “Andrea.” Harry’s voice was even louder. “Get your ass back in here. Now.”

      “And we’ll help get you started in another career. It may not be with Omega, but it doesn’t have to be here. This is not the place for you. Why don’t you leave with us tonight?” The compassion in Steve’s face was her undoing.

      She