Eric groaned. She couldn’t tell if he understood her signal. She was about to make her move and go all Sapphire on Jeremiah.
“Sapphire,” Mercedes said with a snort.
“Tell me, Sapphire…” Jeremiah rose from his seat and placed his hands on either side of her. He towered above her, trapping her on the desk. “Did you share the pictures with anyone else?”
She smiled but her stomach roiled. She needed him closer, but she couldn’t take it anymore. Julie curled her hand into a fist and punched him hard in the nose.
She saw the spurt of blood as he howled. Jeremiah staggered back and covered his nose with his hands. Just as she had hoped. Julie took advantage of his exposed position and kicked him in the groin with her pointed heels.
As Jeremiah doubled over, she sensed that Mercedes was rushing to attack. Julie jumped off the desk and slammed her stiletto heel on Jeremiah’s foot.
The man crumpled to the ground. She whirled around to take on Mercedes, but she wasn’t behind her. She was trapped in Eric’s headlock. Julie raised her fists above her head and did a little victory dance.
“Where did you get that move?” Eric asked as he struggled to keep Mercedes still.
“I got an A in my self-defense class,” she said proudly. She sounded out of breath and the adrenaline was rushing so fast in her body she felt a little light-headed. “I told you my shoes were my secret weapon.”
“I can’t believe you did that,” Eric called out as he kept Mercedes from grabbing the Taser on the floor. “Boone is twice your size.”
“Excuse me?” Julie was offended. “Try three times as big. At least.”
He tightened his grip on Mercedes as she squirmed and kicked. “Don’t forget to—”
“Frisk and immobilize him. I know.” She watched Mercedes fight back. If Eric didn’t watch out, the blonde was going to sink her teeth into his arm. “Need help with that one?”
“I think I can manage.”
Julie walked over and picked up the Taser. She pushed the button and exclaimed with excitement when it crackled. “Can I at least use this on her?”
“What?” Mercedes yelled.
“No,” Eric said firmly. “I don’t let you use a gun. Do you really think I’m going to let you play with electric voltage?”
“She used it on me,” Julie reminded him as she twirled the gun with her trigger finger. “Fair is fair.”
“Don’t you dare!” Mercedes tried to get away from her.
Julie pointed the Taser at the blonde. “Then lie on your stomach. Keep your hands where I can see them.”
Mercedes reluctantly followed her orders, cursing under her breath.
“And no talking,” Julie added. She gave a quick look at Eric. “What do you think of my skills now?”
“Keep swinging that thing around and you’re going to Taser yourself,” he said.
“Funny.” She saw Eric frown. She wanted to rush over and comfort him, but she knew he was too proud and would decline her offer. “I’m going to tie up Boone and Mercedes. You can call the police.”
He cradled his arm and gritted his teeth. “Why do you get to have all the fun?”
“Because you’re the sidekick.” And because he was in no condition to help. Not that she would tell him that.
“Now I’m back to being a sidekick?”
She saw a sneaky movement from the corner of her eye. She immediately pointed the Taser at Mercedes. “I’m really looking for a reason to use this.”
Mercedes sagged against the floor and surrendered.
“I really need to get me one of these,” Julie told Eric.
He groaned. “God help us all.”
* * *
TWO DAYS LATER JULIE strode into the offices of Gunthrie Security & Investigations. She felt like a different person. Bolder. Stronger. She showed that she could take care of herself—and her sidekick—when the occasion called for it. More important, she proved it to herself.
She walked to her cubicle and stared at the jumble of uniforms. Her sunny attitude took a dip. She may have helped uncover an act of corporate espionage, but her job description hadn’t changed.
As much as she adored Perry and enjoyed working with her colleagues, she didn’t think she could keep being Uniform Girl. She wanted action and adventure and that meant leaving the cubicle. If it meant she would have to find work elsewhere, she would. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was ready to move on.