Irish Throwdown (What Happens In Vegas Book 4) by Matt Lincoln (short books for teens .TXT) 📕

I’d suffered from depression and anxiety for a lot of my life, and vanity and personal appearance had just never been something that I prioritized. I’d always kept my hair cut short for convenience and just wore whatever was baggy and comfortable. It wasn’t like I had zero experience with men and dating, but I’d never gotten attention from random men on the street like that. Well, not until recently.

Ever since Junior and I had started dating, I’d started to put more effort into my appearance. I didn’t change anything drastic. I just started growing out and styling my hair and wearing a bit of makeup to work. Naomi had been ecstatic when I’d asked her to help me update my wardrobe, and she’d helped me pick out clothes that were still comfortable, but that fit much better and were honestly a lot more professional than what I’d been wearing to work before. Ever since then, I’d noticed that I’d been getting a lot more attention from men. It was a nice boost for my ego, but it was also annoying when I ran into someone like this man who just wouldn’t take a hint.

“Fiona G.!” the barista called as he set my order on the pick-up counter. I carefully picked up the paper bag filled with treats in one hand while balancing the coffee carrier in the other. The office was only a few blocks away, so I didn’t think it’d be too hard to make it back unscathed.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I made it the last few steps into our building. I’d nearly run into a catastrophe when one particularly excited tourist had almost bumped right into me while staring at something through his phone’s camera. In the end, though, I made it back to the office with my haul intact.

“Nelson!” I called as I entered the office. “I have coffee and also chocolate croissants and eclairs.”

“That sounds amazing,” Nelson replied as he made his way out of his office. Even with his cane, he seemed to be struggling a little to walk today.

“I thought you might enjoy taking a break,” I replied. “Why don’t we head into the break room to eat?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, we both heard a loud crash. I looked at Nelson in shock, unsure where the sound had come from.

“What was that?” I asked as I set the coffee and pastries down on one of the desks in the bullpen. As soon as I did, I heard another loud crash and what sounded like yelling.

“It’s coming from Agent Howard’s office,” Nelson remarked as he took a step forward.

I rushed toward Howard’s office and threw the door open.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I stepped inside. I gasped as I took in the scene in front of me. Tables were overturned, and computer monitors and other lab equipment were scattered all over the ground. Broken tools and shattered glass littered every surface of the office. At the end of the room, Howard was hunched over, holding his head in his hands.

He snapped his head up to glare at me as I spoke. His eyes were glazed over, but I could still feel the rage and anger radiating from his stare.

“You,” he spat angrily.

“What’s wrong, Agent Howard?” I asked weakly, unsure what else to do.

“Step back, Fiona,” Nelson instructed calmly.

“Little Miss Tech Expert,” Nelson sneered as he took a step toward me. “Think you can just come down off your throne and pity me?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, unable to keep my voice from trembling.

“Fiona, move away from him now,” Nelson commanded.

“Come out and get some fresh air and sunlight,” Howard taunted in what I assumed was supposed to be an imitation of my voice. “You think you’re so much better than me just because you know how to hack. My job is just as important!”

“I know it is,” I argued. “Everyone knows that, Howard.”

“Stop pitying me!” he roared as he suddenly flew toward me.

I screamed and backed away from him, but he was on me in an instant. I barely managed to get my arms up over my face before he started punching me. I flinched as pain exploded across my forearms and collarbone where his fists made impact. The realization that my gun was in my office hit me. I never carried it with me since I wasn’t a field agent and practically never needed it.

A second later, the attack ceased as Howard was thrown off me. I looked up to see Nelson standing over me. His cane was gone, and I wondered if he’d dropped it in his haste to get over to me. He put his hand over the gun in his holster but stopped short of drawing it.

“I need you to calm down now, Agent Howard,” he said calmly.

I scrambled to my feet and stood beside him.

“You’re going to shoot me?” Howard asked. His eyes were wild, and there was an unsettling smile plastered across his face. “I knew that little Miss Hacker was everyone’s favorite, but to think you’d try to kill me off! I shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone here just treats me like an extra.”

“That isn’t true, Agent Howard,” Nelson responded calmly. “We all value you as a part of this team. We’ve been depending on your expertise for this entire case.”

“That’s all I’m good for, right?” Nelson barked. I flinched as he suddenly began pulling at his coarse brown hair. “Running tests and turning over results. None of you would even notice if I suddenly stopped showing up to work. You know how I know that? Because I’ve done it before!”

I could feel bruises forming along my arms where Howard had punched me. There was a searing pain along the right side of my collarbone, and the nausea that was building made me suspect that he’d broken it. Still, I couldn’t move