"Have a good night, Danny."
Danny waved a casual goodbye as he headed out the door. Lori looked over at the only office left occupied at the end of the day, and wondered if she should stop in. Remembering McGarrett's icy glare from their last encounter, she returned her focus back to her work.
She didn't realize how much time had passed when she finally finished her report. Sending it off to the printer, Lori stood up from the table and crossed the short distance to the window. The sun was starting to set behind the buildings to the west. She should probably head home. Home wasn't much, just a non-descript one bedroom apartment not far from downtown. The most she could say about it was that she had a short commute and lived on a quiet street with no nosy neighbors.
Lori stretched her arms up and back – her neck was tight from sitting so long. She tilted her head to the left and then to the right as she watched the pages come off of the printer. She rubbed the scar on her left shoulder a little. It always seemed to bother her when she was uptight.
"Tylenol helps with the twinges," a voice said quietly behind her.
She spun around, her eyes widened slightly. Steve noticed her body tense as she faced him. His response made him instantly regret the incident in his office earlier. He didn't want her to fear him, to think she had to tiptoe around him like a time bomb.
He had nothing against Lori, although he wouldn't have picked her initially for his team. She had even managed the case well – hell, she had managed him rather well, too. There was something about her, something unfamiliar and yet intriguing that attracted him. At the same time, her cool demeanor and self-control tempted him to disrupt her status quo, to challenge her in a way she had never been challenged before.
He looked at her carefully, weighing his options.
"That's from last year, isn't it," he asked in a neutral tone, nodding toward her shoulder. She looked at him in surprise. Steve caught her gaze and held it fast.
For a moment, Lori felt trapped. Her breathing was fast, she noted, and her palms were sweating slightly. Her cheeks flushed slightly. Calm down, she thought. This is silly. Of course he knows about me. He knows my history, he pulled my file. But that particular scar, the details about Miami – how did he know? However he knew, clearly he was playing on her emotions, trying to catch her off-guard.
She forced a smile. "Yes, it is," she replied coolly. "But that wasn't in my file that you pulled last night."
Steve paused, never breaking his gaze. "It wasn't in your Homeland Security file. But it was in your NSA file," Steve said evenly, as he shifted his eyes to look past Lori to the view outside.
"My…" she stuttered, and then stopped. NSA file. She felt like smacking her head against the windows. He was a former Naval Intelligence officer, it would be expected he'd have Top Secret clearance or better. Lori was an excellent chess player, anticipating her opponent's moves, but she quickly realized she was being outplayed by McGarrett. Her mind was racing as she tried to maintain her focus. She quietly took a deep breath. At least don't get caught off-guard again, she thought. I may not win this one, but I won't let him know it.
"Yes, my NSA file. You are nothing if not thorough, Commander."
Steve resisted the urge to smile as he took another step toward the window and looked down at Lori. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes focused narrowly at Steve. She was harder than most to read, but he was an expert at noticing even the slightest changes in someone's demeanor. He smiled inwardly as he realized she was unsuccessfully trying to hide her emotions from him.