Chapter 12
When they got back to the relative safety of Liam’s SUV, he spent a few minutes texting back and forth with his cousin. Lina took that time to breathe deeply and try to figure out where they should go next with the investigation.
“If Mrs. E left that trap in place, the house is probably empty,” Lina said, thinking through their situation.
“That’s the most likely scenario. Why place such an explosive trap on a place that you’re in? That seems a bit too incautious for a survivor like Mrs. E,” he said.
“But we can’t take the risk that she isn’t coming back here,” Lina put in.
“Which is why I’ve asked Mike and his friends to keep watch from the water.
I’ve stressed how unwise it would be to approach the house itself based on what happened to us yesterday, and he understands.
They’ll watch and report from the water.
They’re going to do shifts through the night and report back if there’s any activity,” Liam explained.
“That’s perfect. Then, once we mount a few cams, we can go back to the safe house and really dig into the leads I found this afternoon.” Lina couldn’t wait.
Liam reached into the back of his SUV and pulled out the equipment they’d need.
Tiny spy cams that would mount easily without being obvious about it.
All they had to do was stroll past the house and pause to lean against a tree here and there, adhering the tiny cams in inconspicuous places.
That was accomplished with relative ease, and Liam took a moment to bring up the feeds on his cell phone, setting them to report the least little motion and send all their data up to the cloud every fifteen minutes.
That done, it was time to leave the area.
A short pause to pick up some take-out food, and then they were headed for their safe house to reassess everything that had happened so far.
Lina could seriously use a breather and looked forward to a little bit of downtime.
Stakeouts may not seem all that strenuous from a physical perspective, but they did take a toll.
All that sitting and all the tension. They tended to give her a headache.
By the time they reached the safe house, night had fallen in earnest. The car’s headlights swept briefly across the familiar porch before Liam killed the engine.
Neither of them spoke during the drive back.
Both were turning over what they’d seen, trying to fit it into the growing puzzle that was Mrs. E’s trail.
The explosion in Bayshore the other night had taught them caution.
Tonight’s discovery proved Mrs. E was still laying traps.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of the food they’d picked up on the way back.
They’d gotten several bags filled with burgers, fries, and other goodies.
Liam dropped the food on the kitchen table and went straight to check his phone for updates from the field.
Lina, meanwhile, set out two plates and unwrapped the food, grateful for something to do with her hands.
“Anything from Mike?” she asked after a moment.
Liam’s eyes flicked down to the screen, the blue light catching the hard lines of his face. “All quiet. No more movement, no change in the glow. He’s posted two of the guys at opposite ends of the inlet.”
“Good,” Lina murmured, sinking into the chair opposite him. “That light in the back window was almost identical to the one that nearly killed us in Bayshore.”
He nodded, unwrapping his burger but not eating yet. “Yep. She’s probably using the same kind of trap spell on every property she has and maybe refining it as she goes. I think that glow was designed to lure watchers in.”
Lina’s stomach tightened. “It was pretty convincing the first time. Do you think it’s all some kind of test?”
“Maybe,” he said grimly. “Or maybe she’s got someone else doing prep work for her big summoning while she stays hidden. Either way, she’s still active.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, the quiet broken only by the faint hum of the refrigerator and the soft crinkle of paper wrappers.
It was domestic in the strangest way. Two soldiers of different worlds sharing dinner after staring death in the face the night before, which Lina had to admit, still had her a bit shaken.
When she finally spoke again, Lina’s voice was quieter. “That light tonight felt worse, somehow. Stronger. Like she’d adjusted the spell to draw us in even faster than yesterday.”
Liam met her gaze across the table, his expression unreadable. “But we didn’t take the bait. We won’t let her cajole us into setting off another of her traps. We’ll track her and shut her down before she can escalate any more than she already has.”
Lina nodded slowly, determination solidifying in her chest. “I’ll see if my queries on the new alias, Marguerite Ainsworth, have come through. Then I’ll cross-check with rental properties and supply purchases. Maybe she’s stashing materials somewhere nearby.”
He leaned back in his chair, studying her. “You never stop working, do you?”
She gave a faint smile. “Not when lives are on the line.”
Something flickered in his eyes—approval, admiration, and something warmer—but he only said, “Good. Because I think we’re getting close.”
Lina pushed aside her empty plate and opened her laptop, already pulling up the databases she needed. “Then let’s make sure we’re ready when she slips up.”
Lina’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, the glow of her laptop screen painting her face in soft blue light. She was halfway through cross-referencing the Ainsworth alias when she realized Liam hadn’t moved.
He was still sitting across from her, the remnants of dinner pushed aside, elbows braced on the table. His gaze wasn’t on the computer or his mind on the mission. It was on her. Steady and intent.
“What?” she asked, a little self-conscious under that golden-lion stare.
He shook his head slowly. “Just thinking how damn good you are at this. You dive in without hesitation, like you were born for it.”
She snorted softly, trying to deflect. “Not exactly something my high school guidance counselor predicted.”
Liam’s mouth curved in that half-smile she was starting to recognize. It was the one that said he saw through every layer she tried to hide behind.
“Maybe not, but it fits. You’ve got that focus, that drive. It reminds me of some of the best operators I ever served with.”
Something warm bloomed in her chest at the quiet praise. She closed the laptop gently and met his gaze. “You’re kidding me, right? You walk away from explosions like they’re nothing and don’t seem the least bit bothered that we were almost blown up last night.”
He chuckled, the sound low and rich. “Comes with the job.”
“Right,” she murmured, though her voice had softened.
Silence settled between them. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but it was a bit charged. It was the kind of silence that carried weight, full of everything unsaid. Lina looked away first, focusing on her coffee cup.
“We shouldn’t,” she said quietly. “You know that, right? The case has to come first.”
“I know,” Liam said, his voice even quieter. He rose from his chair and came around the table, stopping just behind her. “But that doesn’t make it any easier to ignore.”
She turned slightly, and suddenly, he was so close she could feel the warmth radiating from him. His was a steady, grounding presence she’d come to rely on in only a short time. Her pulse stuttered in her throat.
His hand came to rest lightly on the back of her chair. He wasn’t quite touching her, but he was near enough that her skin prickled with awareness. Lina looked up at him, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe.
“If this were any other time…” he started, then stopped himself with a soft exhale.
“I know,” she finished for him, her voice barely a whisper. “But it’s not.”
“No,” he agreed. “It isn’t.”
They stayed like that for a heartbeat longer, caught in the space between sense and surrender, before Liam straightened and stepped back, the distance deliberate.
“Get some rest,” he said quietly. “We’ll hit it hard tomorrow so we can get this thing wrapped up. Then, maybe, we can explore this further.”
Lina nodded, pretending her pulse wasn’t still racing.
As he turned away, she opened the laptop again, more for something to look at than out of necessity.
But she didn’t see the screen anymore. All she could think about was the heat of his nearness and the dangerous truth that she might already be in deeper with Liam than she’d ever intended.
The next morning around dawn, the strong aroma of coffee drew Lina from her room before she was entirely ready to face the day.
She showered, dressed, and ran through her morning routine on autopilot, but her thoughts kept circling back to the moment in the kitchen the night before.
The hungry look in Liam’s eyes had nearly stunned her.
The almost-touch and quiet restraint had left her both relieved and disappointed.
She found him at the kitchen counter, already in motion. He’d rolled his sleeves up, revealing forearms corded with muscle. The simple domesticity of him making coffee in the morning light struck her as dangerously appealing.
He looked up when she entered, and for a split second, neither of them said a word.
His eyes tracked over her face, her damp hair, and the casual clothes she’d chosen.
The air between them felt charged, heavy with everything they’d almost said the night before.
Then he gave her that easy, half-grin that always managed to disarm her.
“Morning. Hope you like it strong.”
“Strong is perfect,” she said, grateful that her voice sounded steadier than she felt.
She took the mug he offered, their fingers brushing in the handoff. The contact was brief but it still sent a spark up her arm, and she wondered at the double entendre in his words. Had he meant to make his words sound naughty?
Yes, she decided. He probably had. The stinker.
Liam cleared his throat and leaned back against the counter. “Mike checked in. No movement overnight. House stayed dark after that glow dissipated.”
“Okay,” Lina said, taking a sip to give herself a second to regroup. “So, she’s probably gone to ground somewhere else.”
“Maybe,” he said, watching her over the rim of his cup. “Or she’s just waiting for us to make our next move.”
Silence stretched between them for a moment. Neither of them seemed to know quite where to look. Finally, Lina set her mug down and gave a small laugh.
“Okay, this is ridiculous. We’re adults. We can work together without making it weird.”
Liam’s mouth quirked. “You think it’s weird?”
“I think,” she said, meeting his gaze squarely, “that pretending we don’t notice each other might be the weirdest part.”
That earned her a low, rough chuckle. “Fair point.”
He set his cup aside and crossed his arms, expression turning serious again.
“You’re right, though. We’ve got a job to do, and it’s too important to compromise.
His voice dropped lower, rougher. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t think about it.
About you. What it would be like between us when we finally stop being so damn professional. ”
Lina’s pulse kicked into overdrive. The heat in his eyes made every rational thought scatter. “Liam...”
“I know. We have to wait. When Mrs. E is handled, and we don’t have lives on the line, then, there’ll be time to explore this thing between us.”
Lina nodded, her mouth dry at his honesty and the draw she felt toward him.
Could she really ignore it that much longer?
They’d have to hurry up and solve this case or she just might throw all caution to the wind and tackle the man where he stood.
Her inner lynx was all for that idea and yowled when Lina forcibly pushed those thoughts away.
She had to behave. He was being strong, so she had to be, as well.
For a long moment, they just looked at each other, the promise hanging in the air between them—tangible, tempting, and terrifying in its intensity.
Lina found her voice finally, though it came out rougher than she intended. “You don’t play fair, do you?”
“Never claimed to.” His mouth quirked, but his eyes remained serious. “Just wanted you to know where I stand. So when this is over...” He let the implication hang.
“When this is over,” she agreed quietly, her heart still racing.
Then Liam straightened, the easy professionalism sliding back into place like armor.
“All right, Agent Goodwell. Let’s hunt ourselves a witch.”