Chapter 48
CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT
Natalie shook her head, forcing the thought away. It didn’t matter. She had bigger problems right now than her complicated feelings about Hudson Roberts.
She zipped the suitcase and looked around her bedroom. Her space. Her sanctuary. The place where she’d planned her future, dreamed her dreams, imagined a life where she made her own choices.
Now she was going back to her father’s house, back under his protection—or his control, depending on how this played out.
It meant being closer to potential evidence—but also closer to getting caught. Living a lie under the same roof where she’d grown up believing her father was a hero.
And it meant Hudson would be there too. Playing the concerned boyfriend. Staying close to “protect” her.
Their earlier kiss flashed through her mind. At once, she was back in the study hearing her father’s footsteps in the hall. The split-second decision to pull Hudson close and press her lips to his felt real all over again.
Heat crept up her neck. The action was supposed to be a distraction, a cover. But the moment his arms had come around her, the moment he’d responded—
No. Natalie couldn’t think about that. Couldn’t let herself remember how right it had felt, how for those few seconds she’d forgotten about the lies and the danger and just felt safe in his arms.
It was all pretend. All performance. Hudson had made that clear when he’d told his commanders the relationship was “nothing more” than cover.
She pulled her suitcase from the bed and let it drop with a bang.
“Need help?”
Natalie jumped at the unexpected voice.
She turned and saw Hudson lingering in the doorway.
She averted her gaze. “I’ve got it.”
“Natalie—”
She didn’t have the bandwidth for this conversation now. No, she’d need all her energy when she stayed at her dad’s house. Living a lie was exhausting. How had Hudson managed to do it for so long?
“We should go,” she told him. “My father’s waiting.”
Before he could argue, she brushed past him, her suitcase wheels clicking across the hardwood floor. However, she sensed his presence behind her, felt the weight of all the unspoken words between them.
This was going to be impossible. Living under her father’s roof, pretending to be in love with Hudson, trying to gather intelligence while maintaining her cover.
And trying not to remember that kiss.
Trying not to wonder what it would be like if any of this were real.
The Ravenscroft estate felt different this time, Hudson mused. Less like a showpiece and more like a fortress. Security personnel patrolled the grounds, cameras tracked every approach, and Hudson counted at least six armed guards between the front gate and the house.
Richard Ravenscroft showed them to their rooms—separate rooms on opposite ends of the same wing. Proper and protective? Or strategic positioning to keep them apart?
“Dimitri will be posted at the front door,” Ravenscroft said as he paused with Hudson outside his room. “If you need anything, just ask. Brunch is at eleven.”
His words sounded like an invitation, but they felt like house arrest.
Hudson waited until he heard Ravenscroft’s footsteps fade down the hallway before pulling out his phone as it buzzed.
A text came in from Colton.
Call ASAP. Secure line.
Hudson moved to the bathroom, turned on the shower for noise cover, and dialed.
“The bug worked,” Colton said without preamble. “We’ve been listening to Ravenscroft’s calls all evening. The Dubai shipment is arriving at Warehouse 7 tomorrow night—Thursday. Final inspection scheduled for Friday morning.”
Hudson’s pulse quickened. “What’s in the shipment?”
“He spoke in code, but we’re nearly certain it’s chemical precursors. Individually legal, but when combined, they create a weaponized compound. We’re talking mass casualty potential if deployed in a populated area.”
“Target?”
“Everything we suspected seems to be confirmed. The Norfolk area. The timing suggests Friday rush hour. There will be maximum civilian casualties and maximum economic impact.”
Hudson closed his eyes. This was it. Confirmation that Richard Ravenscroft was planning a terrorist attack.
“We’re raiding the warehouse Thursday evening,” Colton continued. “Before the inspection, before they can move the materials. We’ll catch them in the act, seize the chemicals, and bring down the whole operation.”
“One way or another, this stops tomorrow night.”
The call ended, and Hudson stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Twenty-four hours. That was all they had left.
Tomorrow night, Blackout would raid Warehouse 7. They’d seize the chemicals, and either Ravenscroft would be there—confirming his guilt—or he wouldn’t, leaving questions that might never be answered.
Either way, Natalie’s world would shatter completely.
Hudson should feel satisfied. They had the intelligence they needed. The mission was nearly complete. He’d done his job.
But all he felt was hollow dread at what tomorrow would cost the woman he loved.
He wanted to go to her. To tell her everything—about the bug, the raid, the chemicals. To give her a chance to prepare for what was coming.
But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until she was safe and clear and away from her father’s reach.
So he’d stay.
He’d maintain his cover.
He’d protect her for one more day.
Then he’d watch her heart break when she learned the truth about both of the men in her life.
Just then, a knock sounded at his door.
He opened it, his heart racing.
Ravenscroft stood there, his stance making it clear he’d come with a purpose.
“I just thought you should know that the missing security agents I hired—they’ve been found dead. Murdered.”
Hudson’s eye widened. “What?”
Ravenscroft’s gaze remained hard. “Someone is playing a deadly game with my daughter, and I don’t like it.”