42. Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter forty-two
Peter
The next night, I was settled in on the couch, half watching a movie and half paying attention to Adair curled up next to me, reading. She’d yawned four times in less than five minutes, and I was about to suggest she go to bed when my phone went off.
Tech:
My eyebrows went up, but I didn't move. I didn't want to alarm Adair unnecessarily.
Shield:
Tech:
Shield:
Tech:
He made a good point.
Shield:
Tech:
I glanced over at where Adair was still reading.
Shield:
Tech:
I immediately sat up, which grabbed Adair’s attention. “What happened?”
“Tech said something looked off on the property but couldn’t put his finger on it. You want to look over the camera feeds?”
She closed her book and nodded. “Absolutely. Where are we doing this?”
“My room. Then I know no one can accidentally see something they shouldn’t.”
Moments later, we settled in on my bed, sitting side-by-side, and logged into the backup server. I brought up the different feeds, and we meticulously looked over each one. We’d made it to the sixth one when she suddenly shifted and leaned forward. “Tech’s right. Something is off here.”
“Can you explain what?”
Adair pulled the laptop close to her face and studied the screen closely, skipping around to different times on the recording.
“It’s the angle of the camera you had to replace…
but why? And how? There hasn’t been a storm and none of the alarms have gone off.
” She let out a gasp when a deer walked past the camera.
“How didn’t that set off the motion sensor? Shit.”
I relayed the information to Ryan, who was grateful for the confirmation something was up.
After a few minutes, she slid the computer back toward me. “Normally, I can sit and watch this for hours… but it’s stressing me out too much right now, and I need to stop for a bit.”
“Okay.”
Adair’s discomfort was palpable as she scooted down and went flat next to me on the bed, rolling onto her side.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and lightly massaged it. The tension and anxiety rolling off her made my heart clench. I couldn’t imagine the fear and pain she was feeling right now. “You’re safe, Adair.”
“Logically, I know that.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m really glad I’m here.”
“I’m glad you’re here, too.” I closed the laptop and told Ryan we had logged out for the time being. Adair and I stayed there in silence for a while, and I wasn’t opposed to it. I kept rubbing her shoulder, listening to her breathing relax and slow down.
There you go.
When she shivered, I pulled a blanket over her and tucked her in. “Will you be okay if I head out of the room and grab a snack?”
“Mhmm.”
I gently crawled off the bed and left the room, letting out a long breath as I closed the door behind me.
I hope everything is okay and we’re overreacting.
I couldn’t shake off the bad feeling.
I was half asleep on the couch later when my phone rang, startling me awake. I didn’t even look at the screen as I answered it. “Grant.”
“Please tell me you have eyes on Hummingbird right now.”
The tense, panicked tone of Ryan's voice set me on edge, and I was immediately off the couch, rushing to my bedroom. I cracked open the door, letting out a sigh as I spotted her sleeping. “I’m looking at her right now. Why? What’s going on?”
“Thank God. They took out the target near you.”
Thank god? He knows she’s here… and has been. I took a step away from the door. “The target? … Wait… Shit. Did they get the nest?”
“Yeah. It’s been blown to hell.”
I let out a sigh as I closed the door again and leaned against the wall next to it. My brain was spinning. “What’s the next move?”
“Waiting to see theirs and then getting her the hell out of there.”
I nodded. It was our standard response when there were no injuries or fatalities. “Any updates to the protocol here?”
“I’d keep low for now. I’m about to fill in Li and Lynette. One of us will be in contact soon.”
“Okay. Thanks, Ryan.”
I’d barely ended the call when my door flew open with Adair standing there, eyes wide. “What happened?”
On instinct, I pulled her into a hug, letting out a relieved sigh as I held her safe in my arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Peter, what happened?”
I took another moment to feel her take another breath before loosening my hold on her and taking a step back.. “Someone took out your old house.”
Adair narrowed her eyes at me as she tightened her grip on my shirt. “What do you mean by took out?”
“Explosives.”
I was glad my arms were already around her, as I had no warning before her knees went out. “Hey. You’re safe here.”
“That could have been me… should have been me.”
It was a stab in the heart hearing her say those words.
I turned and pinned her against the wall, forcing her chin up until she looked me in the eye.
“No, it should not have been you. Your time here isn’t done yet.
We need you here.” I pressed against her a little more, partially to keep her from slipping, partially to remind her I was here for her, that she was safe, and partially to reassure me she was okay.
I stared into her eyes. “I need you here.”
It caught me off guard how much I meant those words. How forcefully I said them. I truly cared about Adair, and as for more than someone to protect. Hearing her question if she should be alive woke something within me, making me realize my feelings for her went so much deeper than that.
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Sorry. I’m not normally so dramatic when reacting to bad news.”
Same. I didn’t break eye contact with her. “Maybe you feel safe enough here to be vulnerable and let your genuine emotions out?”
Adair stared at me. “I… I never thought about it like that.”
“You’ve been on the run, constantly looking over your shoulder for years. You had Providence for a while, and while he took the very best care of you, he was only one person. You have an entire house here now… and more in Chicago. There’s got to be some kind of comfort in that.”
A small smile appeared on her face. “There is. A lot, actually.”
I loosened my hold on her and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “Feel any better?”
“Yeah.” Adair let out a sigh and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m really tired of my homes getting blown up.”
That stopped every thought in my head. “Homes? As in, this isn’t the first one this has happened to?”
“Nope. The last time it happened, Derek and I had just reconnected.” She paused for a moment before looking up at me.
“Derek was Providence. He and I were close.” Another tense breath.
“Anyway, I had to call out an SOS to Lynette, who was able to get both of us the hell out of there. I’m not sure how much of that one is still standing.
When I told Lukas how I understand the guilt about the effort and resources used to keep me safe and alive, I’m not just saying it. ”
“And you’re more than worth it.”
She huffed out a dry laugh. “Am I, though? Some days, I wonder.”
I took her face in my hands, bringing our faces very close together. “Adair, you are worth every bit of the effort.”
Her hazel eyes locked onto mine, and I wasn’t sure for a second if she was breathing or not.