Chapter 20
Grace watched as Brett rolled the cotton swab along the inside of his cheek and handed it to Razorback.
She felt every bit the interloper, the one who didn’t belong. Right now, Brett needed a babysitter, but once those results were back and Joni’s murderer found, she would be out of his life at the first opportunity.
She was horrified by his reaction to her revelation of her virginity last night. It was as if he was repulsed by her lack of experience, making her feel ashamed and deeply unwanted.
His earlier words came back to her. It’s not like I didn’t want—
What? What was it he wanted? It certainly wasn’t her, and at the moment she’d be all too happy to oblige and get the hell away from him forever. Far, far away.
Finding a new apartment would be easy. Finding a new sense of self after the last few days likely more difficult.
It was a relief to have broken up with John, though it would certainly be a change.
She would still have her work. She just wouldn’t have any of the spark that had made these last few days some of the best she’d ever experienced.
Stop it. You’re being ridiculous.
This man rejected her, and she thought this was having a great time? This was the emotional equivalent of self-flagellation. This wasn’t enjoyable. It was torture.
Except for the babies. God, how she loved those boys!
Toby and Theo had wormed their way into her heart the first time she’d held their tiny bodies against her.
But she didn’t need DNA results to tell her the boys belonged to Brett any more than she needed a weather report to tell her the sun would rise tomorrow.
He and the boys were a unit, a family, and she could only hope he would realize he held the world in his hands before he let this opportunity pass him by. Not everyone got a chance like he was being given.
Take me, for instance.
She was drifting, unsure of where she belonged.
John had been an anchor in her life—one that was cumbersome and limiting, while Brett was like a seagull who just swooped by her sails on his way to bigger skies.
A twinge of jealousy prickled. What she wouldn’t give to have Toby and Theo suddenly appear in her life, the missing piece of her own family.
She moved to the miniature coffeemaker and brewed herself a cup, listening as the men made plans to check out Joni and Luke’s house this afternoon, followed by Lamont Scientific in the middle of the night.
It sounded surreal and dangerous, a loud siren driving by the motel as if to punctuate the lesson.
She was scared for them. What if they were discovered?
Brett leaned back in his chair. “Fleming is looking for the boys. If any part of this goes haywire and he discovers we’re in town, I don’t want him to be able to find them.” His eyes met hers across the room. “We need a better place to hide Grace and the twins.”
Just hearing him say her name sent a jolt of electricity through her abdomen. For now, she was an integral piece of this puzzle, a necessary part of his life.
She turned away, rolling her eyes at her own thought.
You are his babysitter.
She shook her head to clear it. They needed a safe place, somewhere off the map. “What about an Airbnb?” she suggested. “I can see what’s available nearby.”
Trace nodded once. “That works. See if you can find a place big enough for all of us. If this mission goes into multiple days, we’ll need a home base with more space than this no-tell motel.”
Her cheeks heated as she tore open a sugar packet and dumped it into her coffee, wondering if they thought she and Brett were sleeping together. Not that it mattered, she told herself.
No matter how close it came to being true.
She stepped around the boys, sleeping in their carriers, and moved to the bed. Pulling out her phone, she quickly located two properties within a few miles that were big enough for them all. She clicked on a picturesque log cabin with a stunning lake view.
Main house with three bedrooms overlooking the lake, small cabin with a single master suite can be rented separately.
The words single master suite made her swallow hard. The last thing on earth she wanted was to be alone with Brett again, but it was necessary if she was to help him care for the boys. She clicked on the other property.
Unfurnished home with four bedrooms. You bring air mattresses, bedding and blankets.
She frowned. That wasn’t going to work. “The only thing within a thirty-minute drive is a luxury vacation rental on the water.”
Mac looked up. “Do it.” He reached for his wallet, passing her a credit card.
She clicked through the pictures. The large house and smaller cabin were decorated in the same style, but she zeroed in on the cabin where she, Brett, and the boys would be staying. It was a fantasy house with wide-planked floors and exposed rafters, a homey quilt gracing the wide king bed.
Oh, fuck.
Sweat broke out on her palms. She hadn’t realized there was only one bed, but the other house had none at all.
Surely this was a better option, and she clicked “book” before she could give it a second thought.
Whatever her muddled, aching feelings for Brett Champion, keeping the boys safe from Fleming was far more important.
Besides, it wasn’t like she’d make the same mistake twice and kiss the man.
She stood and returned the credit card to Mac, tuning in to their conversation. “…no matter what we find,” said Razorback. “Given that she was the vice president of research, Joni’s office is probably down this corridor. Each one is directly connected to the main laboratory.”
Brett leaned forward and pointed to a corner of the schematic. “And this is probably Fleming’s.”
Razorback nodded. “Agreed. As long as the office and lab are empty, we should have a clear shot directly into their offices from our point of entry here.” He pointed to a nearby spot on the floor plan.
“Problems,” said Mac.
Brett spoke up first. “People working late. Security system or guards.”
“Computer systems,” said Razorback. “We’re not likely to find a smoking gun in a stack of paper. Expect everything to be digitized.”
“We’ll need to get into their computer system,” said Mac. “Trace, get Moto on it. Anything else?”
“There’s a storm coming,” said Trace, scratching his stubbled cheek. “The rain may give us some cover, but lightning could fuck us, make it harder to hide.”
Mac nodded. “Let’s see what we find at Joni and Luke’s house first. Make a call on Lamont Scientific once we see what we find there.”
“Agreed. But I want Grace and the boys at the safe house before we do anything,” Brett said.
“That’s the most important thing.” He stood, his eyes connecting with hers again across the room, and awareness simmered in her bloodstream.
Their connection was still there, last night be damned.
She curled her toes into the carpeting, images of the idyllic log cabin and oversized bed flashing in her mind.
Get through the night.
All she had to do was get through the night with Brett Champion without losing her mind.
Or her self-respect.
Or her virginity—to a gorgeous, arrogant, egotistical man who didn’t even want it.