“No.” His whisper sounded loud in the quiet between them.
When Taryn stepped back, her expression closing down, he reached for her, then dropped his hand, knowing her boundaries on unwanted touching. Instead, he stepped in front of her, willing her to look at him.
“I can’t,” he said, when she finally met his gaze. “I want to, but I can’t. There’s no way to hide even the smallest incision from Tremaine. They’ve reminded me over and over again that Hope will be the one to pay for any mistakes on my part. I can’t risk it. I can’t risk her.”
Wrung out emotionally, he dropped his head. He jerked it back up when Taryn placed her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I understand.”
He blinked at her through eyes blurry with unshed tears. Fuck, he wanted this over and Hope safe.
“What else do you need besides a keyboard?” she asked softly.
“That’s a start,” Ash said gruffly. “Can I turn on the equipment and test it out?”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s fine.”
Before she could remove her hand, Ash took a risk and placed his over hers. “Thank you,” he said, and squeezed it before letting go.
Brushing away the moisture in his eyes, he dropped his hand and got to work.
Chapter22
Taryn studiedthe framework of the plan she and Dani had been working on. It wasn’t perfect, not yet, but it was getting there. Ash had asked about it when he arrived earlier to play with the hacking equipment, and Taryn had been relieved to be able to tell him it was coming together.
Then he’d asked about a timeline. She sighed. Like she could just snap her fingers and get a person out of a bad situation just like that. Did he think she could extricate Hope from the Tremaine-controlled hospital like magic?
She’d wanted to tell him that her usual rescue took weeks and weeks of planning, but that wasn’t a secret she was willing to share. So she’d just told him she was working on it.
The hospital looked like a fortress from the outside. Services were strictly for members of the Tremaine family, some employees, and, apparently, hostages. Ash had provided as much information as he could from his visits, so Taryn had the basic layout, including a map of Hope’s floor and her room. He’d also listed off all the equipment required to keep her healthy.
Acquiring the equipment was her second problem.
Taryn tapped her finger against the computer screen. Outside of a few scalpels and first-aid kits, hospital-style medical supplies weren’t usually on her shopping list.
It was solvable. She just hadn’t figured it out yet.
Her office door slammed against the wall and she jumped. “What the hell, Dani?”
“You’ve got to get out there. Now.” Dani’s hands were clenched into fists at her sides. Her white knuckles were visible from across the room.
Taryn was already up and moving. She circled her desk. “What’s wrong?”
“Giselle’s pimp. He’s back.” Dani’s voice was tight.
Fuck. This was the last thing Taryn needed. “Who’s manning the bar?” she asked, keeping as tight a rein on her temper as she could.
“Jenna. Daryl’s at her side.”
Okay. Good. Daryl was big and intimidating.
“The rest of security?” Taryn didn’t employ many guys, but the ones who worked for her were damn good at their jobs.
“Scattered around the room, keeping an eye on things.” Dani paused, took a deep breath. “They’re waiting for you, but if things escalate, they’ll take care of it.”
Yeah, that was what Taryn paid them for, but breaking up a good old-fashioned bar fight was one thing. Dealing with a pissed-off pimp who kept showing up where he shouldn’t? That was something altogether different. Something completely unacceptable that Taryn needed to deal with herself.
Giselle’s pimp had met her as a flighty city lady looking to get laid.
Tonight, he’d meet the Jack.
