“I can’t find the exact pickup location. These guys covered their tracks. The only thing I was able to uncover is a single word in reference to the location. Firefly.”
“Firefly?” she repeated. “What is that? Some kind of code?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll keep digging.”
“Name your price, and I’ll make sure Owen gets it to you,” Connor said.
Billy stood and closed his laptop. “Don’t worry about that. Just promise you’ll shut this shit down, and I’ll help you however I can.”
“We will.”
There was nothing left to do today, and as they left, Alessia just kept repeating that word in her head over and over.
Firefly.
What could it mean?
Connor drove her back to the restaurant, and she expected they’d part ways, but as she started to get out, he grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Get in your car and follow me.”
“What?” she asked, too surprised to call him out for being bossy. “
“Just trust me.”
That was a tall order, but she figured she didn’t have much to lose at this point. So, she did as he said, trailing along behind him as he drove through Misso City until he finally stopped outside of a house on the north end. It was a ranch-style home with an attached garage. He’d parked in the driveway, and she pulled in behind him.
“Where are we?” she asked as they both got out of their cars.
“This is my home. You’re going to stay with me for a while.”
“What?”
“Someone was following you, Alessia. You’re not safe.”
She couldn’t help thinking of all the times Leo suggested that she was helpless or a burden. “I can take care of myself.”
The look on Connor’s face told her that he doubted that, but he just shook his head. “I don’t want you tohaveto take care of yourself.”
“It’s not up to you.”
He stormed over to her, The emotion blazing in his eyes so powerful that it stole her breath. “Damn it, stop being so stubborn. What if it means that your father suspects something? That you’re not safe at your apartment?”
She wanted to argue on principle, but she couldn’t deny the logic of his words. Still…
“I don’t have any clothes. Or Cleo. I can’t leave her.”
“Fine. I’ll get you settled here, and then I’ll head to your place.”
She didn’t love the idea of him going through her things, but she did need some clothing. There was no point in fighting it.
12
CONNOR
He found a small suitcase in the bottom of Alessia’s closet. The thing was hot pink and had wheels, not that he cared. He opened it up on her bed and started stuffing clothing inside. He had no idea what she would want, so he grabbed a handful of items out of every drawer, refusing to think too much about the lingerie he saw or the way the silky material felt in his hands.
For that matter, he didn’t want to examine his motives too closely. Insisting that Alessia stay with him, even temporarily, wasn’t something that he’d do for just anyone.
