“We have plenty of room, and I know Carter will love her.” Dulce’s face softened at the mention of her baby’s name. “Trust me, she’ll be very safe with us.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.” Her mother had only met Cole, Dulce, and Carter once before. Though she would probably love to see them again—especially their adorable baby—she always felt safer in her own home. “My mom’s place has an alarm system, and she is kind of … hesitant about staying anywhere else. And convincing her to take time off of work could be very difficult.”
Her mom wasn’t a workaholic, but she was a single point of failure at her office. She also loved her job and enjoyed being there. Most importantly, she felt safe there.
“What if we have someone stay with your mom at her place?” Hawk turned from Cole to Charlotte. “Does your mom have room?”
“Well, yeah, she has three bedrooms, but—”
“How do you think she’d feel about having a houseguest?” Cole asked.
“Before she agrees to anything, she’s going to insist on knowing what’s going on.” Charlotte knew that with certainty.
For her mom, knowledge was power and, therefore, the best way for a person to protect themselves.
“That’s totally understandable.” Dulce looked at her husband. “You can’t just expect Donna to welcome a stranger into her home without telling hersomething.”
“I don’t think it’s safe to tell her everything, but you can share just enough so she understands the need for protection and why that will be easier if she’s not going into her office.” Cole focused on Charlotte. “Will that work?”
“She’s an intelligent woman. I’m sure once we give her some type of explanation, she’ll be okay with having someone around.” Donna Cavanaugh was also fiercely protective of her daughter, because she knew what it was like tonothave anyone protecting you.
Her mom would walk across crushed glass if she thought it would keep Charlotte safe.
“Why don’t I just stay with her?” As much as she would love nothing more than to see Hawk’s home and to spend time with him, she still felt like her presence might be an inconvenience.
“It’s actually safer if you’re not together.” Hawk softened his voice.
“He’s right.” Cole rested his right hand on the butt of the big black pistol hooked to his belt.
“Okay, let me give her a quick call.” She retrieved her phone and dialed her mom. “Hey, Mom. Yes, I’m fine.” Charlotte spent a few minutes telling her what she could. She nodded. “Yes, I promise, I’ll tell you more when I see you.” She rubbed her forehead. “I love you, too. Bye.”
Her mom didn’t try to pressure her for more information. Charlotte was always pretty levelheaded, so if she was being vague about something, there was a very good reason.
“I think Calliope would be a good choice to stay with your mom. She’s easygoing and can protect her.” Hawk looked from Cole to Charlotte. “You’ve met her before. What do you think?”
“I think my mom would be okay with her being at her place.” She would definitely prefer a woman over a man. “And she can definitely protect her.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Dulce chuckled.
“It’d be a really bad day for anyone who thinks otherwise.” One side of Cole’s mouth lifted in a partial smile.
“I’ll need to rearrange a few meetings and mark myself out for vacation.” She couldn’t risk telling her boss the real reason she was going to be out for a while.
“Can you do all of that virtually?” Hawk asked.
“Yes, I can use my HRA laptop.” Some evenings she worked from home, and it was helpful to have her laptop.
“You’ll need to turn your phone off, too—someone might be tracking it.” Cole walked to Dulce’s desk, slid open the bottom drawer, and lifted out a set of keys. He walked over to a door on the far side of the room and unlocked it. A moment later, he stepped out holding two phones. “I’d like you and your mom to use these burner phones.”
Charlotte hadn’t even thought about that. She would make a terrible secret agent.
“Program my number, your mom’s, Eddie’s, and Hawk’s into your phone.” He swung the door shut, locked it, and dropped the keys back in the drawer. “Hawk will show you how and give you any other numbers you might need.” He handed the phones to him.
“Put mine in there, too,” Dulce chimed in.
“Not a chance.” Cole’s tone brooked no argument, but that didn’t stop Dulce.
“Why not?” She marched right over to him and tilted her head way back to look up at him. “I want her to call me if she needs anything.”
