“Hurricane Hannah.” His deep, rich voice slid down her spine like melted chocolate. “I find myself in need of your services again. You free?”
For you?she thought giddily.I’m always free.
Of course, aloud she said only, “I could probably find a few hours. But I should warn you, they come with conditions this time.”
8
Black Knights Inc.
“Thanks for loaning me the clothes,” Grace told Eliza as she pulled her freshly combed hair into a low ponytail.
She would’ve been perfectly happy staying in her muddy suit, but Eliza hadinsistedshe’d be more comfortable on the long motorcycle ride ahead if she was wearing something clean and, quote,“More likely not to leave you with a fatal case of road rash should you get into an accident.”
When Eliza put itthatway, who was Grace to argue? And truly, she felt better in fresh duds, even though the jeans were a little tight around her ass, and even though the arms of the jacket were too long.
Eliza Meadows was one of those lovely, lithe women with an athletic figure that Grace couldn’t hope to achieve even if she spent hours in the gym.
She knew this because she’dspenthours in the gym trying to whittle away her curves. Including the first six months after her divorce when she’d hoped to get “revenge hot” as her little sister had termed it.
Alas, there were parts of her that refused to budge unless she wanted to employ the mad skills of a plastic surgeon. And since she had a natural aversion to needles—blame that on the time her older brother spilled her mother’s sewing kit on the floor and she ended up with three push pins stuck in the bottom of her bare foot—she’d just decided to let Mother Nature have her way.
Thankfully, Kimmie K brought booty back.
Eliza gestured toward the canvas jacket. “That jacket has always attracted everything but men and money for me.” As if to prove her point, she pulled a piece of lint off the sleeve. “Maybe it’ll bring better luck to you.”
“I’ve been doing without men since my divorce, so there’s no real loss there.” Grace pulled the front of the borrowed T-shirt away from her body. The thing fit like a second skin. She did up the buttons on the jacket because no amount of yanking seemed to help loosen the top. “But I wouldn’t say no to a little money,” she added.
Of course, her next thought was she might not live long enough to spend any sort of windfall. Had anyone survived Orpheus? If so, she’d never heard of them.
It’d taken ten minutes of convincing, but eventually she’d agreed to go with Hunter to his hidden cabin while letting Sam and his mysterious associate do the dirty work of forwarding her investigation.
To say the plan grated was an understatement. It made her jaw and her hands clench. But what choice did she have? All her resources were tied into the bureau. Andshedidn’t have the know-how to hack into Morgan’s accounts on her own.
With her father’s voice ringing in her head—“It takes courage to ask for help, Gracie girl”—she’d bitten her tongue and given in to the plan to let loose of the reigns of the investigation and go squirrel herself away.
Her thoughts must’ve registered on her face because Eliza’s expression turned sympathetic. “Don’t worry.” She squeezed Grace’s forearm and gestured to Sam and Hunter who were conversing quietly by the base of the stairs. “They’re two of the best. They’ll find a way to get you out of this mess.”
She tilted her head. “Two of the bestwhat? What aren’t you guys telling me about this place?” They were standing beside the row of fantastic motorcycles and she gestured around the soaring space.
“Not every private defense firm works out of a sprawling complex of offices with firing ranges and O-courses,” Eliza told her. “Smaller ones, like ours, share space with civilian companies. It’s a win/win. They get the rent we pay for the space. And we get a credible cover for our covert activities.”
“Hmm.” Grace narrowed her eyes. “And if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, sometimes it turns out to be a houseplant. I mean, what’s with the ten-foot brick wall topped by razor wire? What’s with the guy at the gatehouse?”
Eliza chuckled. “I bet you’re very good at your job. You’re like a dog with a bone.” She pointed toward the front of the building. “The guy at the gate keeps crazy motorcycle aficionados from waltzing in through the front door. A quick Google search will show you BKI is famous in the world of custom bikes. This place has more than its fair share of overzealous fans. Also, in case you didn’t notice, this isn’t the nicest part of town. And there aremillionsof dollars’ worth of tools, equipment, and motorcycles stored here.”
Before Grace could respond, a series of chimes and jingles echoed around the room. She blinked as cell phones were dragged from hip pockets. But it was Hunter who caught her eye after he checked his screen. “Rafer texted to say the FBI is here.”
“Shit.” She swallowed convulsively when a knot tightened her throat. “I thought they’d take longer to hack my phone. I really thought I’d have—"
“I’ll go stall ’em,” Sam interrupted as he headed toward the front door.
“Why put off the inevitable?” She dragged in a steadying breath, regretting the minutes she’d wasted changing clothes while Hunter had made some calls. “They beat us. They got here before I could leave. Let them take me. You all won’t get in trouble if you let them take me. I’ll tell them you had no idea what you were doing when I called you to come get me.”
Hunter’s hazel eyes nailed her in place as he stalked across the room. A muscle ticked in his wide jaw. And his hands were clenched into fists when he stopped beside her. “I’ll say this only once. The FBI is coming in here and taking you over my dead body.”
Seeing him so fierce in his conviction to help her had a kaleidoscope of butterflies hatching in her belly. They fluttered around until she felt sick.
Or maybe she was excited.
