Dillan stopped her with, “Mind sharing some of that with me? It’s the only way I’ll be able to drink this stuff.”
Miss Meadows made a face of commiseration as she slid the jug his way. “Ex-military types”—she waved to Rollins—“prefer their coffee to snarl and try to lurch out of the pot.”
Rollins’s laugh was so deep and rumbling, Julia felt it in her stomach. And then…lower.
Really, really,reallyinconvenient!
She ripped her gaze away from the dark-haired man and instead forced herself to watch the chief of staff’s daughter as she returned the milk to the refrigerator. Miss Meadows came back to the island with a large, rectangular Tupperware dish. And after she took up a position opposite Julia, she popped the top and the smell of vanilla, sugar, and sweet cream filled the air.
Saliva instantly filled Julia’s mouth as she stared at the decadent-looking red velvet cupcakes. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she’d skipped breakfast.
“Would you like one?” Miss Meadows offered.
“No, thank you.” Dillan shook his head. “Added sugar and fat leads to cardiovascular disease and obesity. I work too hard”—he patted his six-pack—“to sabotage myself.”
Julia realized she was rolling her eyes when she caught Sergeant Rollins smirking at her. Quickly, she wiped her expression clean.
“I, on the other hand,” she said to Miss Meadows, “would love a cupcake.”
Sixty seconds later, she was rolling her eyes again. But this time they were rolling back in her head.
“Oh, my god,” she breathed reverently as the moist cake and cream cheese frosting made slow, sensual love to her tastebuds. “These are heaven.”
“The trick for the frosting is to make sure the butter is at room temperature before adding it to the cream cheese,” Eliza told her while swiping a finger through the frosting on the cupcake she’d placed on a plate for herself. “It makes the blend light and fluffy.”
“Whatever you say,” Julia enthused as she took another healthy bite and tried not to let out an obscene-sounding moan.
Miss Meadows waited until she’d finished her cupcake before stating bluntly, “So you’re here to take me to a safe house.”
Julia had been pressing crumbs from the plate onto her finger and transferring them to her mouth, but that had her stopping with her hand in the air.
“How the hell do you know that?” Dillan demanded.
Julia answered for the woman. “Let me guess. Your father?”
Miss Meadows nodded. “He called right before you two showed up at the gate.”
“I take it he gets updates from the director himself?” Julia didn’t like the idea of the details of her case being shared with anyone, even the right-hand-man to the president. But what could she do? The director was her boss and she supposed, in a way, he probably considered the chief of staffhisboss.
Plus, when her case directly involved Leonard Meadows’s daughter, no doubt exceptions were made.
“Don’t blame either of them.” Eliza wrinkled her nose. “They’re just trying to do what’s best for me.”
“Mmm,” was all Julia allowed. Then a thought occurred. “Is your father onboard with our plan? Or would he prefer you fly to Washington?”
“You shoulddefinitelygo to Washington,” Dillan piped up. “That’s a great idea.”
Julia shot him a scathing glance and wasn’t surprised when he offered up one of his patented shrugs.
Miss Meadows glanced back and forth between them before answering, “I mean, if that’s what you think Ishoulddo, I will. But if I have a choice in the matter, I’d rather stay as close to Chicago as possible. That way, as soon as this is all over, I can come straight back home.” A wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows when a thought occurred. “Unless your plan is tonotstash me somewhere close.”
“I don’t like the idea of all the moving parts required to get you to D.C.,” Julia admitted. “Now that we know you’re in danger, the quicker we can get you squirreled away, the better.”
“And what’s changed your mind about her being safe here?” Rollins interjected. His accent made the last word sound more likehee-ah.
Julia glanced at the large window behind the sink. There was a firepit in the courtyard surrounded by outdoor furniture. A smattering of small outbuildings stood in a neat row to the right of that. And beyond everything was the ten-foot-high brick wall topped by the razor wire.
To say the BKI compound was formidable was an understatement. But there was a difference between formidable and impenetrable.
