He bent over and kissed her.“The hair thing makes me want to mess it up on my own.”
That put a little bounce in her step, and she took her coffee.
He snagged her around the waist, and laughing, she couldn’t remember ever feeling content and safe, despite every reason she should be jumping at shadows like he was.Callum was right.They were a long time coming.None of the awkward get-to-know-you moments had to play out.They had already done so over the years.
They returned to their newly acquired—stolen?—rental car and, as Callum accelerated onto the highway, they polished off their sandwiches and sipped coffee like they hadn’t been in a gunfight hours before.
Then, she was suddenly more tired than she thought possible.Her eyelids were too heavy to hold open.“I’m exhausted.”
“Take a nap.”
“You’re not tired?”
“I’m used to adrenaline crashes.The caffeine’s probably done more for calming your system than you realized.”
That made little sense.Then again, Grace had a hyper friend who would always fall asleep after an espresso.The road noise lulled her toward sleep.
She woke up and didn’t know how much time had passed.They had pulled into an office parking lot.Grace rubbed her eyes as Callum pulled to the curb and parked behind a large SUV that was similar to the one she had shot.
“Ready to do this?”he asked.
Big black SUVs made her uncomfortable.She smoothed her hands over her legs.Of course, she was ready, but her nerves pitted deep inside her gut.She noted the two men in uniform by the front door.“Who are they?”
He pursed his lips.“Someone arranged for security.Not sure if it was Titan or the AG’s office or what, but we’ve had a shit day.Once you get inside, everything will be okay.We’ll learn what we need to know.They’ll get what they need from you, and it will all be over soon.”
She chewed on her bottom lip.“Then what?”
His grin hitched into a beautiful smile that snapped her out of her nervous spiral.“A cute house.Flowers in the front.A little vegetable garden in the back.Someplace safe.”
Her heart climbed into her throat.
“You know the kind,” he continued, “like where we grew up.Friendly.Not too big.Not too small.”Callum tilted his head.“What’d you say?With lots of happiness and laughter.”
The nerves transformed into bits of sunshine warming her from the inside out.Grace nodded, words clogging in her throat.“That’s what I said.”
He nodded toward the building.“Come on.Let’s go.”
A person she hadn’t met before exited the SUV in front of them.Callum left their car running and got out.He gathered their belongings and met Grace on the sidewalk.The other person got into their car without saying a word to Callum.Their temporary car followed the big black SUV out of the parking lot.
“Where are they going?”she asked as they walked toward the tinted-glass office doors.
He shrugged.“Wherever cleanup teams go to clean up.Probably best we don’t know.”
The generic building reminded her of an office park with doctors’ and dentists’ offices.Dated but practical, with big windows like those in old schools and mature landscaping skirting the building.
Once inside, she eyed the directory of offices corresponding to the suite numbers.Accountants and tax services.Consultants.Lots of businesses that appeared to be last names with “and associates” tacked on.She didn’t have a good idea of which office they might need to go to.
Callum bypassed two more agents standing near the elevators and led them up a flight of stairs to the second floor.The overhead light illuminated a clean but worn carpet.This wasn’t anything like the meetings she’d had with investigators and prosecutors after Dominic had been arrested.“I thought we’d be in some flashy government building.”
“I always picture government buildings more like the DMV.Fluorescent lights and two-hour-long lines.”He shrugged.They stopped in front of a door with a Bastamonti and Associates nameplate.“Ready?”
They entered a generic office suite with large windows.An empty reception desk greeted them.Callum frowned.“Guess we have a seat.”
She folded onto the couch.He paced in front of the desk, typing on his phone.Despite the bright windows, the small space closed in on her.The stuffy air hung heavy.She needed to calm down.“You’re making me nervous.Or maybe it’s all the guys with guns waiting downstairs.”
Callum shifted his weight and shoved his hands in his pockets.Finally, he perched on the edge of a chair in the corner.“They were only making sure you got in safe.”
She was.They’d made it.As soon as she got that through her head, her anxiety would calm down.
