After a second search of his place, I’m satisfied I have found the only evidence here. I glance at my watch. Three a.m. is too early to leave. I can’t risk Liam checking the cameras downstairs. He expects me to spend the night, so I shall. I plonk my butt on the couch and pull up a book on my phone to read. There is no way in hell I’m risking falling asleep. In case I doze off, I setmy alarm for five thirty, but I don’t need it. I’m still awake and itching to get out before he wakes up. I have no clue how long that stuff will keep him in the Land of Nod.
I tiptoe into his room and slowly climb into the bed beside him, watching him the entire time for any signs he might be waking. But he’s completely comatose. He hasn’t even budged position all night. I wriggle a little in the bed to mess up my side, only getting out when I’ve left enough body heat. I spritz a little bit of my perfume on the pillow, smirking when I deliberately smudge his brand-new white silk pillow with my mascara. Satisfied I’ve done enough to “prove” I spent the night, I go out to the kitchen and write him a note, confirming I have left to go to the gym before an early-morning meeting with a client.
I leave it beside him on the bed, staring at him as he snores like a freight train, debating whether to grab the pillow and smother him with it. I hightail it out of his place before I’m tempted to do it.
When I arrive home, I discover I have a guest. Joshua is pacing the floor in the living room like a madman, scrubbing his hands down his face and tugging on his hair. His head picks up when he hears my heels clicking across the floors. Bruising shadows paint the skin under his eyes, worry lines furrow his brow, and his usually pristine hair is sticking up every which way.
“Thank God.” His giant strides eat up the gap between us in no time, and then he’s reeling me into his arms. “I was so worried.” He almost squeezes me to death he’s hugging me so tight. “I couldn’t sit still for a second all night. I was going out of my mind.” He clasps my face in his large hands. “I shouldn’t be here, Gia, but I couldn’t not come. I wanted to be here whenyou returned to make sure you are okay with my own eyes. It was hell knowing you were over there, dealing with all that shit, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to help you.”
“I’m okay,” I say, my voice muffled as he tucks my head into his neck and holds me tight.
“I barely stopped myself from going over there. I fucking hate that prick, and I want him dead,” he growls. “I know we have a deal, but please let me cut his hands off, one finger at a time.”
“Only if you let me slice his revolting dick from his body.”
“I’m gutting his balls.”
I giggle as I lift my head. “I want his ass. I have a few creative ideas for it.”
“Fuck, you were made for me,” he says before claiming my lips in a hard kiss. Joshua is normally so careful with me, but he’s not holding back tonight, devouring my mouth with panicked intensity.
“Wait,” I say, easing back a few minutes later. “I want to shower and get his stench off me.”
“I’ll make coffee, and I picked up some pastries from that bakery on the corner. The board has convened another emergency session to discuss the chip you found. They want you to attend.”
“Thanks for coming in on such short notice, Gia,” Massimo says as he sips from a paper cup of coffee.
“It’s no problem. I haven’t actually gone to sleep yet.”
“You are doing a fantastic job under difficult circumstances,” he adds. “We are grateful for your loyalty.”
“Thank you, Don Greco.”
“I called Philip the instant Joshua forwarded me the images you took of the chip,” Ben says.
“I’m guessing it is from one of the dead men on the ship,” I say.
“You would be correct,” Ben confirms with a grim smile.
“How many more were missing?” Joshua asks, linking his fingers with mine under the table.
“Seven in total,” Cristian confirms.
“That’s why they completely disfigured those men,” Caleb muses, leaning back in his seat as he draws the same conclusion as me. “It was to disguise the fact they took their chips.”
“Are the chips still active?” I ask. “Are they using them to hide their spies within our ranks?”
Fiero shakes his head. “We thought that too, but none of those chips are active any longer.”
“They were all deactivated the night their owners were killed,” Ben confirms.
“So, what are they doing with them?” Joshua asks.
“We’d all love the answer to that question.” Massimo’s gaze dances around the table. “I have a feeling it’s a vital piece of evidence.”
Joshua squeezes my hand under the table.
“When are you seeing Liam again?” Fiero asks.
