Hadley chuckled. “Yes, the kids are going to love me as their Sunday School substitute. In case you haven’t checked with my employer lately, I’m a professional horseplayer.”
“I know they love you. I’m just going to miss them,” Lauren said.
Wasn’t this just the icing on the cake? Lauren was going to miss teaching her Sunday School class because she was running off to go undercover with the dregs of society. None of it made sense.
Dawson slapped a hand on Zach’s shoulder. Foronce, he didn’t flinch at the contact. “You ready for this?”
“I’m thinking about calling in sick,” Zach confessed.
“Too late. I think your ride is here.”
“Government-issued vehicle?” Zach asked.
“Nothing but the best. We can trace it, we can tell how fast you’re going, and we can blow it up if you decide to go rogue.”
Zach tilted his head to the side. “Isn’t that a little dramatic?”
“I’m kidding. Stay safe, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Dawson warned, looking from Zach to Lauren.
Lauren clicked her tongue behind her teeth. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to be kissing Zach on this trip, so you can expect that piece of advice to be thrown out the window.”
Dawson looked at Zach and scrunched up his nose. “Eww.”
A minute later, Zach and Lauren were in the car and on their way to Winchester. They talked about what to expect at the party and over the rest of the weekend as they drove, but the preparation didn’t calm Zach’s nerves at all. If anything, it highlighted all the ways they could screw up or get caught.
They made a stop by the hotel and dropped off their bags. Lauren pushed open the door to the room and lifted her bag onto one of the beds. She did a slowturn in the open space and propped her hands on her hips. “This is it.”
Zach put his bag beside hers and wrapped her in his arms. He wanted to be as close to her as possible. Every worry about the things that could come between them was fresh in his mind. “They said we could get two rooms.”
“That’s silly. There are two beds, and I don’t think you’re going to attack me during the night. We stayed together during the storm,” she reminded him.
True. Lauren had strict values when it came to sex before marriage, and despite his past, Zach was beginning to understand. She had a way of explaining her morals to him that made them perfectly clear. If she wanted abstinence, that’s what they would do.
None of that meant it was easy to keep his hands off her. The temptation was always in his face, but Lauren’s words snapped him to his senses. He was gaining a conscience, and it was overwhelming and terrifying at the same time.
Zach breathed in the smell of her hair, and the urge to stay locked away in the room with her was enough to distract him from everything. He pressed a kiss to her head and stepped back. “We need to go. I’d like to get this over with.”
It was pitch dark when they parked in front of the house. The place seemed normal from the outside, but Zach knew every inch of the interior. They’d studied blueprints and photos of the place all week, and he had a clear idea of the exits in every room.
The property Eric Cross owned spanned thousands of acres, and there were other houses and buildings on site. None of them were locations he used for smuggler stops. This area was all for show. The unassuming house where the party would take place was near the road, but Eric’s residence was hidden half a mile into the woods and more lavish than anything Zach had ever seen.
The man had a way of making it look like he made an honest living. Everything was professionally landscaped, and the fleet of cars that filled his multi-level garage were on the high end but not the top one percent of foreign luxury. Eric lived a comfortable life just below the radar. He’d done what all of them wished they could do—take the money and escape the consequences.
Zach parked the car beside all the others and turned to Lauren. “You have your mic?”
She patted her chest. “Safely tucked into my bra.”
“And your weapon?”
Lauren patted her hip, but even in the dim moonlight he could see the sour look on her face. It was only a switchblade because she wasn’t wearing enough clothes to hide a pistol.
Zach reached for the holster at his side, making sure his weapon was secure too. If anyone was using force tonight, it would be him.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked, silently praying she’d back out.
“I’m ready.”
Okay then. Without anything else to stall him, he got out and rounded the car to Lauren’s side. He opened her door and when she took his hand he pulled her to his chest and covered her mouth with his in a searing kiss.
