“Not really.”
His lips tilted. “If you say so. But I thought you should know. I’m not sure how long you have until they discover your whereabouts. I would imagine not that long with the individuals on his team.”
I nodded, trying not to freak. “Thank you for telling me.”
He watched me closely, and then nodded. “You shouldn’t take too long or you’ll me missed.” He paused. “My offer still stands. If you need help, I’m here.” He left without another word.
I stood there in the semi-silence of fluttering plastic and retreating footsteps, lost in my own thoughts. What would be the worst that could happen if he found me now? Arguments and deceit, certainly, but I wouldn’t go back unless I was drugged and dragged. I had finally seen the light to his true intentions and I didn’t agree with them at all. No, I wouldn’t run again. I was done with that. Let his little minions try to take me. I had a butt load of friends now with amazing skills. I say, good luck to them.
I turned to leave, striding determinedly past the kitchen’s missing doorway when two figures shifted in the shadows, one in a dusty cubicle and the other in another doorway. My pulse surged and I froze, chilling thoughts fresh in my mind, and I abruptly pivoted and started racing away. A familiar voice penetrated my terror, and I stumbled to a stop.
“Ember! Stop! It’s us,” Brent shouted.
I turned and stared numbly, blinking rapidly, then ran back to him and beat soundly on his chest. He and Cole tried to calm me, but I was too freaked. All of my hard work at previously securing my scared emotions had pounded so hard when I saw two people lurking where they shouldn’t be. I had thought for sure I was going to have to race to safety, praying that I found the crew before Daddy’s own crew caught me.
“Ember, calm down, sweetheart. You’re okay. You’re okay,” Cole coaxed softly, his arms sliding around my waist from behind as Brent grabbed my fists and pulled them around his own waist, murmuring, “Darlin’, shh. It just us. You’re safe.”
I choked back a sob, my heart rate barely slowing and my body shaking from the adrenaline rush. “What…the…heck were you two doing?”
It hit me slowly in their silence. “You were spying on us.”
When they still said nothing and just kept my quaking body plastered between them, I asked warily – and a little ticked off, “How much did you hear?”
“Nothing we didn’t already know, darlin’,” Brent whispered, leaning back so he could gage my reaction. “Cole and I were running our own separate intel from…,” he glanced up at Cole, “What? That night of the gallery incident?”
“Pretty much,” Cole answered, rubbing my sides now in slow motions.
“Well, anyway, when we realized what the other was doing, we pulled our resources together. We’ve known that your father hired a team to find you. We didn’t want to tell you and have you worried for nothing.” Brent stumbled over his words, looking guilty. “We’ve had one of our team members watching over you since we got here.”
He sheepishly cleared his throat, but determination filled his gaze. He wasn’t sorry at all. I glanced back at Cole and saw the same look.Oh!
“You’ve had someone spying on me the entire week?” I asked, shocked and entirely ticked now. They nodded, and I stated angrily, “You should have warned me! Told me! Trusted me to handle it like an adult.”
Cole spoke in a deep, unwavering tone, “Possibly. But, probably not. If you would have known someone was searching for you, you might have reacted differently than you’ve beendoing. We needed you to behave normally, so we could watch over you better. A scared person, acts scared, and reacts as you did just a moment ago. You would have been jumping at every noise and running off when you should have stayed put. You’ve been safe and calm all week by our silence.”
I blinked and tried to process as Cole spoke to Brent, “Did you get that part of what Mr. Fresby said about aspecialteam member?”
Brent nodded, and then stared down at me, catching my eyes so I couldn’t glance away, asking, “The only part we didn’t understand was what Mr. Fresby said about a man that has ties to you. Who is it? And what’s the connection?”
I fisted my hands. I wasn’t telling them when they didn’t tell me squat. I smiled, but it was more of a baring of teeth and pushed away from their hold, pointing a finger back and forth between them. “You kept your secrets. I think I’ll keep mine for the time being.” There. Take that spy boys.
Cole’s jaw clenched and Brent practically yelled, “This is not the time for games, Ember. Fucking tell us.” Calm he wasn’t right now. “Was there a man in your life back home?” He vibrated where he stood and Cole’s eyes turned icy.
I watched them closely. They each handled jealousy a whole lot different than the other.
“I didn’t lie when I told you both that I haven’t had sex for five years. There’s no man at home that I’ve been interested in since you left,” I stated factually and turned and walked down the hallway.
“You’re behaving like a child,” Cole stated, stalking up behind me on my right with Brent to the left. “This is serious, Ember.”
“Don’t start that crap about me being immature again,” I hissed and kept on hiking through the halls, only to have Brentyank my arm to steer me down another. “Eye for an eye. Get used to it.”
After a few moments of angered silence by all three of us, Brent muttered, “I knew Mr. Fresby was up to something asking her here after we told him she wouldn’t be coming.”
Cole grunted his agreement.
A thought occurred. Now, I knew why they’d had calculation brewing in their eyes this morning. They had been expecting something like this. They were too cunning for their own good. They had kept silent even on this and dangled me in front of Mr. Fresby to bait the shark and find out what they wanted.
They were going to pay.
