“Seattle? Why?” she asks.
Wren runs her fingers through her red curls. “I could try to repair the damage from here, but honestly, having to do that over an encrypted cell connection is going to be slower than molasses in January. Even with a five hour flight, it’ll be faster for me to work on it directly.”
“You’ve used this courier service before?” I don’t like letting the drive out of our possession, but I trust Wren, and if she says she needs it, then she needs it.
“Yep. All the time.” She looks directly at the camera, her expression as serious as I’ve ever seen it. “Austin, you’re family. Like it or not. What you did for Ripper...then Trevor?”
“Wren, I—“
“Don’t,” she says. “Dax is getting a full report, and if need be, Trevor can be there in under two hours. I don’t think it’ll come to this, but Ry, West, Inara, and Graham are on standby.”
Mik sucks in a sharp breath. “Do you really think there’s that much danger? Are we safe staying here?”
“As far as I know? Probably,” Wren replies. “But probably isn’t good enough for family. I have to go. Rip’s been trying to get a hold of me for ten minutes so we can finish setting up the servers at Hidden Agenda. Stay safe, and I’ll be in touch soon.”
The video call ends, and I pull Mik into my arms. She’s shaking, and I rub her back gently, but I don’t have any words to reassure her. Things just got a hell of a lot more complicated.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Austin
Mikayla’s hair tickles my shoulder, and she curls her arm around my waist and makes a soft, contented sound. Peering down at her—or trying to in our intertwined position—I watch for signs she’s waking up, but she doesn’t move again, and her breathing evens out.
I’ve been awake for an hour, but this feels so perfect, so right, that I won’t disturb her if I can help it. Trevor’s already messaged me, even though it’s barely 8:00 a.m., and he wants to come to Edgewater. I guess I’m not getting out of thattalkhe demanded we have.
At least Mik will be able to meet him. Last night, after a solid two hours in bed discovering each other, Mik curled against me and trailed her fingers over my chest, tracing scar after scar. “I’m scared,” she said.
“Of what?”
“That this is all too perfect. That I’ll wake up in the morning and you’ll be a dream. Or worse. What if I’m still out on that ledge? What if the past few days have been all in my head? I could be dying. Dreaming of what could have been.” Her voice took on a sultry tone—the result of several screaming climaxes—and she tipped her head up to meet my eyes. “I want this to be real.”
“It’s real, Mik. You keep saying I’m too good to be true, but you’re wrong.You’rethe one who’s perfect. You see all this darkness inside of me and you don’t care.”
She propped herself up on an elbow and stared down at me. “I care, Austin. If I could take that darkness away, I would. Because I know you hate it. But I don’t. Everything you are, that’s what led you to Mexico. To me. How can I not accept it when it gave me…this?” She pressed her lips to mine, and after that, neither of us felt much like talking.
“You’re thinking,” she murmurs now, snuggling closer. “So hard, I can hear the wheels turning in your head.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. Trev texted a little bit ago. He wants to meet up later today. I owe him one hell of an explanation for going dark for so long.”
She sits up, and her well-worn t-shirt clings to her breasts in a way that makes me want to shut out the world and worship her for twenty-four hours straight. Though, that’d probably kill us both.
“You’re going alone?” Fear roughens her voice, and she fiddles with the sheet.
Fuck. “Some of the shit we have to talk about…what Trev went through in Venezuela… I want you to meet him. Hell, Ineedyou to meet him. But give me an hour with him? There’s a Dunkin’ Donuts ten minutes away on Solomons Island Road. And Ronan will take over surveillance. Either inside the house or sitting in the car out front.”
She worries her lip between her teeth, and shit. I feel like a total asshole. “Forget everything I just said. I’ll tell Trevor he has to come here.”
“No. Trevor needs you. And you need to talk to him, too. I’ll be fine with Ronan.” Her hands aren’t totally steady, but she smoothes the covers back before she gets out of bed. “I need a shower. Want to join me?”
Hell yes. I’d join her anytime, anywhere if it means I get to see her naked, touch her, take care of her. When we’re done, I’m going to call Trevor and tell him we’ll have to meet here. There’s still too much we don’t know about the men who are after her.
By the time I join her in the bathroom, she’s naked, the spray cascading over her back. The deep purple bruises have started to fade, turning a sickly yellow, but they don’t pain her as much as they did. Small victories.
“I could get used to this,” I say as I wrap my arms around her waist and score my teeth over the shell of her ear. “Showering with you every day…”
Mik turns in my arms and smiles. “Move in.”
My mouth must drop open, because Mik laughs and nudges my chin up with the crook of her finger. “Wh-what did you say?”
