He rubs his palm over his head again, but there’s much less stress in the movement now. “Sampson, let me know when and where you need me. Until then, I’ll be working from home. Harlow just rolled over for the first time.”
Before he reaches the door, he turns back and pins Doc with his stare. His eyes are a strange mix of hazel, green, and blue. Almost mesmerizing in a terrifying sort of way. “Pack up what you need for at least three or four days. Raelynn will take the two of you to Graham’s old place in Capitol Hill.”
“What for?” Doc stands—with some difficulty—and I wrap my arm around his waist to steady him.
“To keep you safe, asshole. Wren’s C. Jacks trick isn’t going to stop them for much longer. When they figure out he’s a figment of my wife’s imagination, they’ll dig deeper. And you’re sure as shit not going to be here if they manage to turn up your name.”
“Well, shee-it,” Raelynn says and slaps her thigh so hard, I jump. “C. Jacks. I just got it. Cracker Jacks.”
“What’s so funny?” I ask, looking around the room. Everyone’s laughing now. Including Ryker.
“Wren doesn’t really swear,” he says. “Cracker Jacks is her version of ‘shit.’ Sometimes ‘fuck.’ I’ve got a whole dictionary of them. Up here.” He taps his temple. “’Sure as shipping lanes’ is our newest one.”
I wish I could meet this woman. Hell, I wish I could meet anyone and know that it wouldn’t put them in danger.
“Doc, please.” I stand in front of him, my hands on his hips. “Do it. I’d feel a lot better if we were staying somewhere that wasn’t tied to you in any way.”
He sighs, then leans down to press a kiss to my forehead. “Fine. But Graham’s old place better have a working coffee maker.”
West just stares at him. “Doc, don’t take this the wrong way, but your coffee is shit. The safe house not only has a better machine, but beans that won’t tear a hole in your stomach lining after two cups. Tomorrow morning, I expect you to call and say, ‘You’re welcome.’”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Natasha
“The freezer is fully stocked,”Inara says as she sets two of Doc’s duffel bags next to the overstuffed couch in the main room. “Fresh stuff…anything you need, you can order through the tablet on the counter. It’ll be delivered to the lockers downstairs. Combination is next to the tablet, along with the wi-fi password.”
I pull off the sunglasses and oversized floppy hat she gave me before we left Doc’s house. She was confident the vague “disguise” would protect me if we happened to be caught on any traffic cameras.
“Facial recognition is both smart and incredibly stupid at the same time. The sunglasses and hat make you unrecognizable. If the camera can’t see the shape of your eyes, the curve of your forehead, and the angle of your chin, it can’t make a positive ID.”
I wish my life didn’t depend on her being right.
“Stay inside unless one of us is with you. But there’s privacy film on all the windows, so even at night, no one will be able to see in. We have all the movie channels and an encryptedhigh-speed internet connection.” With a musical chuckle, Inara gestures to the flat screen TV on the wall. “We hope you’ll leave us a five-star review at the end of your stay.”
“Keep us alive, and we’ll sing your praises…well…nowhere,” Doc says.
“I’m headed back to your house.” Inara glances at her phone, then shoves it into her back pocket. “Wyatt and I will stay there for the next few nights. If anyone comes looking for you, they’ll get a hell of a lot more than they bargained for. Natasha, you can call Gladys from that new phone West gave you. It’s perfectly safe as long as you don’t tell her where you are.”
“She’s going to hate me. I’ve been lying to her for years.” I have to call Gladys soon. She’s supposed to go back to Blakely tomorrow. But how am I supposed to tell her I couldn’t trust her?
Doc cups the back of my neck and touches his forehead to mine. “She’ll understand, baby. She loves you like a daughter.”
“She won’t when this is all over. If this is ever all over.” For a time, surrounded by obviously lethal men and women at Doc’s home, I held on to a spark of hope. But now, I can’t seem to find it again.
“Natasha, this is what we do.” Inara touches a pink stone pendant hanging at the hollow of her throat. “I’ve worked with Ryker for more than six years. West joined us almost five years ago. Graham, a few months after that. Wyatt’s the new guy, but he and West went through BUD/s together. Raelynn…well, I suspect Doc told you a little about her. She almost died in April. The asshole cut off part of her ear. And less than forty-eight hours later, she dragged her unconscious boyfriend out of a burning warehouse with a bum knee, two broken toes, and a concussion.”
My God.
“We’re the best at what we do. That’s not a brag. It’s a fact. Why do you think Ry chose a former PJ as our on-call doc?”
At my side, Doc straightens. “He never told me why he picked me. Or how he found me.”
“You’ll have to ask him for that story.” Inara offers him a small smile. “I need to go to the warehouse before I head back to West Seattle. I’ll pick up a wig that’ll match Natasha’s hair and change into something a little more…flexible.” She smooths her hands down her slim pencil skirt. Apparently, she works as a translator when she’s not saving people all over the world, and she came to Doc’s house right from work. “You need anything, call Ry. He’s handling comms for this one.”
With a wave, she slips through the door, and we’re alone.
For a short while,I manage to pretend everything’s okay. We order groceries, and I learn that Doc actually taught himself to cook after he left the Air Force.
