“He likes a project, you know this.”
“I don’t like being the project,” I replied testily.
“It’ll be over soon,” Gray said as his nose brushed against mine.
“Will it?”
“I promise.”
We sat wrapped in each other while Jett and Ash spoke among themselves, and then they were came back to us. I straightened, but Gray didn’t loosen his hold, and I welcomed the support as Ash showed the edited films from another angle. I had no idea how he did it, but he did.
“Him.” I pointed at the screen. “I didn’t see it before, but he has a scar.”
Gray lurched forward and studied the guy Ash had paused on. “Down the left-hand side?”
Nodding, I waited for him to continue, but Gray had twisted to look at Jett. “From the basement.”
“Okay,” Jett said thoughtfully as he looked through his notepad. “I have his description.” With a nod to himself as he gathered his evidence, he finally looked at Ash. “Need you to hack,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Databases?” Ash asked with a groan.
“Yeah. Can you do it?”
“Yeah, Onyx taught me years ago, but he’s better.” Ash rubbed the back of his neck. “And I need you out of here in case I fuck up.”
“But you’ll need Quinn,” Gray interjected. “To identify them.”
“Searches aren’t like the movies, they take days. I’ve got three people to look for on really basic descriptions.” His eyes flicked to mine. “No offense.”
“None taken,” I told him.
“You’ll need to run the search from a different IP address,” Jett said as he began to pace.
“We can put it in the basement of Onyx’s building.” All three of them looked at me in surprise. “Seriously, like he doesn’t have a blocker or something to cover his shit,” I snorted in derision.
Ash grinned, and Jett chuckled. “But if he doesn’t have a blocker and the laptop is found, our brother goes to jail,” Gray said softly.
The other two sobered, and I kept my opinion about jail beingthe best place for Onyx to myself. Gray knew my thoughts, though, as I flinched from the sharp pinch to my side.
“Sorry,” I mumbled as he arched an eyebrow at me.
“I can redirect the redirect,” Ash said as he looked at the laptop. “It won’t slow someone who really knows what they’re doing down, but it will deter run-of-the-mill hackers. And to be fair, you’re only going to come across it if you’re looking for it.”
As they discussed the logistics and pros and cons more, my head slipped back onto Gray’s shoulder. He moved his arm automatically to let me under, and I snuggled in. As I drifted in and out of their conversation about their plans, I tried to think back to the day I went to their offices. Mrs. Mowberry had met me in the reception area. I thought about the receptionist, and I frowned. I had been so nervous I hadn’t really paid attention. She was blonde, I think. Young. I remembered thinking the color of her dark suit made her pale skin seem washed out.
Mrs. Mowberry had taken me to Dr. Campbell’s room, and he had told me about their agency. About the hope they were able to bring to parentless couples. How I was making someone’s dream of being a parent real.
Sitting up, I wiped my eyes as I thought of the lies they had told me, how I had felt slightly appeased that even though I was doing this, someone would benefit. My child would be raised by a family who loved and wanted them.
Unlike me at the time.
Standing up, I heard the lull in the conversation as I walked to the bathroom before Jett started to talk again.
After rinsing my face in the sink, I stood with my head buried in the hand towel until I pushed the tears back and reminded myself that I had thought it was my only choice. The only choice that was right for me and my child.
A gasp escaped me as I said the phrase again. My child.
I felt him close to me before he spoke to me. As he tugged thetowel gently out of my hands, I blindly went into his strong embrace as Gray held me and asked me if I was okay. I nodded once, but I didn’t want to talk, and I knew he understood as he held me tighter.
