“Sure am, punkin’.” Russ shook his head. “I don’t know what the heck has been going on. I’m just glad Drake found me.”
“Me too.” She sighed then smiled. A weight seemed to have been lifted from her shoulders. “Drake’s OPAQUE group has been great at making sure I’m safe.”
“Looks like I’ll have a lot of people to thank for that. Who was that guy by you?”
“Mitch Gr—”
Mitch held up his hand, motioning her not to say names.
Her dad looked as if he had all the time in the world, but finally he smiled. “Oh, Drake’s telling me I shouldn’t…we shouldn’t say names over the system. His OPAQUE stuff is good, but just in case, I guess.”
Part of her was ecstatic over her dad being safe. Another part realized that meant her time with OPAQUE protection would be coming to an end. Surely, once CT realized their game hadn’t worked, they’d drop targeting her.
“Will I see you any time soon, Dad?” she asked.
“Drake said as soon as we get close, we’ll let you all know where to meet us. He’s already programmed in the GPS coordinates.” Her dad smiled. “Well, Drake’s motioning me to wrap this conversation up. See you soon, punkin’.”
“Sounds good.” Her day might have started out iffy, but she couldn’t ask for anything better. Her dad was safe. She handed Mitch the panel.
Reese scrubbed his hand in her hair. “Look at that, Short Stuff. You’re going to be rid of us soon. What do you think? You gonna be glad to see us gone?”
How could she tell him how much this time with Mitch had meant to her? And not only Mitch. It had been great to be part of a group that had cared about her. “I’ll never forget you crazy guys. Thank you all.”
Clearing his throat, Mitch stepped to the end of the counter. “There’s one more surprise.”
“I don’t know if I can take many more this morning,” she said.
“Since Drake sent the photo, and we talked to him earlier today, that means we can step back from such intense security.”
“What does that mean?”
“The messages and phone conversations with Drake and Russ indicate the situation is under control,” Reese said. “And earlier, Drake even sent a text saying all the CT chatter OPAQUE had picked up last night intimated they were gloating that they’d sent OPAQUE on a wild-goose chase. CT even sent out orders to its operatives to shut down the game.”
She still didn’t understand what that meant. CT had played a game? The past days had been nothing but a game between adversaries? “So everything is over? We’re all good to go back to our business-as-usual lives?”
The men turned toward Mitch.
“What do you say, leader?” Josh asked. “Are we good to go?”
Mitch glanced at the ceiling, the counter, the phone, the men and finally, her. His brow tensed then gradually eased the longer he seemed to evaluate the info.
“Don’t overthink things.” Stealth said in an even, emotionless tone. “Go with your gut.”
“Okay. OPAQUE has verified that all lines of communication regarding Liz have been nullified. This morning’s CT Leverage List didn’t show Liz’s name. Or mine. Plus, the contact with Drake and Russ.” Mitch fist-punched his hand out in front of him. “Hooyah!We’re good to go.”
Each of the men fist-bumped his in return.
“What does that”—she knocked her fists together—“mean?”
Reese tousled her hair. “We’re all in agreement, Short Stuff. Mission accomplished.”
What agreement? She was more confused than she’d been when she walked down the stairs. “In words even I can understand, guys. What’s the bottom line?”
Mitch picked up the house remote. “You can go for a walk on the beach.”
Her insides somersaulted with happiness. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. The beach and the water are yours.” Mitch pushed the button to open the doors to the deck. “Enjoy your day, E-liz-a-beth.”
