“I’ll meet you at Marissa’s Boutique in an hour. Maddox out.”
Elias and everyone else stared at the phone in Seth’s hand. “Did he just say what I thought he said?” Andre asked. “Marissa’s Boutique?”
“That’s what we heard.” Seth looked amused. “All right. Looks like we need to find this fancy dress place to meet the boss. Anyone know where it is?”
No one raised a hand.
Elias would have been surprised if any of the women admitted to knowing where this place was located, much less the men.
“I’ve got it.” Rayne stared at her phone screen. “We should leave in the next couple of minutes. It’s almost to Chattanooga, in a small town named Sapphire Springs.”
Seth stood. “You heard the lady. We leave in two minutes. Elias, you and Iona ride with me and Teagan.”
His stomach knotted. “Yes, sir.”
Minutes later, the caravan left Hartman and headed toward Sapphire Springs. In Seth’s SUV, Elias waited for the inevitable tongue-lashing that he was due. He hoped his friend would cut him a little slack and not totally embarrass him in front of Iona.
His gut tightened further. Iona. What was he going to do about her? He considered several options and came up with one conclusion. He could do nothing to prevent her from inserting herself into his dangerous operation.
Before too many miles had passed, Elias became sleepy. He struggled to stay awake and focused in case he was needed and lost the battle.
Sometime later, Elias woke when the SUV slowed down, then stopped. He sat up and scanned their surroundings. Small town, USA. They must be in Sapphire Springs. Why had their boss requested that they meet him here? There was only one way to find out. Get out and ask him.
The four operatives exited the SUV and met the others on the sidewalk in front of Marissa’s Boutique. The wide picture windows showed Brent Maddox inside the store with his wife, Rowan.
Seth opened the door to the shop and motioned for Teagan and Iona to go inside. He and Elias followed them in and headed for Maddox.
As the other operatives scattered throughout the shop, the boss introduced them to Tabby, the owner of the boutique.
Tabby smiled. “Everybody wants to know who Marissa is and why I own her shop.”
“Now that you mention it, I’d like to know the story.” Elias wrapped his arm around Iona’s shoulders. He’d soon have to change the way he held her. She wouldn’t like it. At all.
“Marissa is my cat. I named the shop after her.” She glanced at Maddox, who motioned for her to continue. “She’s the only thing I brought from my old life in Oregon.”
Elias caught what she meant immediately without her having to elaborate. Tabby was in Fortress Security’s version of WITSEC or Witness Security. She was one of those people the boss mentioned who owed him a favor. “I like the name. It hints of class.”
Tabby grinned. “I think so, too.” She turned to Maddox. “Who am I outfitting, Brent?”
“All of them.”
Her eyes widened. “All?” She pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Good grief. That’s going to be quite a bill. Are you sure you want to purchase clothes here? You and Rowan told me not to go cheap on pricing.”
Rowan rested her hand on her husband’s chest. “He’s sure, Tabby. Load them up and send Brent the bill.”
Elias rubbed his neck. He understood what the boss was trying to do, but the clothes he and his friends needed couldn’t be purchased from the stock Tabby had in her store. “Brent.”
He held up a hand to stop him from saying more. “Where are they?”
“The back two rooms. I separated the clothes. The women’s clothes are in the first room on the right. The men’s clothes are in the second room.”
Elias smiled. He should have trusted the boss to think of the minor details, like clothes.
Seth motioned for the others to follow him. “Let’s go. We’re on a short clock.”
The men and women separated at the first door. Unlike the others, Elias stood awkwardly in front of Iona, longing to pull her against him and share a deep, long kiss. That would not happen. He’d never kissed Iona, and their first kiss would not bein front of their teammates. The one they’d shared an hour ago wasn’t what he’d call an actual kiss. It was a statement of claim.
That’s when Elias realized he’d fallen in line with Iona’s plan. Not only was she going undercover with him, but their teams were as well. Should have known that’s what would happen. Echo unit was family, and family got into your business whether or not you wanted them to.
