8
KEEPING SYDNEY SAFE
TEDDY
Teddy had no idea what kind of work Sydney did, but he did know her life was in jeopardy. No way in hell would he just drop her off and hope for the best. For now, she could hide out at the Black Site, sort things out, and gain perspective.
Plus, he liked having the strong-willed beauty by his side. She’d cleared Naomi’s home like a boss, managed through her emotions like one too. His gut told him she worked for a three-letter agency. Could be FBI undercover. Maybe CIA. Whatever the case, she wasn’t safe on her own, even if she was a badass.
He pulled off Route 7 in Tysons and drove into a shopping center. “I’m watching to see if we’re being tailed.”
She turned around, trained her gaze out the back window. “Who am I looking for?”
“I can’t tell you,” he replied.
“That’s helpful,” she said, her sarcasm front and center.
“Now you know how I feel.”
She pasted on a smarmy smile. “Thanks for this. Seriously. I’m barely holding it together.”
He rubbed her thigh. “You’re doing great. If you change your mind and want to talk, I’m here.”
“Thank you. Seriously, I appreciate that.” She leaned over, kissed his cheek.
He regarded her. She looked okay—no, check that—she looked phenomenal. But the scarshecarried weren’t all physical. The emotional and mental ones were just as slow to heal. Maybe for her too. He didn’t know. He hoped, over time, he would. For now, he needed to get her off the street and into their safe house.
One step at a time.
After she confirmed they weren’t being tailed, he pulled into traffic. Several more turns and he drove into the upscale Great Falls neighborhood. Once again, he pulled over.
She turned around, her focus on the quiet street. When he turned onto the road with the No Trespassing sign, she said, “We’re going to Creepy Secret Zone.”
Teddy shifted toward her. “How do you know about this?”
“Caroline and I tell each other too much.” She shrugged. “It’s always been that way.”
“Is she gonna know about us?”
Her gaze softened. “What about us?”
“For starters, we’re in the same clothes as yesterday.”
Sydney glanced at his dress shirt, then down at herself. “Oh, crap, I can’t go in there dressed like this. Are there other people in there?”
“Maybe, but that costume demands respect.”
She chuffed out a laugh. “I’ll keep your suit jacket on, if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely.”
As the wooded area cleared and the well-worn dirt roadbecame paved, she murmured, “Well, damn, there it is. Creepy Secret Zone.”
He couldn’t help but crack a smile. “You can’t tell your boss?—”
“No worries. I won’t tell anyone.”
Teddy drove around back of the windowless building and stopped in front of what appeared to be a gigantic garage door. After pressing a button on the rearview mirror, the door began to rise. As soon as he could clear it, he drove in, parked in the second left lane of six. A fleet of shiny black SUVs filled the large space. He cut the engine, tapped the button on the mirror, and the door started closing.
