Page 57 of The Defiant Curse

“I love you too, Mom, and I’m so happy you came here to see me. This is the best gift I could have gotten.”

Yeah, her too.

“See you in the morning,” he offered. “We can go shopping and then go for a ride. MacBeth is waiting for you,” he offered.

Yeah, she couldn’t wait.

That sounded like a good day in her world. Elizabeth couldn’t remember the last time she’d had downtime. Hopefully, this recharged her batteries, and she could find herself again.

“I’ll put some clothing on the bed while you’re in the shower.”

She appreciated that.

“I have some clean t-shirts if Gabby didn’t leave anything to sleep in. You’re more than welcome to borrow mine. I don’t mind.”

At his sweet offering, she smiled.

“Thank you, Michael. That’s perfect. Like I said, I’m easy to accommodate.”

She honestly was.

When he blew her a kiss, and she returned the favor, he backed out of the room to give her privacy.

When he was gone, Elizabeth went into the bathroom and it was definitely a Callen-designed place. The walls were stone, and showering was like being outside in a cave. That was absolutely his vibe.

Chris liked cool, clean lines, but when in a castle, go with what would normally be here.

It felt like showering in a legitimate castle bathroom—had they had them back then.

Seeing a hamper, Elizabeth began shedding her things. When she moved into the shower, she saw all of her favorite things, and there was no doubt that Gene had helped a girl out.

She loved him for that.

Clearly, the two men downstairs had gotten the memo from her shampoo to her razor. All of her necessities were there, and she was going to utilize them.

This was her kind of luxury.

It felt like she hadn’t showered in a month. The last four days had been a marathon. All a girl wanted was some clean clothes and to smell nice—even for herself.

Thank God she wasn’t a man, or the funk would be overwhelming.

Showering, she washed her hair, and it felt so damn good, too. All she needed was a back rub, and she’d sleep like a log. Since there was no man to be found, she’d have to miss that part and call it a night.

During her shower, hidden in the rainfall from the ceiling, she broke down and cried.

No.

She sobbed.

This was one of the most difficult journeys of her life, and she knew it. What she wanted was to go home to them and hide in that moment.

What she could do was stay, deal with the fallout of her choices, and find herself in the chaos.

Before she could go back to being Deputy Director Elizabeth Blackhawk, or the woman who chased lunatics, she had to figure out who she was beneath that.

It was soul-searching time.

When she wrapped up her shower, she was staring at her phone. It was currently off, and she wondered if they were missing her as much as she missed them.