“You’re right, of course,” Reese said, feeling physically ill at the thought of putting Rupert, Callum, or their beautiful children in danger.
“What you’ve seen in the past?” Mati asked.
Reese took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s a long story. I promise you, I never once thought I had put you in harm’s way. I swear. If I thought you—”
“No, of course,” Mati said, putting her hand over his. “Let’s table that until we can figure out the logistics on this.”
Always down to business, his Matilda. Reese relished her ability to cut through chaos and find the path forward, and was grateful for the reprieve.
“I need to go to my apartment to pack,” Mati said.
“We’ll go with you,” Hodges assured her.
Reese frowned, because was Hodges fucking crazy?
“She can’t come with me,” he said to Hodges. Then he turned to Mati. “You can’t come with me.”
“Oh, yes, I can,” she fired back. “Those guys saw me. And I can’t work here until it’s safe, just like you can’t live here. I’m not convinced Hodges should be here either.”
Hodges rolled his eyes. “I’ll sleep in the panic room, does that make you feel better?”
“Yes,” Mati said, calling his bluff.
Reese snorted at the look on Hodges’ face.
Mati glared at Reese. “You know I’m right. You and I can go somewhere we can’t be found while Hodges is working with the police and living in that tiny metal box.” She shot Hodges a dark look.
Hodges rolled his eyes again. “I’ll be fine. And careful.”
“You can’t just take off indefinitely,” Reese said. “What about your family?”
“I have two perfectly capable brothers, both married to even more capable women. They can cover things with my parents while I’m gone.”
Reese knew it wasn’t that simple. He’d witnessed how long and hard Mati had fought to make her brothers take up their share and stop expecting her to do it all because she was the only daughter. She’d made some headway, but it was a work in progress.
He would never use that against her, though. “We don’t even know where we’re going,” he pointed out.
“It doesn’t really matter, does it?”
“Wherever it is, we’re driving there,” he added.
“All the more reason I should go with you. Someone needs to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.”
Hodges grinned. “That’s true.”
“You’re not helping,” Reese said with a glower. Though, he’d walked right into that one. He hadn’t driven in…well, a long time. It would probably be better if he didn’t take it up again on a day like today.
Reese hoped Mati didn’t notice Hodges’ pointed look at their hands, still clasped together on the table. The man was insufferable.
Reese looked at Mati. “I don’t want you to be in any danger.”
“That ship has sailed,” she said. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t want you to be in danger, either.”
Reese bit his cheek to keep from blurting out everything he felt. It was hard when Mati looked at him like that. He ignored Hodges’ long-suffering sigh.
Mati’s eyebrows drew together. “Unless…do you not want to be stuck with me?”
“What? No.No.” Reese squeezed her hand and leaned even closer. How could she think that? “I want you with me. Always.”
