Page 98 of Tactical Lies

They’d sort out what she was going to do with her job. They’d find the men who had raped Connor’s mom and make sure they were punished. They’d get married and start the family they both longed for.

Then they’d enjoy every second of life, making sure they never took it for granted because they knew how easily things could change.

With a content sigh, Becca pulled on Connor until he lowered a little of his weight to rest against her, his length still nestled inside her. Not heavy enough to crush her, his weight cocooned her, making her feel loved and protected, both things she knew were true. Connor was her soulmate, and her life could never be complete without him in it.

Life didn't always give you second chances, but this time it had, and Becca was glad she’d grabbed hold of it and refused to let it go because now she got to make her dreams a reality.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

August 31st

5:39 P.M.

“Huh.”

Connor looked over at Becca to find her glancing at her phone. There was something in her expression that he wasn't sure he liked.

It had been a great week. They’d taken things easy and spent time recovering, most of that time naked and in each other’s arms. When they weren't doing that, they were working with his brothers, continuing to comb through any scrap of intel they could get their hands on in their search for answers.

Which is what they were doing right now.

Pizza boxes were strewn over his kitchen counters, and on his table. Surrounded by plates of pizza and cans of soda were papers, laptops, and tablets. The more the danger surrounding his family grew the more desperate for answers they all got.

He was ready to jump headlong into the future with Becca he’d always dreamed of. He wanted to be focused on that, on getting to know each other again, sorting out what Becca would do about her job, and making this home more both of theirs than just his. He wanted to be able to propose and start planning for their future, but instead, it felt like they were trapped in quicksand that little by little was pulling them all down.

It had to end, and they were all doing everything in their power to make it end and yet they were moving so slowly they may as well not be moving at all.

“What's wrong?” he asked, shoving his chair away from the table and crossing to where Becca stood in the kitchen. She’d gone to get herself another drink but obviously stopped when someone called her. “Who is it?”

Her dark blue eyes were confused when she looked up at him. “It’s a guy that works for the charity. He was with us in Cambodia.”

“I don’t remember there being another worker in Cambodia. I thought it was just you and Isabella.” When Becca winced at the mention of her missing best friend, Connor smoothed his hand up and down her arm and tugged her into an embrace. While Prey was working on doing everything they could to locate who had taken Bella and where she’d gone after being snatched from the village, so far they were yet to make any progress. She was doing her best not to let worry over her friend ruin this time of them reconnecting and repairing what had been damaged, but Connor knew Becca was struggling to allow herself to be happy while her best friend was in danger.

“Sorry, didn't mean to bring up Bella. But who is this guy and why didn't I meet him when I was in Cambodia?” He hadn't spent long in the village, but he would have known if there was another worker there.

“John was getting supplies that day,” Becca replied.

“Getting supplies? So he was conveniently not in the village when it was attacked, Isabella was abducted, and you and Connor were taken and almost killed?” Cooper asked, clearly skeptical about the timing.

As was he.

It didn't feel right, although there was no evidence yet to suggest it was anything more than coincidence.

“Well, it wasn't convenient, at least I don’t think it was,” Becca told Cooper, but there was a thread of doubt in her tone.

Did she really doubt this John guy or had they planted seeds of doubt in her mind?

“One of us always did the supply run once a fortnight. Up to the nearest town. It usually took about a day. He left after you showed up, and …” she trailed off then looked up at him with wide eyes. “I don’t remember seeing him after we got back to the village, and we were gone for well over twenty-four hours. You didn't even know he existed so he mustn’t have been there.”

“What’s his full name?” Jake asked, shifting his laptop to the kitchen counter and looking at Becca expectantly.

“It’s John Jones,” she replied. When he quirked a dark brow at her, she shrugged. “Okay, so the first and last names are kind of common, but it’s not like it’s John Smith or anything.”

“How long has he worked for the charity?” Cole asked.

“Not long. Actually, not long at all.” Becca lifted her hands and rubbed at her temples as though she were getting a headache.

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