Page 17 of Wired Fear

Back in the motel room, Jake changed into a button-down aloha shirt in a subdued tropical print and chino shorts as the water ran in the bathroom and Sophie showered. He glanced at the backpack, sitting innocuously on her bed.What was in there that she guarded so closely?

Was he really considering having a peek inside?

Yep, he was. He’d always been too curious; even his mama said so. Made him a good investigator.

Jake unzipped the top of the pack and peeked in.

Nothing more than he’d expected—a solid-state storage drive, a couple of stick drives. Her wireless headphones. A rolled jump rope for those exercise breaks she liked to take. A small flashlight, a pocketknife. Some electrical tape and a blue coil of internet cable. A couple of wallets that she used for her identities. A bag of dog treats. Jake moved the bag of treats aside with a finger and froze at the sight of the small white box concealed beneath it.

A pregnancy test?

Jake’s heart rate jacked like he’d spotted a rattlesnake. He recoiled, sweat breaking out over his body. He zipped the pack shut and adjusted it to make sure it looked untouched, feeling horrible that he’d violated her privacy…and yet.

A pregnancy test?That sure as shit affected him too!

What the hell should he do?

“Holy Mary,” he muttered, returning momentarily to his family’s Catholic roots. He collapsed on the end of his bed, dropping his head into his hands. Tank got up and came to lick Jake’s arms, sensing his agitation. Jake pushed the dog away even as he felt happiness burst forth from somewhere deep inside, bubble up through his body, and out through his face in a huge grin.

Sophie might be pregnant, and he might be a daddy.

He’d always wanted to be a daddy.

But he had to tamp his excitement down. Hide his thoughts. Conceal that he had a clue. Because Sophie would not take kindly to his snooping, that was for sure.

Sophie came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Her color was better, her eyes brighter. “I guess I needed that nap.” She eyeballed him. “You look like a tourist.”

Jake held out a huarache-clad foot. “Too much?”

“I never see anyone but visitors wear those. Aren’t we supposed to be residents?” Sophie dropped the towel to the floor in front of the room’s tacky bureau and rummaged in a drawer.

Jake enjoyed the sight of Sophie naked: bending over to open a lower drawer, taking out underwear and stepping into them, tugging them up over her slim thighs to hug her perfect butt.What this woman did to him… She slid her arms into a plain black bra, clipping it in front.

He assessed her breasts as she turned in his direction.They seemed bigger. But maybe he was imagining things, with this new knowledge. She was definitely filling out again after that bad time she’d been through out alone on the lava, getting back to a healthy weight…his mind raced, counting the weeks since they’d first slept together on their previous job.

If she was pregnant, it had to have happened then. Officially becoming a couple was too soon…but what the hell did he know? He’d have to Google the whole damn thing.

Jake’s mind was a kaleidoscope of whirling thoughts that he hid with difficulty as Sophie finished primping and turned to face him in her Mary Watson disguise: a floral sundress and sandals, big Jackie O sunglasses, and a straw hat. She picked up her backpack. “Please stop staring at me, Jake.”

“Nope. I like staring at you.” Jake swallowed his grin with difficulty as she elbowed him walking past. He followed her out the door, wondering how the hell he’d get through the days until she decided to tell him what was going on with that little white box.

Chapter Thirteen

Sophie walked up the weathered wooden steps of the Coconut Wireless Advertising & Marketing office, located on the Hamakua side of Hilo in a restored plantation cottage. Prepared to be suspicious, Sophie was charmed instead, as she gazed around the tidy, square building with its plethora of sheltering tree ferns, weathered tikis and Buddhas, and pots of blooming orchids.

Jake, a wall of heat at her elbow, verbalized Sophie’s thoughts. “Sweet place.”

The front office was the former living room. A pretty young receptionist waved them in and offered them tea and coffee. They declined and were soon shown into a back office.

A woman with a face and figure like one of the grinning Buddhas on the building’s porch greeted them. “Welcome to Coconut Wireless! I’m Penny Chang. How can we help you?”

Sophie felt aping!of anxiety go off as she shook the woman’s soft, plump hand.Penny Chang had to be related to the crime family.“I’m Mary. Mary Watson. And this is my boyfriend, Lance O’Connell.”

“Hey there,” Jake said, with a Southern drawl that sounded entirely real. “Love your place.”

“Oh yes. This house was our family home when I was growing up, and it needed remodeling. I decided it was perfect for an office, instead.” Penny bustled around to sit down at her desk, a large koa table with a computer on one end. “What can I help you with today?”

Sophie glanced at Jake, who picked up the thread of their planned spiel. “We are planning a major event to alert corporate and other customers to our new business. We’re a travel agency located in Hilo. We specialize in putting together one-of-a-kind travel packages for groups and businesses.”

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