Page 40 of Unraveled Love

“How about this,” she said with a happy lift in her tone. “I’ll come up in a week or two, okay? We’ll drink mimosas all day and devour junk food all weekend.”

I laughed. The girl couldeat, and she loved her mimosas. “That sounds heavenly.”

“Good. Now, I need to call Klaus and Gigi and pack some things, so I’ll let you go.”

“Love you, Jillian.”

“You too, Addi.”

She ended the call, leaving me staring at a blank screen, chewing on my bottom lip. I missed my friend, my life. I missed working, and most of all, I was pretty certain I missed freedom and laughter.

Soon.Someday soon I’d have all of that and more.

With a heavy sigh, I collapsed back into the couch and brought the glass of wine to my mouth. Shawn’s footsteps thundered down the stairs, making his presence known before he was visible, and I turned in that direction and waited for him.

He jumped down the last few, spied me on the couch, and came straight to me.

“Jillian okay?”

“She’s good.” He sat down, lifted me up, and pulled me into his lap, barely making the glass of wine wobble as he resettled us. “I kind of freaked out thinking about her home alone while Klaus is on the road. She’s going to call a friend and see if she can stay with her.”

For his part, he didn’t treat me like I was overreacting. After a moment, he nodded. “That’s probably not a bad idea anyway, really. Until we can find Daniel, she could be vulnerable depending on how desperate he gets looking for you.”

Not exactly the confirmation I was looking for, but I understood his point.

“How are you doing? This isn’t how I hoped our night would go after such a great morning and afternoon.” He kissed my temple and pressed me more firmly against him.

“I’m okay.” I was irritated and pissed and wanted to get this shitshow over with, but I was handling it.

“Good.” His thumb pressed to my chin and tipped my head back, smirking down at me while his gaze traveled over my eyes, my nose, and settled at my mouth. “Dinner won’t be here for a few more minutes. How ever should we pass the time?”

He kissed me before I could answer, but it was exactly what I was going to suggest, so I kissed him back eagerly.

14

Shawn

My kitchen table currently looked like the command center at the CIA. Computers were spread out everywhere. Briggs showed up with two desktop computers, and it took several trips from his SUV to get everything inside. Charlie was hooking one up while he hooked up the other, and the rest of the men gathered around with our laptops, waiting for them to get settled.

As I predicted, Addi didn’t eat much for dinner, but she’d switched from wine to water after two glasses. The wine, though, had seemed to loosen some of the strain she’d been carrying in her shoulders ever since I woke her up. At least she’d had a decent conversation with Jillian. For her part, she was watching everything with an intensity and calmness I couldn’t help but admire. No matter what got thrown this woman’s way, she kept standing up against it.

“Okay, we’re connected and ready,” Briggs said. He was seated across from me and brushed his thick hair back before cracking his knuckles. He started clicking, his fingers flying faster over the keyboard than I’d ever be able to manage.

“I’ll start,” Charlie said, “since I found the information earlier. But I’ve already sent it to Briggs—”

“And I’ve already started picking up the trail,” he said, his eyes scanning whatever he was scrolling through on the screen with rapid movements. “These guys are members of the same yacht and country clubs as well as an exclusive, men’s only social club called Elusive.”

“Right,” Charlie said. “We’ll get to that nugget of information later.” She then continued to fill everyone in on the money trail she’d found, the connection between the two, and the rumors of Banks’sexual preferences, as she so delicately called them.

Addi focused on every word, showing no emotion, and I stood by her, waiting until Charlie was done explaining. I’d heard all of this, but as she spoke, I couldn’t think of any more leads to chase.

“So the men’s social club,” Briggs said, still clicking and not looking at any of us surrounding the table. “That’s not based in Wilmington where they both have main residences.” He glanced up once. “It’s in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.”

“South Carolina?” I asked. “How close is that to Charleston?”

“Two, two and a half hours,” Jaxon stated, arms crossed over his chest. “Close but not too close.”

“What are you thinking?” Addi asked, facing me.

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