Page 62 of Max's Mission

The exterior light on Dean and Annabeth’s house blinked on. A moment later, the front door opened and Annabeth stepped into the doorway, a welcoming smile on her face. Dean stood behind her and off to the side. A bit of wariness entered Annabeth’s gaze as she glanced past Margot at Marshal Marchand, but it was quickly snuffed out as Margot climbed the porch steps and enveloped her friend in a hug.

“Welcome back.” Annabeth hugged her tight, then pulled back. “Did you have a good flight?”

“Max and I did. I don’t know about Marchand.” She glanced back as she stepped into the house. “Max refused to sit in coach, so he bought the two of us first-class seats.”

Amusement danced in Annabeth’s eyes as Max stepped through the doorway, carrying their bags. “Why do you have to be difficult?”

Max grinned. “I wasn’t. I just wanted to be comfortable. It’s a long flight.”

“It’s not that long.” Marchand appeared in the doorway. Ford walked in behind him.

“Long enough.” Max set their bags down in the corner of the living room. “Annabeth, Dean, this is Marshal Kyle Marchand. Marshal, Dean and Annabeth Adler.”

Marchand held out a hand. “Nice to meet you both.”

Margot rocked back on her heels, waiting impatiently while the three shook hands. “Where are the girls?”

“Sleeping,” Annabeth said. “Amy and I wore them out today. We took them and Gretchen to the beach again. I spent most of the time supervising Em on the bodyboard we borrowed from Edie.”

Margot sighed, then smiled as she caught sight of Max’s grin. He was right. She needed to get the girl her own board. Soon.

“The other two played in the water, built sandcastles, and collected shells for hours. Both twins barely made it through bath time and dinner before they fell asleep.”

“I’m going to peek in on them.” She pointed toward the hallway.

Annabeth nodded.

On light feet, Margot hurried down the hall to the guest room. Mindful of creaky door hinges, she gently opened the door and tiptoed inside. A nightlight plugged into the wall illuminated the room enough for her to see the two small forms curled up under the blankets on the queen-size bed.

The soft scuff of feet drew her attention to the door. Max stepped in and came up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into his chest, and rested his chin on her shoulder. She leaned against him, soaking in the feel of his warm, masculine frame surrounding her, and covered his crossed arms with a hand.

“Even in sleep, their personalities are evident,” he whispered.

Margot smiled. It was true. Lily slept on her side, knees bent, and one hand tucked under her pillow. Emily laid on her back, arms above her head and the blanket pulled down around her waist. Blonde hair fanned out around her head.

For several long moments, they stood there and watched the girls sleep. Margot wanted to touch them, but didn’t dare. If either of them woke, it would wake the other, then it would be hours before they went back to sleep. She could wait until morning to hug and kiss all over them. For now, she was content to see them and know they were happy and safe.

Max stepped back and touched her waist. He tipped his head toward the door.

With one last glimpse, Margot followed him out of the room.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked as they rejoined the others. Two more men she didn’t recognize now stood in the living room.

Ford and Dean shared a look before Ford glanced at Marchand. “The marshals are going to check into their hotel,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll move you and the girls to Max’s house. Between its security, us hanging around, and the marshals on a rotation on the perimeter, you should be safe.”

“Okay, what about tonight?” Margot said.

“Our house isn’t really big enough for you two to stay,” Dean said. “But since yours is right behind us, we thought that would be a good option. It’d keep you close to Em and Lily and not spread us too thin.”

“And for the record”—Marchand held up a finger—“after we check into a hotel, I’ll be back to help with security. I put in a request to have one more agent sent down so we can work in teams of two. My boss is working on finding us someone. We’re stretched a little thin right now, so whoever it is will have to come from another office.”

“Sounds good.” Max put a hand in the middle of Margot’s back. “We’re going to leave you all to hash out the details of that. Someone can fill us in tomorrow morning. It’s been a long day for us.” Stepping away from her, he picked up their bags.

Margot wanted to sag in relief. She’d been dreading having to sit around and listen to them work out a security detail plan or answer more questions. Despite the bigger, more comfortable first-class seat, she hadn’t slept on the way down. Her body was feeling the exhaustion. All she wanted to do was go to bed.

Giving Annabeth another hug, Margot let Max usher her out of the house and across the yards to her little cottage. She unlocked the door, stepping inside and flipping on the lights.

Max relocked the door behind them.

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