Page 47 of Forged in Secrets

“And what about you?” she prompted.

“I want to dig into the Lumeener II. If we can find out who owns it, we may be able to get more information without talking to Jade at all.”

“Good idea,” she said brightly, hiking her bag up higher on her shoulder.

She expected Ben to start moving down the hall, but instead he remained stubbornly in place, staring at the little red glowing light on the panel of Jade’s hotel room door.

She let several seconds pass in an awkward silence, though she wasn’t entirely sure that Ben even noticed she was still standing a foot away.

“Ready to get going?” she said. “The faster we go, the sooner we can sleep. Lord knows we both need it after today.”

He ignored her joking tone.

“I could get into her room,” he said flatly. “These panels aren’t very secure. I can get the screws open withmy pocket knife, and from there it’s just a few wires to adjust the settings and–”

“You are not breaking the law, Ben,” Grace cut him off. “No way. It’s not worth it.”

“The police won’t know. Frankly, I doubt they’d care even if they did.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I’m just trying to find Katie. Jade’s clearly hiding something.”

Grace moved closer and leaned against Ben’s ribs, glad to feel his warmth despite their disagreement. “What if you found something? Are you willing to lie to a judge about where you got your evidence?”

To her relief, he stepped back from the door, turning to her and brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Okay. Point taken.”

Ben wasn’t exactly great with following rules, but he wasn’t reckless for the sake of it, either. She was glad he’d chosen to see sense.

“So, how about we separate for an hour or so to follow our leads, and meet for a late dinner?”

She hated the thought of being away from him, but she knew it was precisely why she needed to be. It was way too difficult to think clearly with him around, and almost impossible to take a few quiet minutes with the Lord.

“Grace, we almost got run off the road today,” Ben reminded her. “You shouldn’t be walking around alone. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Her eyes searched his own as she looked up at him.

She’d spent so many years lingering like a shadow behind him, determined to draw out his light. Things had shifted so much in just a couple of days.

“I appreciate your concern,” she said softly, trailing herfingertips along his chiseled jawline. “I’ll be careful. I promise. I’m going to head right back to my room. I just need a few minutes with Jesus. You keep making me?—”

Before she could finish her sentence he’d wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer until his lips met hers.

She was faintly aware of the sound of a group of kids making their way up the hallway behind them, but she had no desire to acknowledge their presence. Even her tiredness had disappeared. His touch filled her with a different kind of energy, and she wished she could feel it forever.

She pressed her body closer to his, her heart fluttering as he rubbed a hand against her back, allowing the kiss to linger for another few blissful seconds.

At last, she pulled away, more certain than ever that some time for prayer was exactly what she needed.

“Gracie?” Ben said after a moment, his cheeks flushing red.

She reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

“Everything about this is wonderful,” he said, a shy smile tugging at the edge of his lips. “I just thought you should know that.”

She gave him a final peck on the cheek before turning away and heading back toward the elevator, her own face beginning to ache from smiling so much.

It was wonderful.

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