Page 53 of Defenseless
“Coward, South Carolina?” he asked, sliding his pitcher down after pouring his own drink.
She made a face. “Is that a real place?”
“It is. So is Superior, Wyoming,” Angelica commented before double-checking the table then leaving.
“And Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina,” he added.
“That I don’t believe,” she said before taking a sip of her drink.
He lifted a shoulder. “You don’t have to, but it is a place. Google it.”
She started to pull out her phone then dropped it back into her bag. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re trying to distract me becauseyouknow the origin of the Mystery Lake name.”
He barked out a laugh. He actually did know. Not the reason per se, but the inspiration. It had been passed down through the generations of the founding families. It wasn’t something he was allowed to share, though. Sure, it wasn’t against the law to tell people, but it was most definitely against Mystery Lake tradition. His grandfather—and about seventy-four other people in the know—would have his hide if he talked.
Sabina opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Angelica waltzed into the room with a tray full of cocktails and announced that everyone better be ready to order. He knew Sabina would order a cheeseburger, because she’d been craving one earlier. But he also knew she’d still examine every item on the menu before making her final choice. She was not a woman who made decisions without all the data.
“Start with him, please,” she said, almost in a panic when Angelica looked at her expectantly. Angelica raised an eyebrow but complied and turned to Chad. He ordered his favorite tri-tip sandwich with fries and a side salad. No need to look at the menu for him.
By the time Angelica had made it down his side of the table and back up Sabina’s, Sabina was smiling. “I’ll have the cheeseburger, no lettuce or tomato, please. And fries,” she said, handing her menu over.
“Salad?” Angelica asked.
Sabina darted a look at him.
“You’re not stealing my salad,” he said.
She huffed then turned to Angelica. “Yes, a salad please, with blue cheese dressing.”
Angelica scribbled the note on her pad then scanned the table once more before heading back to the bar and kitchen. Before Sabina could turn the conversation back to the origins of the town name, he asked her what it was like growing up in Lexington, Kentucky. At first, habit had her answering slowly. But by the time their food arrived, she and Kara were sharing stories from high school—stories about the sports they played, their group of friends, and the underage party scene. There’d been a moment when he’d worried that talking about the friends they’d left behind would turn the conversation somber. That hadn’t been the case, though, and rather than focusing on the years they’d lost, the sisters talked excitedly about getting back in touch with some of them.
Two and a half hours later, they all stumbled out of the Dirty Boom. None of them were drunk, but fatigue and a full belly had made a few of them a little giddy. With his own SUV still parked in his garage at home, Chad, Sabina, Kara, and Gina all piled into Ethan’s car and headed to Chad’s house. Ethan wasn’t on duty that night, but he planned to check in with Killian and Ryder, who were. The two men would patrol the property throughout the night while Chad stayed on duty inside. In the early morning, Tucker would take over for him and remotely monitor his security system from the HICC offices so that Chad could get some sleep.
When they arrived, Ethan helped carry in the bags and get each of the women situated in the three guest bedrooms. As Chad watched them disappear into their temporary lodgings, he was glad Ethan’s mom, who was an interior decorator, had insisted he furnish the entire house as soon as he moved in. It also did not escape his notice that Ethan had directed Sabina to the room beside his own.
Pushing aside the thought of Sabina sleeping so close, he called Killian and Ryder and asked them to come to the house. A few minutes later, he and Ethan met them outside in the shadows of the garage. Calling Tucker, the five men then walked through the plan for the night. If Chad managed to fall asleep when Tucker relieved him at four in the morning, he’d be able to fit a full five hours in before needing to be back at the office.
Ethan offered to take a shift, but he’d had a couple of long nights already, and Chad wanted his cousin to get some sleep. Ethan’s reluctance to leave probably had a little—or a lot—to do with Kara. But after a few minutes of negotiation, he finally agreed.
Heading back into the house, Chad checked to see that his guests were well settled, making sure to tell them they were free to help themselves to anything they needed. Like Ethan, Sabina offered to stay up with him. He politely declined. The last thing he needed was to be in his command station—a small, secluded space—alone with her.
Once he heard the women shuffling around and getting ready for bed, he made his way to his office then down to the safe room. Flipping on the monitors, he identified Ryder’s and Killian’s locations then sat back and watched. And watched.
Four hours passed like molasses in January, and he was glad when four o’clock rolled around. Handing the duties off to Tucker, he dragged himself upstairs.
Entering his bedroom, he shut the door then eyed his bathroom. Should he shower now or in the morning? His bed called to him, but he’d also just stared at a computer for four hours. He always had a hard time falling asleep after long periods in front of a screen.
Decision made, he stripped out of his clothes as he crossed the room. Tossing them into the hamper in the corner of the bathroom, he then flipped the shower on. This time, he waited for the water to heat up before stepping under it. When he did, it hit him with a sting, cascading over his head and down his body.
Having been born and raised in California, a state with a history of crippling droughts, long showers weren’t the norm. But tonight, he indulged in the feel of the pounding spray hitting his shoulders, relaxing his muscles, and sliding down his body. Turning his face into the water, it ran over his scalp and through his hair, easing the hint of a headache he’d been fighting for the past few hours.
Finally, when his body felt heated and subdued, he flipped the water off, grabbed for his towel, and froze.
“Sabina?” he managed to say. Although why it came out a question, he didn’t know. She was most definitely standing in his bathroom. Wearing nothing more than a pair of sleep shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.
He pulled his towel from the rod and started drying off, his eyes never leaving her. She said nothing as her gaze followed his movements. He dried his hair, then his chest and back, and finally his legs. When he was done, he considered wrapping the towel around his waist. With the way his body had reacted to her proximity, though, there was no way it would stay in place. So instead, he held it in front of himself.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, then winced at the stupid question. She was clearly fine. She was also very clearly in his room for one obvious reason. He wished he were a little smoother, that he knew what to say to her. But logic, and words, seemed to be outside his grasp.
