Page 41 of Fighting His Fate
She frowned. That wasn’t going to work. “The only thing within a thirty-minute drive is a luxury vacation rental on the water.”
Mac looked up. “Do it.” He reached for his wallet, passing her a credit card.
She clicked through the pictures. The large house and smaller cabin were decorated in the same style, but she zeroed in on the cabin where she, Brett, and the boys would be staying. It was a fantasy house with wide-planked floors and exposed rafters, a homey quilt gracing the wide king bed.
Oh, fuck.
Sweat broke out on her palms. She hadn’t realized there was only one bed, but the other house had none at all. Surely this was a better option, and she clicked “book” before she could give it a second thought. Whatever her muddled, aching feelings for Brett Champion, keeping the boys safe from Fleming was far more important. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d make the same mistake twice and kiss the man.
She stood and returned the credit card to Mac, tuning in to their conversation. “…no matter what we find,” said Razorback. “Given that she was the vice president of research, Joni’s office is probably down this corridor. Each one is directly connected to the main laboratory.”
Brett leaned forward and pointed to a corner of the schematic. “And this is probably Fleming’s.”
Razorback nodded. “Agreed. As long as the office and lab are empty, we should have a clear shot directly into their offices from our point of entry here.” He pointed to a nearby spot on the floor plan.
“Problems,” said Mac.
Brett spoke up first. “People working late. Security system or guards.”
“Computer systems,” said Razorback. “We’re not likely to find a smoking gun in a stack of paper. Expect everything to be digitized.”
“We’ll need to get into their computer system,” said Mac. “Trace, get Moto on it. Anything else?”
“There’s a storm coming,” said Trace, scratching his stubbled cheek. “The rain may give us some cover, but lightning could fuck us, make it harder to hide.”
Mac nodded. “Let’s see what we find at Joni and Luke’s house first. Make a call on Lamont Scientific once we see what we find there.”
“Agreed. But I want Grace and the boys at the safe house before we do anything,” Brett said. “That’s the most important thing.” He stood, his eyes connecting with hers again across the room, and awareness simmered in her bloodstream. Their connection was still there, last night be damned. She curled her toes into the carpeting, images of the idyllic log cabin and oversized bed flashing in her mind.
Get through the night.
All she had to do was get through the night with Brett Champion without losing her mind.
Or her self-respect.
Or her virginity—to a gorgeous, arrogant, egotistical man who didn’t even want it.
22
One lookfrom the doorway and it was instantly clear—the lakefront property was everything Grace had feared it would be.
Warm golden light spilled out into the storm, water running down Brett’s face as he held the cabin door open for her to enter before him. It had taken them longer than expected to get here, a bad traffic accident partially blocking the two-lane road that connected the lake to town.
She led with Toby’s carrier and ducked into the space, slipping off the sweatshirt that covered the boy before wiping the wet hair out of her eyes. She gazed around the room, taking in the sturdy wood furniture and knotty-pine-covered walls, a gas fireplace burning in the corner. It smelled of pine and lakeshore, with a hint of clean laundry and spice.
It could be a honeymoon cabin, for God’s sake.
Brett moved past her carrying Theo’s carrier, the boy fretting beneath the T-shirt that was meant to shield him from the rain. “Shh, it’s okay, buddy. I’ll get you out of there,” Brett said, placing the carrier on the bed and expertly extricating the baby from its straps. “Are you hungry?” he asked the boy, placing him against his chest as he put the diaper bag down and dug for a bottle.
Brett had come a long way in just a few days’ time. If she didn’t know better, she would think he’d been doing this since the boys were born.
Theo whimpered and rutted against Brett’s shirt. Grace held out her hand for the bottle. “I’ll warm it up.”
“Thanks. I’ll change his diaper.”
She moved to the bathroom and ran the hot water. The rustic vanity was topped with a glass vessel sink. The floor and walls were a field of light brown ceramic tile split by a river of blue and green glass tile that flowed through it like water, ending in a pool around a large glass-enclosed shower, a separate tub tucked against the far wall.
Damn.
