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The door glides down behind him, sealing us in the garage. He hops out, opens the back door, and waves me over. He’s got three bags of groceries and another duffel.
Max heads in first, and I almost slam into his back when he comes to a sudden stop.
“Morning,” Max says, but he’s not speaking to me. I step around him, a bag hoisted in each arm, and understand.
Sage stands where the den meets the kitchen, hair dripping wet, a solid sheen of black. The moisture has spread down her tiny T-shirt that’s missing the bottom half, and she’s wearing sky blue running shorts that are so short I’m fairly certain when she turns around, half her ass will hang out.
“Hi…” She waves her hand timidly. “I…ah…not all of my clothes made it.”
“Looks good to me.” I recognize that tone. It’s his pickup tone. My head whips to Max.
“I guess we’re not really going anywhere, right?” Her timid tone has me doubly annoyed with Max.
“Max just brought us over some fresh groceries, so we’re good. It’s not like we’re locked down here, but?—”
“How’s he treating you?” Max, who typically has the tenderness of a cactus, hovers near her, infringing on her personal space.
“All good.” She flicks those golden-brown eyes my way. I shove the bags up onto the counter and suppress the urge to grab her hand and pull her into me.
“If he gets on your nerves, I can stay with you. Knox can cover back at HQ.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” I grip the counter. Who the hell does he think he is, flirting with her?
“Oh, so, it’s like that, is it?” Max asks with a mischievous grin. “You told me she was a friend.”
“She is a friend.” And he’s playing with fire.
Sage steps around Max, still timid, and positions herself next to me. She stands on her toes and peeks into the paper bags.
Max crosses his arms over his chest and smirks.
I don’t get the cocky smile playing across his face.
“Cool, man.” Max bends and lifts the black duffel he carried in. “Brought a secure phone you can use.” He digs it out and offers it to Sage. She glances to me, and I give a quick confirmation nod.
“It’s also monitored. Just FYI,” Max informs her. She takes it, but it’s clear she’s confused.
“The team monitors all communications. Safety precaution.”
“I’d like to call Jimmy,” Sage says. “I know he’s worried.”
“Got an update on the drive over,” Max says. “Our guys made contact with him this morning. No one has approached him about you. No one has asked your whereabouts, other than concerned colleagues and neighbors. He willingly let our guys into his home, and they easily found two listening devices. Looks like whoever is after you may have burned your home down to smoke you out, which is one scenario we considered.”
“Did Jimmy let someone into his house recently? Cable company? Gas?”
Max gives me a head shake in the negative. “Looks like they broke in to install the devices.”
“Did we leave the devices in place?”
“No. Pulled ’em. Getting them to Kairi and Erik so they can check them out. Expectations aren’t high they’ll lead anywhere.” Max sighs and glances at his wrist. “I’m gonna head. If you need something more than what we’ve packed, let us know.” His directive is at Sage, but he’s all business. There’s no sign of flirty Max. The guy was just messing with my head.
“You’re sure you weren’t followed?”
“What do you take me for?” Max is several inches taller than me with linebacker shoulders. He’s skilled, but he’s also hard to miss. He’s one big freaking guy. “Last night, I crashed at Trevor and Stella’s old condo near the office. No one followed me there. We’re taking all the precautions.” He tilts his head and studies Sage. “You need more clothes?”
“Well, not all of my clothes made it.”
“Stella said you had some dirty clothes?”
