“I haven’t been inside yet.”
“Her laptop is missing,” Atlas revealed.
It was?Oh,damn.Not good.As if the break-in had ever been agoodsign.
“Lily told me where it should have been.It wasn’t there.It appears…other things were taken, but the damage is so severe that it’s hard to tell right now.”
“Severe damage?”she breathed.
A curt nod.
Oh, no.“Were my files there, Atlas?”
Appearing apologetic, he told her, “I believe they were taken.”
Disaster.She would have to call Sloane right away and alert her friend except—no phone.Her phone had been smashed back at the cabin.Thenthe flames had probably destroyed it.A new phone would be a necessity.She would have to reach out to her friend, ASAP.Sheshouldhave called Sloane already, not like she wanted Sloane finding out about the attack and the cabin fire on the news.
I messed up.Wasn’t thinking clearly.Sloane is going to panic.
“Lily?”Gage’s voice drew her attention back to him.“They let him in, but not you?Youwereliving here, correct?That’s the information I was given on my way over.”
“Why the hellareyou here?”Atlas asked.
“I’m a Fed.I work BAU.That’s Behavioral Analysis?—”
“I know what it is,” Atlas growled.
“I was brought in just for you, Atlas.”A flashy smile.“The people in charge at the Bureau view you as very important.Rest assured, I will not rest until the perp responsible for your abduction and for the murder of Detective Benedict Swain is apprehended.”He scraped a hand over his jaw.“I learned Lily was taken, too.”Rougher.“When word reached me about this break-in at her address, I immediately came to the scene.”His hand fell.His eyes raked her.“You’re the one who needs to see what happened in there, Lily.Come on.I’ll take you in.”He reached out to grasp her hand.
Atlas pulled her back.“Why did the two of you stop dating?”
Cops buzzed around them.A dull throb began behind her left eye.“Really not the place for this.”The last thing she wanted was to rehash her relationship with Gage.Especially considering that some perp had broken into her house.Stolen from her.My work.Gone.
“I’m curious.”Atlas brushed a kiss across her temple, right near the throbbing.And the pain seemed to ease.
What in the world?
“Why would anyone ever let you go?”Atlas murmured.“What kind of idiot would let you slip through his fingers?”
Her head turned toward Atlas.Now wasn’t the time to mock the Fed.“It wasn’t serious.”They’d had sex.Twice.This did not seem to be the appropriate place to announce that news.Some things were private.“Then I learned Gage had ulterior motives for wanting to be close to me.”
“That hurts, Lily.” A dramatic pronouncement from Gage.“I’ve always cared for you.”
She glanced back to see him place his hand over his heart.Seriously, that move was too much, even for him.
“We were friends all through med school,” he added.“Even when I dropped out to join the Bureau, we kept in touch.It was natural for me to be curious about you.And…some pieces of the puzzle just didn’t add up for me.Questions had to be asked.”His hand slid back to his side.The movement had his fingers sliding near the holster on his hip.“But just because I had a job to do, it didn’t mean that I did not care.Again, I’ll repeat, I’ve always cared.”His eyes glittered.
“Yeah, that bullshit needs to stop.”Now Atlas moved in front of her.“I’llrepeat, Lily is with me.Any relationship you had with her is dead and buried.”Snapped.
Desmond watched from close by, saying nothing.
“Huh.”Gage rocked back on his heels.“I’m a bit curious.Are yougoodat burying things, Atlas?Because there have been some rumors about you…”
Atlas just laughed.“Fuck around,” he advised the Fed, “and, as the saying goes, you will find out.”
ChapterNine
She knewher mouth dropped open.
