“Mrs. Novak, I bet you were a knockout when you were young,” Ryan said.
“Oh shush. I was just an average girl.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute,” Austin said.
I answered when someone asked me a question. I smiled when it was appropriate and laughed on cue. I shoved food into my mouth and chewed it because I had to.
Guilt ate at me. Fear consumed me.
When my grandmother went to the bathroom, I said, “I don’t think I can keep lying.”
“We’ll help you.” When Austin placed his hand over mine, I stopped fidgeting.
After dinner, Ryan offered to wash the dishes so Austin and I could sit with Nana in the living room.
“Dear, would you like some tea?” Nana asked.
“I’ll make it. You guys want some?” I offered.
They agreed, so I filled the pot, grateful she’d asked.
Tea was our pre-bed ritual, and I knew she’d be ready for bed shortly after finishing her cup. Because she went to bed so early, I wouldn’t have to explain why Austin and G were staying the night.
Chapter 48
Austin
Mike Rogers arrived at oh-four-hundred the next morning and, for once, I didn’t have a dossier in my mind.
G provided the only information I had. Rogers was a Ranger Medic, had CIA credentials. He was tall, black, bald, and leanly built.
Apparently, Rogers had rescued a female soldier from hell on Earth, and it nearly cost him his mental health.
Is he healthy enough to be an asset, or do I need to worry?
I’d have to take Gibson at his word and trust Rogers.
I don’t have any other options.
After much deliberation, we’d decided it was easier to take advantage of Nina being asleep to administer the under the skin tracking device. The thought of deceiving her, violating her body and her trust, gnawed at my brain and made my stomach turn. But G and I agreed it was better this way.
Shepherd Security could track us if something went south.
And things always go south.
Rogers texted Gibson when he arrived. Gibson texted the SSI team, so they’d know he was friendly, and G let him in.
I reached out my hand, “Thanks for coming on such short notice; we appreciate it.”
Rogers shook my hand with a firm grip. “No problem.”
We took Rogers to Nina’s room, not wasting time on small talk.
Thankfully, Nina wore a tank top, so we didn’t need to worry about her clothes being in the way.
I brushed the hair off her face so I could see her expression as Rogers prepped his needle.
When he nodded he was ready, I held her hand. My thumb stroked the back of her hand.
