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Sean took a swallow of his coffee and blew out a long sigh. “Some, but nothing substantial. Belle and your team are focusing a lot of their efforts on Kingsley. Gideon, Eve, and Hawke are conducting the interrogations of the rescued people and guards, alongside some of Kate’s people.”
Taking one last bite of the luscious homemade cheesecake her sister-in-law Jenny had made, Serena closed her eyes and savored the creamy confection. For the first time since her return, she felt sated and relaxed, much more like her old self. She still had the lingering throb of her healing ankle, along with the scars on her heart and conscience she wasn’t sure would ever fade. But for this moment, she felt like herself again.
“Any new intel on WREN from the rescued?” she asked.
“Not a lot. Most of them were victims, kept in the dark. But the house manager from the Tokyo location might be promising.”
“How so?”
Sean stood and carried their plates to the kitchen counter. Serena followed with their empty glasses.
Turning back to her, he crossed his arms and said, “He’s wanting a deal.”
“What kind of a deal?”
“Freedom and full immunity.”
“He could be a victim, like Smith. Maybe—”
“Ash doesn’t think so…and neither do I. The man is too arrogant…too smug.”
“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have intel.”
“And that’s what Ash is balancing. If he’s got something that’ll help us bring WREN down, we need to figure out a way to work with him.”
“He’s been conditioned to lie,” Serena said. “Smith told me that that was a part of their training. Learning to lie, without tells.”
“If he’s got intel, Ash will get it.”
“What kind of a deal can we give him? He can’t be trusted.”
“Ash is talking about sending him to the island.”
Serena nodded, even as a part of her rejected the idea of anyone willingly working for WREN being given anything other than prison time. Still, the residents likely considered the island a prison since they would never be able to leave.
Sun Island was a three-mile stretch of land in the middle of the Caribbean that Kate had purchased a half-dozen years ago. It was not sanctioned by any government, few knew about it, and even fewer were allowed to go there. The island was home to dangerous criminals who most likely would have been incarcerated in dank, dark prisons if they’d been captured by law enforcement. Many different countries housed certain criminals there who could be useful.
“Is there anything we can do from here?” Serena asked.
Smiling, he took her hand and kissed it. “We have our orders—rest and heal. They’ll let us know if they need us.”
Despite knowing the OZ team likely needed their help, she couldn’t help but be relieved. She and Sean needed this time together.
“With that in mind, why don’t you go up and get ready for bed? I’ll finish up in the kitchen and be up in a bit.”
A gurgle of laughter erupted from her. “You don’t have to ask twice.” She went to her feet, and Sean grabbed her crutches that were leaning against the wall and handed them to her.
“Thank you for a delicious dinner.”
Leaning his forehead against hers, he said, “It was my pleasure, my love.”
“You’ll be up soon?”
A sexy grin tugged at his mouth. “You can count on it.”
Anticipation zooming through her, Serena whirled as gracefully as one could on crutches and headed up the stairs. Wasting no time, she stripped as soon as she entered the room and hobbled to the shower. She was barely beneath the spray for a full minute before she heard the shower door open and turned to see her gorgeous, sexy, gloriously nude husband joining her.
The moment she’d met Sean, she had been attracted to him. Through the years, that attraction had grown. Not only was he beautiful on the outside, he had character, integrity, and a gentle, loving heart. As she looked at him now, love for him filled every broken part of her heart, mending it completely.
