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She didn’t bother to speak—what was there to say? While people she loved were being uprooted, their lives and others’ in danger, she was going to have a workout, a swim, and a sweaty stint in a sauna.
* * *
Three hours later, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She had done all she had planned. A light workout in the oversized gym had loosened her muscles, and a three-mile run on a treadmill had helped ease the massive adrenaline racing through her body. She had followed up with a relaxing swim in the pool, relishing the bright, warm sunshine. She’d then spent half an hour in the sauna, sweating out her remaining tension.
She had been completely alone, or as alone as one can get while being on camera. She had behaved in a calm, serene demeanor, as if she were at peace with what she had revealed to Kingsley. Beneath the surface, though, she was more than aware of the chaos that her actions had unleashed around the world.
She took a leisurely shower and dressed in some comfortable pajamas. After dressing, she returned to the bedroom and was glad to see dinner had been delivered. Even though the meal was a heavier one than she would normally eat, she consumed every bit of the steak, potatoes, and grilled vegetables. She didn’t bother with the dessert or glass of wine, but she drank two bottles of water, making sure she was fully hydrated.
Returning to the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, washed her face again, gave herself one last pep talk, and then went to bed. She was pleasantly surprised to realize she was sleepy.
She was just drifting off when the bedroom door burst open. She sprang up in the bed. Kingsley stood before her, his fury making his handsome face look almost demonic. “You bitch! You double-crossed me!”
Before she could respond, three large men she’d never seen before marched into the room. “Take her to level one, room three,” Kingsley barked.
One man grabbed her feet, another took her arms, and the third aimed a gun at her. She didn’t believe he would shoot to kill, but she knew it would be useless to fight. After all, this was what she had been expecting.
All hell had broken loose in various areas of the world, and while a part of her was absolutely thrilled to know that her plan had apparently worked just as she had hoped, she would now pay the price.
Chapter Fifteen
Montana
Twelve hours earlier
“Do you wish we’d gone somewhere sunny and warm for our time off?” Asher Drake asked his wife.
Jules gave an emphatic shake of her head. “Absolutely not.” She glanced over her shoulder at the giant picture window. Outside, snow fell heavily to the already covered ground. “The last few days have been perfect.”
Ash couldn’t argue with that. Having three days with just him, Jules, and Josh had been heaven on earth. They’d slept late, played in the snow, and after Josh had gone to sleep each night, they’d acted like it was their second honeymoon. Ash was so sated and relaxed, he felt like his entire body had been renewed.
“We’ll have to hit the ground running tomorrow,” Jules said.
“Yeah. Most of the team will be arriving around noon. Of course, Eve and Gideon will likely be a little late.”
Jules’s eyes went bright with laughter. They’d both been delighted to read Gideon’s text this morning that said while he and Eve were visiting one of his brothers, he’d coerced her into having a quick wedding with his family. Eve’s father, brother, and uncle had flown in for the allegedly unplanned event.
Knowing Gideon, the man had been planning this for months and had sprung the idea on Eve so she wouldn’t have a chance to protest. Gideon said she had given him an earful about his high-handedness. Ash knew the couple well. They were desperately in love, and despite Eve’s insistence that they shouldn’t marry until after they’d completed their current mission, he knew she wasn’t upset. She had texted Jules a video a few minutes after Ash had heard from Gideon that showed a brilliantly smiling Eve kissing her new husband.
“Everyone’s going to be thrilled that they finally tied the knot.”
Ash nodded, but his mind went to the real reason Gideon and Eve had wanted to go ahead and marry. No one knew what the future held for any of them. With what Serena had dug up about the Wren Project and the multiple entities tied to them, none of them were certain they would survive the coming storm. Getting your life and priorities in place was an important step when you didn’t know what tomorrow held.
“When you were putting Josh down for his nap, Kate called,” Jules said. “She asked about you.”
That didn’t surprise him. Even though he and Kate Walker had spoken only a handful of words to each other since he’d learned what she had held back from Jazz about her brother, Brody, he knew Jules talked to her frequently. He didn’t resent that. Their relationship went well past professional ties. And while he still held a strong affection for Kate, his absolute trust in her had been severely damaged.
“She okay?” Ash asked.
“Yes. She seemed a little sadder than usual. I think she misses working with you and OZ.”
“I miss that, too. She’s done a lot for me and for OZ, but I can’t trust her. You understand that, right?”
“I do. I just wish she would trust us with whatever else she’s holding back. It would make it easier on everyone.”
“Yeah, I—”
An alarm blared from his phone, and Ash froze. The sound was one he’d heard only once before, during the initial testing. It was the alarm Serena had set up just for him.
