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“I would love to go with you,” Nicole said. “It will make me feel better to hear the official word on your health.”
“You heard the lady,” his brother said to him. “Let’s go.”
They placed her between them, Reed’s arm around her shoulders and his around her waist.
“I want to hear everything that happened in the clinic, guys,” she told them, assuming her law enforcement demeanor once again. God, everything about her was so incredibly sexy.
“You will, Chicago,” Reed said as they headed back to the EMTs.
Sawyer could see such hope in both of them. They had a lot in common. Together, they could find comfort and a future with his help. He wasn’t about to lose Nicole, so he silently vowed to do whatever it took to get Reed and her to open up and be honest with each other—and with him.
* * * *
Reed sat in the booth by the center window of Lucy’s Burgers with Nicole and Sawyer across from him. It was their latest stop in Alexei’s intricate trap. Against his and Sawyer’s better judgment, they were following the former mobster’s plan to the letter to fool the Mitrofanov’s insider. Dylan and Jason had deputized several citizens to be close at all times. Though a good step, it hadn’t swayed him or Sawyer into going along with the idea. Nicole’s safety meant everything to them, and her touring the town alone to flush out the rat was too dangerous. What had pushed them to give in was Nicole’s insistence to try Alexei’s trap combined with the agreement by all parties that he and Sawyer could be at Nicole’s side at all times, play-acting as tour guides instead of their real job as her bodyguards.
Alexei’s plan was very precise and tiring. Every second of the day was scheduled. Most thought it was the only way to get the job done right.
This was only day two.
Everyone but her believed the insider was Henry Underwood, and most thought he was going to show up here in Destiny soon to get her. Playing superspy in town didn’t fit into what Reed wanted. What he really desired was to go back up the mountain to his beloved Coleman Territory and get inside the cabin with Nicole. Even though he and Sawyer were getting to spend time with her, it wasn’t under the best conditions. How could it be with so many of Dylan’s overzealous Destonian recruits for this project—to catch a mole—always so close and in earshot?
“Where are we supposed to go after this?” Sawyer motioned Lucy over for a refill of tea.
How that woman could twirl her Hula-hoop around her waist through the tiny aisle without knocking over customers’ dishes had always been a mystery to Reed.
Nicole checked the iPad, which had Alexei’s plan spelled out for them. TBK’s newest programmers, Sean MacCabe and Matt Dixon, had added a tracking device to it. Dylan trusted the two Texans, having worked with them when he was at the CIA. The addition to the tablet was so that if anything went wrong, Jason and Dylan could still find them.
Nicole read off their next stop on the iPad. “Central Park by the Red Dragon for a picnic. Chinese food from Phong’s.”
“Not again. We had that yesterday, too.” Sawyer groaned. “My horse is going to buck my fat ass off when I get back to the ranch if Alexei doesn’t come up with something other than eating to flush out the insider.”
She smiled. “I like Chinese, and Phong’s is the best I’ve ever had.”
Reed moved his hand into his front pocket to touch the fortune he’d gotten his first meal with Nicole. When his finger touched the edge of the slip of paper, he quietly pulled his hand out.
Happiness is right in front of you.
Yes, she is.
His plate had the hand-cut French fries and double cheeseburger he loved. Just getting a whiff of his favorite meal here would have his mouth drooling normally. But even though two days had passed since the fire, his nose still only detected noxious smoke.
Doc Ryder was recovering nicely at the courthouse, which had been set up as a temporary hospital. He’d filled them in on the events that led up to the moment the fire started. He and Charlie had gone into the Russian’s room and found him with his hands on an oxygen tank’s open valve.
The gas was on fire and had already spread to the walls. The doc had spotted a discarded Zippo on the floor that told him the fucker had set the blaze. How the man had gotten his hands on an oxygen tank and a lighter was still a mystery. Doc and Charlie had worked together to secure the creep to the bed. They’d even gotten the valve closed on the tank, but it had been too late to stop the blaze. The fire had spread out of the room and into the hallway, blocking their only exit.
The preliminary findings also showed that the explosion that had come later, destroying the second floor, had been the result of the fire spreading to the closet that held more tanks of gas.
Reed looked down at his plate and shook his head. It would likely be several more days before his smeller got back to functioning properly.
Unlike Sawyer, he could always make room for more food. Put it in front of him and he would eat it, hungry or not. “How long before this Henry guy shows? I’m tired of this act.” Reed took a bite of the cheeseburger, chewing on the flat-tasting sandwich. Apparently flavor resided more in the nose than on the tongue. “This is so bland.” He leaned across the table and placed both hands on the sides of Nicole’s face. “I know you taste better than anything I’ve ever had on my lips before.” He kissed her, sending his tongue into her sweet mouth. The feel of her quivering lips made him instantly hard. Damn, I want to get you up to my cabin. He leaned back and enjoyed the look of her reddening cheeks.
“Reed, everyone is watching us,” Nicole whispered.
Reed looked around the restaurant at his neighbors—all of them armed. “So? Besides, that was their choice to play covert operatives.” Closest to them were Gretchen and Ethel, who sat together with Ethel’s husbands, Patrick and Sam. The Stone brothers sat in the booth closest to the entry door with Amber. The Knights were on the opposite side of the aisle with their new lady, Megan. There were other gun-toting citizens in Lucy’s ready to act. Phoebe Blue sat at a table with her older brother, Corey, a US Marshal. Outside, too, were more neighbors on guard. Leading the self-proclaimed posse was Dylan, Jason, and Alexei. “You gotta love this town, Chicago. We do come together to protect our own.”
Suddenly, she smiled. “That’s for sure.” Just as fast her lips thinned into a frown. “But none of this would’ve happened to Destiny if it hadn’t been for me coming here.”
“Stop being so hard on yourself, Nicole.” Sawyer put his arm around her. “We were already on the Mitrofanov’s radar before you got here. You know about Amber. Sergei came looking for her, not you. You being here is a help, not a hindrance.”
