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Mitch popped another cookie in his mouth and chewed. Logan snorted and grinned. “Didn’t you eat breakfast?”
Mitch swallowed. “That was hours ago. Like, at least two.” He turned to Remy. “Do you think he might have had a locker somewhere or a safety deposit box?”
Remy opened her mouth to answer and then shrugged. “Truthfully, I have no idea. I thought I knew my grandfather, but it turns out I didn’t know a thing about the man.”
Hawk touched her arm. “Why don’t we go back to my place, and we can sit down and maybe make a list of things we can do to sort this all out.”
He was handling her, and she hated it, but she also knew he was right. Staying there, she was just holding everyone up from working. “Okay, that sounds like a good idea.” She gave him a quick smile and then turned away. She was still irritated, but there was no point in yelling at him. It was as much her fault as his. She hadn’t taken the time to ask him anything about himself even though he’d been helping her. That thought just made her feel worse.Way to be selfish.But she did have a legitimate excuse with what the last forty-eight hours had been like, didn’t she?
“Also, I want to talk to Gus. Can you ask him to meet us at my place? He might have some ideas about your grandfather.”
“You’re right. I’ll reach out to him now.” She quickly sent a text to Gus. He was one of the few elderly people she knew that loved technology. She usually went to him when she was having any problems, so she knew text was the best way to reach him. He responded immediately and said he could meet them around three if that worked. She relayed the message to Hawk.
“Okay, we can head uptown and maybe grab some lunch on the way if you’d like.”
“Actually, I was just about to make something here for everyone,” Logan said.
Remy looked at him with disbelief.
“No, he really was. Logan cooks when he’s stressed,” Mitch supplied. “And I love it,” he said, rubbing his belly.
Lacy laughed. “Yes, Logan likes to cook when he needs to think about things. It helps him clear his head.”
Logan smiled. “Why don’t you two stay? And then you can head uptown after that.”
Hawk eyed Remy, but she didn’t know what he wanted to do. His face was blank. She gave a small shrug. “Sure, that would be great.”
Dragan stood. “I’m going to try and connect with some contacts. I’ll let you know what I find out.” He strode over to the elevator and hit the button. Everyone else scattered as well, leaving her sitting there with Lacy.
“Are you okay?” her friend asked.
Remy let out a long sigh. “I’m not sure. Finding out that my grandfather had a secret life is kind of mind-blowing. I feel so…betrayed.”
“I know all about having a secret life.” Lacy’s smile was sad.
Remy had always known there was stuff in Lacy’s past that was off limits to talk about including her family. She wasn’t going to pry but she knew Lacy really did understand what she was going through and for that she was extremely grateful.
Lacy sighed. “What I can tell you is that no matter his actions to the rest of the world, he loved you very much and he was so proud of you. If he didn’t tell you about all this, then he had his reasons. Your grandfather didn’t do anything without a reason.”
“I’d like to think that…the part about him loving me, but it’s just so hard to reconcile that with what’s been going on. Being involved in some kind of secret society where you need a decoder ring to get it? Seriously?”
Lacy nodded. “I know. My dad was…involved with a lot of shady stuff in his past, too. I finally came to terms with my dad not just being my father, but his own individual as well. I had to see him as Armand, not as Dad, if you see what I mean. As Armand, he did way too many crazy things, but he kept most of it away from me until he didn’t have a choice. My guess is your grandfather was doing the same with you. He wanted to keep it all far away from you, so he wasn’t going to tell you until it was absolutely necessary.”
Remy nodded slowly. “I see what you’re saying. As my grandfather, he was the person I thought him to be, but in the rest of his life, he was Remington Tanger, Jr., a man I know nothing about. It doesn’t make it any easier, but I can see you’re right, and that’s how I have to start thinking about him if I’m ever going to get this mess sorted. Don’t think ‘What would my grandfather do?’ but ask, ‘What would Remington Tanger do?’” She bit her lip. “That’s why Hawk wants to talk to Gus. He’s already thinking that way.”
“It’s easier for him. He wasn’t related to your grandfather, and he’s trained to think outside the box. He was very successful as a SEAL. I think he had his own team. I know for sure he was their leader, but whether it was in title as well as in deed, I’m not sure. Anyway, you’re in good hands with Hawk. The guys all really like and respect him. They’ve been trying to hire him away from Jameson Drake, and this might just be the thing to make that dream come true. Follow his lead, and you’ll be okay.” She slipped off the stool. “I’m just going to check on Logan and see if he needs any help. Why don’t you go sit by the fire?”
Remy slid off her stool and crossed the room. She flopped down in an overstuffed chair next to the fire and stared at the flames. Her life had been turned upside down in just a few days. No, that was wrong. It all started when her grandfather died. She thought he’d live forever. Not really, but close enough. She was still trying to get her feet under her when all this happened. Now, she was just…in free fall.
* * *
A few hours later, stuffed to the gills and done with being around so many people, Remy was happy to take a cab to the upper west side. Hawk sat next to her in the confined space, and she was suddenly very aware of him.
A former Navy SEAL. That explained so many things. Now she knew why she felt so protected around him. If only she wasn’t so damn attracted to him. She’d been avoiding him after last night’s run in with Archer Gray. But, damn, it had felt so good to be in his arms. She’d wanted to kiss him. Hell, she’d wanted to take him to bed, but he had the presence of mind to leave the room. At the time, it had smarted a bit. More than a bit, but he’d been right. His presence seemed to wreak havoc on her equilibrium, and she needed to keep her wits about her. She was just a little bit miffed that he could be so calm and solid and damn good looking, as if he wasn’t remotely affected by her.Maybe he wasn’t.That was a definite ego-crushing thought.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my past. It just…never came up. I wasn’t hiding it from you. There wasn’t really a moment when it seemed like a good time to share.”
She let out a small sigh. “It might have been helpful to know. I thought you were just being chivalrous when you stood in front of me with Archer. Who the hell steps in front of a stranger to protect them? I thought you were a bit of a moron for doing it to be honest. But now knowing your history, I understand why you did it. It’s what you were trained to do, isn’t it?”
