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“That’s stupid, Cooper. I’m an adult. I am perfectly capable of getting out of the car by myself.”
It would seem his choices were dead behind the eyeballs, terrified, or snarky as hell. In any other situation than keeping her alive, he much preferred the last one.
Before he could stop her, she was outside the vehicle, and the other operative with them was out, as well. Coop rushed around to the side so he and Alec could provide cover and keep anyone from seeing her or making her a target.
“We talked about this, Anabella. You do what I tell you. It has nothing to do with your capabilities and has everything to do with keeping you alive. You do not go through a doorway, get out of a vehicle or leave a building without one of the team ensuring it is safe for you to do so.”
She opened her mouth as if to make a snarly retort but was cut off by Alec speaking into his communication device. “North corner; black sedan.”
The car was moving too slowly for Coop’s liking. It took every ounce of control he had not to flinch when the car backfired. He shoved Anabella back into the SUV as both he and Alec reached for their weapons.
CHAPTER7
ANABELLA
Stuffed back into the SUV, Anabella watched as the sedan seemed to crawl past them. The elderly driver appeared to be looking for something, but not for her. He was arguing with an elderly woman in the passenger seat. When the sedan turned the other way at the end of the block, she saw both Alec and Coop relax a bit. Anabella had a sudden longing for a future where she might be in a car with Coop and his inability to ask for directions. She was convinced navigation units for vehicles had been developed by men to keep them from getting lost without ever having to ask for directions. She was sure the same group of engineers was working to give men a way to put something together without instructions.
Coop opened the door. “Now you can get out. Alec, I want you on the front door. We’ll go through Anabella’s loft as quick as we can.”
Latching onto her elbow like a vice, Cooper directed her inside the building, ensuring she waited until either he, Miley, or some other guy went in first. When they got to the door to her loft, she reached down and pulled a small piece of paper from the door jamb. It would have been difficult for anyone to notice, much less return to precisely the same spot.
Coop stayed her hand before she could open the door. Moving her to the side, he searched for any wires or booby traps someone might have laid. “Looks clean. Let’s get her inside. Jimmy, you stay out here. Miley, you’re with me, but keep her just inside the door while I search the place.”
Before she could argue with him about her various tells, they were inside, and the door was locked.
“I’m not going to touch anything, but you know where you left things, so if I look like I’m going to trip something, give me a shout out,” Coop said as he started to move away.
“In the primary bath, the shower door is rigged so that if you don’t punch in the right code, the main body spray will hit you with a jet of scalding hot water. It’s one of the reasons I chose that door—the security feature. You can also trigger it from inside the shower if someone corners you in there.”
“Good to know,” he said with a grin. “I don’t know that I need to go into your shower, but just in case, what’s the code?”
“Pound, nine, one, one, pound, pound. Oh, and don’t sit down in my desk chair. I loosened the main bolt; the thing will come apart.”
Miley grinned. “You gotta give it to her, Cooper; she set up some slick systems.”
He moved through the loft to ensure they were alone. Once he was satisfied they were secure, he rejoined them.
“Stay close and let’s go through here. You tell me if anything seems out of place or is missing.”
They moved through the loft at an exceedingly slow pace. Anabella wanted to move faster so she could get her things and get to some place Cerberus controlled so she’d feel safer. They went through the kitchen with Cooper and Miley checking all of the appliances. What did they think, that someone would be hiding in the pantry with a knife? She glanced over at her knife block and breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was full.
Anabella had to admit, they were systematic and thorough as they made their way through the loft. As she reached for the light switch to her bedroom, Cooper stayed her hand, and brought his finger to his lips. He moved her away and Miley pulled out a miniature tool kit and undid the switch. She pulled out a little piece of plastic covered with bits of copper. It resembled a round insect with six little legs. A bug. They found a bug? She looked at Coop, who nodded as Miley replaced the device and screwed the switch plate back in place.
“All right, let’s get you packed so we can head back to Cerberus. This place looks secure. I’m sure everything will be fine until we move you back here. You should plan for two weeks.”
“Okay, I’ve got a bag in my walk-in closet.”
“I’ll grab your laptop,” offered Coop.
“Thanks.”
Miley helped her with her bags, as once more Coop moved around the loft, lifting up things like her floor lamp, unscrewing one of the duct covers to her HVAC system and the like. She and Miley had her packed in no time. She held up her hand and moved Miley to the side. Lifting her shoe rack out of the way, Anabella knelt and pulled back a piece of carpeting to open the safe she’d had built in. Miley shook her head and grinned.
She reached in and pulled out her real laptop and its secure hard case. She punched in the combination and ensured it was still there, as well as several thumb drives. Anabella then pulled out a spiral bound notebook which had her notes and stuffed it in the bag before closing it again.
“Are you two ladies done in there?” asked Cooper from the bedroom.
“Just about. I told her she needs to bring enough things for at least a couple of weeks, but she seems to think she needs some outfits with shoes and everything to take to wear to Blackwood.”
