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Dr. Harlowe nodded. “I do, and I don’t care. I know who you guys are and what Cerberus stands for. You’re the good guys. Besides, I’ve played at Baker Street, and I owe JJ. I was working with Doctors Without Borders. If it wasn’t for JJ, I and a whole group of medical staff never would have made it out of Africa.”
Coop smiled. “That’s good enough for us.”
King nodded. “You’re welcome at Club Southside any time.”
“I may take you up on that.”
“You’d be a welcome addition.”
“All right, let’s get you out of here.”
Less than ten minutes later, the staff at the main entrance was still giving the feds hell and the team from Cerberus was leaving the parking lot through the doctors’ only gate. They sped away into the failing light, heading toward a new safehouse where he could ensure Anabella wasn’t put in harm’s way again.
CHAPTER16
ANABELLA
She knew that those who were protecting her, including her lover, knew what they were doing, but she was tired, and what she really wanted was to go home.
“Are you all right, baby?” he asked again.
“I am, but I want to go home. Why can’t we just go back to my loft? I just want to sleep in my own bed. I’m not very good at this being on the run thing, am I?”
Cooper smiled indulgently. “You’re doing a whole lot better than a lot of people, and they haven’t had a house explode and send lethal projectiles at them. We try to stay out of buildings where there are innocents. If they blew up your loft, there’s no telling how many people might be affected.”
“How did that happen?” she asked. “I’m not making accusations, but aren’t you supposed to be able to stop that kind of thing?”
“Theoretically, yes. But we think someone must have spotted you when you went through town. I trust the sheriff, but we’re running deep background on all of them. We’ll find out who sold us out,” King assured her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“At the risk of you wanting to kill me—another safehouse. It’s a larger city so we’ll be harder to spot. We have a standalone house in one of the historic neighborhoods because the lots tend to be bigger. It has a wall around it, and we’ll have your same team unless you’d feel safer with someone else.”
Anabella shook her head. “No. It wasn’t anyone on the team’s fault. We had some asshole sell us out.”
Cooper grinned at her. She knew it was stupid, but she just wanted to bask in the warmth and safety of that smile.
They arrived and opened the enormous wrought iron gate via the remote in the SUV. It was dark, but the grounds had lights that made it easy to see the true beauty of the place. Entering the house, Anabella could see great care had been taken to create a beautiful and comfortable place.
“You guys go all out, don’t you,” she said looking up into the towering ceiling of the foyer.
“We know how stressful these kinds of things can be,” responded Coop. “Granted Cerberus employees can use any of the safehouses for a vacation or event of some kind—but guests are limited to family only. Otherwise, the people who are here are in some kind of trouble, and we’re trying to help them.”
“You make it sound so simple,” she said.
He shrugged. “Not everything needs to be difficult. Usually, simple is best. Do you want to go upstairs to our room, or hang out with the guys in the living room, or if you like we can just spend some quiet time in the library?”
“Is that slang for something kinky?” she asked.
“You heard Dr. Harlowe as well as I did. Nothing too vigorous for the next few days.”
“I suppose you’re appointing yourself as my keeper?”
“Keeper is part of what being a good partner is all about.”
“I don’t think I’d be very good company at the moment, but I don’t want to go to bed.”
He proffered his arm. “Then the library it is.”
