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“Vander.” The other man was used to being in charge, and he was damn good at it. Vander was a man who took action and got things done. A man who wasn’t intimidated by anything.
Then Vander’s dark gaze switched to Gemma. His expression didn’t change, but Boone got the impression he was surprised. Although he’d never seen Vander surprised before.
“Gemma?”
She nodded. “Hi, Vander.”
Frowning, Boone’s old boss looked back at him. “Boone, why is Gemma Newhouse with you?”
“Because I fished her out of the river.”
She made a sound and grabbed Boone’s hand. “I was abducted.”
Now Vander’s face sharpened. He looked like a predator sensing blood in the water. “Tell me.”
Gemma recounted her story, Boone filling in some of the gaps.
Vander sat back in his chair. “Gemma, I don’t think your parents know. There hasn’t been a whisper about this.”
“They don’t. No one knows this, but my parents are doing a submarine trip to the Mariana Trench. They’ve been out of contact. It was top secret. You know how the shareholders get when Dad does anything the slightest bit risky.”
Vander’s frown deepened. “As far as we can tell, no one has reached out to your parents’ people with a ransom demand.”
“So, why did these men take me?” Her voice held the slightest wobble.
“Let me do some digging. Quietly.” His dark gaze moved back to Boone. “You got this?”
Boone nodded. “Yes.”
“Whoever took her is likely looking for her.”
“I’ve got this.”
Vander nodded. “I’ll be in touch soon. Gemma, Boone is a good man. He’s a hell of a soldier and you’re in good hands. Boone, you keep her safe.”
Boone closed the laptop. “You hungry? I’ll make some breakfast.”
She smiled. “I’m actually starving.”
He froze. It was a beautiful smile that lit up her entire face.
“I’d sell my soul for a cup of coffee.”
Boone shot to his feet. “Coffee and breakfast coming up.”
And it was best if he put a little space between them.
Of course, she followed him into the kitchen.
His kitchen wasn’t fancy, but it had always been enough for him. Right now, he wished he had some more kitchen…stuff. He put the coffee machine on.
“I’m not as good in the kitchen as you.”
She hoisted herself up onto the scarred butcher-block counter. “I’m still learning. I mean, I’ve done some cooking courses.” Her nose wrinkled. “Mom and Dad would have preferred that I used my degree, worked at Expanse, and had a stellar tech career. Or they would’ve been happy with a medical career, as well. My mom’s a doctor.”
Boone put some bacon in the frypan, then broke some eggs into a bowl and started mixing them. He figured he couldn’t go wrong with scrambled eggs. “What’s your degree?”
She pulled a face. “Computer science. I went to Stanford. It was during my ‘try and please my parents’ phase. I was good at it, but I never loved it. I’m pretty sure I was the only one in my coding class imagining making cupcakes.”
