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“I see.” He sounded positively incensed. “And when will she be feeling up to the trip?”
I shrugged to make sure the gesture made it into my voice. “I’m not sure. A few days. A week at most. She’s worth two million dollars, after all,” I added callously. “Precious cargo.”
More silence. He didn’t even seem offended by my suggestion that Mattie had an actual dollar value. My eyes met with Mattie’s momentarily, and in hers, I saw the truth of what she’d told me. I matched it up with her father’s reactions and came to the only clear conclusion here: she was telling the truth.
Augustus cleared his throat, “Well, of course, we are eager to have her here as soon as possible.”
“Mr. Thorne,” I said, lacing my voice with a dollop of authority. “I’m afraid I must insist on knowing why you’d like Miss Thorne back home with you. Her desperation to escape capture is confusing me.”
“What has she told you?” he snapped. It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mild mannered, mousy Mr. Thorne wasn’t so passive after all.
“Nothing. As I said, she’s been sick. I’m just curious.”
“She’s important to us,” he replied, clearly trying to moderate his tone. “And, if you must know, to our company. That is all you need to know Mr… eh, Ghost.”
I smirked. I loved using a stupid code name. It tripped up the elite like nothing else when they didn’t have a surname to patronize me with. “Alright. Thank you for the information. I’ll be in touch.”
I hung up, and Mattie watched me intently. She’d balled her hands into fists, but it was the only indication that she was nervous. Her face was a mask of indifference and sharp watchfulness. I didn’t bother looking at her as I pulled the car off to a “viewing” area as the freeway headed into the mountains. “Yes, Miss Thorne, your dad is shady. I can’t deny that he proved your point admirably just there.”
Her shoulders sagged infinitesimally. “Right.”
“But I haven’t made any firm decisions,” I reminded her. “So, behave.”
That brought out a feline smile that spelled trouble. “Oh, sure. I always do that.”
I’d have to watch my words more closely with this girl. She was an expert at weaponizing everything around her like the MacGyver of snark.
I pulled the car to a stop behind a nondescript, black van parked along the viewing area, and Tabitha hopped out of the driver’s side. She waved at me, crossing the distance between us easily, and the morning light turned her light brown skin soft bronze. I got out of the car to meet her between the cars, looking left and right out of habit. Tabitha pulled off a pair of sunglasses as she flitted a look toward Mattie in the car. “You actually managed to hold onto her for more than thirty minutes. Love that for you.”
“I’ve had enough sass for a lifetime,” I glared. “None from you.”
“Ooh boy,” she grinned. She had her hair braided in two tight pigtails, and she wore a bright blue “Utah Jazz” ballcap to complete her “casual driver” look. “Sounds like you had a fun road trip. I’ve got the back stocked and ready. What do you need the med equipment for?”
“She’s sick,” I said simply. “Get the van started. I’ll get Mattie settled.”
Tabitha’s searching expression lingered on me a touch too long, like she was reading something I didn’t want read. But then she went back to the van, and I returned to Mattie with my sneakers crunching on loose gravel and eyes squinting against the garish morning light.
Mattie hauled herself out of the front seat with what looked like a painful effort. She had her sweatshirt back on, and she tried to disappear into it like an armadillo curling under its shell. I guided her toward the van with two hands on her upper arms. “I think you’ll hate me five percent less after you see this.”
“Not possible,” she returned immediately.
We reached the black van, and I slid the door aside. Inside, a tiny camper had been built into the cargo area, complete with cozy bed, itty bitty bathroom, and kitchenette with a coffeemaker already brewing the dark liquid. She whipped a surprised look up to me. “Wait, this is actually kind of nice.”
“Told you.”
“You were going to handcuff me to this bed?” she asked in sudden outrage.
I shrugged. “You’re a pain in the ass, Bunny. What do you expect?”
She muttered something under her breath before begrudgingly admitting, “It does look warm.”
“It is. And even better,” I said, stepping up and holding out a hand for her. “I’ll leave you alone while you sleep.” She accepted my hand, and I hefted her inside. She stumbled into my arms, and on instinct, I locked them around her. Her long body pressed against mine, fitting snug and shockingly gratifying. My nerves fired to life, electrifying with energy and zapping straight to my groin. I tightened my hold, suddenly entranced by the feel of her body in my arms.
I wondered, suddenly, what her body would feel like against mine without layers. What would she look like sprawled naked beneath me and spread wide for me to—
What. The fuck. I blinked hard, trying to erase the image that had been laser-etched in my brain. No, there was no unseeing that. Worse yet, there was no unwanting it. Fuck.
Mattie blinked up at me, and then her neck got suspiciously red. She cleared her throat and stepped away, looking around the van. “Two percent less,” she muttered.
