Page 45 of Digital Desire

“I love you too, Will. I don’t know when it happened, but I realised it when Flowers held me captive. I don’t want to feel like things have been left unsaid ever again,” she said softly, and he knew she was referring to her parents and even her sister to some extent.

“You should talk to your sister,” he replied gently.

“I know, and I will. I want to start the new year fresh with none of the past holding me back.”

“That’s my Brey, so brave and fearless,” he said as he dipped his head and caught her mouth in a kiss that made him wish he had hours of free time in bed with her but they didn’t, so reluctantly he pulled away. “Let’s go see what Jack has and then get shit done so we can go home,” he said with determination.

Will snagged Aubrey’s hand as they left his room and she shot him a surprised look, so he winked at her and tugged her forward. “Now is not the time to be shy, Brey, they all heard you scream,” he said loving the way she dropped her eyes in embarrassment before raising them again in a challenge.

“I’m just going to tell them that I screamed because it was so small,” she quipped as she let go of his hand and ran for the kitchen with a grin.

“You are going to pay for that,” he warned as he followed her.

“Oh, I’m so scared, Geek Boy,” she replied with a saucy smile that made his blood heat up.

“Well, your little lover’s tiff or whatever this is,” said Jack as he waved his hand at them with a frown, “is going to have to wait. We have a lead on where Flowers is, and it’s time sensitive.”

Will was all ears now. “Is the information reliable or is it a trap?”

“Yeah, it seems strange that we got word so quickly.”

“It came from Zenobi. Siren. I believe you met her,” he said, and Will felt Aubrey stiffen beside him but didn’t look at her. He had nothing to hide and wasn’t about to start acting like he did now.

“Yes, we all met her the other night, she knows her stuff. She told me where you were before Liam did. Drew, you spent time with her, is she trustworthy?” Will asked knowing that Aubrey had interpreted him correctly when he felt her relax.

Drew shrugged. “I’m probably the last person to ask but would say she is.”

“Don’t put yourself down,” said Jack sternly. “Zack trusts you so why don’t you give him some credit and trust yourself? Tell us about her as none of us have actually met this Siren.”

“She’s beautiful and dangerous. It’s a deadly combination. But she’s given me no reason not to trust her. The info we got was correct and I trust Roz and K.”

“I agree with Drew. I didn’t necessarily like her, but she seemed straight up to me too.”

“So, we trust the mysterious, deadly and beautiful Siren, and hit this hard. Don’t want to give him time to bring anyone in.”

“So, Siren says that he’s holed up in a safe house owned by Rojas. It’s fifty clicks north of here in a tiny village called Paila Arriba. The place has only a few guards, but I suspect the digital security is top draw. Will, we will need you to cut the alarms and the power. If you can block the cell towers even better. Liam and Alex will take the back. Jace, Drew, and I will take the front. Aubrey, I want you to run the comms from a distance with Will. It will be just like running a drug bust but with more armoury.”

“I can do that,” Aubrey said, and Will loved the determination she showed.

“Excellent. Suit up everyone. We leave in fifteen minutes,” Jack said and strode from the room, Alex by his side.

Jace, Liam, and Drew headed for the vehicles to check the weapons. Aubrey walked over to him and Will didn’t say anything for a second but waited to see what she would do.

“I’m sorry. I expected the worst from you and that was wrong of me,” she said, and Will stroked his hand over her cheek.

“I’m not Mickey, Brey. I won’t let you down like he did. Never in my life have I said I love you to anyone. This means something to me, you have absolutely no reason to be jealous of another woman, not now not ever.”

She reached up and held her hand over his. “I know, I’m sorry. It was an instant reaction. I will do better.”

“I don’t need you to do better, Brey. Just trust me to look after your heart and I’ll handle it like it’s porcelain.”

Aubrey smiled and went up on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips. “Fine, handle my heart like porcelain and I’ll do the same.”

“But I’m a mighty, tough man,” he laughed flexing his biceps.

“Yes, you are but your heart is soft,” she said and then walked towards her room leaving him to think on her words.

He had hated that she thought the worst of him, but he had to remind himself that trust didn’t come overnight—it was earned, and he wanted a lifetime to do so with this woman. But first, Flowers needed to disappear, and he had the perfect team for the job.