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“Tess, I can’t do this. I want to save David, but I’m terrified I’ll die.” Declan’s voice quavered.
Given Declan’s tall, husky frame, she suspected he’d won more than his fair share of schoolyard fights as a lad. However, tonight posed untold danger. No childhood fistfight could ever prepare him for the menace of Crimson Hammer. She considered how best to fortify his confidence. “The police's job is to keep people alive and eliminate risk. They’ll brief you and dress you in a bulletproof vest for extra protection, but they’ll have to deal with Crimson Hammer. I can’t imagine they’d dare let you enter the target zone, period.”
“Hmm, still not reassuring.” Declan grunted, then groaned several seconds. “Got anything better?”
“My offer stands. We’ll drive with you to the meeting area and wait somewhere safe. What’s Kavita working on?” She steered him toward technical details, which she knew would focus his nervous energy.
“She’s got two teams lined up and ready should anything threaten Kingsley Tech’s networks or our customers tonight. We didn’t mention the handoff to the staff. Figured people would freak out.”
“Smart choice. Let us at least travel with you, Declan.” She ambled to the loveseat, sat next to Mark, and pressed a hand onto his knee.
“If you insist.”
“Can you pick us up from our hotel in Westminster after they give you the location?” she asked.
“Sure. I’ll call you when I know. It’s not like I can think of anything else.”
“We’ll survive this together.” While hoping to reassure him, she needed to convince herself, as well.
“You’d better not be wrong.” Declan signed off.
After downing a quick dinner at a pub around the corner, she and Mark returned to the hotel to prepare for the evening. She sprawled on the bed and sank deep into the pile of overstuffed pillows and the massive duvet, relishing a break before the night commenced.
Mark joined her on the bed. “So, min kjære, I’m relieved we’re not going to the front line, but how should we prepare?”
The fierce desire to protect him from harm topped her priority list. At this point, anything else was a bonus. “I don’t want you taking any unnecessary risks, so you’re staying in the car, safe. If you weren’t so stubborn, I’d prefer to leave you here.”
“I’m dedicated and need closure, too, because I won’t sleep the night through until every terrorist has been caught. If I keep sleepwalking in strange hotels, I’ll get myself arrested.”
“Excellent point.” She gestured toward the bottle of whiskey they picked up near the Embankment Tube station on the way to dinner. “Pack booze. If things go south, I’ll need liquid courage.”
“Can’t argue with your reasoning. What else?” Mark smiled and shoved the bottle of whiskey into a jacket pocket.
“We’ll be outside for a long time, so warm coats, mobile phones charged, backup battery, and water. My lucky pocketknife.” She considered what else to bring.
“How about you put your feet up, and I’ll gather everything?”
She kissed him and stroked his cheek, happy to see his bruises from captivity were fading. The awkwardness from the morning disappeared, and she felt back in sync. “I’m grateful you’re here with me. Mark, I…” She stopped, unable to translate her confused feelings into words.
“What is it?” Mark draped a hand over her shoulder.
Suddenly self-conscious and too nervous to form a coherent sentence, she struggled to find the right words. Fear, doubt, hope, and desire wove together, resisting any logical order. She set her shoulders straight. “You took a huge risk coming to London and Scotland to help me. Why?” At once, she detected tenderness softening his gaze, and his blue eyes darkened with intensity. A thin veil of color flushed his cheekbones.
“Well, I wanted answers about the attack.”
“But you’re injured, too, and we’ve only known each other a couple of weeks. Why would you risk so much? You didn’t need to do any of this.” Why he’d risk anything after Cedarcliff was beyond her.
“Tess, you must stop thinking so much. Give your left brain a break.” The corners of his lips lifted into a smile, and he released a quiet exhale.
“What do you mean?” Confused, she couldn’t grasp his insinuation, which hinted at a mischievous secret.
“The truth is you were the main reason.”
She hadn’t expected that.
“Sometimes you don’t need loads of data to make smart decisions and choose the right path. You can be spontaneous, trust your instincts, and follow your intuition.”
“Sure, but I still don’t follow.” She noticed he kept his gaze trained on her.
