Page 225 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs
“Sounds like my brother.” She tucked her hair behind both ears, looking thoughtful. “The Watermill conference ends tomorrow.” She grimaced. “Although at this point, I’ve hardly even been there.”
“At least you got a few hours in this afternoon.”
“Yeah, at least I got that. If Sadie weren’t holding down the fort, I’d be sunk.” She wrinkled her nose. “Fine manager I am,” she grumbled.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve had a lot to deal with.”
She grunted. “That’s an understatement.”
A couple hours after the attack at the storage facility, Addie and Maddox went to the resort where Addie got caught up on work. Although, Maddox could tell that Addie’s mind was mostly on Piper. Understandably, Addie was worried about the emotional state of her friend. Piper had been inconsolable, muttering that if the stolen hard drive contained the formula for PZT, she was ruined. Maddox felt sorry for Piper and all that she’d been through. He’d read somewhere that getting a new drug on the market cost in the neighborhood of $350 million dollars. The poor woman had a lot to lose in the deal. No wonder she was stressed.
Maddox’s mind ran through the events that occurred earlier today. From what he could tell, the masked gunman was alone. He fired shots into the air before entering the storage unit. How did the gunman know where they were? Were he and Addie being tailed? Or was Piper the one being tailed?
“After the conference ends tomorrow, I’m thinking of heading to San Diego to see Corbin and Delaney. I can be back in time for the funeral next Wednesday.” She stopped, eyeing him. “You’re not listening to a thing I’m saying, are you?” She scrunched her brows. “I can tell you’re a million miles away. I might as well have been talking to the wall.”
A grin stole over his lips as he leaned forward. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” he continued.
“What?” she asked dubiously.
“Your conversation with the wall.”
She chuckled in half amusement, half annoyance. “All right. I guess I deserved that.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Just remember you said it, I didn’t.”
She gave him an irritated look, but a smile tugged at her lips. “Okay, enough of the chit chat. What’re you thinking about?”
He leaned back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes made a slow run over her, lingering on her collar bone and the delicate line of her slender neck. “I was wondering how you managed to become even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”
A rosy hue brushed her cheeks as she tipped a smile. “Nice try, Superman. Now tell me what you were really thinking about.”
“Aside from you …” He blew out a long breath. “If you must know, I was wondering why the gunman fired into the air instead of at us. The way we were positioned in the storage unit would’ve made us easy targets, like shooting fish in a barrel.”
The change in her was instantaneous. Her face paled, lips drawing into a tight line. “That’s a lovely thought,” she said sarcastically.
“It’s true,” he shrugged. “Believe me, I’m glad he didn’t. I was just wondering why though.” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “Also, how did he know we were at the storage unit? That we’d found the hard drive?”
“Do you think he’s been following us?” Her eyes widened with concern.
He pondered the question. “I don’t think so. I make a point of being aware of my surroundings.” His mind went through the checklist of his security routine. He’d swept the cabin for bugs a few times and checked the new alarm system. Also, he made a point of sweeping Addie’s car for bugs every time they got in it. Everything was clear on their end. “I wonder if Piper and Hamilton’s home is bugged.”
“If someone were listening in on the conversation, he would’ve known where we were headed.”
“Exactly.”
“Should I call Piper and tell her?”
“That’s probably a good idea.” He paused. “Although at this point, I’d venture to say the damage has already been done.”
A stricken look crossed her features as she looked around, lowering her voice. “Do you think the cabin is bugged?”
“No, I’ve been checking. We’re in the clear.”
She nodded in relief.
