She smiled up at him.“Umback.My, my, someone looks good in a suit.But then again, I knew that.”She winked.
Words caught in his throat until finally—“You were made for that dress.”
She laughed, but her green eyes shone.Oh, this woman wound her way deeper inside him every moment.
“I promise.”
This mission couldn’t get over fast enough.“Except, where are you going to wear your, uh...um...”
“Gun?Not bringing one.But I will have this.”She held a small white purse and now pulled out an earwig.
“You won’t need it.You’re never leaving my sight.”
She raised a dark eyebrow and inserted the earwig.
“I like the dark hair, but...why?”
“Because if Tomas is there, I don’t want him to recognize me right off.”She glanced at Logan and drew a breath.“Feels a little weird being on this side of the game.”
Stein crooked his arm.“All we have to do is mingle and then run a scan on Declan’s AI program to check for bugs.Is Nim ready?”
“I’m always ready,” said a voice in his ear.
“Let’s go.Our limo is here.”
He held out his arm, Emberly took it, and they headed out.They were going to be just fine.
They passed through the soaring entryway with the dripping gold chandelier, and Emberly turned to Logan.“I could get used to your style of safe houses.Certainly an upgrade from the Swans.”
“It doesn’t belong to us,” he said.“It’s owned by the Taggert family.Jess Taggert Brooks and her husband are heavily involved in the Red Cross and work closely with our group and others.They’ve offered their home whenever we need it.”
“They live here?”
“No.I believe this is a keen investment.”Logan opened the tall wooden door.“Pete and Jess have a modest place in Chelsea.”He stepped out into the hallway, where Tate had called the elevator.
Tate turned to Logan.“Glo really wanted to be here, but she’s been under the weather with baby number two.”He glanced at Taylor and Colt.
Clearly the man missed his wife.Steinbeck had asked Colt earlier, and apparently Glo was the daughter of the former VP-elect, who now sat in federal prison for her role in an assassination attempt on the sitting president.
President White had commuted her sentence to life, instead of execution for treason.Stein remembered the controversy from White’s first presidential election.
He hadn’t even been paying attention to White’s reelection bid.
“Tessa also wanted to join us, but our two-year-old twins are a handful right now,” said Logan.“She sends her regards.”
Huh,Steinbeck hadn’t even known that Logan was married.But maybe that’s what it took to live this life—compartments and hidden identities.
The elevator opened and they got in, took it down to the lobby, and walked out past the concierge and security to a covered entry facing the street.
The wind raked up the scents of the flowers near the entrance, as if trying to mask the clutter of the city odor—garbage, gasoline, and from a distance, even the sickly sweet odor of marijuana.
But overhead, the stars glinted their diamond light and the air hung on to the day’s heat.It would be a glorious night in Gotham.
A man stood near a stretch limo and opened the door for them.
“Thank you, Kais,” said Logan as Taylor got in, followed by Colt.Steinbeck helped Phoenix in—not that she needed it—and sat next to her.
Logan and Tate got in last.
