Lost and Found (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #2)(114)

“But I did.” He had to put it out there. “And by now Levi’s gone through it, too. There was nothing there but some clothes, a couple of stuffed animals, and some books. There was no package.”

She stilled. “Of course you did. That’s what you were there to do. You waited until I was asleep. You did a good job tiring me out. I slept like a log when you were there.”

Because he’d fucked her so long and hard and well, he’d wanted to sleep, too. Instead he’d crawled out of her bed and gotten his job done.

“If it hadn’t been Owen, it would have been me.” That was Robert, always trying to help a friend out. “We had cameras stationed around the building so we would know when you were coming and going. If Owen hadn’t searched your place, I would have done it while you were at work. Sasha and Dante searched your office. They weren’t able to get to your lab. They were moving into those shifts next week.”

“Of course.” She was staring out the window again. “The lab would have been a bust, though they’ll take my research now. Paul will likely move forward with it on his own.”

“I’ll try to get it back for you.” He could steal it. He could have Jax hack into Huisman and take it back for her. The data would be stored somewhere. It could be a team job.

Her face had settled into a stubborn expression. “I want to tell you to fuck yourself, but I need it. It will be helpful in my new work, my work no one will likely ever know about because I’m a fugitive.”

“You won’t always be,” he replied, hoping she understood he wasn’t going to leave her like this. “I told you, I’m going to fix it. I’ll find a way.”

“You also told me you wanted to be my lover. You’ll excuse me if I don’t believe you.”

“I wanted to be your lover the minute you stepped into that lift. Maybe before. Is it really my fault you also happened to be the target?”

“Yes, it’s your fault.” At least she was looking at him again.

“I think we should take a moment,” Ariel began.

“Stay out of this.” Becca looked like she was ready to take them all on. “This is not a therapy session and while we’re discussing it, how do you reconcile lying to people? You’re a therapist and you help these guys put people into positions where they will inevitably need your services. That’s quite a racket you have going.”

“That is certainly not my plan, Rebecca,” Ariel replied primly.

Robert chuckled. “Actually it is a great business plan when you think about it, babe. Tell me you weren’t already planning Becca’s sessions?”

Ariel frowned his way. “Of course I was. She’s going to have trust issues. She already has them, and I’ve only recently realized that they aren’t merely caused by her childhood. They’ve also got an enormous amount to do with what happened to her at Kronberg. We’ll need to work through that.”

“I don’t have trust issues.” Becca argued, pointing Owen’s way. “Well, I didn’t until I met this one.”

“That’s not true,” Owen replied. Ariel wasn’t the only one who’d made a study of Rebecca Walsh. He’d gotten to know her, spent long hours thinking about her. He’d come to some conclusions. “You don’t have friends, Becca, and you’re the type of woman who needs them.”

She seemed to think about that for a moment. “I have Cathy.”

“How much does she know about your life?” Owen asked. “Think about this. You see her at work and you talk about research and what you’re going to eat for lunch and how her children are doing. When do you tell her about your hopes and dreams? She set you up with the most boring lawyer on the planet and why? Because all she really knows about you is how hard you work.”

The tears were back in her eyes and he hated the fact that he was the one who had to point this out to her.

“I wanted to take some time after the divorce,” she said. “I guess I didn’t realize how much I isolated myself.”

“After a trauma, it can be hard to open up,” Ariel said, her tone back to soothing. “It’s not surprising that you kept to yourself. It would feel safe to keep yourself locked away, to not become intimate with the people around you.”

“I’m bloody glad you didn’t open up to that arsehole, Carter.” If there was one good thing that could come out of this, it was getting her away from Carter. “I swear if I’d had more time, I would have had a long talk with him.”

“Why?” Becca asked. “He’s a jerk, but I’m pretty sure he’s harmless. Or at least I thought he was until he basically blackmailed me. I knew he was obnoxious the day I met him, but I didn’t think he was abusive.”

A chill went through him as he realized something he’d missed before. He’d been so wrapped up in his own misery he hadn’t been thinking. “How did he know?”

“Know what?” Becca asked.

“Owen, we have a problem,” Robert said, his tone going dark. “Is everyone buckled in? I didn’t see him before because he’s got his headlights off and it’s dark as hell.”

Owen turned his head and saw what Robert was talking about. In the dim shadows given out by the rear lights, he saw the outline of a vehicle following them. His heart rate ticked up and he pulled his SIG, aware of how Becca’s eyes widened.