CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Mia

Eric, Davis, Adam, and two men he introduces as Blake and Asher, wait for us at the elevator on our floor. Blake and Asher are casual in jeans and Walker Security T-shirts, and they both have long hair tied at the nape, only Blake has dark hair and no obvious ink while Asher has blond hair and double tattooed sleeves.

“Let’s head inside,” Grayson says, motioning toward the apartment and my stomach flutters with the realization that this is it. The moment where Grayson and I come full circle.

He leads me forward and when we reach the door, he pulls me in front of him and surprises me by pressing a key into my hand. I look down to find my old pink keychain. It’s my key. Emotion and heat overwhelm me to such a degree that my hand trembles as I lift it. Grayson must notice, as he covers my hand with his and helps me open the door.

Together.

We open it together.

As it should be, I think.

I step into the foyer, which is a square room with dark wood floors and ivory walls and an ivory low-to-the-ground table in the center with a couple dozen teardrop lights dangling above it. Grayson steps to my side and his arm slides around my shoulders. He ignores the rest of the crowd and walks me forward under an archway and into the stunning living room, which is a wide open space that seems to sit on the ocean during the day and at night, as is the present case, a sea of stars and city lights.

To my right is a grand piano, which Grayson has played since he was a child, while the center of the room is set with distinction by a cream-colored rug. The two couches facing each other are a deep, gorgeous blue that we’d picked together only a few months after I’d moved in. He’d wanted the house to be ours. He’d wanted me to feel this was my place, not just his. I’d just wanted him, but he’d been right. Making choices together had made me feel like this was our place and it still does.

Grayson steps behind me, his hands on my shoulders, his lips near my ear. “I have not fucked you on those couches in far too long.”

I smile and my cheeks are downright flushed, I am certain, as Eric and the masses join us. Eric and Grayson share a look and without words, they decide on the dining room table, directly to our right, for our meeting which accommodates twelve and offers plenty of room. We all sit down at the long ivory table, more teardrop lights above it and us. Grayson sits in the center of me and Eric on one side, with Davis by Eric. While Blake, Asher, and Adam sit across from us.

“I’m going to hand the update over to Blake,” Adam says. “Not only is he the boss, he and Asher are badass hackers, but first, Mia, is there anything our agents need to know? What is your morning routine?”

“I run at five. I leave my house at seven.” My eyes go wide. “I have no clothes for work tomorrow.”

“We can handle that,” Adam says. “What do you need? I’ll have it here in the morning.”

“Everything,” Grayson says. “Anyway you can make that happen, make it happen.”

“We can do that,” Adam says. “For the morning, though, let’s keep the items limited and discreet.” I give him a list that he writes down before he adds, “I’ll be here at six in the morning. And that’s all I need. I’ll turn this over to Blake and Asher, who as I said, are expert hackers.”

“Blake makes me look like an amateur,” Asher says. “And I’m not amateur.”

“Asher’s damn good,” Blake says. “But hacking is like a second skin to me. Asher is heading up the dive into your electronics, looking for those betraying you. I’m dealing with Ri.”

“And?” Eric prods. “What do we know so far?”

“The electronic trail is too clean,” Blake says. “Someone is wiping it, someone good.”

“Which confirms that this is a well thought out, calculated hit,” Grayson assumes.

“Exactly,” Blake says. “But they’ve made mistakes and when I have more than two hours, as I just had, to find the problems, I’ll find them.”

“Mitch is a problem,” I say. “He’s one of Grayson’s employees.”

“We have eyes on him,” Adam says.

“Physically and electronically,” Asher adds.

“But you have nothing yet,” I say.

Blake’s piercing brown stare meets mine. “We will.”

“You can’t know that,” I say. “I need to know what I can get from Ri that ends this for Grayson.”

Grayson’s hand comes down on my knee and he squeezes. “Answer that knowing that she is all that matters to me.”

Blake’s eyes meet Grayson’s. “As is my wife, and she is an ex-FBI agent who works for Walker. I understand where you’re coming from.” He looks between us. “We’ll wire Mia. Adam filled me in on what happened. I doubt that you will get Ri to admit to setting up Grayson. A sudden change of attitude on your part, Mia, will be suspicious, but getting him to talk trash about Grayson is helpful.”

“That’s not going to do much of anything,” I argue. “I’m a criminal attorney, remember?”

“I’m going to give you a couple of bugs to plant in his office and around the offices in general,” Blake says, eyeing Grayson. “We’re going inside your offices and bugging them as well. We’re starting here locally and we’ll expand based on where our initial research takes us.” He refocuses on me. “Things you can get that help us: electronic devices and documents.”

“I don’t like this,” Grayson says. “Mia could be placed in danger.” He looks at me. “Just go. Convince Ri everything is fine. Let him talk you into staying and then just work, close the case you’re on because that’s the right move for your client. Leave the rest to the professionals.”

“I’ll be careful,” I promise. “But I can easily place a few bugs. I can do this, Grayson. Let me do this for you, for us. For your staff.”

“I’m going to be a stone’s throw away,” Asher says. “There won’t be a moment that we aren’t within her reach if she needs us.”

Grayson starts tapping the table and then he stands, leaving everyone at the table. I glance over my shoulder to find him crossing the living room, toward the wall of windows. He’s effectively told our audience he’s done with everyone but me. Blake fixes me in an unaffected stare. “We’ll leave you two to hash this out. Adam will be here in the morning. I’ll call personally if we find out anything new. I plan to work all night.”

“As do we all,” Asher chimes in.

“I have a few questions,” Eric says. “Can we continue this elsewhere?”

“Yes,” Davis says. “Agreed. I have questions as well.”

Blake nods and we all stand up. I walk them all to the door and Eric holds back to talk to me. “You okay?”

“Only when I know he’s free of this.”

“Agreed. Call me if you need me.” He leaves and I lock the door.

I don’t linger or contemplate what to say to Grayson. I’ll know when I’m with him. I exit the foyer and find him still at the window, radiating dark, hard emotions and I am determined to make the man I love feel something other than those things; I want him to feel me and us.