They drove for just over two hours before Caid finally pulled into the driveway of a small house. Jemma leaned against the window to get a closer look. It was surrounded by tall trees, and was completely isolated from anything else in the area. That could prove to be both a good and bad thing, she thought to herself.

The wrap-around porch was a dark cherry color, which contrasted nicely with the pale grey exterior. It didn’t look anything like the safe house she and her mother had been taken to before. That one had been completely isolated and nearly uninhabitable.

“Where are we?”

“Just outside of New Haven, Connecticut.” He turned the engine off and climbed out.

She followed him up the front steps and watched as he keyed in a code on the entry pad mounted just to the left side of the door.

“Come on in,” he said as the door unlocked.

As she stepped in, she was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness of the house. There was no dust anywhere, the furniture was all matching and fairly new, and the house itself didn’t smell stale like the one she had been in before. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a house someone lived in and loved.

“I thought you were taking me to safe house.”

“This is a safe house,” he said as he checked rooms and turned on the lights. “It’s one of our newest ones, and only a handful of people know about it so far. I’m not even sure it’s ever been used.”

“It’s cute,” she said as she inspected the throw pillows that looked like they’d been handmade.

“My mom made those.”

Jemma looked up at him surprised. “Your mom works for the FBI?”

He laughed. “No, she’s crafty. She likes to make things and then sells them at local markets and things like that.”

Jemma ran her fingers over the stitches. Her mom had liked to sew, too. Jemma’s one wish was that she had grabbed the blanket her mom had knitted her when she’d been young. She had left it sitting on her bed both times she’d escaped. One day when she walked back into that house, she was going to grab everything that reminded her of her mother and then watch as the rest burned.

When she realized she had tears in her eyes, she wiped them away and put the pillow down. “They’re beautiful.”

“I’ll let her know you think so. She’ll appreciate it. All right, we’re good to go.” He holstered his weapon and walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. “Want one?” He held one out to her.

“Sure, thanks.” She grabbed it, and their hands briefly met. She ignored the electrical charge that seemed to pass through them both and drank deeply. “How long do we have to be here?”

“Once Pax calls us with what’s on that thumb drive, we should have enough for a warrant to search Charmont’s property. Once we do, I imagine we will have enough to bring him in and charge him. After that, we’ll need you to testify, and once the bastard’s sealed behind bars, you will be good to go and do whatever it is you want.”

Jemma smiled and nodded. It was possible he would never uncover who she truly was. She may never have to suffer the look of disgust on his face when he realized she was the daughter of a man he hated.

She could lie more, and say she lied about her real name for many reasons, whether it was because she was afraid she might be arrested, or afraid someone would alert her father that she was talking with the FBI, but really the only reason she’d lied was to save herself a look of hatred from the man standing in front of her.

For some reason, she actually gave a shit what he thought of her. Maybe when all of this was over, he’d even want to take her out on a real date. She’d always wondered what it was like since she’d never been allowed to have one.

“What do you think you’ll do when you don’t have to hide anymore?” Caid asked and took a seat on the couch.

Jemma sat on the opposite side and thought a moment. “Get a dog.”

“A dog?”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “I’ve always wanted one. I wasn’t allowed to have one when I was young, and ever since my escape, I’ve been too afraid to get one because I didn’t want it to get hurt.”

“I’ve been thinking of getting one too. We always had a dog when I was growing up. Do you have a particular breed you’d want?”

“An Australian Shepard.”

“They are good dogs. We had one when I was younger.”

“They are loyal, and kind, and protective. All the things a dog should be.” She smiled. She could almost picture it now, and she was so close to having the life she’d only ever dreamed of.

She looked over, and Caid was staring at her with a look on his face she’d only ever seen on one other man, Alejandro. Even now, Caid’s was more intense, steadier, and was heating her blood when she had no business thinking of him in any more than a professional manner.

She cleared her throat and stood. “I’m tired. Where’s the bathroom? I want to shower before I go to bed.”

He stood. “There are some clothes in various sizes in here.” He opened the door to a hall closet, and Jemma looked through until she found some pajama pants and a tank that would fit her.

“Thanks.”

He nodded. “The bathroom’s through there, and the bedroom to the right of the door is where you can sleep. It’s the most secure.”

“Thanks. Can I have my weapon back?”

He stared at her blankly. “Oh crap, here sorry.” he pulled the gun from his waistband, “just for the record, you aren’t supposed to have that in here, so maybe don’t mention to anyone I gave it to you.”

“It’ll be our secret.” She smiled and disappeared into the bathroom. She couldn’t wait to feel the heat on her aching muscles. And knowing that someone was just on the other side of the door and watching her back made her giddy with excitement. For the first time in three years, she would be able to take a shower that lasted longer than two minutes.

* * *

Caid listened to the shower come on and did his best to not picture the woman on the other side of the door.

He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a whiskey that had been stocked. They frequently had a bottle of something in the house to calm the nerves of the witness they were hiding. Tonight, however, he needed it to cool his jets. He was locked in a house with a woman he was so attracted to he should be arrested for indecent thoughts.

He was constantly reminding himself that although she was capable, she was still the lynchpin in his plan to bring down Charmont. That meant for the time being their relationship needed to stay strictly professional.

He pulled out the burner phone he’d grabbed from a gas station he’d stopped at halfway here and phoned his sister.

“Hello?”

“Hey Soph.”

“Everything okay, Caid? It’s late.” She yawned, and Caid felt bad for waking her up, but he’d needed to hear her voice so he knew she was safe.

“Yeah, listen. I’m going to be out of touch for a bit, but I need you to do me a favor.”

“What is it?”

“Mom and Dad are home now, right?”

“Yeah, they got in about two hours ago.”

“Okay, good. Can you, Mike, and Maddox go and stay with them for a while? Have Mike take off work and just stay put.”

“What’s going on, Caid?”

“I’ve got this big case I’m working, and I just want to make sure you guys are safe. Just in case, please?”

“All right, we’ll head over there first thing tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

“You sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, promise. How are you feeling?”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started. This kid won’t get out of my ribs.”

Caid laughed. “How’s the book coming along?”

“It’s going; I’ve sent out query letters to different agents, so we’ll see if I get picked up.”

“They’d be stupid not to. You’re the next best seller, sis.”

“Thanks.” He could hear her smile over the phone. “We’ll see, I suppose.”

“It’s going to be great. I’ll let you go. Just call me on this number once you guys are there.”

“Will do. Love you, little brother.”

“Love you too.” He hung up the phone and let out a breath of relief. He was glad his stubborn sister hadn’t argued. His father was ex-Special Forces and had spent the better part of thirty years with the NYPD. If anyone could keep his family safe, it was that man.

Caid’s mouth went dry as Jemma stepped from the bathroom. Her hair was still wet and pressed against the white tank she wore, making some of it see-through so he could see the purple lace of her bra. The pajama pants hung low on her waist and a sliver of skin peeked out in between the bottom of the shirt and the top of the pants.

He needed to hurry up and get this case over with so he could see if there was anything between them. Because damn, she was something.

“Night.”

“Night,” he managed to choke out just as she disappeared into the bedroom.

“All right, Caid,” he whispered to himself, “time for a cold-ass shower.”