Page 29 of No Going Back

He grinned and got out of bed, his erection straining his shorts. When he caught her looking at him, he shrugged. “You’re wearing that little shirt and who knows what under it. You can’t expect me not to react.”

Her cheeks heated, but she grinned back. She’d never felt this sexy before, even though she knew she looked a mess. “Maybe we should do something about that when we have more time.”

“We’re going to need a lot of time.”

And that made all her good parts tingle as she headed for Piper’s clothes to see what fit.

Less than ten minutes later, they were down on the main floor and opening the door for their guests. Which felt weird seeing as the guests were the ones who’d provided them the home.

Piper hugged her. “I’m so glad the clothes fit.”

Branna smiled. “Thank you again for loaning these to me. And for supplying all the toiletries. You’re amazingly thoughtful.”

Piper squeezed her. “That’s what friends are for, and I hope we can be friends.”

Branna’s eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away. “We already are.”

Soon, they were sitting around the kitchen table, eating tacos and chatting about Troy’s plans for the farmhouse and brewery. Branna knew they were keeping it light for her sake, and she appreciated it. For a few minutes, she almost felt normal.

Of course, that couldn’t last. After they’d cleaned up, Troy put on the kettle and grabbed the decaf tea they’d left in the kitchen.

Marcus leaned forward. “I’ll get you caught up on where we are.”

Branna grabbed Sean’s hand and held on.

Marcus nodded at them. “Shanice Williams is working with the lead agent in the Miami office, Jorge Guerrero. They’re thrilled to have copies of the videos. They’d like to interview you as soon as you’re up for it. The sooner, the better. They’ve opened a conversation with the Internal Affairs department of the Miami police and are looking into the implications that Hawley has some police on his side, including Warren Lewis.”

“Did they arrest Hawley?”

Marcus shook his head. “Not yet. They need to speak to you first. And they need to find him.”

A shiver of dread ran down her spine. “Find him?”

Marcus nodded. “Undercover officers confirm he’s not at the listed address. Probably with one of his men.”

Which meant he could be here in Vermont. Or on his way here. The longer she put things off, the more time he had to hurt someone else. “Can we do the interview with the FBI agents tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow?”

Marcus’ eyebrows shot up, and Sean squeezed her hand. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I am. The sooner we can get Prince arrested, the better. If he figures out where I am, you’re all in danger.”

Marcus shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s doubtful he’ll figure it out. Sean isn’t from here, so even if someone identifies him, they won’t know you’re here.”

“I’d rather not take that chance.”

Marcus nodded. “Okay. Let me call Shanice and see if we can set that up.”

He headed onto the back porch to make the call. Sean turned to her. “You could easily put this off until the morning.”

“I know, but I’ll feel better if I’m doing something. So far, all I’ve done is run and hide and get other people to do things and put themselves in danger.”

Troy and Piper protested, and Sean ran his hand over her hair. “Not true. Getting to a safe space was the most important thing, and you did that. You’ve taken smart steps at every turn. Now, the authorities are doing their bit. This is exactly what you should do.”

Maybe, but she still felt like she wasn’t doing enough.

Marcus came back into the kitchen with a nod. “We’re all set. We’ll use a laptop and Shanice is going to call in ten minutes and she’s looping in Guerrero as well.”

Yikes.

---