Page 21 of Queen's Ransom

Holt laughed with her, more of his tension easing, until Chris’s voice trickled out through the computer speakers. “Holt, you copy?”

Holt glanced over his shoulder, and Celia followed his line of sight. The image on one of the monitors resolved—Helena and Hawes in a booth at a restaurant or club. So that’s where they were tonight. Part of Celia wanted to keep watching, wanted to know what danger they were walking into, but a bigger part of Celia knew this was something she wasn’t supposed to know. Probably wouldn’t want to. And an even bigger part of her was distracted by the screen to the far right, the image on it split between the shop and her mother’s house that Celia and the kids had moved into last year. “You’re monitoring the shop and house too?”

He nodded. “My techs wired the house first, then the shop once SFPD released the scene.”

Jesus, that fast? Less than a day? How? She shook the questions out of her head. The answers would be information she didn’t want or need. The shop and house were safe. That was enough. “Thank you.” She tore her gaze from the monitors and focused on Lily, who, without Celia’s finger in her mouth, had started to squirm again. “You need me to take her?”

“If you don’t mind, just for a minute.”

“Not at all.” She cradled Lily in one arm, retrieved the sippy cup and ramekin with her free hand, and retreated to the seating area. She claimed the near end of the couch and offered Lily measured sips from the cup.

The rapid-fire typing and exchange between Holt, Chris, and several other voices, two she recognized as Avery and Victoria, a few others she didn’t, continued for another few minutes before the activity quieted and Holt stood. Phone in hand, he joined them across the room, sitting on a chair arm. “That helps?” He jutted his chin toward the cup.

She removed the cup from Lily’s lips and gave it a shake, the cubes inside rattling. “Ice in the water. Helps with the fever and the pain.” She returned the cup to an eager Lily and jutted her chin toward the computer wall. “All good there?”

He wobbled his hand and opened his mouth, about to say more, before he caught himself and pressed his lips shut.

“Should I go downstairs?” she asked.

“That’s your call.”

She shifted on the couch, putting her back to the screens. “Just tell me they’re safe.”

“Safe and with eyes on, Chris’s included.”

She covered her nerves by swapping out the cup for the spoon.

“Plus, they’re meeting a contact we know,” Holt added.

Celia focused on getting the spoon situated so Lily could bite down on the cold surface without causing further pain. “This is connected to what happened at the shop?”

“It is.” Holt slid backward off the arm of the chair into the seat. “We’re gonna figure it out, Cee.”

“I don’t like putting everyone in danger.”

“You didn’t.”

“And I don’t like causing all of you lost sleep.”

Holt’s chuckle was tired and resigned. “If it wasn’t you, it’d be something else.”

“So coffee is always an appropriate gift?” She’d reach out and squeeze his arm, try to offer more comfort than teasing words, if her own arms weren’t full of adorable ginger munchkin.

“Always.”

“Are you usually here?” Celia asked, sweeping her gaze around the room, only lingering a second on the screen displaying Hawes and Helena. “When they’re working?”

“Here or at one of my other control centers.” He waved his phone hand at the massive wall of computers. “This is my job.” Holt leaned forward, tickling the bottom of his daughter’s foot. Lily made a happy giggle, a good sign. “And her. And for other reasons.” His gaze drifted out the window, then back. “We always try to keep one of us out of the line of fire.” Celia couldn’t hold back the flinch, and Holt rushed to clarify. “So to speak.”

Before Celia could fret more over Holt’s slip, a drowsy Lily mumbled “Ba-Ba” around the spoon, and the same pained look from earlier swept across Holt’s face. Creased brow, downcast eyes, a shaky gasp. Celia thought he would ignore it, same as he mostly had last time, but his shoulders slumped on another shaky exhale. “Right after Da-Da, she started with Ba-Ba, and we thought she was asking for her bottle or blanket.”

Same as Celia mistakenly had. “She’s asking for the chief?”

Holt nodded and raked a hand through his hair, making a bigger mess of the reddish-blond waves.

“Where is—”

He dropped his arm and stood abruptly. “Give Helena a chance. You’re good for her, and we all need someone.” Celia didn’t think he was only talking about his sister. “The change your brother has made in Hawes is unbelievable.” Or only about his brother, but Celia didn’t press.

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