Page 50 of Hidden While In Sight

He caught Hannah in the hallway that night, with Emma in her arms and Connor clinging to her side.

“Need any help?” he offered.

She shook her head. “You don’t have to—”

“I know I don’t have to.” He regretted the burst of words when she and the boy tensed, and he ran a hand through his long hair. “I’m selfish, Hannah. I only offer to do things I want to do.” He sighed, realizing he was backing her into a corner. “But saying ‘no’ is okay, too. I know you like the bedtime thing.” He looked down at Connor. “You’re lucky, boy. Your mom likes spending time with you.”

Connor’s hand loosened a bit on her leg as his eyes shifted to stare up at his mother.

“I want to do bedtime alone,” Hannah said.

Diego smiled at her, not to set her at ease but out of pleasant surprise. She’d told him what she wanted to do with barely any hesitation. That never would have happened a few weeks ago.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. I just came to tell you I need to go out for a bit.”

“Out?” she asked, her eyes growing wider.

He wondered if it was surprise or anticipation.

“Yeah, work related. The monitors don’t work all on their own.” Naz had set up the cameras last time; Diego hadn’t wanted to leave the kids or Hannah, not when her head was all banged up. He tried not to think too hard about those first twenty-four hours or the guilt that had plagued him about screwing everything up.

Hannah was fine now. No hint of a headache for a solid week.

“It’ll take me a while. Don’t wait up.” He forced himself not to look back at her as he left.

Just as he’d forced himself to be more than obvious about hanging up the SUV keys by the door. He’d opened up the possibility that she’d take those keys and leave him, but she deserved the choice. He still wanted to go back and snatch the keys so she couldn’t do it, but he ignored the urge.

Breaking into someone’s house normally gave him a rush. He only felt numb this time, the thudding of his heart too loud in his ears. He took extra time to place each camera just right. The computer was unlocked, which meant it probably didn’t have anything on it, but he spent long minutes searching it for the evidence the client wanted.

The target was supposed to live alone, but there was a small twin bed set up in one of the spare rooms. He must have partial custody of a kid. Diego would check the information Ramiro’s guys had gathered later.

He was still there when the guy came home. Standing hidden in the darkened living room, he watched the slicked-up suit pass by without a care in the world. The guy was older and tall, with a paunch and flabby cheeks. He looked nothing like Ashford, except for that air of arrogance floating off him like a stench.

Diego breathed as he waited. Water moved through the pipes in the house, and he waited to hear the distant sound of the shower before he slipped out.

This time the house they’d chosen was behind and a couple houses down from the target. His gaze shifted away from the pool as he slipped around the side and through the kitchen door.

The kitchen was clean, but that didn’t mean anything. He’d worked with Hannah on it earlier, putting the leftovers in containers for tomorrow. Beyond the kitchen, a light drew his eye. It was a corner lamp, and there on the couch, a couch closer to his wall of monitors and desk than the last one had been, Hannah sat with her legs covered by the Bible on her lap.

His chest squeezed so fucking tight he got lightheaded.

His steps were silent as he walked through the kitchen. The keys hung where he’d put them after shaking them in her face, and there Hannah sat. She must have stayed up for him; it was already nearing midnight, and she was still awake.

She was his. Even she knew she was his.

As if she felt the weight of his gaze, her head lifted, her chin turned, and she blinked at him in the doorway. Her dimple flashed. “You’re back,” she said, like she was happy to see him.

“Why are you still here, Hannah?” His voice came out in a growl, his heart racing in his chest and every inch of him on fire.

She blinked, the half smile fading into the blankness he hated. “What?” she asked.

Diego stalked over to where the keys hung, slapping them so they’d jangle.

“You saw them. I know you did. I was gone for hours. Why didn’t you leave?” Each word of the question dragged out of him, gaining in volume.

She stared at the keys, the blankness fading to widened, shocked eyes. “I didn’t even…” She swallowed. “But you said—” Her eyes locked with his, and she flinched at whatever she saw there.

She thought he was angry.

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