Page 99 of Talk to Me

McQuade appeared in my line of sight and I dragged my attention from the screen to look up. Since the day I confessed I had trouble sleeping, he made a point of staying in my room until I was asleep.

I hoped he did sleep, but so far I’d always woken alone. I could ask, I supposed, but—a part of me wasn’t sure I wasn’t already pushing it with these three men. Did they know they’d each kissed me? Did Locke and Remington realize McQuade stayed in my room most evenings until I passed out?

Did I even understand why his presence made sleep not only possible but something I didn’t dread? The nightmares were still there, I snapped awake from them. Maybe I should ask him to stay, it seemed even more difficult to go back to sleep after one when he was already out of the room.

Don’t go crazy. They are going back to their own lives and business soon enough. You’re going to have to do this on your own again.

As bleak a thought as that was, I knew I could do it. As soon as we dealt with the department and my kidnappers, I’d rebuild my life somewhere else, somewhere new, and disconnect from what came before—even this.

“Time to eat,” McQuade said and I had to blink rapidly as past, present, and potential future kind of collided. “You’re zoning out—that means you need a break.”

“No, it means I need to focus more.”

Then before he could argue because the narrowing of his eyes promised me the argument was coming, I raised a hand to hopefully forestall him long enough to get my point across.

“I’m close. Closer than I’ve been. I finally got past some of their external firewalls with this skim attempt. I’m finding files on me and on the open bid they are making for my acquisition.”

“If you don’t decrypt it right now, it’ll still be there,” McQuade said. “Right?”

“Well… yes.” That wasn’t the point. I frowned at him. “We need everything on these people so we can—well, so you three can plan, though I want to be in on that planning as well.”

“No one is keeping you out of it,” he answered with an easy shrug as if to say and no one would. “However, the work you're doing requires you to refuel. You are putting that beautiful brain to work and you’re still healing, that means you need to eat and you need to rest. If the information isn’t going anywhere if you take an hour, then we’re taking that hour.”

I opened my mouth to argue then snapped it shut again as I glanced at the screen. The files were all quarantined. Because of the tracer program, I had to go through them individually. If I took a break, no they weren’t going to expire or disappear, but they were also not going to be decoded.

“An hour now might cost us more later.” As arguments went, it was a weak one and the bland look he gave me said as much.

“Then it costs us more later,” Remington stated from somewhere behind me. “I can’t imagine it will cost us much except for time. Time we’ll have because you will have healed.”

“If we’re voting, then we’re three for three on you taking a break.” Locke wasn’t going to be left out. One on one, these men were powerful enough. As a team though, they could overwhelm everything about me. Even my good intentions…

“I don’t want to vote.” That came out so surly that I wrinkled my nose.

“You don’t care about the vote.” Trust McQuade to call me on it. “You just don’t want to lose.”

“Does anyone ever want to lose?” Since they weren’t going to let it go, I pushed back from the computer and stood. Having learned my lesson the other day, I took my time and stretched. My normal routines used to involve walking or running in addition to daily stretching.

I’d not resumed either here because I was healing and while they may not be feeling the crush of time I was. If I wanted to reclaim any semblance of the life I’d made for myself, then I needed to cut all the ties to the past. That included these new ones.

I rolled my head from side to side, then turned away from McQuade’s too watchful gaze only to collide with the assessing looks from both Locke and Remington.

“Yes, I’m sore.” Might as well address it head-on. “I expect I will be sore for some time. My ribs feel better. I can take deeper breaths. The bruises are still pretty stiff along my back, but my legs are fine for the most part.”

When I trusted myself to walk without too much of a limp, I left my desk and headed for the dining table where they’d put out food. It was even set right down to the plates, glasses, and cutlery. The roast was on the table…

Remington pulled a chair out for me. “Problem?”

“I thought the roast was for dinner.”

“It is for dinner,” he said as I sat slowly and he pushed the chair in. “That’s why we’re all taking a break.”

It was dinner time. That meant… “I worked through lunch.”

“Hmm-hmm,” Locke said as he opened a sparkling water and poured it into my glass. Like me, they’d also refrained from alcohol, though I wasn’t sure it had been discussed.

“You guys let me.” I was still turning that over as McQuade took the seat across from me. He couldn’t take the ones to my left or right at the four seater table because Locke and Remington had already claimed them.

“You’re welcome,” McQuade said before he filled his glass from a pitcher. At my frown, he motioned to it. “Lemonade?”

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