Page 64 of Forbidden Access

She repeated what she’d told him on the phone, going into more detail, describing the two men and the weapons they were carrying. “Damian thinks they could be Alek Markov’s men. All I know is they were trained. Definitely hired mercs.”

“You’ll be pleased to hear the hotel proprietress was unharmed. They searched the hotel and left. Good work stashing your bags in the closet. The local police found them when they searched the room.”

“Did they identify us?” she asked, worriedly.

He smiled, but his eyes remained untouched. Pat wasn’t known for his warmth. “No, you didn’t leave anything telling behind.”

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“How’s our favorite crypto billionaire holding up?”

She hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. “He’s good. Keeping it together, although I can tell he’s worried.”

“The FBI are chomping at the bit to get hold of him. They want the upgrade code, in case anything happens to him.”

She stiffened, swallowing over the lump in her throat. “Then we’ll have to make sure nothing does happen to him.”

If she told him she knew where the code was, Damian’s life would suddenly become less important. The FBI would swoop in, make a copy, and be less concerned about his welfare than they would be if they thought he was the only one who knew it.

Pat nodded. “That’s the goal.”

They went over some security details, and he asked her if she wanted a break. Needed some time off. They could take it from here.

“I’m good,” she said firmly. “I’d like to see this through. After all, it would seem strange if his wife suddenly returned home while he was here on his own.”

Pat nodded, pleased. “We could definitely use the help, and you know him better than anyone.”

She didn’t respond.

“How’d you two get on, anyway? Hawk said he thought there was some tension between you back at the house.”

“Oh, fine.” She tried to disarm him with a smile. “That was just us setting our boundaries. It’s always difficult at the start of a new assignment.”

He nodded, but she got the feeling he didn’t quite believe her.

“So you’re good now?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

More than good.

An image of Damian’s dark head between her legs flashed into her mind, and she clenched her thighs together, praying Pat wouldn’t see through her.

Now was not the time to be thinking about that.

“Good.” He got up. “I’m sure you’ll want to freshen up and get a couple of hours sleep. I’ve booked you into a room—Anna’s got the details.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“No problem. Come up to the suite first thing tomorrow.” He glanced at his watch. “Make that today. We need to discuss strategy for Damian’s announcement and the actual upgrade.”

“Will do.” Her heart lurched at the thought of not spending the night with Damian, but that couldn’t be helped. They had to pretend again, but this time, instead of pretending they were together, they had to pretend they were apart.

CHAPTER 28

The day had passed uneventfully. Damian had been confined to his hotel room, his focus split between his laptop and the looming threat of Alek Markov. He’d spent hours meticulously preparing for the upgrade, fine-tuning every detail to ensure it would go off without a hitch.

But even as he worked, a sense of impending danger gnawed at him. Blackthorn Security had been stationed in the adjoining room for most of the day, their low voices murmuring through the walls as they reviewed protocols, planned contingencies, and coordinated with the FBI.

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