Page 56 of No Love Lost

She smiled at him. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Marcus frowned. “The incidents do seem to be escalating. I’d like to borrow some security cameras and things from Midnight Security to set up here with you.”

She liked that idea. “But I don’t want whoever it is to see a whole group of people setting things up. Are there simple things we could put in place temporarily that will work?” Because she didn’t think she’d be able to live in this house comfortably again.

Heath paced the small house like a tiger in a petting zoo. All he needed was some prey to take down.

He and Addy had driven out to Midnight Lake to pick up some security systems that would alert them to someone on the property without requiring installation. They’d also dropped off a bag for Nina at Ginny’s diner.

Back at the house, they’d carried the boxes inside, trying to look happy and inconspicuous at the same time.

Sam Young, the head of Midnight Security, had provided them with several gadgets. Some put beams across the doors and windows. Heath had gone into the utility room and set up a small camera that operated like a motion detector and worked in the dark. They had another camera set up in the kitchen window that looked out on the driveway. This one looked like a plant pot and had come with basil growing inside it. They even had a listening device they could turn on if anyone was outside.

The house was less than a mile from Sean’s farmhouse, and his friends were on alert. Marcus and Troy were going to stay the night there as backup.

He’d always hated the waiting parts of missions. But today was worse than all of those missions combined because Addy was the target.

She currently sat at her desk, working. Or pretending to work.

He flopped on the couch and pulled out his own laptop. He forced himself to focus on a few emails, and then he opened the research he’d been doing on breweries and the sketches he’d made using some design programs.

The team wanted to make six kinds of beer, symbolic for each of the six of them, including Garrett, who wasn’t answering emails or texts. That meant they needed room within the brewery to diversify the products. It also meant they needed a really good system.

The barn on the farmhouse property was large, but with Sean’s construction business and Levi’s equipment for growing hops, it wasn’t large enough for the system he wanted.

He knew how much square footage they’d need, and the floor space of a small barn wouldn’t do it. If they had a larger barn, they could subdivide for other purposes. Extra equipment. Storage. They’d need to decide if they were going to stick with kegs and draft or if they wanted to can or bottle some of it. That would require more storage and more packing space.

He didn’t register that Addy had moved until she dropped onto the couch beside him. Some protector.

She rested her head against his arm. “What are you working on?”

He turned the laptop so she could see. “Thinking about the brewery. Different layouts. Trying to optimize space and efficiency. Making lists of all the equipment we need and figuring out costs.”

“It sounds like a lot.”

He nodded. “Almost all businesses require a significant investment up front. Some people don’t consider all the small pieces and details. Then they’re in even worse shape than they expected the first year.”

“So you’re making sure that doesn’t happen?”

He grinned and kissed her hair. “Exactly. I didn’t expect to be excited about the entire project, but I am. I want to help put it together and I signed up for an online course to become a brewmaster.”

She grinned up at him. “That’s awesome. You’re going to have fun with that.”

“I think so too. I have the financial education to ensure the business doesn’t flop, but I want to be more involved than that. I want to make beer.” Just saying it out loud made him laugh.

“You’re going to be amazing at it.”

Her confidence in him had always been absolute. Another reason he should have realized his parents had interfered in their relationship. He’d made no attempt to talk to them since leaving Boston and he hadn’t heard a word from them either, probably for the best.

Addy reached over and flipped through his various tabs on brewery setups. “I’m glad I didn’t have an interest in a career that required all this equipment. All I needed was a computer.”

He laughed again. “Right. Just a computer. And a creative brain. And an organized mind. The guts to put yourself out there and be vulnerable. And the determination to create your own career out of nothing but love and grit.”

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. “Wow. Thank you.”

Her shock at his words reminded him that she’d had no one to turn to for far too long. “Have I mentioned I’m so happy you found Nimii and Ginny?”

She smiled. “Me too. They’re amazing.”

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