Page 7 of Coming Up Aces

Rayna thought back to what she’d seen and overheard at Haven. She was still on the fence, but for now, she was giving them the benefit of the doubt.

“I told you that before I went to Haven.”

Seth scrubbed a hand down his face. “I needed to see it for myself. You know how convincing Spencer was.” He gestured toward the house. “Delia and Joseph took the kids on vacation to Disney and the beach, so you’ll have the house to yourself for the next two weeks. I stopped by your place and packed a couple of bags so you’d at least have your own clothes and toiletries. That’s why I was late. I also put a burner phone in your laptop bag along with some cash and one of my credit cards so you don’t have to use yours. Until we know what’s going on, I don’t think you should use your phone or computer. Not yet anyway. If you need to go somewhere, take Delia’s car. I need you safe, Ray.”

“Yeah, well, I need you safe too.”

“Hanson sent an inner office memo stating he would be out of town a few days, so at least I have a reprieve from him watching my every move.”

“That’s even more reason I should come back to the office. I can help you while he’s gone.”

“No,” Seth barked. Rayna moved as far back as her seatbelt allowed, and he shook his head. “I’m sorry. Just do this for me. Stay at Delia’s and keep your head down. I’ll keep you posted if I find out anything.”

“Fine.”

When he pulled in the driveway, Seth didn’t get out. Rayna didn’t blame him considering the late hour. Instead, he handed over the house keys and gave her the security code. Rayna thanked him as she grabbed her bags from the back seat. Seth waited until she was safely inside before backing out of the driveway.

Rayna reset the alarm, then dropped her laptop bag on the sofa. It was odd being in someone else’s home, even if she had met them. She took her duffel and suit bag, searching the house for a spare bedroom, finding one upstairs. She hung the garment bag over the closet door and unzipped the duffel. Rayna removed the toiletries and went across the hall to wash her face and brush her teeth. When done, she changed out of the pajama-like clothes of Haven into a T-shirt. She climbed under the covers and wanted to cry. Damn, but she’d missed a regular mattress. If she never went undercover again, it would be too soon. Instead of falling asleep quickly, her mind spun with questions about David Spencer, the GIA, and her boss. Her dreams were filled with random images of Ace. Rayna’s dreams were never cohesive, so that wasn’t unusual.

Even though it was late when she went to bed, the next morning, Rayna was up before the sun, being used to starting early at Haven. She made a pot of coffee, then showered and dressed in cutoff shorts and a tee. It felt odd yet comforting to once again wear her normal clothes, even if they were a little tight from not working out over the last few months. Shegrabbed the burner phone and Seth’s credit card, taking both to the kitchen. She poured a cup of coffee, then rummaged through Delia’s kitchen for breakfast food. There wasn’t a lot in the fridge, but that made sense, considering the family was out of town for two weeks. Rayna did find a box of cereal, so she opened the package and munched on the fruity gems while making a list of groceries she would need for the next few days, which consisted mainly of frozen meals since her skills in the kitchen were worse than lacking.

Rayna took the box of cereal and her coffee to the living room. She placed her mug on the end table, located the controller, and turned the TV on. She had missed having access to electronics. No phone, no scrolling the internet, no movies, no music. Since she wasn’t going into the office, Rayna planned to take a full day to lounge in her shorts and binge some of the shows she’d missed while at Haven.

She wanted to boot up her laptop and do some snooping, but that would alert the higher ups that she was no longer where they thought she was. Her Cheetah was restless, but she couldn’t let the animal out. She’d noticed more than one camera throughout the house, and she had no idea if Delia would check it while Rayna was there. She cursed her boss for not being able to go home. Her place was small, but it was her sanctuary.

After binging several hours of a program about firefighters, Rayna’s stomach rumbled. First, she ordered a cheeseburger with all the fixings, French fries, and a strawberry shake from her favorite fast-food place. Then she found the local grocery store app and ordered the items on her list. The food arrived within half an hour, and she relished the meal, dunking her fries in the shake instead of ketchup. With a full belly, Rayna went back to the sofa and watched a couple more episodes. By then, the groceries were delivered.

Rayna put them away, but instead of going back to the sofa, she found a blanket and headed outside. There was plenty of daylight left, so she spread the blanket on the ground and lay down, letting the sun’s rays warm her skin. She remained outside until it was dark, then she went inside and popped a frozen meal in the microwave. Once it was ready, she ate it on the sofa while watching more mindless television. All in all, it was a good day.

The next morning, Rayna took her coffee out to the covered patio. The backyard boasted tall trees, flowering plants, and the kids’ play fort. Birds were singing, and several dogs barked somewhere in the distance. Rayna’s Cheetah bristled, and she looked around. Using her Cat’s superior eyesight, she studied her surroundings. The only thing out of the ordinary was a large eagle in the top of a neighbor’s pine tree. It was stunning with its white wings. She’d never heard of such a creature. Could it be an albino? Was that even a thing? The bird didn’t move. It stared at the ground below, most likely searching for its next meal. When her cup was empty, Rayna rose to go inside for a refill and breakfast. As she did, she took one more glance at the magnificent creature, but it was no longer there.

Rayna had purchased some breakfast scramble kits, so she opened one, cracked an egg in the bowl, stirred it around, then popped it in the microwave. It wasn’t gourmet, but she still savored the food. It had been months since she’d eaten anything besides oatmeal and toast for breakfast. That in itself was reason enough to hate her boss. After downing her food, she poured another cup of coffee and took it to the sofa to binge another one of her shows.

Instead of focusing on the fantasy featuring a hot mage, Rayna’s thoughts went back to the brooding biker with spiked hair and hooded green eyes. That led to thoughts of her last night at Haven and where Glory killed Talbert, and Suttonconvinced the congregation of things happening differently than reality. What the hell was she going to tell Seth? She’d managed to avoid his question of how she’d gotten away, but she knew her friend. He wouldn’t be satisfied with not knowing everything. Rayna wanted to help him find Spencer, but she couldn’t do that hiding at Delia’s. Rhiannon needed to know her father was possibly no longer in custody.

Before going undercover, Rayna spent hours studying the Hounds. She mainly focused on the Lazlos since Ryker, the oldest son, was Rhiannon’s boyfriend as well as the President of the MC. Rhiannon had been several months pregnant, so by now, she would have given birth. Instead of calling and having Ryker ignore the unknown number, Rayna decided to visit their house and inform Rhiannon that her father was possibly loose. Rayna cleaned up her breakfast trash and washed her mug, then made her way to the guest room and changed into one of her pantsuits. Just because she was hiding from her boss didn’t mean she wasn’t still an agent. Hopefully, that fact would give her some leeway with the biker when she went to speak to his female.

Rayna checked her firearm before sliding it into the holster beneath her arm. She was putting on her coat when her Cat bristled. Rayna eased down the stairs, pulling her weapon as she went. She hit the bottom stair just as the doorbell rang. She padded on silent feet to the front door and looked out the long window beside it. “What the hell?” The male standing on the front porch was delectable in jeans that hugged his legs and a tight black tee that accentuated his build. It was his eyes, though, that Rayna had dreamed about.

Rayna holstered the gun, punched in the alarm code, undid the locks, and opened the door. “Good morning, Ace.”

“Hello, Melinda. May I come in?”

Her Cheetah purred, but Rayna ignored it. “May I ask how you found me?”

“I followed you when you left Providence. I wanted to come by and see how you are now that you’re no longer at Haven.”

Rayna glanced past his shoulder but didn’t see a vehicle. Her skin prickled. “I appreciate your concern, but as you can see, I’m fine. Now if you’ll excuse me...” Rayna pushed the door only to have it blocked by Ace’s hand against it.

“You should let me in so we can talk about why you’re dressed like an agent of some sort.” The air shifted with Ace’s voice. Was he trying that voodoo Sutton used? She didn’t want him to know it didn’t work on her, so she stepped back, holding the door for him. As he walked past her into the living room, her Cheetah purred again.

Mate.

Rayna closed the door and followed the male, ignoring her beast once again. If Ace was her mate, they would get there. Eventually. She gestured to the sofa. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.” Ace lounged on the sofa, and Rayna stood far enough away so that she could get to her weapon if he turned out to be dangerous.

“I am curious about your attire. If you are some type of agent, that means you were possibly undercover at Haven. I think we could help one another by sharing information.”

---