Page 44 of Tempting Tessa

The foundation. The frame. The facade. The space, form, and function of each element.

Moda entered with a tray of food and tea, setting it on the side table. “I already had this prepared. I’ll take up my security point now,” she said.

Tessa ignored her and the tray, her focus unyielding. Tommy glanced at the tray, then at her. “You should eat.”

“Not now,” she muttered, pinning another card to the middle board. “I’m onto something. I have to figure this out.”

“Tessa,” Tommy’s voice broke through her thoughts.

She turned to see him holding a card with Jessie’s name on it. “What if Harris didn’t just use Jessie? What if he…?” He hesitated, then continued, “What if Harris did save her from Hagar?”

She turned that over, the idea that Jessie had done the wrong thing for the right reason. A form of Stockholm Syndrome—feeling indebted to the person who had kidnapped you. Hurt you. Forced you to commit crimes. “It doesn’t absolve her of anything, even if he is manipulating her, but it fits more with the Jessie we knew.”

Tommy chewed on a bite of sandwich. “But why? What does he gain from keeping her alive?”

“That's what we need to find out before it's too late.”

Her phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with Meg’s name. Tessa hesitated before answering, hitting the speaker button. “Made it to my place, I take it?”

“How could you?” Meg’s voice sneered with accusation. “Are you with him now? Have you been sleeping with him all this time?”

Tessa flinched, setting her teeth and taking a breath before she responded. “Who?”

Tommy’s gaze was once more boring into her back.

“You know who.Tommy.” Meg was yelling now. “He was here. His fingerprints are all over the place.”

“Fingerprints?” She gave a dry chuckle. “I see. So Flynn sent you to catch me in the act, did he? You guys suspected me all along. All that talk about needing me for the team… How couldyou?” she threw back. “I thought you wanted me to trust you.”

“I did. I still do. But now? After this?” Meg made a disgusted sound. “Why? Why did you keep this from us?”

Dec came on the line. “What’s going on, Tessa? Talk to us.”

She shot Tommy a look that screamed,I told you they’d figure it out. “We have bigger things to worry about,” she said.

“You lied to me,” Meg snapped. “This whole time, you’ve been lying.”

“Well, guess what? So has Jessie.” She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and forced calm into her voice. “She’s alive, Meg. Jessie’s alive.”

Silence. Heavy, pregnant silence. “Have you lost your mind?”

Tessa explained her discovery, the revelation she and Tommy had made. Meg responded with more silence.

Tessa felt as if she might collapse into the chair next to Tommy. She leaned on the desk instead. “I haven’t told Flynn,” she said softly. “There’s a lot I haven’t told any of you.”

Tommy gripped her hand, giving it a squeeze that encouraged her to let down her guard.

Handling a terrorist or crime lord here and there wasn’t out of her skillset. Handling a massive planned terrorist plot that could affect the entire world? She needed a team. “How fast can you get to London?”

“What’s in London?” Dec asked.

“Jessie,” Tessa told them. She met Tommy’s gaze, needing it to keep her vulnerability from overwhelming her. “We need to bring her home.”

Eighteen

She’d been waiting for the text or call since her discussion with the others the previous day. The only thing that had shown up was a drone.

Tessa had been quicker to the shotgun than Tommy. That was the only reason she’d been the one to blast it out of the air instead of him.

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