Page 184 of Somebody's Watching Me
Simone did not look amused. “Please tell me you washed the sheets.”
“And wiped down the table, thank you very much.”
Rubbing her temples, Simone mumbled to herself, “Jesus, save me from these children.”
Annabeth and Izzy grinned, but Bernie was positively beaming at the news. She reached across a grumbling Simone to take Jamison’s hand. “I’m so happy.”
“I think we’regoing to be okay.”
“Here’s your coffee, Bernie.” Her father returned and handed the paper cup to Liam’s mother. He frowned at Simone. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Did you know Jamison and Liam were back together?” Simone’s eyes snapped open to narrow at him. “Did you know and not tell me, Benjamin?”
“They stayed over at Dee’s place last night.” He backed away slowly, heading toward the all-male discussion taking place by the mysterious machine. “What the hell did you think they were doing?”
“And why was there a table involved?” Annabeth asked when he was out of earshot. “That’s what I want to know.”
“I don’t,” Simone said. “Talk about something else.”
“How was Evie yesterday?” Bernie asked. “Josie was terribly worried when we stopped to pick her up on the way here. I think if she knew how to fly a plane, she would have taken over the cockpit and got us here faster.”
Bernie took great delight in studying them all, fascinated by the family dynamic.
“She was better than I thought she would be,” Jamison said.
“And Samuel?” Bernie tilted her head, as if already knowing the answer. “I heard how he threw out the guards, except for poor Holden.”
“He’s keeping it together in front of the girls and Evie,” Simone replied. “But I have never seen that boy so scared. It’ll give him comfort to have Josie close.”
“Evie said he’s making the girls sleep in their bed,” Jamison added. “Like he can’t let them out of his sight.”
“My boys did that.” Bernie took a sip from her cup, grimacing at its contents. “There was always one awake and one asleep, rotating in shifts around me until I forced them to stop. Will and Liam meant well, but the constant hovering eventually got on my nerves.”
“Evie will keep distracted with the girls, and I’m telling y’all right now, that baby is going to arrive sooner rather than later,” Simone said. “Fairweathers have to be dramatic about everything, and this next one will be no different.”
“Hey, I’m not dramatic,” Jamison grumbled. “I just have a little extra flair to my personality.”
“While you’re absolutely correct about Evie, she’s not the one I’m worried about,” Bernie said. “A man like Samuel will not do well if threatened.”
“Holden can keep him in check,” Izzy offered. “His mom is a nurse practitioner and Chasity specializes in mental health. I think Liam assigned him and not me to Samuel and Evie because Holden grew up learning what to do if he needs to pull someone out of their head.”
Jamison studied Izzy. There was so much about her and Holden she didn’t know. “Interesting.”
Rowan whistled loudly to gain everyone’s attention. “We’re up and running.” He dropped into a chair at the front of the room, intently working on a laptop with skulls all over the back. “I need thirty minutes.”
As the men took their seats, Simone leaned over to whisper in Jamison’s ear. “While we’re discussing being stuck in one’s head, I want you to talk to Annabeth about Rowan. He’s been working in here non-stop, and she’s kept her distance, but I think that’s because he’s making it known that he has no intention of going anywhere once this is over.”
Rowan popped up from his seat, obviously excited. He went to grab something from another table, and snuck a quick kiss in with Annabeth, who half-heartedly swatted him away.
“Or I could just stay out of it,” Jamison said, watching as the movie screen turned on. “If there’s one thing Rowan knows how to handle, it’s women.”
Chapter 41
“Welcome to the dead zone.”
Rowan stood with Liam at the head of the room. “Over the next thirty minutes, we’ll be running what’s known as a jammer. It does exactly what you think and will jam electronic signals in and around Haven House.”
“While it’s running, I’m going to go over what we’ve learned,” Liam continued. “None of it will be easy to hear, and we’ll answer as many questions as we can before the time is up.”
