Page 13 of Married to the SEAL
They didn’t even know each other. Of course it wasn’t personal. So why did her comment make him want to show her just how personal it could be?
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I think it would be best if we leave each other alone as much as possible.”
“I disagree. This whole situation would be easier if you and I were friends. If we could trust each other and get along well, it would go a long way toward making the next three months easier on both of us.”
“You don’t get it, do you? You work for him. He will exploit that and he will use it to his advantage in any way possible. You are nothing more to him than a well-paid spy.”
The idea that Vasile might treat his own daughter so horribly was appalling. Either Grace was out of her mind, wrongfully convinced of the lengths her father would go to, or the man had no sense of right and wrong where his daughter was concerned. Both of those possibilities were disturbing.
“I’m also your husband.”
She laughed out loud. “You’re kidding now, right?”
He took in her features, from her angry green eyes to her patrician nose and the posture that spoke of long nights with her infant son. “I know we’re not really in a relationship, but we are legally married. And in the Church. I don’t take that lightly. You and I may not be a traditional husband and wife, but you have my loyalty, no matter what your father may expect.”
Her lips parted and her eyes seemed to be searching his for the truth. She was so beautiful, even more beautiful than he’d noticed before, and he wanted her trust. Was prepared to earn it.
“You mean that?”
“SEAL’s honor.”
“All right then. We’ll be friends.” She held out her hand and he shook it. “I need to lie down for a while,” she said. “See if I can wrap my head around this mess before we get paraded around like prized cattle.”
“Fine. I’ll give you some space.”
8
Matteo spentthe next hour and a half exploring the house and getting a mental map of the premises. There were fourteen rooms downstairs and eight bedrooms upstairs, each with their own bathroom and most with their own fireplace. The third floor was a combination of storage space and what seemed to be quarters for the staff.
He’d have to get a list of everyone who worked here for Logan to research.
He checked out the security system inside the residence, from cameras and motion sensors to contact alarms on the windows and doors.
An hour in, he found what he was looking for. There, on the contact for a side entrance to the house, was a thin piece of metal.
“Bingo.”
If this door was opened, the metal would make it seem like the contact was still attached. Whomever had gotten into the baby’s room had most likely come in through this door.
He moved into the motion sensor hidden in a corner of the room, suspecting that it, too, had been tampered with. He opened up the back of the unit with his Swiss Army knife. Sure enough, the wires inside the motion sensor had been cut.
He made his way to Nico’s room, stopping to check each piece of the security system in between. A clear path had been created from the point of entry to the crib.
Whomever was working inside the house knew exactly where the intruder was headed.
He needed to find out where the main security system was located and check out the circumstances of the missing surveillance tapes.
The security advisor had said the staff who could have been responsible for the security breach had been dismissed, but the existence of a mole meant true security was nothing but a farce.
Still, he would use those names as a starting point.
He frowned. The solitary nature of this assignment meant he must detail without his greatest weapon — the other members of HERO Force. They were a team, and a damn good one. It would be a challenge to protect Grace without them.
His mind wandered back to her phone call.
You expect this man to share my room with me? Share my bed?
He couldn’t help but wonder if that was really what would happen. He could still taste her on his lips, feel the softness of her cheek beneath his fingertips. What the hell had gotten into him? He barely knew her. But she was so damn vulnerable with that hard shell and soft interior, the combination making him admire her and want to make it better at the same time.
