Page 40 of Lipstick Lies

“You don’t have to hide your feelings. I’m sure everyone in there knows you have the hots for Fin. You have a stupid look on your face whenever you’re near her.”

“I do not.” I scowled at him, but I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince him or myself.

“Yeah, you do. And you know we’re headed to the same room. We don’t have to meet up on the first floor.”

“Sorry, I’m so used to giving orders that I didn’t think about it. Thank you for going with me, though.”

“You nervous about seeing Dex?”

“No. He’s hurt too many people, making me wonder if we were even friends. I think we might have been more in his eyes than my own. I feel stupid for not noticing his obsession or involvement, though. That’s what really gets me. Especially when he tried to hurt Fin and Milo. I never would’ve forgiven myself if something had happened to them. Now, I have the chance to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. I’m worried I’ll snap and just shoot him without going through the proper channels.”

“I’ll keep you in line.”

“I know you will.” I turned, taking in Cohen. He seemed more at ease around me and not as resistant, making me hope that there was a future between us.

“I need to grab some things from my office and change into something that doesn’t scream security or tactical team, and let my team know.”

Cohen looked at me, scanning me again, and I definitely felt more heat in his eyes as they caressed every inch of me. He eventually looked at himself, taking in his dark jeans and hoodie.

“I mean, I wear this all the time, but I guess I can change. What look are we going for?”

“Casual bystander. Don’t want to stand out, just blend.”

“Got it. I’ll meet you here in a few.” He raised one eyebrow, daring me to say the first floor.

“Fine. Here.”

He smiled, and it cracked something in me. I felt a piece of my obstinate asshole attitude float away, and I wondered what these two were doing to me. Though, I had to admit it wasn’t a horrible effect. In fact, I felt happier than I had in a long while. So, maybe I needed to shed some of my asshole ways and embrace this new softer side.

Changing into a dark pair of jeans, navy shirt, and shoes, I walked into my office and opened my gun cabinet. I selected a small Glock 43 for my ankle holster and a Walther PPS for my shoulder one. I slid a GPS tracker into my shoe and carefully placed fake fingerprints on the pads of my fingers. The nanotech dissolved into my skin once it made contact, making me shiver. Taking one last precaution, I swallowed a pill that wouldn’t activate until after 24hrs, allowing it to pass any inspection if we were to be caught. It would give our team a chance to find us if everything else failed.

Taking a burner phone from the stack, I placed it in my pocket. The last time I’d used it had been when I thought I was playing a game with Fin. While that hadn’t turned out the way I’d expected, at least she was here now and safe. In fact, with her passing The Order training, she could handle herself out in the field even better now.

And as much as that thought worried me, I knew she was more than capable of protecting herself and others. I couldn’t cage Fin. She needed to fly, and I wouldn’t be the one to hold her down. Even if I initially wanted to steal her away and make her mine, I saw and understood how her relationship worked now, and it was something I wanted for myself.

Sending a brief message to the board on the new updates, I closed my computer and locked everything down. I headed back into the main area and found Cohen waiting for me. Together, we made our way up to the first floor. After a brief rundown to my detail of what was going on, I took the keys to one of the SUVs, and we began our journey down the mountain.

It was quiet most of the drive, the radio playing music softly in the background as I followed the GPS to the location. Fin’s research showed that he’d purchased a building a few years back. It was the only property in his name, so we made a guess that he lived there. Considering he wasn’t seen out in public too often, and there wasn’t any traffic cam footage, he either wiped everything when he left or had everything brought to him.

Knowing Dex, it was probably both.

It only took a few hours to drive to the town the address was in. I hated the fact that he’d been so close this whole time. As we approached the address, Cohen turned off the radio as I came upon the road. I was hoping there would be other buildings nearby so we could watch from afar. But it seemed Dex had been more innovative than that. Much like The Order’s base of operations, it was secluded with what looked like one road in and out. I passed it, turning off the GPS as she insisted I make a U-turn.

“What now?” Cohen asked, trying to look between the trees, but it was impossible. We’d need an aerial overview to get a good look, which wouldn’t happen today.

“I guess we find a base of operations and hit up some of his frequent spots. See if there’s a motel nearby.”

I was berating myself for not planning more before we left, knowing my exuberance to catch Dex had led me to be a little reckless. Cohen pulled out his phone and began typing things in a search engine.

“There’s one a few miles from here. I can call and see if they have a room?”

I nodded, but my eyes focused on the rearview mirror. We were still on a deserted road and hadn’t passed any other vehicles in miles. So when the dark car pulled out behind us, I knew we’d been made.

“Shit. Hold on.”

Cohen looked up as I took a sharp turn onto a dirt road, hoping the car wouldn’t be able to follow. Speeding up, I pressed the accelerator to the floor, needing to gain some distance. Cohen held onto the door handle, casting me an anxious look.

“That him?”

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