Page 116 of The Wicked

“Are you serious? Out of the safe?”

“Unfortunately. Blue copied the files into the cloud, but the drive itself is gone.”

“How did he get in? I mean, he broke into the building and then the safe? What about the cameras? The alarm?”

“The log shows a remote deactivation for thirty minutes yesterday afternoon. He hacked the system, then picked the lock on one of the doors and cracked the safe.”

Garrett squeezed my hand so tight it hurt. “Are we in any danger here tonight?”

“No more than any other night. And the good news is that the Bad Samaritan is going to act. All we need to do is wait a little longer.”

“Maybe we should wait somewhere other than Baldwin’s Shore?” Garrett suggested. “Cinderella, how do you feel about taking a vacation?”

“I’m not going to say no.”

“When we get back to the Peninsula, you’re packing a bag.”

Aaron chuckled. “Thought you might have that reaction, and in your position, I’d probably do the same. But before you flee the country, let’s go eat. The dough balls are drying out in the oven. Can someone open a bottle of wine?”

“I’ll do it,” I offered.

And I’d probably drink most of it myself.

39

GARRETT

Saralisa wanted to visit her friend Marcin in Poland, so we went to visit her friend Marcin in Poland. I’d never been to Gdansk, only to Drawsko Pomorskie for a period of training when I was in the Marines, and this trip was far more civilised. No dorms, no shared showers, no wet-behind-the-ears trainee mistaking a live grenade for a dummy and fuck, that had been a hair-raising moment.

At the beginning of June, temperatures were in the low sixties, pleasant for walking but not sunbathing weather. The firm that provided Jack Morrow and his team had an office in Poland, and I’d engaged them to find us a secure rental property. I didn’t think Mandell would come after Saralisa overseas, especially since we’d mothballed the investigation, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

“Home sweet temporary home.”

I unlocked the door of our apartment and ushered Saralisa inside. The security team would base themselves in the unit next door, and I hoped to fuck the soundproofing was up to scratch.

“This is beautiful.”

“No, you’re beautiful. This is pleasant.”

Three bedrooms, a large, open-plan living area, and a quiet office so we could both work remotely—it was everything we needed. And she was everythingIneeded.

Marcin had invited us to stay with him and his boyfriend, but since we weren’t sure how long we’d be spending in Europe, we hadn’t felt comfortable imposing. We’d see enough of them in the dance lessons Saralisa had signed us up for. Plus we were having dinner with them this evening—Marcin and Andriy, plus Marcin’s father and his fourth wife. Saralisa was looking forward to it, and so was I, but first, I had to do something about my aching cock.

Convincing Saralisa to join the mile-high club would take a few more flights and possibly a private jet. I’d had to settle for getting her off in first class somewhere over the Atlantic, but she’d been too nervous to return the favour.

And now she was running around the apartment like a kid, opening all the doors and drawers. Four months ago, she wouldn’t have done this. No, she’d have sat in the corner, quiet, and accepted whatever life threw at her.

“They left us a bottle of champagne. And chocolates! I love it here already.”

The bed should also be covered in rose petals, and I waited for her to find them. It didn’t take long.

“Oh my… Did you do this?”

“Do what?”

A moment passed. “You’ll have to come and see.”

My lips twitched with a smile as I headed for the master bedroom, pulling my shirt over my head as I went. Yeah, I’d see. And then I’d come. My belt was undone, my cock half-hard by the time I saw her naked on the bed, arms resting above her head.

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