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Chay got to his feet and paced to the window. The lights of the city glowed like a galaxy of stars against the still-dark sky.

“I’ll explain everything when I see you. For now, if Liam can come up with something.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“That’s great. And Dec—one last thing.”

“Yeah?”

“There’ll be two of us. Me…and a woman.”

Sanchez grunted. “I can hardly wait to hear the details. Whatever it is, good luck, bro.”

“Thanks,” Chay said, and ended the call.

Okay. Excellent. Progress, at last. There were few things as bad as knowing you needed to put a plan into action and not being able to do it. Now, in a single call, he’d implemented steps one and two. A way to get to the coast without leaving footsteps—he had little doubt that Sanchez and his brother would be able to come up with something. And t

he assurance that he’d be able to get the information he needed from Bianca with or without her cooperation.

Declan Sanchez was the best when it came to computers. He didn’t talk about it much, but over drinks in a shithole bar on the other side of the world, Dec had admitted he’d been something of a hacker in his teens.

“Illegal when I was a civilian,” he’d said with a grin, “but my ticket to success in the service of Uncle Sam.”

Sanchez would get into Bianca’s phone and see if someone had planted a bug in it. Even better, he’d find whatever info Chay needed about Bianca’s patients, her doctoral study subjects, even her family and friends and co-workers.

Nobody could be safe from scrutiny.

The law said you were innocent until proven guilty, but men in Chay’s profession knew reality was exactly the reverse. People were guilty until proven innocent if your goal was to keep your balls from being blown off.

Chay headed for the shower.

• • •

Twenty minutes later, he sat down on the bed next to Bianca.

She was lying on her side with the duvet covering her from the tips of her toes to her chin. All he could see of her was her forehead, her nose, and the curve of her mouth.

The lovely curve of her mouth.

The desire to peel back that duvet and get into the bed with her was almost overpowering, but he’d let her sleep as long as he could and he knew it.

He laid his hand lightly on her shoulder. “Rise and shine, sweetheart.”

Bianca murmured something, rolled onto her belly and tugged the duvet over her head.

“Honey,” he said. “It’s time to start the day.”

“Mmmf.”

He smiled. “Sorry, baby. Mmmf isn’t gonna do it.” Chay pulled the duvet down, just enough to expose her creamy shoulder, bent over and pressed his lips to it. “It’s wake-up time.”

“Not,” she muttered, trying to wrest the duvet from him.

“Yes,” he said gently, rolling her onto her back.

What a wonderful sight to start the day.

Tousled blonde curls. Pink mouth. Thick, dark lashes lifting to reveal spectacular blue eyes… Thick, dark lashes slamming down like shutters against the intrusive glow of the lamp on the night table.