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He stared at me with worry etched all over his face then leaned in and kissed my cheek, resting his forehead there. A minute later, he leaned back and frowned. “I hate this. I hate that you were injured. I hate the cartel and I hate Alex Filmore.”
“That’s a lot of hate, Raven. I notice you didn’t add Gregory Aston and the guys locked up at Quantico.”
He glared at me. “Don’t make fun of the situation. It sucks.”
I sighed. “I know, but it’s only temporary and you cannot get caught up in all the bad stuff. I call you Sunshine because that’s who you are and I promise you, there really will be a happy ending to this where all the bad guys get their comeuppance.”
He grinned. “Comeuppance? Jesus, you really are brain damaged.”
I laughed.
“Okay, up with you,” he said, standing. “Let me put you in bed.”
“Okay, Sunshine.” I circled his waist and pulled him close, loving how his body felt pressed up against mine. The oversized Abba shirt covered my groin but still the material of both my sleeping pants and the T-shirt wasn’t thick enough to disguise the feel of his cock inside his jeans. “Come to bed with me.” I kissed his neck because I knew it was one of his erogenous zones.
He pulled out of my arms and smiled at me. “I’ll join you later. I want to find that kitten and whatever’s left of the chicken, then I’ll join you, okay?” He pulled me to the side of the bed and waited for me to get in before pulling the covers up around me, leaning down to kiss me. “I’ll be back, sweetheart.”
I sighed, watching him straighten and walk out the door, before closing my eyes and going back to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
RAVEN
I opened my eyes, turning my head on the pillow. Miguel was sleeping on his left side, turned away from me. It was still dark outside but a glance at the clock confirmed it was near dawn. My sleep hadn’t been good, worry nagging at me while I tried to figure out how I was going forward with our responsibilities at work, now that I was being forced to navigate Miguel’s convalescence and our situation. I’d called Judy after everyone except Beth and Kindness left yesterday to fill her in on everything that had transpired since we’d left the hospital.
I asked her to forward the business phones to her cell and close up the office. I wanted her home and safe. The last thing I wanted was to worry about Judy getting a visit from the cartel, so I made the reluctant decision that we wouldn’t be taking on any new clients until this mess was resolved. There was no reason for the doors to be open. Until all these criminals were behind bars, we weren’t going back.
I informed her that I’d be checking in on her every day, however, at least until all this shit was sorted out. Judy was completely stunned by what had been happening and I had a feeling she didn’t quite believe me. I mean…Mexican drug cartels and assassins? It sounded crazy even to me.
I called her later in the evening to follow up. I wanted to make sure everything went okay at the office, but it was really just an excuse to check on her one more time. When I got her on the phone, she’d excitedly told me that Snow and McCallahan had shown up as she was gathering files and her laptop. She was slightly worried when two big guys walked in, but when they’d flashed their credentials, she’d grabbed what she needed, including her phone and computer. They’d said if she wanted to forward the office phones to her cell, that was fine, but then politely asked if the FBI could monitor any calls she received.
She hadn’t agreed to that until she spoke to me. I loved how loyal she was to Miguel and me. I knew it was a horrible inconvenience, but she seemed almost excited to be helping out law enforcement and catching bad guys. I said we trusted these men with our lives and to do whatever they asked. Honestly, I figured she might be able to help. The best thing—Judy told me—was that Lincoln had given her an encrypted laptop to work on. That way, they could monitor all the emails we got on the off chance the killer might try to pass themselves off as a new client needing an urgent recovery. It just made sense.
She was excited as hell, which just made me laugh. My own little sleuth with mad hacking skills. I said the FBI would probably try to hire her away after all this. She told me to bite myself, give Miguel a kiss forher,and then hung up on me as I laughed into the phone.
I listened to Miguel softly snoring for another minute and then carefully slid out of bed. Stanley was once again curled up at Miguel’s feet after I’d found him in the living room, gnawing on the skewer of chicken he’d stolen the night before. I replaced it with a fresh bowl of his favorite cat food and after he was finished, took him off to our room where the litter box was, saying good night to the agents.
Kindness and Beth had taken an extra shift, and another fresh team would replace them this morning. I jumped into the shower and then dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, knowing I wouldn’t be leaving the suite. I might as well be comfortable. I glanced at Miguel’s sleeping form once more before letting myself out of the bedroom.
I smelled coffee before I got halfway down the hall. Someone else was an early riser like me. I was surprised when I found four people in the dining room, sipping coffee. Max Prince and his husband, Dr. Reeves, as well as Kindness and Beth were huddled around pictures spread out on the table. I tried to get a glimpse at all of them before Max swept them into a folder and closed it.
“Good morning,” Kindness greeted. “The coffee’s fresh. I just put on a new pot since the brains of these two don’t work until they have two cups in them every morning.” She smiled warmly at her colleagues and they returned it.
“Thanks.” I glanced at the two men. “How are you?”
Dr. Reeves smiled broadly and stepped forward to shake my hand. Prince did the same.
“Good, Mr. Mathis,” the doctor replied.
“Please call me Raven. All the misters this, and misters that, are going to get annoying.”
“Of course. That goes for Max and me too. Being called doctor all the time can get old,” he replied. “Call me Leo.”
“Thank you.” I hooked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen. “I’m gonna get that coffee. Anyone want a refill?”
“Is there ever enough coffee?” Max grumbled. It was like listening to Miguel.
I chuckled but walked into the kitchen, noticing for the first time that there was also a stove and microwave, and pulled down a mug. I filled it, happy to find half and half in the fridge. It was fully stocked, as promised. I recognized several Styrofoam containers from our dinner the night before, crowding the space. I smiled, knowing Miguel was going to be happy with leftovers for lunch. That Tom Yum souphadbeen out of this world. After fixing my coffee, I took the pot to the dining room and filled the agents’ cups before sliding into a chair.