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As Eve was calling in their dinner request, Gideon and the king walked silently into her office. Gideon knew they had only a few moments before she joined them.
“Eve told me you asked her to look into a leak within your inner circle,” Gideon said.
“Yes. She’s compiled a list of suspects.”
“Did she show you the latest message regarding her presence here?”
“You mean the one with the smiling devil’s face?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think she’s in danger here?”
“I don’t know. It felt like a threat to me. I wanted to get your take.”
“Her rehabilitation is almost complete. Perhaps she should leave Amelie and—”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Eve stood at the door, her eyes shooting sparks at both of them.
“Lina,” her father said, “perhaps it would be best if you—”
“No, Papa. Don’t finish that sentence. I’ve forgiven you both for manipulating certain aspects of my life, but that has to stop now. If I stay or if I go is my decision only. I make those calls myself. Understand?”
“Of course you do, Lina, but just because you go somewhere safer doesn’t mean you can’t continue to work to uncover the leak.”
“I’m staying here.” She sent a look to Gideon that should have chilled him, but instead it made his blood heat with desire. The confident, fiercely independent Eve Wells turned him on like no one else.
“I agree.” He glanced at her father. “Eve and I can work from here.”
“I’ve already talked to Papa about including Ash and Serena in our investigation.”
“That’s a good idea. Have you talked to Ash yet?”
“No.”
“I have a satphone at my apartment. I’ll go grab it after dinner.”
Giving him a grateful smile, she said, “Good. I’ve been needing to talk to Ash about everything. I’ve talked to him briefly but nothing like I need to. If he agrees to help, I’ll ask him if he and Serena can come for a few days.”
“He’ll agree. Remember, that was our agreement when we joined Option Zero. We have a problem, OZ will be there to assist.”
The chiming of the door, indicating their dinner had arrived, halted the conversation. Gideon was glad of it. He was putting words in Ash’s mouth and shouldn’t. But he would make sure he was on board to help Eve. Whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not, her safety was at risk. The entire OZ team would bend over backward to help her. She was one of their own.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Montana
Asher Drake kissed his son’s forehead, breathing in the scent of baby powder and sweetness. If anyone had told him a couple years ago that he would have a woman he adored and a son who turned his heart to mush with his first breath, he would’ve laughed at their stupidity. He hadn’t been in the best state of mind back then. But now, with his child in his arms, and his wife, Jules, standing at the door, smiling at him, he knew without a doubt that he was among the most blessed people in the world.
“How’d you finally get him to sleep?” Jules asked.
“I sang to him.”
Rolling her eyes, she laughed softly. “Darling, I love you more than life, but no way would that foghorn you call a voice put our son to sleep.”
“Hey, I sang to you last night, and you didn’t seem to mind.”