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C haz and Lottie spent the next hour searching the cabin from top to bottom. It was a small place so that made the search parameters less intimidating, and the physical element less daunting, but they didn’t find anything. Standing in the middle of the living room, Chaz crossed his arms and scowled. What was he missing? Did he need to start prying up floorboards?

“What’re we missing?” she asked, echoing his thoughts. Placing her hands on her hips, she turned in a slow circle. Her gaze zeroed in on the lamp beside the couch and she inhaled swiftly.

“What?” He moved up beside her.

“Andy once mentioned his grandma used to hide money and small valuables in her lamp.”

They exchanged a look and walked over to the lamp. It wasn’t anything special, nothing that would garner any attention. In fact, it looked like a second-hand piece of junk. Lottie lifted it up and slowly turned it over to reveal the cardboard bottom.

“You said inside,” Chaz said, and she nodded, carefully peeling the cardboard backing away from the lamp’s base. He didn’t know what to expect, but when she tilted it, looking inside, and gasped, he straightened up.

“There’s something taped inside.” She slid her hand into the lamp’s base and plucked a neatly-folded square of paper out. Carefully unfolding it, she revealed a small key.

“What’s it say?” he asked, squinting at the small words scrawled on the sheet of paper.

“Guardian Financial,” she murmured, “and a Manhattan address. I think we need to go on a road trip.”

“Definitely,” he agreed.

“It’s about a three hour drive and the bank probably doesn’t open until nine or ten in the morning.”

“That means we have a few hours to kill before leaving. If you want to sleep, I’ll stay up and keep an eye on things.”

“I can’t sleep. I’ll be too worried those men might come back.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Lottie. I promise.”

“I know. And thank you, Chaz. You’re too good to me.”

“You deserve everything good in this world.”

“You’re a big teddy bear, you know that?” she asked, and he grunted. Looking up at him through her lashes, her smile shy but suggestive, he felt the tension in his shoulders drop as other parts of him rose to the occasion. “I’m sure there are ways we can pass the time. If you’re up for it.”

His blood instantly heated. “When it comes to you, Sunshine, I am always up for it.”

Then he scooped her up and carried her back into the bedroom. But he kept his Glock within reach. He didn’t think the intruders would be back that night, but if they did return, he’d be ready.

Because, eventually, they would return.

◆◆◆

Chaz and Lottie left bright and early for Manhattan. After a quick call to check on Reya and say hello, she and Chaz fell into a comfortable rapport. They kept up a steady stream of conversation the entire time and she asked him all sorts of questions. Even though she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter, that she shouldn’t get too personal, she wanted to know everything that made him tick.

His openness surprised her. She knew nothing about his ex-wife except the fact no one talked about her. But she was willing to bet the woman was a big part of the reason he was so bitter when it came to love, marriage and children.

“Samantha was a mistake. I knew it from the get-go, but all my friends were settling down and I figured I should do the same.”

“If you don’t want to talk about her—”

“No, it’s okay. You can ask me anything, Lottie, and I’ll always tell you the truth.”

“Same,” she responded, turning in her seat to face him. “If it makes you feel any better, Andy was a mistake, too.”

“Guess that means we’re only human, huh?”

“Guess so.”

He cleared his throat, focusing on the road ahead. “How about I tell you what happened with Samantha and then you tell me what happened with Andy?”

“Deal.”

“I think what it boiled down to was I loved my job more than anything—and she knew it. She resented when I left for long stretches and I couldn’t exactly pick up the phone and call her when I was on a mission. Being needy and having a husband gone most of the time wasn’t a good combination.”

“But she knew what your job was, right?”

“Yeah, but I think she always thought I’d eventually choose her over Delta. I don’t know, retire from the field early and get an office job or something.”

“You wouldn’t have been happy.” She had a hard time picturing him trading in his cargo pants and T-shirt for a suit and tie.

“No, I would’ve been miserable. It was the one thing I was really good at. Without my team and knowing I was out there making the world a better place, I would’ve lost my purpose. I still struggle with that sometimes. At least I did before the Motley Crew started going on missions for Mitch. It fulfills something inside of me.”

“I understand. When you’re doing what you’re meant to do, your soul knows. It’s how I feel about being a mom.”

He glanced over, his mouth edging up, and he reached for her hand. “Well, Samantha didn’t get it. She just wanted someone by her side during the block parties and barbecues. And she wanted a baby. She kept pushing, and when I’d return home, it would always turn into an argument.”

“And you don’t want kids.”

“At the time, no. My old man wasn’t ever around and when he was, he was drunk and unhappy. That’s not a cycle I wanted to repeat.”

“I understand. My dad wasn’t around, either. But you aren’t your father, Chaz. You’ve been nothing but kind and present to me and Reya.”

He didn’t comment, but he acknowledged her words with a nod.

“It sounds like we were both lucky to have amazing moms,” she continued. “I’d be lost without my mom. She’s been my rock.”

“You’re a damn good mom, too, Lottie.”

“Thanks.” She shifted in her seat, studying his profile closely. “So what happened? You and your ex decided to go your separate ways?”

He released a low breath. “One day I came home from an op to find the locks changed and everything I owned on the front lawn. Divorce papers were sticking out of the mailbox.”

“Oh, Chaz, I’m sorry.” The callousness of the woman’s action made Lottie sad for him and she could understand why he’d become so anti-marriage.

“I pounded on the door, asked her to let me inside, but she refused. The icing on top of the shit cake was when I noticed she wasn’t alone. Some guy was with her and he said he was her boyfriend. She didn’t deny it.”

Empathy flooded her and she couldn’t imagine anyone being so cruel. “What happened?” she asked softly.

“I blew up, punched my fist through a window and she called the cops. It’s the only time I ever exploded like that.” He turned his hand over, showing her the scars on his knuckles. “I probably would’ve been arrested if I hadn’t completely shut my emotions down and calmly lied to the police office, telling him I’d lost my keys and didn’t realize my wife was home. Neither of them contradicted me and I left.”

He sighed and she waited for him to continue.

“When I look back, I don’t think I was even upset about my marriage ending. I was more angry about how it all went down. How she was sneaking around behind my back with this guy, but telling me she wanted my baby. How she locked me out and threw all my shit on the front lawn, making a spectacle out of it for the neighbors. How I was the bad guy because I wouldn’t give her what she wanted. But she couldn’t give me what I wanted either.”

“What did you want?”

“Someone who understood me better. Who realized that every time I came home after a mission, another part of me had broken. Because as much as I loved my job, it always took its toll. I guess sometimes I just wanted her to wrap her arms around me and tell me everything was going to be alright.”

Lottie squeezed his hand. “Everything is going to be alright, Chaz,” she whispered, and he tightened his hand around hers.

“How are you always so optimistic?”

“Because being happy is so much better than being sad. Or maybe I just got the Pollyanna gene,” she joked.

“Your life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.”

“No, definitely not. When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared, but hopeful. I had a good job and believed I was with a man who wouldn’t abandon me like my dad did. I was wrong. He said he wasn’t ready to be a father. Then my company went through layoffs and he fired me.”

“Jesus.”

“For a second there, I thought I might be safe because Andy worked in HR. Honestly, letting me go was probably a relief for him. Out of sight, out of mind, right?”

“He’s an asshole,” Chaz grumbled.

“You’re right. But I’m one of those annoying people who believes everything happens for a reason. I left New York, returned home and had Reya. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Other than Brand hiring me and then meeting you,” she added softly.

He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to its back. “My ray of sunshine.”

Smiling, she laced her fingers through his. “My Grumpypants.”

He chuckled, nipped her knuckle and lowered their entwined hands on the console. “We’re almost there.”

“Never thought I’d be back,” she murmured as they entered the city.

“Regrets?”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe in having regrets. Everything I’ve done, every decision I’ve made, has led me to this exact moment. And I have to say, I’m enjoying our time together, Mr. Madden.”

“Really?” he drawled.

“Most definitely.” As she began to seriously ponder a future with Chaz and everything that might mean, he pulled the car up along the curb and nodded to the bank across the street. Guardian Financial held a secret and she was beyond curious to find out just what her no-good ex had left her.

They opened their doors and headed to the corner. When the pedestrian light changed, they walked across the busy street and entered the bank. Lottie’s nerves fluttered as they went to the counter and presented the small key. A few minutes later, after verifying her name on the account and her ID, they were led into the vault.

The bank employee produced a second key and, along with Lottie’s key, unlocked a three-by-five inch safety deposit box. “Take as much time as you need,” she said and walked out.

Lottie looked at Chaz then slowly lifted the lid. Inside lay a folded piece of paper. Brow furrowed, she reached in, plucked it out and carefully unfolded it.

“What is it?” Chaz asked, leaning closer to get a better look.

“Some kind of map.” Turning it around, she laid it flat on the table and studied it. “It almost looks like…a treasure map.”