Page 39 of Lethal Deceit (Hightower Security #2)

Samantha

The next few minutes pass quickly. Everyone seems to be in motion as Jake arrives with a minivan, and Mick and Silas start loading up the vehicle. As if things weren’t weird enough, Mick keeps checking on me, a puzzled expression on his face, as if he can’t quite believe I’m still here.

And maybe I wouldn’t be, if Adena hadn’t been stuck to me like superglue. At Silas’s instruction, I clamber into the back of the van and sit closest to the window so I can see where we’re heading. Surprisingly, I don’t have to guess. As Jake and Adena climb in, Silas sits in the seat in front and pivots so he can answer my unspoken question.

“We’re all heading to the Glades. Stay close to Mick, and he’ll tell you anything you need to know.”

My nerves start to increase when he reaches across and slides the door closed.

“The only thing I need to know is whether you’re going to hand me over,” I say.

From the front, Jake answers before Silas can.

“If that was the plan, don’t you think you’d be handcuffed and gagged by now?”

Adena mutters just loud enough for me to hear.

“It’s not too late.”

Silas frowns at them and yanks his belt across his lap.

“Unless you want to drive back to HQ when we’re done here, keep your unhelpful comments to yourselves.”

Jake glances at Adena, smirking as she gestures out the windshield.

“Just drive, newbie.”

He grins at her, then he floors the gas and turns too sharply, causing Mick to crush into my side. He rights himself, apologizing as Silas reprimands Jake for his careless driving.

“From this point on, drive like you’re a cautious father of two,” he says.

Jake responds with little more than a shrug, but he slows down, and we breeze past the yawning security guard, who lazily waves a hand in acknowledgment. As we exit, Silas opens the laptop, and after a quick glance over his shoulder, I turn to stare out the window.

Mick doesn’t say a word to me, but almost as if taking Silas’s instruction literally, he slides his fingers into mine—and doesn’t let go. Not once during the entire thirty-minute drive into the Everglades.

We leave the city behind, skyscrapers giving way to flat stretches of scrubland and sun-bleached asphalt as we head west. The road narrows, hemmed in by dense greenery that grows thicker and taller with every passing mile. Before long, we’re swallowed whole, surrounded by tangled sawgrass, still black water, and towering cypress trees draped in ghostly Spanish moss.

If there’s one place I’ve never wanted to spend much time in, it’s here. Swampy. Wild. Unforgiving. A place where the air itself feels alive—heavy, wet, and pulsing with heat. The kind of humidity that seeps into your bones. Alligators lurk just beneath the surface. Snakes vanish into the brush without a sound. And the silence? It pulses with the creeping sense that out here, no one would hear you scream.

I shift in my seat, tugging my hand just slightly to test his grip. He holds on tighter. I don’t say anything, and neither does he.

I glance at the endless stretch of murky water beyond the guardrail and swallow hard.

Wherever we’re headed, I really hope they have air conditioning.

Mick draws my attention away from the view outside by removing his hand. When he subtly flexes his fingers and swipes his palm on his thigh, it’s apparent I was squeezing too hard. With a smile, he slides his arm along the back of the seat, as though proving he’s serious about protecting me. A lump settles in my throat and doesn’t ease up when Jake drives us down a street running parallel to wetlands.

All heads swivel to look at the woods, and Jake slows to a crawl while Silas shuts his laptop down.

“Okay, we’re on,” he says.

He turns to look at Mick.

“Once we get inside the house, we’ll look for a place to plant a directional microphone. At this distance we should be able to pick up conversations. We’ll need to position it near a load-bearing wall for best resonance capture.”

Adena raises her hand.

“That’s where I come in. The mic will be under the twins."

I glance at the stroller and the two infant seats complete with eerily realistic plastic babies strapped into them.

Mick looks equally impressed and relieved.

“Glad to see you came prepared."

With a smile, Silas reaches over and hits two buttons on the laptop. Instantly the babies start crying, and Jake and Adena climb out and immediately start bickering, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.

To add to the authenticity, Jake grabs the babies out of the back of the minivan.

“Just great. You woke the twins."

“I didn’t wake them, your lousy driving woke them,”

Adena says.

Jake hands her the baby carriers and gestures to the house.

“Take them inside. I’m putting the van in the garage."

With a sneer, she turns on her heel and stomps to the door.

“This better be nicer than the last dump you rented us."

Jake pulls a face at us as he slides the door closed.

“It’s not. It’s way worse than the two-bedroom in Dallas where we pulled this last."

The van door slides shut, and seconds later we’re pulling into the garage.

As soon as the garage door lowers behind us, Silas steps out and gives Jake a nod.

“Nice job."

The internal access door opens, and Adena appears. The babies’ cries are still audible from somewhere in the house, adding to the authenticity.

“I’ll go pull the drapes upstairs so you can set up.”

Silas follows her inside the house, and we all trail in after him.

“Good. You’ll need to be out the door within the hour. I don’t want Caleb alone out there. He’ll be scouting the perimeter and tagging possible entry points.”

“On it.”

Jake appears, phone in hand, a frown on his face.

“Luke arrived a few minutes ago. He’s got eyes on the back of the house."

Silas sets his laptop down and nods.

“Mick? Can you grab the supplies and bring them inside? We’ll stage gear in the bedroom for rapid deployment if needed."

Rather than wait around, I preempt Mick, going back into the garage and opening the driver’s door to locate the latch to open the trunk. Mick joins me, his face tight with concern as we pull out the equipment and food in the back.

“I thought I would have heard from them by now,” he says.

“Maybe I should try calling them?”

I shake my head.

“You want them to think you’re scrambling to get the money together back in Miami."

He drags his fingers through his hair and looks at the garage door.

“She’s right down the street. What if Hightower gets it wrong? What if Brooke gets hurt?”

I draw him to one side, so we’re hidden behind the van.

“I’m not going to pretend I know what you’re going through, but I do know what it feels like to be helpless and to have to rely on other people."

Unable to look at the pain on his face, I slide my arms around his waist and press my cheek against his chest. Instantly, his arms wrap around me, soothing and comforting, causing me to release more words in a tumble.

“The people I relied on weren’t like everyone here. They didn’t care what happened to me, but Hightower cares about you, and they care about your sister too."

Mick huffs.

“Look at me."

I look up, and his fingers brush across my chin.

“They care about you too."

I start to shake my head, but he frowns.

“Is that so hard for you to believe—that people can care about you?”

“How could they? I’ve done nothing to warrant it."

He shifts his weight, his expression softening as he speaks.

“No one earns God’s love. He gives it freely. Maybe that’s why it matters so much to us that you know that."

My mouth runs dry, and somewhere in the pit of my stomach, a knot forms.

“Everything I’ve done to you…”

Mick blinks slowly then leans forward and gently kisses my forehead.

“I’m going to forgive you for. Can you forgive me for being such a self-righteous moron?”

Moisture swells in my eyes, and warmth spreads throughout my entire body. I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience. Like I’m looking down on myself and seeing a moment in my life that shouldn’t be happening.

“I don’t know how to do any of this,”

I say, my voice croaky.

He pulls me in closer, wrapping his arms around me, drawing me in and locking eyes with me, making me face the enormity of what’s happening.

“Neither do I. Guess we’ll have to play it as it comes.”

I bite my lip then release it as a swell of emotion floods me. I twist my fingers into his shirt and press my mouth against his, trying to explain without using words. The kiss deepens quickly, his frustration and his own need for comfort evident as he returns it eagerly.

For a moment, I forget we’re in a garage, hiding behind a van, and revel in the knowledge that Mick isn’t going to let anything happen to me. He cares about me.

When was the last time someone cared for me?

Not because I was trying to be sexy, or trying to be smart, or trying to be capable, or proving I could think on my feet, but despite those things.

I have never spent so much time with a man and not wanted anything from him other than his love.

I stopped hoping for such foolish things a long time ago when Mona said chasing after love was like looking for the end of a rainbow.

I’m vaguely aware when my back hits the concrete wall of the garage, semi-conscious when Mick’s hands run down my spine, but it’s not until a door slams loudly and Mick tugs his lips away from mine that I realize we’ve been gone way too long.

Just when I think I’ve hit my breaking point, he pulls away—and flashes a toe-curling smile that sets me on fire.

“You okay?” he says.

When I answer him, being truthful is harder than lying to him.

“No,”

I whisper.

“Not even close.”