Page 41 of Midnight’s Captive (Stroke of Midnight #2)
“I assume you aren’t going back to Tremaine headquarters now?” Taryn asked.
Ash flinched. He’d well and truly burned that bridge. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if Portia tracked him down. She’d been pissed at the thought of him letting Caspar into the Tremaine network.
He logged out of Taryn’s system and turned off the computer. It hadn’t been lost on him that she’d let him use her network. He could have planted any number of bugs or backdoors and she wouldn’t have noticed. Did that mean she trusted him? Should she trust him?
“What if Tremaine Security shows up here?” Had he brought trouble to Taryn’s door? He was still mad at her for losing Hope, but he didn’t want her harmed. And he was very afraid that corporate security would have no qualms about trampling innocents to get to him if Portia ordered it.
Taryn’s smile was fierce. “I don’t think so. It didn’t work well for her the last time.” He must have looked puzzled, because she added, “She sent them after Dizzie and Killian when they were hiding here. I don’t take well to people coming into my bar and starting something. So, I finished it.”
Well, damn. Ash hadn’t realized that the Jack had been involved in Dizzie’s escape. He’d tried to steer her clear of the bar, but maybe he shouldn’t have. Taryn was a fierce protector.
“I can’t go back to headquarters. Portia wants me under house arrest. If that happens, I may never leave the building again.” He shuddered. “Once we rescue Hope, we’ll have to leave the city immediately. In the meantime, can I stay here?”
Would she turn him away? The distance between them was growing, the accusations slowly tearing them apart and leaving ragged scars on his heart. He regretted his harsh words, but he hadn’t been completely wrong. It was the fault of her people that Hope wasn’t somewhere safe.
“I can show you to a room,” she said.
“There’s a cot in the hacker room. I can stay there,” he said. “If that’s all right?”
Disappointment flickered over her gaze, so fast he almost missed it.
“That’s fine,” she said.
“I can tinker while I’m down there. I assume your plan involves that setup?” he asked.
“You wait there for Caspar to contact you.” She leaned her hip against the desk right next to him.
It would be so easy to pull her into his lap. But he didn’t want her to freak out again—or to banish him from the bar. He had nowhere else to go.
“When Caspar calls you, ask for proof of life. He has to be expecting it, so he should be near Hope. We can track his location from that call. I’ll take my team to rescue Hope. Meanwhile, you can use the hacking chair for the fight against Caspar. If you think it will work. Do you need to be at headquarters?”
Ash shook his head. “I’ve spent years in their system. I think I can use that knowledge to lure him in and then trap him the way they trapped me.”
“That sounds dangerous,” she whispered.
Ignoring the instincts that told him to take her hand and offer comfort, he just said, “Dangerous for him, with any luck. I’ll have my team as backup, although they won’t know it.”
She stared at him, then exhaled. “Okay then. Sounds like we have a plan.”
A team? A plan? It sounded more like a series of hopes but he’d take what he could get, as long as it brought the real Hope back safely.
“Once you go downstairs, you should probably stay there. Either Dani or I will bring you meals. That way no one at the bar sees you.”
He understood her unspoken point. The mole in her business wouldn’t know he was here. Except... “Dani saw me. And your bouncers.”
“I trust Dani with my life.” She didn’t hesitate to defend her friend. “And the bouncer who tried to stop you is completely trustworthy too.” She paused, her shoulders slumping slightly. “I think I know who the problem is. I need to take care of that.”
She straightened and he watched her transition from Taryn back into the Jack. Taryn’s softness was replaced by the Jack’s hardness. Watching Taryn disappear into the role was more terrifying than the Jack alone.
“C’mon,” she said. “Let’s get this over with.”
He should be agreeing with her, but why did those words hurt so badly?