Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
She rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “He can be impossible, but I guess that’s part of his charm.” Her gaze flicks to me. “Not unlike you.”
I decide to sidestep that little comment. “So, you’re the youngest?”
“By a couple of years. What about you? You have siblings?”
I shake my head, setting my fork down. “Only child. My mom passed away when I was twelve—cancer. My dad did the best he could, but we weren’t exactly close. I spent more time out of the house than in it.”
Her face softens with genuine sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
I shrug, though the old ache remains. “It was a long time ago. I enlisted in the military as soon as I graduated high school. Learned discipline, direction… gave me a purpose.”
Her gray eyes linger on me for a moment before she looks down at her plate. “And that’s why you’re so bossy now.”
“Guilty as charged,” I say with a half-smile. “But it’s also why you can trust me to have your back.”
She nods slowly, as though she can’t quite deny that. We eat in companionable silence for a bit, the tension between us easing, if only for a few minutes. The bacon is indeed perfectly crispy, and the eggs are fluffy. A quick glance at her plate confirms she’s already half-finished, too.
After we polish off breakfast, I clear my throat. “All right, so about Morris Rolfe. If he’s actually in Chicago, we have options. You mentioned going undercover yesterday—were you serious?”
She lifts her napkin, dabbing at her lips before answering. “Depends on how deep we’d have to go. But I know a couple of people from my old neighborhood who might be able to help me find him, if he’s operating on the fringes.”
My chest tightens at the idea of letting her wander around some shady parts of the city alone. “If we do this, it’d have to be both of us, together. We’ll keep a low profile and gather intel. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Her eyes flash. “I’m capable, Lincoln—”
“I’m not arguing that,” I cut in gently. “But I made a promise to Dean, and… you know, I’d rather not spend my days worrying that you’re going to slip away again.”
She purses her lips, and for a second, I see a flicker of guilt. Probably remembering how she climbed out that bathroom window. “Fine. We’ll do it together.”
I nod, relieved she’s not fighting me on that. “We should probably wait until we have a solid lead. We don’t want to show our faces if we can’t confirm he’s actually there. Let me put out a few more feelers. I’ve got some ex-contacts in Chicago from my days in the service. Maybe we can pinpoint Rolfe’s location more precisely.”
She grabs her coffee mug and takes a sip, considering. “Dean would help, too. But I guess we should only loop him in once we know there’s a real shot at catching Rolfe, right? I don’t want him pulling the plug before we can get close.”
My gut twists. “I hate going behind his back. But you’re right—it’s best to have concrete intel first. Then we can update him, show we have a solid plan.”
“Exactly.” She lets out a long breath, tapping her nails on the table. “I hate being stuck here, waiting. It’s not in my nature.”
“You’re not stuck,” I say, standing and collecting our plates. “We’re regrouping. It’s strategic.”
She watches as I move around the kitchen, depositing the dirty dishes in the sink. “You make it sound so heroic.”
I catch her eye, giving her a faint grin. “That’s my job.”
She rolls her eyes again, but there’s a hint of a smile tugging at her lips, too. “All right, Lincoln. So, what’s the plan for the rest of today?”
I rinse the plates, the water hissing over the last bits of egg. “We lay low, keep trying to confirm Rolfe’s whereabouts. Check to see if any new threats come in. If he contacts you again, we might glean something from the message.”
She sighs, looking around the cozy kitchen as if it’s a prison cell. “Fine. But the second we have a hint of where Rolfe is, we’re out of here.”
“Agreed.” I turn off the tap and wipe my hands on a dish towel.
When I glance back at her, she’s sipping her coffee, eyes steady on me. There’s a challenge in her gaze, but also something more—curiosity, maybe. Caution. It occurs to me we’ve never really spent much time alone together outside of the office. Sure, we’ve had the occasional run-in at team events, or passing conversations about files. But this? Living under the same roof, strategizing together? It’s all uncharted territory.
“Well,” she says softly, setting her mug down. “I guess we should get to work.”
I nod, crossing the small distance between us. “Yeah. Let’s see if we can figure out where Rolfe’s hiding.”