make her a plate.”
They followed him into the kitchen and he rummaged in the fridge for sandwich makings.
“Mallory already verified the women we’re looking for are there, and we have the keycard. She seems to think we need to move quickly,” Mason said.
“Agreed,” Zach replied.
“How much time do we have?” he asked Zach. “When is she supposed to go back?”
“I’ll verify with her, but I think not until this weekend. Five days.”
“That’s good. We can work with that,” Carter said. “We need at least that for a workable plan.”
“And what is the plan?” Zach asked.
“We’re gonna hijack a truck. Then Gabe is gonna hijack their security,” Mason said smugly as the other man joined them.
“I thought you said you couldn’t get into their system.”
“Not from here. But if I’m inside? Piece of cake.” Gabe held up the copied keycard he’d made.
“Do I want to know how you think you can pull this off?”
Mason shook his head, but there was something in his expression that made Zach uneasy. “What?”
“A lot to work out still,” Mason said. “Give us a day or two to come up with the details.”
“Fine, but I want Mallory out,” he said.
He knew by the look Brax and Mason exchanged that wasn’t likely. Brax shrugged and Zach resisted the urge to punch him. “If she wants out, but we’ll probably need her at least one more day.”
Zach didn’t respond. They knew how pissed the idea made him. He shoved a stack of sandwiches in a bag and grabbed a couple of Coke cans. He needed to get to Mallory. He had to see she was safe and try to talk her out of this insanity, though he feared even with her recent scare it was a lost cause.
Nodding to his so-called friends, he backed out the door. “Fill me in later.”
Now it was time to comfort his woman.
Chapter Eight
Brad was with her every step of the way, so she didn’t rush to the house, but once there she waved him away and locked the door. Alone, she leaned back against it. That was when the shakes started.
Adrenalin, she told herself. Just a delayed reaction to fear and excitement. A hot shower would help, Zach was right about that, but no bath. She was afraid if she got in the big tub she’d never want to get out. She felt like an old woman, tired and drained and all used up, as she made her way through the living room, then the upstairs to the master bedroom.
Zach hadn’t changed anything from her plans for the house, and as near as she could tell, everything she’d left at the old place had been moved here. She approached the closet with trepidation. After her hospitalization, her brothers had brought a few of her things. She’d never mentioned what was missing. Makeup, perfume, books. Clothes. The things Zach had always liked to see her wear.
She’d spent a few days in this house. Resisting Zach and the change she sensed in him. Living out of her suitcase. Which would be a problem unless the laundry fairy had come while she was at work, and she was pretty sure that hadn’t happened. She had a gym bag in the trunk of her car and considered going to search for it, then decided that was probably a waste of time and energy. She’d bet the contents of her retirement fund that somewhere in this house were several boxes of her things.
They weren’t hard to find. There were two closets in the master bedroom. She knew which was Zach’s because he never shut the door all the way. She opened the other. The boxes were stacked against the back wall. The first she opened contained what she was looking for. She ignored the dresses and found a pair of soft purple lounging pants and a matching tee to wear with it.
In the bathroom she set the knobs to hot in the walk-in shower, ignoring the big soaking tub, and stripped off her scrubs. She only stayed under the spray long enough to wash and warm up.
She found Zach waiting for her in the living area after she got out, dried and dressed. The
They followed him into the kitchen and he rummaged in the fridge for sandwich makings.
“Mallory already verified the women we’re looking for are there, and we have the keycard. She seems to think we need to move quickly,” Mason said.
“Agreed,” Zach replied.
“How much time do we have?” he asked Zach. “When is she supposed to go back?”
“I’ll verify with her, but I think not until this weekend. Five days.”
“That’s good. We can work with that,” Carter said. “We need at least that for a workable plan.”
“And what is the plan?” Zach asked.
“We’re gonna hijack a truck. Then Gabe is gonna hijack their security,” Mason said smugly as the other man joined them.
“I thought you said you couldn’t get into their system.”
“Not from here. But if I’m inside? Piece of cake.” Gabe held up the copied keycard he’d made.
“Do I want to know how you think you can pull this off?”
Mason shook his head, but there was something in his expression that made Zach uneasy. “What?”
“A lot to work out still,” Mason said. “Give us a day or two to come up with the details.”
“Fine, but I want Mallory out,” he said.
He knew by the look Brax and Mason exchanged that wasn’t likely. Brax shrugged and Zach resisted the urge to punch him. “If she wants out, but we’ll probably need her at least one more day.”
Zach didn’t respond. They knew how pissed the idea made him. He shoved a stack of sandwiches in a bag and grabbed a couple of Coke cans. He needed to get to Mallory. He had to see she was safe and try to talk her out of this insanity, though he feared even with her recent scare it was a lost cause.
Nodding to his so-called friends, he backed out the door. “Fill me in later.”
Now it was time to comfort his woman.
Chapter Eight
Brad was with her every step of the way, so she didn’t rush to the house, but once there she waved him away and locked the door. Alone, she leaned back against it. That was when the shakes started.
Adrenalin, she told herself. Just a delayed reaction to fear and excitement. A hot shower would help, Zach was right about that, but no bath. She was afraid if she got in the big tub she’d never want to get out. She felt like an old woman, tired and drained and all used up, as she made her way through the living room, then the upstairs to the master bedroom.
Zach hadn’t changed anything from her plans for the house, and as near as she could tell, everything she’d left at the old place had been moved here. She approached the closet with trepidation. After her hospitalization, her brothers had brought a few of her things. She’d never mentioned what was missing. Makeup, perfume, books. Clothes. The things Zach had always liked to see her wear.
She’d spent a few days in this house. Resisting Zach and the change she sensed in him. Living out of her suitcase. Which would be a problem unless the laundry fairy had come while she was at work, and she was pretty sure that hadn’t happened. She had a gym bag in the trunk of her car and considered going to search for it, then decided that was probably a waste of time and energy. She’d bet the contents of her retirement fund that somewhere in this house were several boxes of her things.
They weren’t hard to find. There were two closets in the master bedroom. She knew which was Zach’s because he never shut the door all the way. She opened the other. The boxes were stacked against the back wall. The first she opened contained what she was looking for. She ignored the dresses and found a pair of soft purple lounging pants and a matching tee to wear with it.
In the bathroom she set the knobs to hot in the walk-in shower, ignoring the big soaking tub, and stripped off her scrubs. She only stayed under the spray long enough to wash and warm up.
She found Zach waiting for her in the living area after she got out, dried and dressed. The
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