brows shot up. “But that’s not necessary. I already told you, I’m the one person that Boyd is never going to kill.”
“You’re right,” Carter said, giving a single nod. “He’ll do much worse, and, despite what you might think of me, I can’t allow that to happen.”
Tessa opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it closed just as fast. She could tell by the stubborn set of Carter Macmillan’s chin that she wasn’t going to win this one. Not with words anyway.
Fortunately, there were other ways.
“If you insist,” she said. “But if you’ll excuse me, I’m getting tired. I think I’m going to go lie down for a while.”
She propped her hands on the arms of the chair and lifted herself up.
Rhys wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll help you,” he said.
“I can make it on my own,” Tessa said.
Rhys gave her a skeptical look. “You’re sure?”
She certainly hoped so, because she needed to go a hell of a lot farther than the bedroom today.
“Positive,” she said, taking her first, slightly unstable, step. “Maybe you can walk your friends out instead. I’m sure they need to get back to the office.”
She paused and turned toward Carter as she passed him. He gave her another openly assessing look, one that made it clear he didn’t trust her at all.
Maybe the man wasn’t a total idiot after all.
***
“Well, that could have gone better,” Charlie said the moment that Tessa disappeared behind the bedroom door.
“It was successful enough,” Carter said, keeping his voice low. “We know a lot more than we did an hour ago. Boyd is after a weapon. Something big. A game changer.”
Carter started toward the kitchen where they would have more privacy. They all followed. Rhys stayed in the doorway where he could still keep an ear tuned to the rest of the house.
“ Was ,” Charlie said. “Tessa said she destroyed all traces of the thing.”
Rhys’ back teeth ground together as Carter and Jake both turned to look at him, waiting to see if he would say what they had all seen.
“She showed signs of deception,” Rhys admitted. There was no use denying it. The woman was a terrible liar. “But that doesn’t mean that she has the weapon that Boyd is after, or that she has any plans of selling it.”
“Why else would she lie?” Charlie asked, hopping up to sit on the kitchen counter.
“I don’t know,” Rhys said. He remembered the honesty shining in her eyes as she pleaded for him to believe that she hadn’t willingly created something deadly.
That wasn’t all that he’d seen there. She might not be telling him the whole truth, but she wasn’t lying about fearing for everyone’s life. He’d seen the desperation in her face, the worry, bordering on panic. The same frantic mix of emotions that she’d shown last night before trying to claw her way out of his car.
“I need you to find out what the good doctor is still hiding,” Carter said. His eyes narrowed. “Can you do that?”
Rhys stiffened.
Of course, he could . Carter knew that better than anyone. The man had seen Rhys pull information out of dozens of tougher subjects. What Carter was really asking was if he would .
“Do we have a problem?” Rhys asked.
“You tell me, Rhys. That was one hell of a good cop/bad cop show you put on a minute ago. So convincing that you almost fooled all of us.”
Rhys lifted his chin and met Carter’s gaze. His loyalty had never been called into question before. He didn’t like the feeling.
“Last night, a broken and bloody woman collapsed in my arms and I had to carry her away from a man I thought was my friend,” Rhys said plainly. “So, yes. I am committed to uncovering the truth. Probably more than anyone here.”
“Good,” Carter said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the kitchen counter. “I’ll expect a full report soon then.”
“It might take a little time,” Rhys said.
“We don’t have time.”
“Then we’ll make
“You’re right,” Carter said, giving a single nod. “He’ll do much worse, and, despite what you might think of me, I can’t allow that to happen.”
Tessa opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it closed just as fast. She could tell by the stubborn set of Carter Macmillan’s chin that she wasn’t going to win this one. Not with words anyway.
Fortunately, there were other ways.
“If you insist,” she said. “But if you’ll excuse me, I’m getting tired. I think I’m going to go lie down for a while.”
She propped her hands on the arms of the chair and lifted herself up.
Rhys wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll help you,” he said.
“I can make it on my own,” Tessa said.
Rhys gave her a skeptical look. “You’re sure?”
She certainly hoped so, because she needed to go a hell of a lot farther than the bedroom today.
“Positive,” she said, taking her first, slightly unstable, step. “Maybe you can walk your friends out instead. I’m sure they need to get back to the office.”
She paused and turned toward Carter as she passed him. He gave her another openly assessing look, one that made it clear he didn’t trust her at all.
Maybe the man wasn’t a total idiot after all.
***
“Well, that could have gone better,” Charlie said the moment that Tessa disappeared behind the bedroom door.
“It was successful enough,” Carter said, keeping his voice low. “We know a lot more than we did an hour ago. Boyd is after a weapon. Something big. A game changer.”
Carter started toward the kitchen where they would have more privacy. They all followed. Rhys stayed in the doorway where he could still keep an ear tuned to the rest of the house.
“ Was ,” Charlie said. “Tessa said she destroyed all traces of the thing.”
Rhys’ back teeth ground together as Carter and Jake both turned to look at him, waiting to see if he would say what they had all seen.
“She showed signs of deception,” Rhys admitted. There was no use denying it. The woman was a terrible liar. “But that doesn’t mean that she has the weapon that Boyd is after, or that she has any plans of selling it.”
“Why else would she lie?” Charlie asked, hopping up to sit on the kitchen counter.
“I don’t know,” Rhys said. He remembered the honesty shining in her eyes as she pleaded for him to believe that she hadn’t willingly created something deadly.
That wasn’t all that he’d seen there. She might not be telling him the whole truth, but she wasn’t lying about fearing for everyone’s life. He’d seen the desperation in her face, the worry, bordering on panic. The same frantic mix of emotions that she’d shown last night before trying to claw her way out of his car.
“I need you to find out what the good doctor is still hiding,” Carter said. His eyes narrowed. “Can you do that?”
Rhys stiffened.
Of course, he could . Carter knew that better than anyone. The man had seen Rhys pull information out of dozens of tougher subjects. What Carter was really asking was if he would .
“Do we have a problem?” Rhys asked.
“You tell me, Rhys. That was one hell of a good cop/bad cop show you put on a minute ago. So convincing that you almost fooled all of us.”
Rhys lifted his chin and met Carter’s gaze. His loyalty had never been called into question before. He didn’t like the feeling.
“Last night, a broken and bloody woman collapsed in my arms and I had to carry her away from a man I thought was my friend,” Rhys said plainly. “So, yes. I am committed to uncovering the truth. Probably more than anyone here.”
“Good,” Carter said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the kitchen counter. “I’ll expect a full report soon then.”
“It might take a little time,” Rhys said.
“We don’t have time.”
“Then we’ll make
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