Page 35 of Deadly Sins

“How are you feeling?” she asked, her voice still rough with sleep.

He shrugged, wincing as the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through his skull. “Not as bad as I would have expected,” he said, trying for a grin. “I’ll live.”

“Any chance you saw who hit you?”

He shook his head, making the room spin. “Not even close. Sorry.”

Kate’s eyes narrowed. He could practically see the fury bubbling up inside her. He knew that she was deadly serious about finding whoever had attacked him, about making them pay for what they’d done. And as much as he appreciated her concern, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease at the intensity of her anger.

Anger made people careless.

As Kate rose, gathering her things, he got out of bed and pulled on a long-sleeve tech shirt over his tee, wincing slightly as the movement tugged at his bruised ribs. He snagged a cookie from the tray on the table, savoring the sweet, buttery flavor as he turned his mind to the problem at hand. “Let’s make a plan. How long until the storm hits?”

Kate took a deep breath, visibly trying to rein in her anger. “Jimbo said it’ll be here tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. And it’s gonna be a big one. A couple days, at least.”

Fenn nodded, his mind already racing with possibilities. “Then we don’t have much time. I say enough with letting this jerk call the shots. It’s time we set a trap of our own.”

He could see the wheels turning in her head as she considered his words. “What do you have in mind?”

He grinned, savoring the rush of adrenaline at the prospect of turning the tables on their attacker.

“They were gone before I found you. They could be anywhere,” she acknowledged.

“Good point.” His mind was already mapping out the terrain, considering the most likely hiding spots and escape routes. But before he could get too far, Kate interrupted him, her voice cutting through his thoughts like a knife.

“We should call in the team.” Her tone left no room for argument.

Not that he would.

He blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in her demeanor. He’d expected her to want to handle this on her own, to keep her past and her pain private. But as he studied her face, he could see the determination in her eyes, the set of her jaw. She was ready to let their found-family in, to accept their support and their help.

A warm feeling bloomed in his chest, a mixture of pride and affection. He knew how hard it was for her to open up, to letothers see her vulnerability. But she was doing it now. For him. For their team.

It was a sign of how much she trusted them, how much she loved them.

“Copy that. It’s the smart play.”

But even as the words left his mouth, Fenn realized the flaw in their plan. He blew out a defeated breath. “Storm’s coming. There’s no way they can get here until it’s over.”

Kate smacked her forehead, a rueful grin tugging at her lips. “Duh. I didn’t think of that.”

Fenn couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression, at the way she could go from deadly serious to adorably chagrined in the blink of an eye. It was one of the things he loved most about her, the way she kept him on his toes, always surprising him.

“Maybe we should wait to contact them,” she suggested. “I don’t want them worrying about us when there’s nothing they can do.”

Fenn hesitated, not entirely loving the idea of keeping their team in the dark. But he couldn’t disagree with her logic.

“Alright. Once the storm clears, we’ll reach out to them. But in the meantime, we need to come up with a plan.”

He tapped his chin, considering their options. Given the coming weather, there weren’t many. “How about we interview every person in the settlement? What else are we gonna do for the next couple days?”

Plus, he wanted to check out the Marcus guy’s snowmobile.

Kate nodded, a glint of excitement in her eyes. “I like it.”

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, the weight of their newfound intimacy hanging heavy in the air. Fenn was heartened by Kate’s trust in him, but he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, imagining a future that might never happen. Just because she was thawing didn’t mean she was ready for a walk down the aisle.

Wanting to cut the tension, he patted his stomach. “It smells like Jimbo’s fired up breakfast.” If by breakfast, someone meant a skimpy buffet created by automated machinery. Still. It was salt and fat and assorted carbs. All good. “I’m starving. How about we talk deets over a plate of robot waffles?”