Page 15 of Covert Operation

I don’t know the last time someone said that to me and it stops me in my tracks. Hits me in a spot I didn’t know I still had. “I will.”

I’m still frozen in place after our call ends, staring at the wall across from me as her words settle over me. Sinking in deep.

Be careful.

She didn’t mean it any sort of way. Didn’t intend to insinuate she cared about my safety. Even if she does, it’s only because she needs my help.

That’s what it is. Her recovery depends on my safety. That’s why she said it.

“What the fuck are you still doing in here?” Quinn stands outside my office, his bag slung over one shoulder. “Aren’t we leaving for the airport in five minutes?”

I shake off the distraction Savannah caused and stand. “Five minutes is all I need.”

SEVEN

SAVANNAH

I END ZEKE’S call and stand in the middle of my destroyed condo.

It’s fine that he’s leaving. I can totally exist without him in Alaska. It’s not like he was following me around twenty-four hours a day making sure no one got close to me. The feeling of safety I’ve had these past few days wasn’t because of him, it was because I was finally taking steps to protect myself.

Mostly.

“This is fine.” I ignore the dumpster fire that is my main level and go back upstairs to the less out of control area. This place hasn’t felt like a home to me yet, but it will soon, damn it.

I was planning to go to headquarters today to help Elise for a few hours, but then I started going through all the packages I’ve accumulated over the past couple of days—all the result of my ordering extravaganza the other night. It’s barely seven in the morning, and I’m already up to my butt crack in stuff.

Cute stuff, but I’m still a little overwhelmed.

So maybe going in to help Elise is a good idea after all. It will give me time to wrap my head around all I have to do here. And maybe I’ll accidentally cross paths with Zeke before he leaves.

I check the time on my phone and go straight to my closet. I have about fifteen minutes before Elise leaves for headquarters. It will be tight, but I think I can make it work.

I strip out of my pajamas and pull on a long-sleeved floral dress with a cute ruched middle. After wrestling on a pair of thick tights, I quickly brush my hair and pull the top back, securing it with a ribbon that matches the blues of the dress.

I grab a cardigan in case I get chilly, slip into a pair of ankle boots, then I’m running down the stairs to collect my purse and coat.

Elise is just pulling out of the garage on the lowest level of her condo when I bounce out the front door, scrambling to zip the boots into place with one hand while I wave the other around, hoping to get her attention.

When she sees me, her brows lift, climbing higher as I hurry to the passenger side of her car. Not wanting to spend any more time out in the cold—and where my sister might see me getting a ride from someone who’s not her—I open the door and give Elise a smile. “Want company?”

Her eyes drift to Sadie’s condo then come back to where I stand, panting and flushed. “Sure.”

My sigh of relief fogs around my face. “Thanks.” I fall into the seat and buckle into place. “I really appreciate it.”

“You say that now.” Elise finishes backing out, breaking a little harder than I’m used to before shifting into drive. Her foot hitsthe gas and we take off, leaving my stomach sitting in front of our building.

At least I know we’ll be able to get away if anyone tries to follow us.

I grip my purse as we pass through the gate that prevents anyone without the code from coming into our little community, bracing for the acceleration I think is coming. And holy heck does it come. Elise drives the same way she works. Like a freaking tornado.

A tornado that might do more to get me back behind the wheel than any amount of car security will. I’ve been so afraid to drive myself around—worried it would put me in a vulnerable position—but sitting here beside Elise genuinely has me fearing for my life.

I wonder if Zeke would consider taking me out to practice driving in the snow as one of our morning meet-ups…

“Is Sadie not coming in this morning?” Elise takes a turn so fast I think two of the tires might have lost contact with the blacktop.

I’m so terrified to look away from the road—as if watching my doom would give me any power to stop it from coming—that my mouth works all on its own. “Sadie doesn’t go in until later in the day. She and Jamison get up early and work out in their basement together like weirdos.”