Page 8 of Operation Heartbeat
When the chopper hovered over a big orange circle drawn on the lawn, she held her breath.
Here? They were landing on the lawn?
The pilot set the aircraft down as light as a feather.
Con unfastened his seatbelt and removed his hearing protection. Sophie did the same and looped her arm through the handle of her bag. Without a single word to her, he tugged the bag from her, opened the door and jumped to the ground.
As she moved to follow, he gripped her hand. The rough, strong fingers wrapped around hers for only a blink before she was safely on solid ground. He strode away with her bag, leaving her no choice but to rush after him.
Each step she took toward the front of the house had her blinking to see if this was a mirage. Shehadto be hallucinating the luxury home. Even in the falling darkness, she picked out a majestic driveway lined with trees that were all pruned into the exact same size and shape.
The exterior had a Colonial flair, with two gables linking the pale gray brick expanses in between. Off to one side was a section that resembled half a castle tower, complete with crenelated top and fitted with three big bay windows, indicating there were three stories.
At the door, Con glanced back, catching her expression.
Sophie waved a hand. “The government usesthisas a base for a black ops team?”
In answer, he opened the door.
“Oh.” She scanned the interior that boasted grand windows and moldings. But the place was completely empty.
“My office is this way.”
She didn’t get time to geek out over the architecture or interior design of the home, but she hoped she would have a chance later.
She followed Con. His heavy boots thumped on the marble floors. Her own rubber-soled boots that were good for hoofing it across campus made no sound as she tailed behind.
He pushed open a door and set her bag on the floor inside the room.
Okay, there was furniture here at least. But it was the cold, hard, metal, government-issue variety. A spartan desk was centered in the space with a closed laptop on the surface and two metal chairs on the opposite side.
She looked around at the high dark wood bookcases built into two walls. Tipping her head to eye the shelves she was already coveting for her own home, she issued a low whistle. “This place must hold a thousand books.”
Con shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
She spied his desk chair. “Ooh. This is a really nice chair.”
The black leather had thick padding. She ran her fingers over the arm. “Adjustable arms? And tilt and recline features?” She touched the back.
Con stared at her as if he wasn’t sure what to make of her questions.
“You don’t have to tell me if it’stop secret.”
Amusement creased his eyes for a moment, but vanished just as fast. “I bought the chair. It’s for gamers.”
“Do you game?”
“No. But if I’m spending time at my desk, I wanted something besides hard metal.”
She straightened from inspecting the lever that raised and lowered the chair and shot him a look. “When do I get to see the cryptogram?”
He nodded toward his chair. “Sit down.”
“Here?”
He offered her a flat look that warned her just how grumpy this man could be even as the expression made her lips twitch. She bit down on her bottom lip to hold back a smile.
When she sank to the plush depths of the chair, the scent of rich leather enveloped her. Con leaned over her, and she drank in another scent.