“What can I do?” Brigid asked.

He turned. The color was back in her face, and with her skin so freshly scrubbed, she looked young and innocent. Her eyes had lightened to the color of a meadow in a Kentucky spring, beautiful and clear. “Get in the bed,” he said, his voice rougher then he’d intended. Then he pressed a finger to his lips. There was no way to tell if the room was still bugged or not.

“Backup?” she mouthed.

He nodded. “Wolfe,” he mouthed back. Unfortunately, Wolfe was at least a mile or two away and couldn’t reach them quickly. “I told you to get into bed.”

Her eyebrows rose, but she did as he said, crossing the room and sliding beneath the covers. He turned off the bedroom light and moved silently to the reading nook, taking a seat where he could watch the backyard area. The moon was high and dim, but he could make out figures below. He looked back toward the bed for a brief moment. The light slid inside the room enough to make her visible. “’Night, Brigid.”

“’Night,” she said softly, watching him.

He watched the outside for about an hour, memorizing the movements of the guards. Their pattern was well thought out and even better organized, but he still calculated the best route to the dock on the ocean below. As far as he could see, there was only one boat. The open garage revealed several vehicles. If they had to make a run for it, a car would be faster than a boat and get them where they needed to go.

Why the heck hadn’t Force called yet?

Raider’s body ached and his head felt sluggish. The concussion from Sean’s punch would’ve been enough pain without the impact of a fight with Eddie’s guards earlier. But at least he’d knocked two of them out.

Shaking off the pain, he moved for the bed, leaving his T-shirt and jeans on the floor, taking out his phone. If he didn’t get some decent sleep, he’d be useless the next day. He slid under the covers and quickly texted Force. Where the heck are you? Have the journal?

A text came back immediately from Force: Here with West and Sean. Journal not in our possession yet. Will contact you immediately when it is. No worries.

No worries? That wasn’t good. They should definitely have the journal by now if it had been where Sean claimed. Had the old farmer lied? Bastard. Force had only added the “no worries” in case anybody else read the text. There was something wrong.

“Everything okay?” Brigid asked sleepily, rolling toward him.

His chest heated. “Yes.” His body vibrated with need. When was the last time he’d had sex, anyway? Way too long ago, and anyway, it was the woman next to him he wanted. None other right now. What was it about her?