“We’ll need more rules, though” I said. “I’ll take this trundle.”
“Abe, the bed next to me is—” she started.
I shook my head. “I cannot sleep in a bed near you, Sloane.”
Lust carved ragged edges into the words, and I saw the way they affected her—the tangible arousal writ across her face.
“Okay,” she whispered. “No touching. No sleeping together. No kissing.”
“At least I’ll be able to see you steal my things if we’re staying in the same room together,” I managed, trying to be light.
She grinned, looking shy. “And I’ll finally get to see what a man like you does on vacation.” Sloane bit her lip. “Partners, still?”
“Partners,” I promised. There was more to discuss now, more than this electric chemistry. We’d been interrupted before I could tell Sloane the conclusion that had smacked me upside the head the moment my brain had a second to process everything that had happened tonight: the attack, the fire, the threats, the destruction of our things. The giant auction, the many suspects, the vastness of London.
I needed Codex.
I needed my team. I needed four brilliant minds to shoulder this burden and help me. What good was a vigilante manhunt against Bernard Allerton if I failed because I didn’t—wouldn’t—do what was right and necessary? Because I clearly wasn’t my ghost of a father. I’d run to Sloane in the middle of the night, protected her. Had turned to her when I was vulnerable, felt the pain of her pain. I wanted to do right by my team—overly protect them and ensure their safety at all costs. I wanted to do right by Sloane—keep her close, guard her from any dangers lurking in the corners. I could only be like my father if I remained bound to my pride and blind to my own vulnerabilities. It had taken a raven-haired bombshell with a skill set that rivaled my own to bring me to my knees and my senses.
“Since we’re still partners,” I said, “I need to talk to you about something important.”
She was instantly wary. “Okay.”
I slipped my hands into my pockets, fully knowing now what we needed to do. I wasn’t sure how Sloane was going to take it. Her thirst for revenge was as real as mine. But her walls and her fear and her resistance to working with a team were also very real. Technically this was her client, her career, her contract to win or lose.
“This case, this work we’re doing, has gone from zero to sixty in a matter of hours. As talented as the two of us are together, as partners, I’m worried the auction will be overwhelming, and we’ll miss our one shot to catch a thief in the act. I always believed that Bernard was here in London. Now I’m as sure as ever.”
“Which means?” she asked.
I couldn’t decipher her tone. I forged ahead. “Which means I think it’s time I call Codex.”
29
Sloane
Rain thrashed against the hotel window, and every time I blinked, I swore I saw lightning. Tonight, this night of sharing a room with Abe, was not a good time to have a full-on panic attack because of a little thunder. Especially since the two of us were squaring off like caged lions, attuned to each other’s bodies, every small movement, every indication of vulnerability. Except, instead of the threat of physical attack, we were waiting to pounce on each other like sex-starved teenagers.
Which was how I ended up sitting against the headboard of the bed, blankets pulled around me, while Abe remained tall and impassive by the dresser.
Telling me he was going to call Codex.
“You want them… here?” I asked, surprised. A little shocked.
A little jealous although I loathed admitting it.
He looked to the side for a second. “You were extraordinarily accurate when you questioned my ability to pair up to capture a man who has always been my equivalent of the white whale. I’ve spent these past few days wrestling with that attitude, with this antiquated idea that Bernard was mine, and mine alone, to bring to justice. He has deeply impacted the lives of all four members of my team. Especially Henry. At first, I was genuinely concerned that if I told them why I was here, it would only get their hopes up. Only disappoint them when I—” He paused, toed the ground. “When I failed again.”
When Abe caught my eye, the fire there took my breath away. “But here’s the thing. I think we’re going to fucking