to take her again, he would never be able to reach all of the money.
When they finished, the lawyer stood and walked us to the lobby.
“If you have any questions, big or small, call me. I’ll be happy to help.”
“Thank you, Mr. Nolan,” Michelle said.
He nodded and went back to his office as the receptionist called us another cab.
While we waited outside, Michelle’s stomach growled.
“Hungry?” I asked.
“More homesick than hungry. Can we just go straight to the airport and see if we can get an earlier flight?”
“Of course.”
There was no reason for us to linger. Blake had played his hand. And, Michelle had played hers.
The cab pulled up, and I opened the door for her. She took her time sliding in, but her care didn’t help. I still felt her pain and was glad she was ready to go home. She’d been through enough. Since the beginning I’d had the need to keep her safe, but the events of the last twenty-four hours were skyrocketing that need.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as we drove toward the airport.
Grey turned to look at me, a knowing glint in his eyes. I glanced at Michelle and shrugged, not wanting to lie to her or make her feel smothered.
She slipped her hand into mine and leaned against me.
“Is this something I have to figure out for myself? Because, if it is, I have to say it will be awhile. I’m fried. I just want to get home and be with you, my brothers, and...well, my family.”
Her family. Hearing her say it soothed me.
“Nothing’s wrong.” I kissed the top of her head, glad we were feeling the same need for home.
“Are you feeling neglected? Like it was a bite and run?”
I choked a bit, and Grey howled with laughter in the front seat.
“Turn around, Grey,” Carlos said. I appreciated his attempt at help but knew Grey wouldn’t listen. My discomfort was way too amusing for him.
“No,” I said, stroking my thumb over the back of her hand. “I’m just worried about you.”
“I’m here. I’m fine.” Love washed over our link a moment before she reached for me and pulled me down for a long kiss.
When she pulled back, her face was flushed and her scent sweet.
“Enough of that, I think,” she said.
I nodded reluctantly, flicking a glance at the driver and the quietly grinning Grey. There would be plenty of time later. We had a lifetime ahead of us.
It didn’t take much longer before the cab pulled up to the airport drop-off. Everything was relatively quiet as we took our bags and paid the driver. It took a while to find an earlier flight, but it was worth it when Michelle heard we would be taking off in an hour.
“Let’s find something to eat,” I said when we had our tickets.
It wasn’t hard to find a place to eat. We followed our noses to a restaurant that was emitting a mouthwatering, smoked meat smell. Grey was quick to lead us toward a back booth. He patted the seat next to him and looked at Carlos.
“Come here, honey,” he said with a laugh.
Carlos sighed and sat down. Grey would never give up on trying to lighten Carlos up.
Michelle slid into the opposite booth and picked up the menu as I sat beside her. When the server came to take our orders, I let him know our flight time and then asked if he could make me two half-pound burgers on the rare side. Grey and Carlos asked for the same while Michelle ordered a BLT. Once the server left, Michelle turned to me.
“So how did you find me?”
“Your blood.” The memory of seeing it smeared across the door would give me nightmares for the rest of my life. She squeezed my hand in comfort, and Grey took up the story.
“It was on your room’s door. We followed the scent trail out the side door. From there, we picked up the scent of the car. They had eyes watching the route, and we ran into a bit of trouble that slowed us down.”
“How many?” she asked.
“Enough,” Grey said. “But, not too much for Carlos here to handle.” Grey nudged Carlos with a grin. Carlos didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to look at the baseball game on the television.
“Thank you,” she said.
The server brought us our bill just in time for us to pay and walk back for boarding. Tension gripped Michelle. I understood and held her hand.