keep. Two more weeks and it would finally be ready to move into. Then she’d have this cabin back for business and wouldn’t feel like I was pressuring her to move in together.
The fact that the house was next to Solitude and big enough for everyone was just a perk.
“Don’t worry. We didn’t do anything wrong. I promise. This is just a cursory visit.”
“She drove here from Denver, Beckett. Are you sure we don’t need Mark? There’s nothing cursory about this. It’s inconvenient to her and invasive to us.”
“Well, there is that,” I said, putting my arms around her. “We’ll call Mark if we have to, but I honestly think there’s nothing to worry about.”
When the door sounded again, I sighed. “Looks like she’s early. Yay.”
I left the warmth of Ella’s arms and opened the door to find— “Whoa. What are you doing here?”
The firm set of Donahue’s mouth told me it wasn’t by choice. “I was summoned. Apparently this is easier for security purposes than random visits to our ‘office.’” He held up air quotes.
“Come on in.”
He walked inside, adding his coat to the rack, and then pulling up a little short when he saw Ella.
“Ms. MacKenzie,” he said with a little nod.
“You were at Ryan’s funeral.” Her voice had gone soft.
I took her hand. “Ella, this is—”
“Captain Donahue,” he answered truthfully. “I already know the insurance demon told her.”
“Well, it’s nice to see you again. I’m sorry I wasn’t more personable at Ryan’s funeral. I was a little…out of sorts.”
“You were grieving. It’s understandable. Besides, Chaos told me so much about you that I already felt like I knew you.”
He couldn’t have shocked me more if he’d punched me in the nuts.
“Chaos,” Ella said that name like he was a freaking saint. “You knew him. Right. Same unit.”
Donahue’s eyes flew to mine, and I gave the slightest shake of my head, imperceptible to anyone else but someone who’d worked with me in situations where that movement was life and death.
Like right now.
He instantly gave Ella a reassuring smile. “Good guy. Crazy about you, I can say that.” This time his glance at me was definitely a little disapproving. “Gentry. How about we get some coffee.”
That was not a suggestion.
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll wait here. I think I see her car pulling in,” Ella said, her face almost against the door’s glass pane.
“What the hell are you doing?” Donahue asked as I made him a cup of coffee.
“What Mac asked.”
“And she doesn’t know?”
“Nope. And it needs to stay that way.” After the machine stopped hissing, I handed him the cup. I knew he liked his coffee like he liked his women, black and strong.
“You adopted her kids, and if my spidey senses are right, you’re sleeping with her, and she doesn’t—”
“The minute she knows, we’re done. You know what happened. She’ll kick me out of here so fast I’ll get whiplash. How the hell am I going to help her then? I hate it. But this is the way it is. The longer I waited to tell her, the deeper it got, and now we’re here.”
The door opened and shut, followed by the sound of two pairs of feminine steps headed our way.
“Damn it, Cha—” He shook his head. “Gentry.”
“Well, gentlemen. It’s nice to see you’re here and ready to start. I’m Danielle Wilson, and you must be Samuel Donahue and Beckett Gentry.” She looked to be in her midforties, with a sensible suit and minimal makeup. Her brown hair was pulled into a severe French twist, and a pair of glasses hung from her necklace.
My instincts told me she was out for blood. My blood.
“Coffee?” I offered.
“No, thank you. Shall we get started?”
We all gathered around the dining room table. Danielle sat at the head, spreading out folders and notebooks like she was prepping to study for finals. Ella sat next to me on one side, her hand firmly tucked in mine, and Donahue took the other side, leaning back in his chair and sipping his coffee.
Guy had always had a hell of a poker face.
But why would she have summoned him?
“Let’s get started. Mr. Gentry, would you please tell me how it is that you came to adopt Ms. MacKenzie’s children?” She put her glasses on, took out her pen, and braced it above a yellow steno pad.
Old school.
“I served in a unit with her brother, Ryan. He asked in his last letter that I come to Telluride and take care of his sister, Ella.”
She nodded, writing quickly. “May