replied. “Thank you for coming for me.”
He went silent as they drove back into the city, wondering if he hadn’t made a terrible mistake.
Chapter Three
When the door to the storage unit closed, Solo was finally able to take a deep breath. “Thank you so much for helping extract me.”
She turned to Walt, a lanky, unassuming genius of a man. She’d met him during her brief stay at The Garden a few weeks before.
Had that really only been weeks ago? It felt like she’d aged a decade in that time. It hadn’t been so long since she’d been forced to run with Beck and the others when The Garden had been raided. They’d used the secret exit that had taken them into underground London to an apartment not far from this garage of Damon’s. They’d taken this same sedate sedan and fled north to a country home.
She knew that for Tucker and his now wife Roni it had been a harrowing time, but for her it had been something different. For her it had meant spending time with Beck, having a few moments where he didn’t look at her like she was some kind of demon sent to steal his soul. For those few days, they’d relied on each other again.
“Hey, I’m happy to help. I was working on a couple of experiments. This totally livened up the day.” Walt gave her a broad smile and gestured to the woman who’d come with him. “Steph came along to make sure no one needed a stitch up. Apparently she’s way better with a suture than I am.”
Stephanie Carter was a pretty woman with shoulder-length brown hair and big, kind eyes. She was a physician, one who still worked as a GP. The Garden had a plethora of medical professionals. “Well, you’re an epidemiologist, not a general practitioner. I brought my kit. Ezra, looks like you got hit.”
He’d been grazed. She’d checked it out in the car when they’d felt safe enough to sit up. While she’d been laid out on the back seat, Beck’s big body covering hers, she’d felt safe. She’d felt like he still loved her.
It was time to wake up and face the truth.
Beck took off his shirt. “It’s already stopped bleeding. I don’t think it needs stitches. Burned like hell though. Did Brody and Nick make it back all right?”
Steph opened the bag she’d been carrying and pulled out a first aid kit. “They’re both good, and I think this was exactly what they needed. They’ve been feeling so dad-like these days. It’s good to get the old adrenaline up over something that isn’t baby related.”
Her gut knotted. She hadn’t thought about the fact that Brody and Nick had kids. “I’m sorry I dragged them into this.”
“They wouldn’t have come along if they hadn’t wanted to.” Beck hopped on the stool that sat by the table. Damon had completely replenished this way station since they’d used it all those weeks before. He’d replaced the water and food and weapons they’d taken with them while they’d hid from British intelligence.
Now she would hide from her own agency.
“Well, please let them know how much I appreciate it.” She didn’t know when she would be able to repay them. Likely never. In fact, she might not be able to pay for anything. She hadn’t even thought about it. “I need a computer. I need to figure out if he froze my accounts.”
Walt nodded. “There’s an encrypted laptop on the table. I thought you might need it. It’s set to ping around the globe a couple of times to mask its location. Feel free to use it. You can take it with you, and I’ve also included several burner phones. Expect a call from Big Tag at some point. He’s in a crabby mood, by the way. But then he usually is.”
Steph flashed a smile as she dabbed at the burn mark on Beck’s left arm. “He’s quite charming when he wants to be. Though it’s super early back in the States, so I don’t think he’s going to turn the charm on. Maybe he’ll take a nap or something.”
She seriously doubted it. The good news was she would thank him, ask him for any updates he had, and then let him off the hook. It wasn’t Big Tag’s job to save her. She’d actually burned the man a couple of times, though she hadn’t meant to. She’d done it because it was her job.
She didn’t have one of those anymore.
She stepped