The flight had lasted only a couple of hours. He could definitely use a little more sleep. “Good idea.”
“Take care of him, Jessie,” Reese said to her.
Jessie went up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I promise I’ll do my best.”
Bran shook Reese’s hand and clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, bro. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“Just try to stay alive, okay?”
Bran flicked a glance at Jessie and repeated her words. “I’ll do my best.”
The U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego was an elegant, five-star, historic hotel with marble floors, molded ceilings, and crystal chandeliers. Potted palms and rosewood furniture decorated the lobby.
“It’s gorgeous,” Jessie said as they walked into their suite, which was done in the same old-world traditional motif.
“Leave it to my brother.”
“I really liked him. He clearly loves you very much.”
Bran glanced away, uncomfortable with the sentiment. “Both our parents are dead. My brothers and I...we take care of each other.”
“So I noticed.” She glanced around the luxurious suite. “They’ve already brought our bags up. Do you want to shower? You didn’t get to take one this morning. Or would you rather eat? You didn’t have that much on the plane. I could call room service.”
He walked over and eased her into his arms, gave her a gentle kiss. “I’m pretty sure there’s a big bathtub in there. I’d like a nice long soak, some food, and then some sleep.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Long as you join me. Since you’re still recovering, I promise to behave myself.”
Jessie arched a brow. “All right. But I’m not making the same promise.”
Bran laughed. Grabbing her hand, he headed for the bathroom. It turned out to be a huge marble affair with a separate glass-enclosed shower and big jetted tub. He really needed that soak. And other things...
Six hours later he awoke feeling better than he had in days, Jessie curled against him in a deep, untroubled sleep. With her features relaxed and a faint smile on her lips, she looked beautiful.
She was smart and brave and loyal. She had put herself at risk for him more than once, and he knew she would do it again. The stitches on the side of her head reminded him of the gut-wrenching moments when the plane had gone down and his terrible fear when he had realized she was unconscious and bleeding. Yesterday she could have died.
Something soft unfolded inside him as he watched her, something he had never felt for a woman before. He was afraid to put a name to it, afraid of what it might mean.
He glanced at the clock as he rolled out of bed, careful not to wake her. Five p.m. They had slept most of the day, but there was still work to do.
Grabbing fresh clothes out of the suitcase and his Glock off the nightstand, he padded into the living room, picked up the hotel phone, and ordered coffee and a couple of sandwiches for a late lunch. Then he got an outside line and phoned Hunter Brady.
“It’s Bran Garrett, Hunt. I need to talk to you about Mara Ramos.” Hunt had been keeping tabs on Ramos since Bran had asked for his help.
“Where are you?”
“San Diego.”
“I’m in the office. Just got back from Ramos’s apartment. If it works for you, we can meet here.”
“Works great, I’m not far away. We need to eat something, then we’ll be there. An hour should do it.”
“We? You’ve got Jessie with you?”
He’d been as straight with Hunt, a former police detective, as possible. They had worked together before, and Bran trusted him. “She’s here. She’s had a rough time, but she’s okay. I’ll tell you about it when I see you.”
Next he phoned Tabby, identifying himself since he knew she wouldn’t recognize the hotel number.
“Hi, stranger,” Tabby said. “How are things in the Mile High City?”
“Long gone from there. I need you to check out my phone, make sure it’s not giving away any secrets, including my location.”
Before he’d found the bug in Jessie’s purse, Weaver and his crew had tracked her to Dallas, then back to the airstrip in Colorado Springs where they had landed. He figured that was how they knew about his plane, but he had to be sure.
“Your phone’s got state-of-the-art encryption,” Tabby said. “But I’ll take a look.”
“Thanks. Anything new on the offshore accounts?”
“Not so far. These guys are really good, but I’ve still got a few tricks I haven’t used. I took a look at your guy