YVONNE COULDN'T SEE THE house. Even the grass a few feet in front of her was blurry.She lifted a hand and swiped at her face, doing her best to stem the tears. There was a difference between knowing her place in the family, and others seeing it. She'd always played the role of the dutiful daughter, content to work in the shadows, because she was part of something. Yes, Theodore had a bad habit of not passing along the praise for her work, but he had a lot on his plate, too. It wasn't like he sat back doing nothing. They each did their part.Instead of heading for the patio, she cut through the grass toward the old oak tree and the tree house. As kids Theodore used to say she wasn't allowed inside because she was a girl, but Douglas would sneak her up when their oldest brother wasn't looking. They'd spent happier days up there.The old oak was on the east side of the yard, twenty or so feet from the fence. She didn't remember when the landscaping company had put in the stone path
Wednesday. Location, Kyoto, Japan.SAMUEL LOCKED HIS OFFICE door before tapping on the email his contact had sent him. Assuming control of the company was going relatively smoothly now that he had a few crucial people on his side. His next steps had to be about protecting himself.So far he'd managed to eliminate those Yakuza who knew he was their intended target, not Sato. The Lyme employees were pathetic pencil pushers that had the unfortunate luck to find themselves indebted to the wrong people.That left only one loose end.The drone.He skimmed the email then tapped the attachment.A document popped up. He turned the phone sideways for a better view of the images detailing the personal security and surveillance drone. The very one someone had used to kill his brother.The tech specs were most important. He'd already seen how well it shot bullets.There.A full grid listed out the spectrum of image and-fuck me-video capability. Another section detailed the audi
Wednesday. Grimaldi Place, Chevy Chase, MD.YVONNE TIP TOED INTO the kitchen. She could hear Theodore's voice echoing off the walls, doing his best to capture the attention of the family. He really was a great brother.She grabbed bread, peanut butter, a banana and knife, stacked it on top of her laptop and headed for the stairs. Her to-do list was full of things she couldn't write down like, find a doctor that wouldn't tattle on her to her parents.Loaded down with her bounty, she scurried across to the rear stair and up to the second floor. She held her breath all the way to her bedroom door and didn't breathe until she'd ducked inside.She dumped her things on the desk then changed back into her pajamas and out of her dusty wrap dress. So much for looking nice enough to escape criticism today. That done, she set about making herself a sandwich.Or tried to.She got as far as opening the jar of peanut butter before the scent had her stomach churning. Her shaking hands
Wednesday. Grimaldi Place, Chevy Chase, MD.NOLAN STARED UP AT the ceiling.He'd gone to bed fixated on one thing, the image of Yvonne's face, the surprise and hurt etched into her features at his words. It was clearer now that he'd had some sleep.Why did he have to open his God damn mouth?He rolled out of bed and onto his feet.Yvonne was under his skin. He didn't know how or when it had happened, but that was the truth. There were no rules for how to handle this situation. At least not rules he knew.He checked the time.Dinner was scheduled to be there soon, which would leave a few hours for him to do other things before he went on shift.The need to talk to Yvonne ate at him. But she'd never shared her phone details, and he wasn't keen on talking to her through a device. No, he wanted to see her in person.None of the guys had cracked on him about the activity report findings, but the way they looked at him said they'd all drawn their own conclusions. If he w
Wednesday. Grimaldi Place, Chevy Chase, MD.YVONNE STARED AT HER phone, waiting for Tabby's next message. She wished she could talk to Tabby, but twelve hours time difference and shoddy reception in the remote part of Japan Tabby was currently in made that impossible.Yvonne scrolled back through the messages from the last half hour.I can't believe you didn't tell me!I've checked all flights. There's no way I can get back before Sunday.I wish I could be there for you tomorrow.Tabby was really the best friend a girl could ask for. Yvonne wished Tabby could be there at the clinic, but the need to know was more pressing than her need for a hand to hold.Maybe Yvonne could video chat Tabby in on the appointment when it was time to get the results back. Even that virtual hand holding might be better than nothing.A rhythmic knock on the door brought Yvonne back to the present.She powered her screen off, locking the phone, and slid it under her pillow.
NOLAN SHOULD BE HAPPY with Yvonne's forgiveness. Getting to hold her was a boon he hadn't expected. He was fairly certain if he'd kept kissing her she'd have melted in his arms, but he couldn't do that when he knew she was holding back from him. Under the blush and flirty looks was a wary shadow he didn't know how to chase away. He could only stick with her and hope that he'd prove-what? Where did he think this was going?They'd had a great time in Vegas. Yesterday and today proved that they had chemistry. But what did that amount to? Or was sex her goal? Was she only interested in him for the orgasms?He lifted a hand and smoothed her hair behind her ear, giving him a clear view of her face. Her lashes were dark against her pale skin. This close he could see a faint smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks.She reached for his hand and pulled it back around her waist.Nolan chuckled and kissed her hair.If sex was what she wanted that made things a lot easier.His c
Nolan sat up and glanced at the clock.He had a little more than an hour till he needed to report for his shift. He wanted a good twelve hours with Yvonne, but he'd take what he could get. For now.Yvonne stepped out of the bathroom, completely naked, holding a strip of three condoms."Fucking..."His mouth dried up and his body went tight. All his blood rushed to his groin.Yvonne hid a luscious body under all those conservative outfits. Generous breasts and a round ass, she was made for a man's hands.She sauntered toward him, her hair curling down over the tops of her breasts."You're over-dressed," she said.The hell he was.He reached down and yanked his polo over his head.Yvonne tipped her head to the side and stared at his Kevlar vest. "That's new.""Not really." He yanked the straps securing it into place then slid out of it and placed the vest on the foot of the bed."Do these work?" She placed her fingertips on the vest."Yeah.""Good. I like you
Thursday. Grimaldi Place, Chevy Chase, MD.THE ONLY THING YVONNE had ever snuck out of was a party. If she'd known giving her parents, the slip was so easy she might have tried it a few times growing up. Too bad today's excursion wasn't about having illicit fun.She tugged at the seatbelt across her chest.Melody hadn't yet said a word to her, but the professional veneer had rubbed off a bit. She kept glancing at her phone, the rearview mirror. Her anxiety was going to rub off on Yvonne."Are we sure they won't have seen me get in the car?" she asked."It'll look like you went for a walk. When they can't get you back on camera, they'll call you and you can tell them you went back to the house. Your tracking device will support that claim. They'll spend the rest of the day doing tests to figure out the blind spot we don't have.""Oh." Yvonne slid down in her seat a little bit. "Thank you for doing this."The bubble of tension in the car seemed to pop and Melody glanced