***
Alace
She remained seated in her chair after disconnecting with Owen. Staring blankly at the screen, she didn’t see the reams of information scattered across the display in a variety of documents. Her mind’s eye was stuck on the image of Owen holding the unconscious young boy to his chest, as if he had transformed into a father about to put an exhausted child to bed after a day full of wholesome and character-building activities. The way he’d handled the boy laid out on the table had told the same story, Owen keeping at least one protective hand on the child’s form in case he moved. He’d been still and quiet, this boy named Kelly, this ghost who’d simply happened to stumble on the campsite of a man uniquely positioned to help him.
Alace had never believed in coincidences.
Even when it meant the alternative placed the boy as a pawn in a game she didn’t yet see, poised to target her friend in a way that had the potential to erase his whole world. And if Owen lost the chance to do the missions, as he called them? It wouldn’t be pretty. Might as well take him out myself if that happens.
There was no way Alace could have stated her concerns at the time, not using text as she was, and not with Owen halfway across the country from where she sat in her bedroom. He’d have gotten pissed and shut her out. She knew, because it was how she would have reacted if someone had done the same. His self-assigned mission right now was entirely about that boy. Owen was hyper-focused on Kelly’s health and safety, and part of his fixation was going to include finding the sister and bringing her home. Anything that got in the way of that would be kicked to the curb. Fast.
Since communication was the most critical element for what they did, distance didn’t normally matter. Given the methods they’d chosen—talking their way through a job still meant instantaneous communication as long as there was connectivity, no matter if it was text, voice, or video.
For a conversation of this magnitude, Alace wanted to have at least voice. Better would be a vid call, where miniscule variances, including simple nuance of tone, could be mapped and categorized. Even as measured and controlled as the two of them were, Owen had his tells. As do I.
Better yet? A surprise visit to Owen’s edge-of-town home in northern New Jersey.
Alace glanced over her shoulder at Eric, unsurprised to find him studying her with a steady gaze.
“Nope. You are exceedingly pregnant and can’t even tie your own shoes. No way. You are not flying off to wherever it was Owen is.”
It was annoying sometimes how well he knew her.
Straightening to face the computer again, she mentally ran through the list of things Owen had asked for. Some would be a simple online order to a grocery store for delivery. One or two would require more personal handling to get what was necessary in the timeframe within which they needed to work. Huh. Now it’s both of us in this. She shook her head and clicked on an anonymous browser within a remote session window.
“I know I can’t go.” At her words, Eric stirred behind her, the covers rustling as he shifted closer. Fingers flying over the keys, she gathered items into her cart, adding in a variety of additional options. She set up a concierge delivery, which would be handled expeditiously, then waited for the confirmation message. Heat bloomed across her skin as Eric’s hands landed on her shoulders, strong fingers wrapping around and holding loosely. “But something’s not right. There are things I can’t tell you, but trust me when I say I’m fairly confident this isn’t what it looks like.”
Another remote window gave her the option of logging into another network, which she did, and then she accessed a drive on a different cloud-based system. The display had a half a dozen coded names, and she studied the ones that glowed a light green. Of the three available assets, she selected the one she knew would be positioned closest to where Owen lived and initiated contact.
As she waited for the response, she looked up at Eric, finding his gaze fixed on her, not the computer screen. As always, he only saw her, and she smiled, lifting her chin with a demand he quickly gave in to, bending deep and brushing his mouth across hers.
“I love you,” she whispered as he pulled back, warmed inside when his gorgeous eyes softened with pleasure. “I’m worried about him. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
Alace was unable to avoid a tiny flinch when that last sentence escaped. The guilt she continued to feel over a near-miss with the pregnancy early on didn’t seem to be fading. Eric was bothered every time the remorse surfaced, so she tried to keep the feeling in check as much as possible. He and the doctor had both assured Alace her miscalculation around how much activity was okay was normal, but the idea she could have hurt Eric by what she still saw as her selfishness wouldn’t go away.
“Beloved.” His voice rumbled against her skin, his lips skating along the edge of her jaw until he nibbled and plucked at the lobe of her ear. “Of course you wouldn’t. You love her.”
“I do.” It was truth, and something that still surprised Alace sometimes. Not that she could have feelings for this baby, an extension of Eric who she loved with all her heart—but the depth of those emotions. “So much.”
“I wish he were closer so we could do more to help him.” Eric pulled back, his gaze pensive. “It feels wrong to simply sit here and do nothing.” His eyes closed, and he danced the tip of his nose alongside hers. “But I trust you to take care of our friend. And I’ll take care of you. Sometimes that taking care is reminding you of the changes in our lives. That’s all, Alace. It wasn’t a dig or anything. You know I was never angry or upset. Innocence in intent.”
“I like when you take care of me.” The idea of innocence being credited to her was humorous, so Alace offered Eric a quirked grin when his eyes flashed open, his expression hooded in response to her sultry and teasing tone. “All the time, mister.”
“My baby always needs me.” Soft lips touched hers and moved gently, placing tiny kisses at each corner of her mouth. “Love you so much, Alace.”
He straightened and glanced at the computer screen, then back at her. “I’ll go get you some snacks. Put your feet up until I get back.” She nodded, and he lifted a hand from her shoulder, traveling across her skin to caress the nape of her neck. The touch left a trail of heat behind that in different circumstances would have turned to arousal. Eric’s words reminded her of the needs at hand. “Do your thing, get Owen what he needs, then start digging and figure out why this kid just happened to stumble into his path. That doesn’t add up.”
“Right?” Alace shook her head, her single-word exclamation admitting her concern on that point. Eric was still laughing as he walked from the room, and she settled back at the keyboard. When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she muttered to the screen, “Even Eric the lawyerly says so.”
Three hours later, she’d messaged with Owen a dozen times, following his progress with the boy into the rooms where there were cameras and screens. Kelly had woken enough to eat some of the pho she’d had delivered, Owen having to handle the utensils needed for the chicken and noodles. The boy’s fever had gone down, but his coughing was still worrisome to hear. Alace had gone back and forth between the desk and the bed, and back again a couple of times, switching from the computer to a tablet as needed. Kelly was sleeping now, in what appeared to be a true, restorative sleep, and it was time for the difficult conversation she and Owen needed to have.