Chapter Eighteen

Trying to sleep was a waste of time.

What was not a waste, however, was lying in bed with Claire in his arms.

She was asleep, her breathing soft and even. She whimpered every once in a while but would relax when his arms tightened. Like she knew she could trust him even when sleeping.

Now he had to earn that trust.

Which was probably why he couldn’t sleep to save his life.

So many factors, so many possibilities. A man like Ballard had a lot of connections, a lot of ties. Like a weed-strewn lawn. Pulling up everything they saw would only get them so far, since weeds spread underground, too. Tomorrow morning there’d be more, and more after that.

How to put an end to it once and for all?

He had to be smarter. Think clearer.

How was he supposed to think clearly when the only woman in the world who’d ever mattered was asleep in his arms, trusting him, needing him? It had never been as important as it was just then to rise above it all, look down at it, see it. Plan a way out.

It had never been more impossible.

She stirred and he went still, careful not to wake her. At least one of them should be well-rested.

But it was no use. She lifted her head from his chest, blinking away sleep. “Mmm?”

“Mmm?” Even now, he couldn’t help but grin at how cute she was.

“Did you say something?” Her voice was thick but still sweet.

“No. You might’ve been dreaming. Go back to sleep.”

“Not if you’re awake.”

“I’ll go to sleep, too,” he offered.

She touched his cheek with tender fingertips. “Something tells me you haven’t been asleep at all.”

“You’re sharp, Kitten.” He bent one arm, propping his head up on his forearm with a groan. “I’ve been too busy thinking to sleep. But one of us should, if we can.”

“I kept having bad dreams, anyway,” she admitted. “It’s easier to be awake, when my subconscious doesn’t make things seem so real.”

“I’m sorry.” He stroked her silky hair, letting it run between his fingers like a golden waterfall. When this was over, he would take a solid day and devote it to nothing but this—the simple pleasure of touching her.

“What are we going to do?” He knew it wasn’t a question she expected him to answer, at least not right away.

“We’ve spent all this time on the defensive, right? Running away, hiding, barely escaping. He hasn’t backed down an inch—if anything, it’s made him more determined than ever. He’s getting desperate. Going after the people who were once a part of your life, at least the ones he can trace. He figures he has to cut out anybody who could be helping you until you have nowhere left to turn.”

“Until I figure the only way out is to turn myself in,” she whispered, cringing. “Which is exactly the impulse I almost followed.”

“It’s not your fault. He knows you’re a decent person with a soul and a conscience. He might not have either for himself, but he knows they exist in other people. He wanted to prey on that. We’re still smarter than he is. We won’t fall into his trap.”

“So what will we do?”

“We’ll go on the attack. We’ll turn the tables on him.”

“How? He’ll know in a heartbeat if I try to hack him again. He’ll be waiting for that.”

“I know. I’m not talking about hacking.”

“What are you talking about?” She pushed herself up on one arm and looked down at him. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking we use his weaknesses against him.”

“How do you know he has any?”

“Everybody has a weakness, Kitten. One of the things I’ve had to learn in my business was how to figure out what those weaknesses are. They’re a way inside.” His breath caught when he realized what he was saying.

She knew it, too. “The way Ballard’s been using my weaknesses to flush me out.”

“I’m sorry.”

Chewing on her lip, she lifted a shoulder. “Okay. So, we’ll use my skills to find his weaknesses. You know by now that I can hack my way into anything. There’s got to be information about him somewhere—though knowing him, he’s done everything he can to hide it so nobody can find it.”

“We don’t have to find his personal weaknesses, per se.” He sat up, scrubbing his hands through his hair as the closest thing to a plan he’d come up with all night started to reveal itself.

“What does that mean?” In the early-morning light, he could clearly see the skepticism written all over her face.

“Think about it. A man like Ballard surrounds himself with a lot of people to do his dirty work. He thinks it keeps him safe, but what it does is leave him vulnerable. Because those people have weaknesses, and they’re more likely to leave their weaknesses where a person with your skills can find them. They don’t have the resources he does.”

“So we look them up, instead.” A smile began to dawn. “Of course.”

“I knew you’d understand.” He got out of bed, eager to get started. That was always the way. Once a path showed itself, he couldn’t wait to move.

Claire wasn’t so eager. “Where would we start?”

“Personally, I’d like to know more about those detectives who made it their mission to trail me and my brothers, Fisher and Arellano. One or both of them have to be in bed with Ballard, which means he’s either holding something over their heads or giving them money—again, because he’d know they need it for some reason. Which means you’d be able to find what he found. I know you can.”

“I’m glad you have that much confidence in me,” she said. “What if he has people monitoring their accounts or whatever, in case I go looking around?”

“What if he does?” Luke knelt beside the bed, taking her hands in his.

She drew a deep breath. “Right. Of course. I know how to be careful.”

“I know you do.”

Her shoulders squared and her jawline hardened. When she spoke, her voice was firm. “I can’t be afraid of what might happen. I only need to be prepared for it.”

He couldn’t have loved her more. “Exactly.” He kissed the backs of her hands before standing. “I know you can do it. You have what it takes. And once you’ve dug up all that information, you can give it to me and the boys. We’ll know what to do from that point.”

His brothers needed to know about this. He padded down to the kitchen to fix coffee—if ever there was a morning when he’d needed it—and once the aroma began to fill the air, he pulled out the burner phone he’d been using to keep in touch with them.

“I was just going to call you.” Brax’s voice was like a snarl. That, paired with the early time of the day, made Luke’s palms go slick with nervous sweat.

“What’s up?” He looked up the stairs, wondering if he should let Claire overhear this.

“We’re not sure... Keep that in mind. We don’t have proof.”

“Talk to me,” Luke barked as quietly as he could. “Stop dancing around it.”

A heavy sigh. “Dad called. Mom had trouble with her brakes.”

Luke gripped the counter as hard as he could, forcing himself to process this without giving in to emotion. Emotion was the enemy at a time like this. “And what happened? How is she?”

“She’s fine. She was smart enough to pull off the road and call for help the second she felt something was wrong.”

Luke exhaled. “But no proof.”

“No proof. Still, it seems—”

“A little too convenient? Yeah, it does.” He muttered a string of profanity under his breath. If he had Ballard in front of him just then, what he wouldn’t do to that snake.

“Chance is going to stay with them for the time being, just as a precaution.”

“Good,” Luke agreed. “I know it’ll make me feel better knowing they have protection. And Mom will love the opportunity to stuff Chance full of her cooking, so it’s sort of a win-win.”

Brax chuckled. “Yeah, it’s just a shame about the circumstances. What are we going do about this guy? He’s smart. He knows there has to be a connection between us and Claire, even if he can’t find it. He’s starting to get desperate with these so-called accidents.”

“It just so happens that’s why I was calling you. I have an idea that has the possibility of becoming a plan.”

“I’m all ears.”

Claire started down the stairs, locking eyes with him. She must have seen his troubled look for what it was, because her smile faded.

“I have a better idea,” he offered. “Why don’t I catch you up on it in person?”

Her chin trembled only once, enough to remind him how scared she was in spite of everything. Then she nodded. Stronger. The way he needed them to be for both their sakes.

It was time to go home.