Aaron waved a hand toward the paper. “Even if this Toby bloke is hiding there, is there anything in those notes so far that narrows down where he might be?”
“I haven’t found anything yet. But, I think it’s time for me and Nikki to reach out to our contacts and see what we can find. While we do that, you can go through the rest of the transcripts. Highlight any locations, find a map, and mark them out. Maybe a pattern will develop. We might even find one of the hunter dens in the process.”
Aaron sighed. “I forgot what it was like to do grunt work.”
Nikki met Aaron’s gaze. “Not every job we do is glorious, but it doesn’t make it any less important.”
She felt Rafe’s gaze on her. Yes, she was using his words as encouragement. He could tease her later.
Spreading out some papers, Aaron nodded. “Right, then I’ll get to work. Keep me in the loop about what you find.”
“Of course,” Nikki answered. Rafe stood and she followed suit. “Let’s reconvene in two hours.” Aaron nodded and Nikki wrapped her arm around Rafe’s waist. “The secure lines are at central command.”
Rafe gave Aaron a piercing glare. “Don’t destroy my home while I’m gone.”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” Aaron answered with a wink.
Rafe groaned. Sensing the pair could argue for a long while, Nikki tugged Rafe’s waist. “Come on. Don’t let him get to you. He does it on purpose.”
Her male surprised her by following her lead. As soon as they were out the door, she looked up at him. “That was rather easy.”
“The sooner we can locate the bastard, the sooner you can rest and let me take care of you.”
“Rafe—”
“No, don’t deny it. You were green earlier and about ready to vomit. Between your injuries and your pregnancy, you could do with a little pampering.”
She sighed. “Maybe. But there’s too much to do. And I can’t let this one go, too, Rafe. Ireland I could understand, but I’m well enough to help this time. Besides, I don’t want anyone else to suffer before we find this Toby.”
He kissed her forehead and murmured, “They won’t. We’re clever and can figure this out.”
“I sense a ‘but.’”
“But, you need to tell me when you need my help. I learned a lot about reading expressions and body language whilst you were in your dragon form for nearly a week. But I’m not a bloody mind reader.”
The corner of her mouth ticked up. “And here I thought you could do everything.”
“Nikki,” Rafe growled.
She chuckled. “Okay. Asking for help in my personal life is difficult, but I’ll try.”
“Don’t try, do.”
After sticking her tongue out at him, Nikki picked up her pace and Rafe matched her strides. She changed the subject. “I think we should involve Jane in this.”
The corner of Rafe’s mouth ticked up. “I was thinking the same thing. She might have connections that can help since she’s done a few stories in that area.”
Nikki didn’t miss Rafe’s deliberate attempt at being broad to keep it from unwanted ears, which she’d expected given his soldier background. “If she agrees and wants to go undercover to ask questions, I wish I could see Kai’s face when she tells him her plan.”
Rafe shrugged. “Jane can be quite persuasive, even with your oh-so-wonderful head Protector.”
“Of course. She just needs to show a little cleavage.” Rafe groaned and Nikki laughed. “You’re so easy to t
ease.”
In the next second, Rafe tightened his grip on her waist and tickled her side with his other hand. Nikki couldn’t do anything but laugh. But as he continued, her head started to spin.
Her dragon spoke up. Tell him to stop.