Then, I’d hunt every motherfucker down who was involved. The familiar fire within me burned. To be safe, tomorrow we’d relocate somewhere else. I didn’t want to be too far away from the fight unless I had to be. There was a more remote location in Colorado I owned that would buy us however much time we needed.
Seeing Maren huddled in the passenger seat, shaking, I felt like an asshole for not communicating to her. But, this was war and I knew what it took to survive. “Maren, I’m taking us somewhere safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Eyes wide, Maren nodded. “O-o-kay.”
There were no signs of pursuit which told me that this afternoon hadn’t been planned. Something happened to make them jump the gun. Frankie. He was the only answer I could think of. Ten minutes later, I pressed the door opener to the garage in the alley filled with garbage.
From the outside, the place looked like a dump. Inside though was our refuge and supplies. “Bane, where are we?”
Maren leaned up looking through the window while she took in the practical industrial-like space. “In my safe house. We’ll need supplies. We can stay here for the night.”
Parking the car, I shut the garage door. First, I needed to secure the perimeter and see what else I could find as I got out of the vehicle. The control pad to the left of the garage illuminated as I punched in the code and the heavy locks engaged, echoing through the room as the security system went online.
Turning, Maren stood in front of me. She shook and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. I was an asshole for getting involved with her.
“Bane, please tell me what’s going on. Why do you need a safe house?”
I grabbed her hand. “I need to check some things and then we’ll talk. I have a limited window to get some answers.”
The people after us were probably scrambling to find us which meant their attention was divided. I needed to take advantage of that distraction.
Along the wall, a computer with several monitors sat. Maren held my hand as we walked to the desk. As I hit switches along the panel, the fifteen screens came to life. Cameras were around the building and I was remotely plugged into my house.
Maren pointed to one of the screens seeming to calm some. There was no doubt she was a fighter—a survivor. “Is that your house?”
I sat in the chair and opened my arms for Maren to come. Her presence was a soothing balm. But, I knew I wanted to touch her to keep her c
alm—or that’s what I told myself. There was only a slight hesitation as she came to me. Fuck! I deserved that, but I didn’t want Maren to be scared of me.
“Yes, that’s my place in town.” The screens rotated through the different rooms in my house.
Studying the screen, Maren asked, “How long have you lived there?”
“About four years.”
“Oh.” I knew she thought the place was sparse with only the essentials.
Rigid, Maren barely sat on my knee. “Bane, why would you need a safe house? Are you a spy?”
Pausing, I rubbed my hand over my scalp deciding how much I wanted to tell Maren about my past. The answer—not much. “Long ago, I worked for a branch of the government. It’s been six years since I left when I finished my term.”
She relaxed. We were making progress. “What happened today? It started with Jewel’s phone call, didn’t it? And Frankie’s visit?”
My angel was perceptive. How much did I share of what happened today? There was a fine line. Too much information only made Maren a larger asset if she was caught. When someone knew too much, they were eliminated or used to get results. But when someone was tied to me, they were already in too deep. I wanted Maren to know what she was involved with, hoping it would keep her listening to me and … safe.
Confirming, I asked, “Yes, are you sure you want to know?”
Taking her eyes off of the screen, she searched mine, imploring. “Bane, I don’t like secrets. My brother has been keeping them from me all these years. I want to know. I can handle it. I promise.”
Maren shifted farther in my lap, letting me know that we were getting back to where we were. “I confirmed something was going on when I called Jewel. When I initially asked for you, they gave me a rule book I read. Frankie showing up wasn’t protocol for Discrete Encounters. If someone goes missing, the dating service comes first to the location with their personal security. It keeps the anonymity of the client who is their main concern. When I called Jewel, she stuttered to get her story straight. I think Frankie’s visit was unexpected. If someone heard us, I didn’t want them alerted. I simply agreed and ended the conversation. That’s why I went to Security Branch.”
Giving Maren some time to digest the story, I paused, letting her lead the inquiry. “Where were we going to go beforehand?”
My hand caressed her hip and she scooted further back into me. The speed of her pulse reduced as I inconspicuously watched the vein in her neck. “Before I talked to Jewel, I’d planned on us going out to eat. I figured we’d go to dinner, check into another hotel room. Tomorrow while you were at work, I was going to change hotels.”
Maren didn’t comment on my last comment, but refocused the conversation. I wanted her to at least acknowledge it. “What happened when you got to Security Branch?”
“Since they’re redoing Discrete Encounters security system, I used one of the tech’s computers who was gone to log on. I was lucky he wasn’t there. Our records were deleted from the mainframe, effectively eliminating a paper trail. As I was about to leave, an alert came through on my phone telling me someone cut the security-specific power to my house, which would have left me unknowing. A few months back, I’d installed a backup. No one came in, but I logged in remotely and wiped all my computers in case he did manage to get through the security.”