Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch.” Brianna ended the call, and Justin shoved his phone into the back pocket of his jeans as he turned to face Gabriel.
“Do you really think the risk is that high of someone finding her?” Gabriel inquired.
Justin shrugged one shoulder. “Her? No. But I keep thinking that Weiss and Jones both died for what they suspected. Dr. Jones’s husband and daughter were nearly killed for it. The more people who know something is wrong or that there might be data out there to prove it, the more the risk increases. I know the precautions that Brianna takes. She’s single, lives alone. She’s got piles of protection on her computers. Can the same be said for the person she invites to help her? One wrong word or action to the wrong person and more people die. I don’t want to take that chance if it can be helped.”
Crossing the living room, Gabriel surprised both of them by wrapping his arms around Justin’s waist and nuzzling his face into the man’s throat. He’d never been comfortable initiating any kind of intimacy or tenderness, but it was clear that Justin needed it. Gabriel’s heart swelled at Justin’s worry for others. The assassin really was too sweet for his own good, and Gabriel only wanted to reassure him, to wipe away the lines of worry.
“We will get the answers we need, and Brianna will be safe. There’s still time.”
“But it’s running short. The FDA could be making its decision any day now. You know the second Iaso gets approval, that drug will be in the hands of millions of cancer patients. We need to stop them before approval is given.”
Gabriel tilted his head up and pressed a kiss right behind Justin’s ear. “We will. Would you like to see the surprises that I brought you?”
Justin chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so determined to get me out of my funk.”
“I’ve never seen you in a funk. That’s my job, and I don’t care for you taking my job.”
Strong arms tightened around Gabriel, and he found himself relaxing even more into Justin. How in the world was he going to leave this all behind when the job was over?
Nope. He wasn’t thinking about that.
Pulling away from Justin, he moved toward the breakfast bar, where he lifted up the two uniforms, complete with the Mary’s Garden logo over the left pocket. Justin’s surveillance cameras had revealed that a landscaping company called Mary’s Garden arrived early every Tuesday to mow the lawns and trim the shrubbery.
And every Wednesday, a pair of workers arrived in the evening to water all the plants in the building.
“I picked up the uniforms we need to pose as the gardeners,” Gabriel announced.
“Very nice,” Justin murmured with an approving nod.
“I also have a line on which workers are our best options for key cards, but there’s no point in grabbing them until we set a date for going in.”
Justin made a noise. “Yeah, they’ll just deactivate the cards if they’re discovered missing. What’s the other thing you got?”
Smirking, Gabriel put the uniforms on the chair and picked up the tube, handing it over to Justin. “Blueprints for the Iaso building.”
“You’re shitting me. The entire building?” Justin snatched up the tube from Gabriel, a broad smile spreading across his face. Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat at that look. He hated to admit it, but that smile was becoming too much of a driving force for him.
“I made the architect of the building an interesting offer, and he was kind enough to hand over the plans.”
Justin halted in the middle of pulling the plans from the protective cardboard tube and narrowed his bright-blue eyes on Gabriel. He was happy to see that Justin had stopped wearing his colored contacts when it was just the two of them in the house. “Did you dangle the architect out a window or threaten his life in some other fashion?”
“Of course not!”
Sniffing lightly, Justin turned his attention to the plans. “Good. I’d hate to think I missed out on some fun.”
“Money, Mallory. I paid the architect a very pretty penny to give me the plans and keep his mouth shut.”
“We can include it in the expenses,” Justin said with a shrug.
“Think of it as a thank-you gift.”
Justin’s gaze snapped to Gabriel, and he suddenly felt very uncomfortable under those blue eyes. “Really?”
“I know how stressful it must be having me staying in your personal space, particularly when it is no longer necessary. I thought I could at least give you a little something to show my appreciation.”
A light blush stained Justin’s cheeks, and he quickly looked down at the tube. “Well, it hasn’t been all bad. You can cook, and the sex has been an unexpected bonus on this job.”
“I’m surprised. I figured you got laid with every job.”