They wouldn’t be entirely wrong.
The phone turned to a live coal in his pocket, that welcome message burning through fabric like a brand.
Welcome to the family.
Alan pulled his coat tighter and disappeared into the crowd. He would become a ghost.
Maybe, in fact, he already was.
FIVE
Don’t fall for the guy in the family room.
Chloe pulled on a blouse and a pair of jeans and looked in the mirror.
Great.She looked exactly like the truth—that she’d spent way too much time last night reliving the way Skeet made her laugh. Made her feel as if... well, as if she wasn’t in this alone.
And she didn’t know how to feel about that.
She did know she liked her new housemate, because the scent of Thai coffee hit her senses before the bedroom door opened. Rich. Dark. Cardamom threading through the aroma like a promise of a good day.
She came out of the room and padded barefoot across the cool marble, following the quiet sounds from the kitchenette. Her pulse did a little skip when she spotted him—his back to her, sandy hair sticking up as if he’d been dragging his hands through it. He wore clean khakis paired with a fresh white button-down that stretched across shoulders she definitely shouldn’t be cataloging.
Focus, Chloe. Dr. Tobias is dead. Children are dying. You don’t have time to?—
“—confirmed for this morning, Hamilton.” He pressed his phone between shoulder and ear and poured coffee into two cups. His voice hitched when he glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, we’ll be careful. I’ll call you later.”
He hung up.
“Morning.” Her voice was still rough with sleep. Oh, that was attractive.
He turned and handed her coffee. Their fingers brushed during the exchange. She ignored the small spark that lit up her skin.
“Sleep okay?” The corner of his mouth quirked. “You were talking around three a.m.”
“I do not talk in my sleep.” The coffee hit her taste buds.Heaven.Strong enough to raise the dead, sweetened exactly how she liked it.How did he—“What did I supposedly say?”
“Something about pineapple pizza being a crime against humanity.”
Laughter bubbled up from somewhere she’d forgotten existed. “Accurate.”
“Good to know where you stand on the important issues.” He leaned against the counter, studying her face with those green eyes that seemed to see too much. “Ready to go to Bangkok?”
“Absolutely.”
“Nervous about today?”
“Terrified.”Oops. Um,“I mean... Dr. Radic might be our only lead.” Truth. Just not the whole truth.
As in, she was starting tolikehim. Because last night she’d forgotten for exactly three hours and forty-seven minutes that she was supposed to be independent and strong and definitely not falling for— She took a breath. “If we can’t get him to talk...”
“We will.” He took another sip of coffee, his eyes on her. He possessed a quiet confidence that did things to herinsides. “You’re brilliant at getting people to open up. And I’m moderately useful in a crisis.”
“Moderately?”
“Being humble.”
She snorted. “And I don’t know about brilliant.”