“I’m quite looking forward to treating you mean. I have a few ideas.”
“Well, I suggest you keep them to yourself.”
“You don’t want to know?”
“This way the suspense will be so much more exciting.” She was pretty sure her sarcasm was wasted on him.
“And Nadia phoned. She’s booked herself into rehab to overcome her addiction.”
“Her Jake addiction?” Maybe Kim could go book into the room next door. They could get rid of their Jake addictions together.
“Yeah—at least Nadia appreciates me. So I don’t need you to babysit me anymore.”
“How disappointing. I was looking forward to taking her down.”
“And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Once I’ve treated you mean and you’ve decided you love me and want to spend the rest of your life making me happy, well, you’re going to have to prove it.”
“And whose idea was that?”
“Dave’s. He’s a sensible man, Dave.”
“And how do I prove it?”
“You’ll come up with something.”
He rested his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes. A wave of tenderness washed over her. Like this, he appeared almost vulnerable, and she’d never seen that in Jake before. She wanted to hug him to her and hold him tight and tell him she loved him.
But that was going to have to wait until morning. Because Jake was snoring now. Another first.
He didn’t wake as she tugged off his shoes and then lifted his legs and maneuvered him around so he lay full-length on the sofa. She got a pillow and a duvet from the spare room, placed the pillow gently under his head, and covered him with the duvet. It wasn’t cold, but she tucked him in anyway, dropped a kiss on his forehead, then took the seat opposite and watched him sleep.
She loved him. But now, apparently, it wasn’t enough that she just tell him. She also had to prove it. A smile tugged at her lips; she doubted he would remember much of the evening when he finally woke. All the same, she mulled the idea over in her mind.
When she woke, she was still in the chair, and Jake was still out cold. It was morning, and she had things to do.
Time to prove to Jake that she loved him.
…
Jake woke as the front door closed, the sound unnaturally loud.
His head felt muzzy, and he was fully clothed and lying on the sofa, a duvet on top of him.
Kim was nowhere in sight, and he was sure he was alone in the apartment. What the hell had he said to her last night? The whole latter part of the evening was a blur. He could vaguely remember getting some really bad advice from the guys. He hoped to God he hadn’t acted on any of it.
At least she’d been here when he’d gotten home. He’d half expected her to have run back to her own place. That was partly why he’d gone out. He hadn’t been able to face returning to an empty apartment.
He rubbed at his forehead, but he didn’t feel too bad. But he had to find Kim, see what she was thinking, whether she’d come to any conclusions, or whether she was going to keep running.
He pushed the duvet aside and got to his feet. And saw the note on the table. Picking it up, he read the words.
Gone to prove I love you.
Kim
Shit, looked like he’d taken that advice from the guys after all.
Chapter Nineteen
Kim punched the stolen security code into the panel next to Jake’s door, then crouched down and used her pick and tension wrench to undo the complicated lock. It took long minutes, and she held her breath—she needed to be inside before Margie arrived for the day’s work. Finally, the mechanism disengaged.
As she eased open the door, she slipped on her goggles so she could see the lines of the infrared beams that crisscrossed the room. She stepped carefully over one and then ducked under the next, then over and under two more to bring her in front of the cabinet that housed the safe.
She took a slim blade from her pocket and slid it down the door opening until it reached the wire trigger, sliced through it, then carefully turned the handle. And there was the last hurdle.
The safe.
She’d taken lessons in anticipation of the day she would get this close. Jake believed part of being successful in the security business was understanding the weaknesses, and he made sure all the operatives were trained. Trevor had spent time in prison for safecracking and was considered the best in the business. He’d said she was a natural, but she’d never actually gotten this far before, so never had the chance to test her skills.
Now she knelt down and pulled the autodialing device from her bag. She attached it to the safe and switched it on, then leaned forward and rested her ear against the safe. It seemed to take an age but was probably only five minutes before she heard the machine catch and the lock click open.
She sat back on her heels.
She was in.