I frowned. “You’re not taking this very seriously.”
Jared let out one shocked puff of air. “On the contrary, I think I’m taking this more seriously than you are. You don’t seem to understand how dangerous this is for you.”
“What could happen to me? My boyfriend also happens to be my guardian angel,” I said, leaning over to kiss him.
“What in the hell is going on here?”
I looked over to the door where Cynthia stood, her hands on her hips.
“Hello, Mother,” I said. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”
“So is this search and seizure or burglary?” she said, crossing her arms.
“It’s good to see you, too,” I said, rolling my eyes in response. “We’re trying to find something with an eight twenty-five on it.”
“Eight twenty-five?” Cynthia asked, looking at Jared, who stopped chewing for a moment under her glare.
He swallowed the lump of food in his mouth before giving report. “I intercepted Dawson. They’re finished with the pleasantries, Mrs. Grey. They want the evidence Jack collected on them and they think Nina knows where it is.”
“I wonder why that is, Jared? It couldn’t be because they’ve seen you two together.”
“It’s possible,” Jared replied, impervious.
“What does Charles Dawson have to do with the number?” Cynthia asked, closing in on the mess on the floor.
“He doesn’t,” Jared said dismissively, looking over the papers again. I was a little surprised by his impassive attitude at Cynthia’s presence when just over a week ago he balked at just the mention of being in the same room with her.
Cynthia seemed to accept his ambiguity, probably because she was used to being left in the dark by my father. “I trust you’ll take care of Mr. Dawson, Jared. That simply won’t do.”
“It’s already been taken care of, Mrs. Grey.”
Cynthia nodded in approval. I was shocked that she spoke so candidly of violence.
“Keep me updated,” she said, walking out the door.
“That was weird,” I said, shaking my head.
Jared looked up from the paper. “What, sweetheart?”
“She threatened to fire you a few days ago if you didn’t stay away from me. You quit speaking to me because of it. And just now you nearly ignored her.”
Jared shrugged. “My mother discussed it with her. She’s had a change of heart.”
“How so?” I asked, suspicious.
“Lillian’s very persuasive,” Jared smiled.
“Nina?” I turned to see my mother round the corner again.
“Yes?”
“We’re leaving for Nicaragua a week from Sunday. I need you to meet me here early so we can be at the airport by nine. Jared?”
“I’ll have everything ready,” Jared said, distracted by the paper in his hand.
My heart began to pound, causing Jared to look up. I realized that I was going to spend the entire week of Spring Break on a beach with him, and the thought made my cheeks flush red.
Jared smiled, guessing what made my heart flutter. “This might be your first vacation with me, but it’s not my first vacation with you.”
“It’s the first time you’ll sit with me on the plane,” I said a bit too eager, grinning from ear to ear. Jared chuckled at my enthusiasm.
Cynthia’s reaction differed. “He’s there to work, Nina. Please keep that in mind. Jared, make sure she is here on time.”
“Yes, ma’m,” he said, his soft eyes never leaving mine.
With that, Cynthia disappeared once again.
I couldn’t help but think about lying in a hammock with Jared. It already seemed like heaven.
“I am suddenly looking forward to vacation,” I grinned.
Jared leaned over to touch my cheek. “Lying with you on a Caribbean beach at sunset? I’ll have to remind myself that it’s real.”
“What will you have ready?” I asked.
Jared’s attention turned to the paper he was holding once more, and his eyes narrowed. He didn’t make eye contact when he spoke. “Uh…all of my surveillance supplies. We typically bring about fifteen hundred pounds of tech with us, but with Claire going to Tahoe, I’ll be carrying light. I’ll set up a perimeter around the premises….”
“What is it?” I leaned over to see what he was so absorbed in and recognized it was a bank statement. I’d seen it several times before during my search, but set it aside in the scrap pile.
Jared pointed to a section of the statement and I gasped. It was a monthly charge for a safety deposit box. Box eight twenty-five.
“Jared!” I cried, grabbing his arm.
Jared looked at his watch. “The bank is closed.”
I sighed, deflated. “We’ll go first thing Monday morning.”
“I’ll go. You have class.”
I grimaced. “I’m going, Jared. We’re doing this together.”