“Is there anything else to be discussed or planned?” Emme quickly looked at her phone before returning her attention to the people around the table, ending with Frida.
She rolled her shoulders before answering. “I need to inform Chief Randall what’s happened with the break-in and the encounter with Kasten. The detective’s an asshole, and I suspect he’ll be tempted to mess with me. If he starts digging, it might be a problem, so keeping him occupied would be in everyone’s interest.”
Shane nodded. “I agree. The man is an annoyance at best. Let me know if he pops up on your radar, and I’ll assign someone to keep an eye on him. Anything else?”
Frida prayed there wasn’t be anything else so she could go into the office, shut the door, and take a power nap. One thing she didn’t like was lack of control, and her body shutting down against her will fell into that category.
“Is Frida’s apartment locked and secured?” Malco’s question reminded her she hadn’t thought about her apartment.
Emme smirked. “Oh yeah. Locked, secured, and with some extra additions, like with your office. However, I don’t think it’s safe enough for you to return. If you want a place to crash, you’re more than welcome to stay at our place.”
Malco shifted beside her, but Frida didn’t look at him when she answered. “There’s no way I’m putting any of you in more danger than you already are. I just need to get a bag from my apartment, and I’ll come back here. I know you have a spare bed somewhere.”
Shane and Emme looked at each other. “We do, but it’s not all that comfortable. If you don’t want to come to our place, we can find a decent safe house for you.”
“I have the most secure location. Frida can crash at my place.”
Malco’s voice silenced the room in an instant and everyone’s attention turned to him.
Frida frowned. Why on earth would the man have a place with such a high-level of security? What would warrant such precautions? When she swiveled her chair to the man sitting beside her, he wasn’t looking at the room or his bosses, but at her. Solely her.
“It doesn’t make a difference. I won’t put any of you in more danger than necessary. You’re already spending your work time keeping me safe. You need downtime too.”
“I’d rest much better knowing you’re safe. I’m not leaving your side until this is over. It can be here or at my place. There’s no negotiation on that matter.”
Normally, she would argue and get her point across, but the more time that passed, the less functioning brain cells she had, and the remaining ones were focused on a soft bed. A bed and Malco?
The room remained silent, waiting for her answer, so she turned to Shane and sighed. “I’m done here. Tell me the best option, and I’ll take it.”
Shane looked at Emme before locking eyes with Malco. “I think Malco is your best bet. At least you’ll be protected and have a decent night’s sleep. And I will too for that matter, knowing you’re in good hands.”
Her mind heard a double entendre, and she silently admonished herself for that. At the end of her rope, she simply nodded, and Shane dismissed his troops for now, telling them to keep their phones close by for updates.
Emme came to her side. “Go rest, okay? You’re about to collapse. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard for too long.”
Again, she forced herself to smile. Emme was always so caring and considerate of the people around her. “I had planned to rest. I just didn’t expect this case to fall on my head before I had a chance to recover. Work, as usual, I guess.”
Emme gave her a hug as Shane put a hand on her shoulder. “Go get some rest. Only come back when you can see straight again, and you’re ready for this fight.”
She winked at them. “I’m always ready for a fight.”
She turned to Malco. “Let me get my bag, and I’ll follow you.”
“Grab a change of clothes from the locker room. I’ll ask Mercy or Caitlin to go to your place and pack a bag for you, but in the meantime, at least you’ll have something clean to wear.”
With one last nod, Frida hobbled out. With the promise of rest, her body was slowly shutting down on her, her aches and pain gnawing at her last resistance.
In the office, she placed a few files in her bag, debating what she needed when the air shifted, and she knew Malco was behind her. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw him skirting a box before closing the door.
“I’ll be ready in a minute.”
The closer he came, the more difficult it was to ignore the tingles coursing over her skin. Even if it was the worst idea ever, her body and mind weren’t in sync with this. Her mind was ordering her to flee, while her body only wished to surrender.
“I don’t think you’ll need all that while you’re asleep.”
It was tempting to roll her eyes at him. “I may be tired, but I don’t fall asleep easily. My mind keeps me awake most of the time. Sometimes, I need to push myself to complete exhaustion before I can shut down. Or have my mind focus on something else rather than my cases. Never works well, though.”
Closing her bag, she turned and gasped. Malco was only a hair’s breadth away. If she leaned forward, her chest would touch his. His breath fanned her cheeks, and her entire being wanted to close that gap.
“You’re working too hard.”
His voice was like a caress, and her eyelids fluttered. She searched for something to say, but came up with nothing as his head leaned forward, his lips skimming hers. It felt like electricity, and before reason could step in, Frida closed the gap and took possession of his mouth.
The
