If she’d suspected there was something simmering beneath the surface before, she was certain of it now. “Of course. I didn’t mean to take up so much of your time.”
“No problem.”
“Perhaps we can continue our conversation another time?”
“Perhaps,” he replied, but the way he said it, Bree was pretty sure it wasn’t going to happen.
“Thanks for the conversation and the beer. You pour a mean draft.”
Some of the tension in his expression eased. “My pleasure.” He picked up the empty boxes and turned to go, but then he hesitated. “A word of advice, Bree. My grandfather told me once, if you want honey, be careful about how you collect it. If you start poking at the hive, you’re going to end up with a lot of stings and no honey.”
He was warning her, clear enough, but of what—Sumneyville or Sanctuary?
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chapter Thirteen
Bree
Bree walked slowly back to the B & B, mentally creating a to-do list:
Research the Winston tragedy.
Find out more about Kate Handelmann and why the Ladies Auxiliary seemed concerned about her well-being.
Chat up more locals and get their perspectives.
See Nick again.
It was dark by the time she got back to the bed and breakfast. Ms. McGillicuddy had left the porch light on for her. Bree entered quietly and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, laughing to herself when she heard rumbling snores coming from the back of the house.
Tea in hand, she made her way up to her room, changed into sleepwear, and checked her phone. It was still early in California. She scrolled through her Contacts and selected Toni’s number.
Bree: You busy?
The response was almost immediate.
Toni: Never too busy for you. What do you need?
Bree chuckled at Toni’s eager willingness to help. With Hunter on assignment in Vegas, she was probably looking for ways to not think about what he was doing out there and who he was doing it with. Rather than text a reply, Bree hit the Call button.
“You wiped out my candy stash, didn’t you?” Bree asked in greeting.
“Maybe.” Toni sniffed. “But if I did—hypothetically, of course—and I wanted to replenish said stash before you got back, where could I find them?”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll call it even if you use your special skills and look up a few things for me.”
“You just want me for my back doors. Wait, that sounded wrong. What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know exactly,” Bree answered honestly. “Just put out some feelers on the Sanctuary corporation and see what shakes out.”
“That’s extremely vague.”
“I know. And Squirrel Nut Zippers are extremely hard to find. Expensive, too.” Bree didn’t feel the need to mention the ninety-nine cents a pound deal since she hadn’t yet corroborated Martha’s earlier claim.
Toni exhaled heavily. “Fine. Hey, how is Summertown anyway?”
“Sumneyville. And exactly what you’d expect, if you lived in a Normal Rockwell coffee table book.”
“Sounds brutal. How’s the pond stocked? Any chance of getting a nibble?”
“That’s not why I’m here,” Bree said, even as an image of Nick came to mind.
“I know; I know. But you know what they say about all work and no play, right?”
“It gets Bree the good assignments?”
“Yeah, that’s why you’re in Mayberry and Hunter’s in Vegas, spanking booty.”
Bree didn’t take Toni’s comment personally. She’d be cranky, too, if her boyfriend were working a sex club. Besides, Bree had to believe that her dedication and diligence would pay off someday. Otherwise, what was the point?
“It’s an assignment, Toni. It doesn’t mean anything. And Hunter’s crazy about you.”
A heavy sigh. “I know. But the visuals are killing me.”
“You watched that movie again, didn’t you? The one with the billionaire and his dungeon room?”
“All three of them,” Toni admitted. “It’s my only frame of reference for what he’s dealing with.”
“Stop.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right, and yet I just can’t seem to help myself.”
“It’s you he’s coming back to.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
“Text me when you’ve got something.”
“Will do.”
Bree disconnected the call and sat back, scrolling through some of the pictures she’d surreptitiously taken throughout the day, candid shots she’d use to help her draft her article. When she got to one of Nick, she paused and took time to appreciate it. It was a good shot, taken at an angle that highlighted his strong, masculine profile and sun-streaked brownish-red hair. Her heart began to beat a little faster, even as a warm, tingly feeling erupted in her core.
He—it—was definitely a keeper.
Chapter Fourteen
Cage
The afternoon had gone a lot better than he’d expected. Despite the fact that Gabriella De Rossi—Bree—had asked a lot of questions, he’d enjoyed spending time with her. She was easy to talk to, smiled often, and seemed genuinely supportive of Sanctuary and its mission.
But just because she seemed supportive didn’t mean she actually was. People said and did lots of things to get what they wanted, and it was important to remember that the beautiful Miss De Rossi wasn’t there to spend time with him. She wanted information, and he was simply the guy who’d been tasked with providing it to her.
Tech, he understood. People, not so much. They were too inconsistent. Too unpredictable. They didn’t operate according to a preprogrammed set of rules and guidelines, and their agendas weren’t always clear.
Perhaps Doc would have been a better choice. The guy had a friendly, relaxed manner and could get along with anyone. Yet the thought of Doc spending the day with Bree, talking with her, being on the receiving end of her smiles didn’t sit well with him.
Curious to know more about her, Cage went back to his trailer and fired up his laptop. He began with a cursory background check as a starting point and dug deeper. What he found left him reeling.
Gabriella De Rossi had been born approximately twenty-nine years earlier to Alfonse and Maria De Rossi Sanatucci of Brooklyn, New York. Her mother died of pancreatic cancer young in life—when Gabriella was only seven. When
