Dream Bound by Kate Douglas Read Free Book Online Page B

anything.”
    Finn rolled his eyes.
    Sparkling green. Damn. For being such a jerk, the guy was definitely a hunk.
    “Generally speaking, but for this? I couldn’t even sleep last night. All I could think about was getting started.”
    “Tell me about it.” Rodie hitched her backpack over one shoulder and followed Finn down the same hallway they’d taken just three nights ago. Hard to believe they were leaving so soon—she’d barely had a chance to find someone to water her plants while she was away. Dugan had said he didn’t want to waste time, but she still felt as if her head was spinning.
    The door to the break room was open. She followed Finn inside.
    “Hey, Rodie.”
    It took Rodie a moment to respond. “Kiera?”
    Kiera Pearce didn’t look anything like the sharply dressed attorney she’d met Wednesday night. Sturdy hiking boots, faded blue jeans, and a comfortably worn sweatshirt changed her from classy to laid-back, and with her long dark hair tied back in a ponytail and threaded through a Giants baseball cap, she was definitely a lot more approachable.
    “Yep.” Kiera spread her arms wide. “This is the real me.” She laughed, and it was a deep, throaty sound that had Rodie laughing with her. “I get so tired of acting like a grown-up,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to nothing but play clothes. Here’s to blue jeans and sweats for the next six months.” She raised her coffee cup in a toast. “We’re just waiting on Cameron and Morgan. Lizzie’s here somewhere.”
    “I’m here. What about our exalted leader? Has Mac gotten back yet?” Lizzie walked into the room and went straight for the coffee. “Morning, Rodie. You ready?”
    “I am.” Rodie took the cup Kiera offered to her. “Anyone know where we’re headed?”
    “To the farthest, northeastern corner of California. The northern reaches of the Warner Mountains.”
    Rodie spun around as MacArthur Dugan walked into the room. Like the others, he was dressed in comfortable jeans, a faded T-shirt, and sturdy boots.
    “What’s up there?”
    He flashed a brilliant smile that Rodie felt right between her legs.
    So not a good response to the boss.
    “A little over a thousand acres that I bought about twenty years ago,” he said. “Back when I first envisioned this project. We’ll be at about seven thousand feet elevation and far enough from civilization that the air is some of the clearest in the country. I’ve built the satellite array on a high plateau where we won’t have any interference from outside light or power sources. Power lines are underground and everything is shielded so that we’ve got a clear shot at the sky.”
    He took a couple of swallows of his coffee. Then he rinsed the cup out in the sink and left it on the sideboard. “Cameron and Morgan are out front. Grab your bags. We’ve got well over eight hours of driving ahead of us. With stops for breaks and food it’ll be at least ten hours travel time before we’re there. Let’s get this show on the road.”
     
    “Wow.” Finn flashed Rodie a big grin as he grabbed up another bag. “A lot of cows gave their lives for this rig.” His comment seemed almost sacrilegious as they waited beside the big silver Cadillac Escalade parked in front of the building.
    Large enough to seat all of them comfortably on butter-soft leather, it appeared to have every accessory imaginable. The dash looked like something out of a high-tech control center with GPS and touch-screen maps, USB ports for their computers front and rear, and a backup camera and computer screen that must run directly off the battery—they were already lit up and blinking like the rig was preparing for takeoff.
    Of course, a man with Dugan’s reputation in the computer and software industry was bound to be wired no matter where he went, though at first glance, he really didn’t look or act the part of a mega-billionaire computer geek. It was cool how approachable he seemed this morning. How