Rhys by Adrienne Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

than that,” Charlie said, pulling a couple of bottles of nice shampoo and conditioner from the duffel bag. She tossed them down on the bed. “All the guys that work at Macmillan Security used to be in the same unit.”
    “Under the Captain ,” Tessa said. The title finally made sense.
    Charlie nodded. “They became kind of famous for doing the right thing no matter the consequences. I don’t think that desire ended the day they got out of the Army.”
    Great.
    Tessa’s gaze slid to the floor. She was sure that Charlie was telling her this to reassure her, to let her know that she was with the good guys, and that no one was going to hurt her. And, in a way, that was a relief. But on the other hand, now Tessa had to slip away, not just from a single man, but from an entire Special Forces unit.
    “You really like these guys, don’t you?” Tessa asked.
    “I do,” Charlie said with a nod. “More than that I like what they do. I’ve seen them save a lot of lives. Right a lot of wrongs.”
    “And that’s why you work for Macmillan?”
    “That, and Carter pays twice as much as anyone else in town,” Charlie said with a twinkle in her eye.
    “Be careful,” Tessa said, recoiling at the mention of money. “Believe me when I tell you it isn’t everything.”
    Boyd had lured her across the country with the promise of more cash than she’d ever dreamed of. Looking back she should have known what was happening. She was smart enough to have figured it out, but the truth was, Boyd had offered Tessa her dream, and she’d been blind to anything else. Coming from a family that had struggled for every cent, Tessa had been thrilled to be given the chance to help them out for a change. She’d never imagined the cost.
    Not until it was too late.
    She’d carry the regret of that mistake with her for the rest of her life. Which, in all probability, wouldn’t be that much longer. Not if she did what she had to.
    Her horror must have shown on her face though because Charlie’s expression had changed. Her gaze had turned critical, and her smile had faded. In its place was a look of concern.
    “Are you okay?” she asked.
    “I’m fine,” Tessa said, but Charlie looked far from convinced. Maybe it was better to change the subject. “What do you do at Macmillan Security, Charlie?”
    “I run the IT department,” she said. “Hell, I am the IT department.”
    “Something tells me there’s more to your job than setting up new software and printers, if they drug you all the way out here.” Tessa sat down on the edge of the mattress. Her legs were already getting tired.
    “Well, I have a feeling Carter thought it would be a good idea to bring a woman along for this one.” Charlie took a seat on the opposite corner. “You might not have guessed, but our office isn’t exactly a bastion of gender diversity.”
    “So, you’re just here to bring me clothes and help me wash my hair?” Tessa raised her brows.
    Charlie met her gaze for a long moment, before finally shaking her head.
    “No,” she said. “Carter was hoping you’d trust me, and I’d be able to get some more information from you.”
    Tessa cocked her chin to the side. “More?”
    “Carter had me dig up everything I could find about you after Rhys called last night,” she said.
    Tessa’s heart started to hammer against her breastbone at Charlie’s words. She could feel the blood draining from her face. Rescuing her from Boyd’s house was downright noble. Protecting her from Dylan and his goon squad was understandable, if not misguided. But delving into her past? Rhys and his friends had no idea what dangerous waters they were diving into.
    “What did you find?” Tessa asked, not bothering to mask the fear in her voice.
    Charlie’s brows pulled together at the sudden change in her demeanor. “Not much, or I wouldn’t be here now.”
    Thank God .
    Boyd had always kept Project Exodus a well-guarded secret. He’d said it was to keep the media