Copper Beach

didn’t it? I’m in this thing up to my neck now, and there’s nothing either of us can do about it except see it through.”

    He looked at her for a long time.

    “Do you always get to the bottom line this fast?” he asked finally.

    “Believe me, if there were viable options, I’d be running for the exit by now. You need me, Sam Coppersmith. And I need you.”

    He raised his brows. “Like I said, we’re stuck together.”

    She smiled. “Well, we do have Newton.”

    Sam looked at Newton. “Good point.”

    Bored, Newton trotted into the kitchen and began to slurp water out of his bowl.

    Abby walked across the room to stand directly in front of Sam. “But I can’t think of anyone else I would rather be stuck with in this situation.”

    “You’re sure about that?”

    “Absolutely certain,” she said.

    “Okay,” he said. He stroked her cheek with the back of the finger on which he wore the fire-red crystal. “I agree we’re in this together. But I’m not changing my plans. We’re going to Copper Beach.”

    “Why?”

    “We need a secure base of operations. Copper Beach is built like a fortress. Most of your work is done online, right?”

    “Well, yes.”

    “Looks like a lot of my work will be done that way, too.”

    “You’re going to try to find Dawson’s major investor, aren’t you?”

    “It’s a solid lead. Worth pursuing.”

    “I can’t just walk away from my life here in Seattle. Among other things, I need to put in an appearance at my father’s book-launch event. That’s on Friday night. He’s giving a talk and signing Families by Choice. There will be media. Dad has made it clear that it’s very important that the whole family show up.”

    “You’re not going into exile. You’re just going to Copper Beach. We can get back here for the book-signing event.”

    She looked around, searching for other excuses not to leave her new home.

    “All of my stuff is here,” she whispered. Okay, that sounded excessively juvenile. She squared her shoulders. “But you’re right. No reason I can’t leave for a while. Like going on vacation, right?”

    He smiled. “That’s one way to look at it.”

    “Newton will enjoy the country. He loves to visit Thaddeus because he can run around in the woods.” She turned toward the bedroom. “I’ll go pack.”

    She was in the process of folding her nightgown, the lacy new one that she had bought on impulse and had been saving for some special occasion that had never seemed to come, when she heard the chimes that told her she had new email.

    She put the nightgown into the small suitcase and picked up her phone. She recognized the code instantly. For no good reason, a chill of apprehension iced her senses.

    “Thaddeus,” she said softly.

    She opened the email and read the brief, cryptic note. She hurried out into the living room. “We need to see Thaddeus right away. He says he wants to talk to both of us in person. Something about an auction for the lab book.”

    Sam tossed his two soy sausages to Newton and dumped the dishes in the sink.

    “Let’s go,” he said.

17

    “DID HE GIVE YOU ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE AUCTION?” SAM asked.
    He was at the wheel of his SUV, driving into the foothills of the Cascades along a narrow, winding road. The terrain was turning steeper and more heavily wooded. Abby was strapped into the passenger seat, her attention focused on the view through the windshield. Newton was in the backseat.

    Abby had been unusually quiet since she had locked up her condo and stowed her suitcase and her dog in his vehicle. He had sensed how hard it was for her to accept that her home was no longer safe. He wanted to tell her that she could trust him to take care of her, but he knew that would not make up for the temporary loss of the one place that was hers, the small, cozy space where she was in complete control. He understood about control issues. Hell, he had them, too. Who didn’t?

    “No, but obviously rumors are circulating that the lab book will soon be up for auction,” Abby said. “That’s good news and bad news.”

    “What’s the good news?”

    “I know how to track that kind of chatter. I don’t usually do business with the dealers who work the deep end, but thanks to Thaddeus and Nick, I know who they are and I know how to contact them. I’ll try for a preemptive bid for the lab book. Failing that, I can guarantee that my client will top any other offer.” She gave him a