Warriors of Poseidon 05 - Atlantis Redeemed

from his, so it was only natural that he’d lean forward and close that space. As fleeting as a forgotten wish, yet even such a brief touch from her lips still had the power to spark liquid gold inside the dark crevasses of his soul.
    Brennan had to grin: oh, how Ven would mock him if he’d heard that thought.
    “I’ll take that evil grin as a yes,” Tiernan said, straightening up and moving back into her side of the seat. “I’ve heard the waterfalls here are spectacular.”
    Litton, who’d been droning on about waterfalls earlier, made a snorting noise, settled into his seat, shoulders hunched, and quit talking altogether. As much as Brennan appreciated the silence, he knew he should be doing something to advance their cover story. He leaned forward a little.
    “Tell me more about the lab, Dr. Litton. I understand it is in a very secure location?”
    Litton twisted around in his seat. “Definitely secure. We wouldn’t want your money to be in any danger, would we, now?” He laughed at his own wit, and Brennan frowned. There was an edge of madness there, to be sure. Not that most true geniuses didn’t have that streak of incipient madness, and Litton was nothing if not a genius. His research and discoveries in mapping the brain and ways to manipulate brain chemistry and function were nothing short of miraculous.
    That’s why they were all here, after all. Just the crazy scientist, the brainless reporter, and the not-very-perceptive billionaire.
    Tiernan shot him a look, and he realized he’d tightened his grip on her hand so much that he was probably hurting her. He instantly released her.
    “I’m sorry, mi—Tracy,” he said quietly.
    “No worries. Good as new.” She wiggled her fingers to show him.
    “We’re almost there,” Litton said. “It’s about twenty minutes outside the gate. We’re going to give you a special demonstration of our capabilities and experiments to date, and also present our plans for the future. With the help of your funding, we anticipate great strides in the very near future.” The man was all but preening. “Great strides,” he repeated.
    “Well, you are the genius,” Tiernan said, a bland smile on her face.
    Litton shot her a suspicious glare, but she kept the smile on her face, no matter that she believed the man to be a contemptuous rodent. Brennan was impressed.
    “Yes,” Litton said, turning back around to face forward again. “I am.”
    Atlantis Redeemed – Warriors of Poseidon 05
    Page 135 of 232
    Tiernan rolled her eyes, and the driver made a choking noise that he turned into a cough.
    Brennan glanced up and met the man’s gaze in the rearview mirror. The shifter was fighting a grin, so he’d clearly seen Tiernan’s reaction. Brennan smiled, too, inviting the driver to share the joke.
    Never hurt to enlist allies. The shifter might not actively help them, but it’s harder to shoot a man when you’ve shared a joke with him. Ven had taught them all that. Although Christophe was fond of telling Ven that it was his jokes that might get him shot. Brennan smiled at the memory, and at his ability to find joy in something so ordinary as the bantering between his fellow warriors.
    They sat in silence for the rest of the trip, and Brennan memorized their directions and notable landmarks so he could find the place again. After the promised twenty minutes, the driver turned the car off onto a tree-lined road that narrowed for a few miles until it was no more than a single lane. If they met any cars coming the opposite way, someone would need to pull clear off the road into the grass and weeds.
    They took a sharp turn a little too fast, and Tiernan fell against Brennan. He took advantage of the moment by putting his arm around her—any excuse to touch her. The look in her eyes when she glanced up at him made him want to touch her in many ways. Naked ways.
    “We’re here,” Litton announced.
    Brennan put thoughts of Tiernan, naked, to the side for more careful consideration later, and studied the enormous, blocky, white-painted building.
    “It’s a warehouse?” Tiernan asked.
    “We bought the warehouse and made major renovations to the inside,” Litton said. “We needed a large space that we could retrofit to our own precise specifications.”
    “Of course,” Brennan said. “Easier when the basic structure is in place.” As if he really were a businessman and had done such things many times. He felt the warmth of Tiernan’s approval even