Free In Her Sights by Keri Ford, Charley Colins

had. Forget politics and all that mess.
    Gen sat on a settee and brushed off the top of her thighs. “That’s
a relief. That you’re all okay.”
    “Enough about that. Tell me about your trip!”
    After a forty-five minute update about their month-long trip
through the UK, Lexie was ready to pack up and go. She hadn’t been on a
non-work-motivated trip in a while. The reason for Gen’s trip, though, made it
easier to smother the desire for travel. The news of infertility had hit Gen
hard. Months of one negative pregnancy test after. Artificial hormones thrown
in the mix hadn’t helped. The entire process had nearly tore Gen and her
marriage apart. Lexie patted Gen’s hand. “How are your hormones?”
    Gen was finally brought silent for a moment. The bubbly,
brightness on her face dimmed as she rubbed her arms. “Like a roller coaster.
Some parts are more fun than others.”
    “You’re feeling better, though? You look like you’re feeling
better.” Color was back in her cheeks and there was a spark in her friend’s eye
that Lexie hadn’t seen in far too long.
    Gen was smiling again. “I am. Wade and I just relaxed. Enjoyed
our trip. It was nice. He didn’t have to worry about work. We just had a good
time.” She bit her lip. “The first couple days were rough. Being around each
other again was awkward. But we found a rhythm.”
    “Good.” For a month, Gen had left her husband and moved into
Lexie’s house. She enjoyed having her friend close, but her entire life had
been hampered. She still had secret night work to do. In a desperate attempt,
she sent them on the trans-Atlantic cruise to get privacy to do a job and hope
they’d work it out. Looked like it did.
    “A week into the trip, we were both stress-free and feeling
good.” Gen breathed, and that bright smile was back on her face. “It felt like
our honeymoon all over again.”
    “I’m happy for you.”
    “I can’t thank you enough for getting us both to go.”
    “It wasn’t too hard. He loves you, and you love him. You two
are meant to be together.”
    Gen rubbed her belly. “We also decided that if I’m not
pregnant this time, we’re done.”
    “What?” She sat forward. Growing up, Gen’s dreams were to
have a family. Be a mom. It was a foreign thought to Lexie, but she admired her
friend for knowing what she wanted.
    Gen was still smiling. “Babies are born every day, and they
need a home. We have a big one.”
    Lexie moved to the seat next to her, wrapped an arm around
her shoulder, and kissed her temple. “I can tell by your smile you’re happy
about this.”
    “I am. Adoption was my idea. Wade thought it was a good plan,
too.” She checked her watch and shrieked. “Gah! I was only supposed to be here
an hour. I have to get home and have some sex!”
    Lexie laughed and gave her one last hug. “My fingers are
crossed.”
    Gen started off, but stopped at the door way and leaned in. “Hey,
Lexie? The consultation guy? You should hit that.”
    Lexie laughed and threw a decorative pillow at her. “Get out
of here.”
    Gen’s chuckles carried through the house and left Lexie with
her thoughts of Clayton’s broad shoulders and thick arms. Yeah. Not a good
idea. She pushed from the settee and headed upstairs with her packages. As much
as she’d like to sit around thinking about Clayton’s body and all she’d like to
do with him, she had things to do.
    Most likely, she’d have some unwanted visitors sometime .
Question of the hour: When? Tonight after she didn’t show for their appointment?
Possibly. Or they could put it off to another night to plan. Maybe leave a last warning
note. Either way, she needed to be prepared.
    Which was the tricky part. Cleaning up a group of men up wouldn’t
be a problem. But she couldn’t have a house full of dead or beaten bodies while
she got off clean. That wouldn’t fly with the police as self-defense. But she
wouldn’t take the chance they’d walk in and walk out with everything she