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"Babe, you need to calm down," Chance said. "I know what you're thinking, but Gracie's interview probably has nothing to do with us or cryptids. It's probably just a job interview." While he talked, he wrapped his arms around me and cradled my head against his chest.
Once I was calmer, Chance gently pushed me down to sit on the edge of the bed. He let go of my hand and took out his phone. "I'm going to text the guys and see if we can schedule a call."
"I assume by guys, you mean Tom and Jim. Why are we calling them, if it’s just an interview?"
"Just want to be on the safe side, plus we haven't had an update lately on all those loose ends we left back in Idaho."
Chance was right. For the past few weeks, I managed to lose myself in holiday prep and festivities. I hadn't given a thought to secret government labs, the BFFam, or my kidnappers. "I can't believe after everything that happened, I haven't thought about it for a couple of weeks. I'm a terrible person. I got so wrapped up in our plans I didn't even stop to wonder if the guys would be safe while we were gone. Fudge."
"Stop," he said, picking me up and pulling me into his lap.
"But those guys are always taking care of me, and I just got wrapped up in... in..." I waved my hand between us. "In whatever this is between us. I don't know why you even like me. I'm a terrible, self-centered person."
"Babe, I love your center and all the gooey bits surrounding it."
"Gooey bits. I have gooey bits," I sobbed into his shoulder. "I thought you were trying to help."
"Me too."
By the time I calmed down, Chance had confirmed a conference call with the guys at three o'clock. "I don't think we should talk about this stuff here," Chance said. "Can you come up with an excuse to get out of here for a couple of hours?"
"Sure. I'll come up with something."
XXX
Mama assumed Chance and I were sneaking off for some alone time. I didn't deny it. We promised to be back in time for dinner.
I drove to a park where we could walk or just sit and talk. This time of year, it was pretty deserted except for the hard-core exercisers walking or jogging on the trails.
After appreciating the alone time in the way my Mama expected, we decided we should make a list of questions to go over with the guys before we told them about Gracie's interview.
We went for a walk before time for the call. "You doing OK, City Girl?"
"No. What if our trip here has put Gracie and Mama at risk?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I still think it's probably just a coincidence. Let's get back to the car."
Chance answered his phone and put it on speaker. "Tom, how's your shoulder doing?" I asked, hoping to redeem myself at least a little bit.
"It's good. How's your visit going?" Tom asked.
"All is well here," Chance said. "We realized that with all the holiday preparations and getting ready for my upcoming hunts, we hadn't really caught up with you guys to see where we stand on things with Em's kidnapping or the secret lab."
"I know what you mean," Tom said. "I've been so busy getting back to work and preparing for the holidays, it just hasn't been a priority. I'm sorry for that, Everly. Finding out who kidnapped you shouldn't take a backseat to anything else."
"Thanks, Tom, but don't beat yourself up over it. I was the one kidnapped, and I forgot about it," I said. "When it first happened, I wondered if I'd ever be able to put it out of my mind for even a minute."
Chance put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. Tom had checked in with Sheriff Roy, but there was nothing knew on the official investigation into my kidnapping or Tom's shooting. Jim's investigator was still on the trail of the woman we knew as Helen Kepler, but there was nothing concrete yet.
Chance nodded to me. "It sounds like nothing has really changed. We know BITES, or at least someone who works for them, was behind the kidnapping, and we know it has something to do with the lab."
"I'm afraid that's where we stand right now," Jim said.
"It's hard not to go back out there to check on the BFFam, but we agreed we needed to stay away. That's still the plan, right?"
"We need to stick to the plan, but I know it's difficult," Chance said. "I'll check my calendar to find a time when we can make another trip to the observation point. Once I've seen it, we'll need to figure out what we plan to do about the BFFam."
"But there's something else we need to talk about now. I think you both know I have a sister, Gracie Layne. She's in her last semester of her master's program in data analytics at Vanderbilt."
"Is she home for Christmas?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, we're just one big happy family here. The thing is, Gracie Layne has an interview the day after Christmas with DHS in Atlanta."
No one said anything, so Chance jumped in. "It concerned us a little when she admitted that she hadn't applied for a job with them, they just called her out of the blue to see if she'd be interested. I know it's probably just a coincidence, but we thought we'd better check in with you two and see what your take on it was?"
After some discussion, we all agreed Gracie's interview probably had nothing to do with our connection to DHS, but it was best to be cautious. Chance explained our plan to go with her and keep an eye on her.
"Sounds like you have it under control, Jim said. There were some bells in the background that drowned out the rest of Jim's comment. They sounded familiar. When the bells stopped, Jim picked up where he left off. "I'm sure there won't be an issue, but I do think it's a good reminder to us all to continue to be vigilant."