Perfect Picture [The ShadowDance Club 7] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free Page B

her eyes widen as the hidden door along the river side of the building slid open and he drove inside. She surprised him when she giggled and then looked at him shyly. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing because I’m pretty sure that kind of technology wasn’t available when this building was closed down and it sure wasn’t around when it was built. So I’m sure there are a lot more surprises yet to come, am I right?”
    “Yes, you are. And I’m impressed that you made that observation so quickly. I’ve worked with the Lamonts, Bryant Davis, and Mitch Grayson on the security of this building. This is one of the safest places around I can promise you that, cara . I’ll make sure you have a key fob so you can always come in if you need a safe haven.” He saw her curious look and appreciated that she didn’t ask him to explain. There would be plenty of time for all of that later. But right now, he felt like a kid with a new toy and he couldn’t wait to show it off to the prettiest girl in the class. “I usually take the freight elevator, but if you feel uncomfortable with it, we can use the new one.”
    He saw a glint of mischief in her eyes when she answered. “The freight elevator sounds like fun. Lead the way…you have piqued my curiosity now. I’m anxious to see what you have created.” Smiling at her prophetic words he helped her from the truck and then placed his hands at her lower back as he led her to the large elevator. When he raised the metal gate he saw her eyes widen when she saw how large the elevator was. “Wow, you could get a car on here. This is amazing. I’ll bet this was a big help with your renovations.”
    He laughed because the old elevator had been one of the last things he’d managed to get restored. “Actually, not so much since it’s only been functional for the past few weeks. It turned out to be pretty difficult to find parts for the blasted thing. I had to get a small company in New Mexico to make the pieces we needed. And while their work was flawless, it wasn’t exactly speedy.”
    She smiled and he was happy to see she seemed perfectly at ease. “How long did it take you to complete this project?”
    He laughed out loud because he would probably always consider the building to be a work in progress. “Well, as you’ll soon see, it isn’t exactly finished yet. I sometimes get called out – often at a moment’s notice – as you well know. But now that I’m planning to retire from all that, I hope I can finish up the last few loose ends and at least start taking pictures again.”
    They had finally reached the ground floor and he watched her take in her surroundings as he raised the metal gate. When they stepped off the elevator he saw her eyes go wide when she saw the pictures he’d taken of children all over the world. He’d hoped for that exact reaction because so much of what he had to tell her involved kids. She already knew his last call had involved a child and he could hardly wait to get his most recent pictures of Myla uploaded so they could be printed. Placing his hand on her back again he gently steered her toward the wall of pictures where he’d hung all but the very latest shots of the little dark-eyed beauty that had stolen his and so many of his friends’ hearts.
    He knew the minute she’d seen his little doll just by the way her eyes went wide and her voice was a reverent whisper. “Who is she? She is absolutely exquisite.” Noah didn’t answer her at first, he was enjoying watching Ilaina’s eyes as she perused the photos like the professional she was. “And her beauty radiates from deep in her soul. Her heart has bled, but her soul sings.” As does yours my sweet cara.
    “Have you heard Cash mention a child that a member of his SEAL team fathered? A young girl the rest of the team has sort of adopted after her father was killed?” When she nodded without ever moving her eyes from Myla’s photos he continued. “Well,