I groaned as the alarm went off. As usual we were never satisfied with once. Such a difference from the way Maurice used to treat me. I reminded myself to put him back in the little locked box labeled Learned From. I didn't want him flavoring anything to do with Chayton. I tucked him up on the back shelf of my memories and hoped it would be the last time I had to do it.

"Are you awake?" Chayton's bass rumble as he stretched had me wishing for a little wake up fun.

"Yeah, and I have to get moving. Shower first?" My hair was a tangled mess. I forgot to braid it before falling asleep.

"You go first. I'll get the coffee going and see if there's anything in the fridge. How about a continental style breakfast?"

"Use the last of the sourdough rye bread and the left over hard boiled eggs. I think there's some shaved ham and a bit of Italian salami left too. Cheese, well we have our choice. We'll pack up the rest of the perishables and take them up to Malia later." I listed them in my head as I strode into the bathroom.

No point in gathering up my clothes from yesterday. Those would go to Chayton's cabin. We were packed for the trip there. Edith and Edison put their heads together with some help from the CIA. They had our cover identities and paperwork couriered there. Spy work wasn't in my future plans, but here I was. Go with the flow.

I heard the shower door open, and Chayton grabbed the handheld shower. We had a routine most times when it came to my hair, and his help rinsing it was welcome. I squashed down the immediate want for more intimacy.

"Was that shampoo or conditioner?" He asked.

"I'm done. Just have to get it somewhat dry before we eat." I stepped out of the glass enclosure as I spoke.

"Good enough. I should be done in here by the time you braid your hair."

I toweled down, wrapping one of the super soft absorbent bath sheets around my dripping hair. I dressed in the only office suit I had with me leaving the jacket hanging off the back of the vanity chair.

Chayton shaved what little beard he had, and I took the hair dryer to my hair. This one was amazing, and as I got down to the damp stage I turned it off and looked for the brand name. I wanted to replace mine.

"I'll braid it for you." Chayton moved around behind me and I admired his rippling muscles as he divided my hair into three equal parts.

"Thanks. What about the food?"

"The freezer is loaded like you wanted, and we have enough for a decent meal. Let's take everything with us, and leave the keys with security, like Kate requested." He wrapped a leather strip with turquoise beads around the end of my braid and let it drop against the small of my back.

I turned to face him and reached up to give him a kiss. His hands snaked around me and he pulled me into a tight hug. I sighed, wishing we could stay there and forget about my busy schedule.

Chayton pulled back, and I could feel his heart racing against me. Regret tinged his words.

"Let's go eat. I want to talk to Ophelia, and we need to be on our way. We'll take your Tahoe. I have a whole fleet I can choose from at work, and my own Suburban is at the cabin."

I shook my head. I had no idea how it got back there, and I didn't ask. Nodding my head, I tugged him out into the hall. The quicker we got through the day, the faster we would get to the cabin.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Where's Ella?" I asked as we stepped into the hooghan.

"Asleep. The men were busy until very late last night getting the last of the adobe finishing up on our expansions. I can move my supplies into the new barn tomorrow, and it's ready for the milking goats."

"Did you find a source for Nubian nannies?" I asked.

"Three good milking herds are selling of their female kids next spring. I've got first rights on them. I can't wait. One of them has a stunning young male for sale. I'll take him at the same time. Females from the other two herds. I'll let him run with the meat goats until I need him for breeding. The half and half kids from him will be an experiment. I'd like to see if the mix brings me even bigger weights when it comes time to sell."

"I have a bunch of groceries for you. If you want to come out and help me carry them in, we'll be on our way. Don't let Ella know, but once we get back from Abu Dhabi, we're headed into Mexico to rescue Abuelita." I turned to get the bags we had stashed in the Tahoe.

"By the way, we've got confirmation of Star's pregnancy. The vet was around to check up on my goats and castrate the younger males. He said he'd be around frequently to check on her."

"Why?" My heart dropped.

"She's carrying twins." Malia's eyes sparkled with joy as she dropped her little surprise.

I pumped my fist. "Yes! Oh my! I can't wait to see what we have."

"How's my boy doing?" Chayton asked his grin was a mile wide.

"I ride Bingo everyday to go out and see how the goats are doing," Malia replied as she grabbed three of the bags from the back of my SUV. "Ella rides Star. We'll have to get her a smaller horse. Maybe a Morgan?"

"We'll think about it. I hate to rain on your parade, but it depends on whether we can keep them here, or if they have to disappear into witness protection." Chayton lowered the hatch, closing it quietly before he followed us back into the dwelling.

"That's what I thought as well. But I would love to have them both here." Malia started stowing supplies in the fridge and I opened the pantry cabinet to put bags of flour and sugar away."

"I'll do my best to hide her movements. I'm thinking we might fake her death," Chayton said. "Nothing is written in stone yet. It's going to be at least another month till we can do anything."

I nodded. "We tracked some of the sales back to the Mexican cartels as well, but finding the people attached to the cryptic numbering system is proving to be a little troublesome." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Leave it in Edith's hands, Alyana. We might get some help from other agencies as well. Are we ready to go?" Chayton pointed toward the door.

I turned to hug my sister. Malia wasn't as skinny as when we found her in the cave. Her hair was shiny, and she was getting closer to the way I remembered her before she disappeared. The strength of her arms around me astounded me. I always knew she was strong, and it surprised me to see her recovering so quickly.

"I'm happy here, Alyana," she whispered in my ear. "Stay safe and come back with good news."

"Of course. See you in a few weeks."

Chayton wrapped his arms around her next. I don't know what she whispered in his ear, but his grin was quick to surface, and he chuckled.

"Let's go." He reached for my hand and tugged me out the door.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"You'll find out in due time." He sounded smug, and I knew he wouldn't budge. The man could keep a secret.