And it had worked.

Now it was time for her to return some of the generosity he'd shown her.

"There's two hundred grand in here..." Lucas dropped that bombshell on the rest of their city's finest. "Yeah, I counted it twice."

A short silence.

"Fuck. I think so too. They used her to smuggle it out." He growled. "But was it random chance? Or did they target her specifically. That's what we need to know."

Ellie poked her head out of the bathroom. "Lucas?"

If she didn't have some relief from the thick tension of the debriefing happening in the room next door, she was going to lose her mind. He might be used to operating in situations like this, but she certainly was not. Diversions would be welcome.

"Hang on a sec," he told the Men in Blue. "Yeah, E?"

"Sorry to interrupt. Mind if I use that tablet in the waterproof case by the tub?" She figured she could find a movie to watch or scan the Internet for information.

"Sure, go ahead. Just...don't log in to any of your accounts, okay?" He winced. "Sorry, but we don't want to give cybernerds, like JRad, who are playing for the other team a trail of breadcrumbs. Use my stuff. Everything you need should be on there already. The messenger app is open and I'm sure Lacey, Shari, Izzy, Jambrea and Lily are dying to talk to you. If you're up to it."

"Aren't they sleeping?" She glanced at the clock, surprised to find it was almost five in the morning. Lacey and Jambrea were nurses. They worked the night shift often to mesh their schedules to their guys'. Lily ran an exclusive BDSM club that had her on a similar cadence. And Shari was always up at the ass crack of dawn doing something on her land. "I guess not."

"They're worried about you." He smiled softly. "Us, really."

"I guess I should've known winning a jackpot like that isn't really the kind of luck I have." She dropped her forehead to the doorjamb.

"I didn't realize this was a pity party. Hang on. Let me pull up a chair so I can bitch about only having one leg without toppling over." He might have sounded harsh, but he grinned as he said it. Probably because he knew it was going to put her hackles up.

The man did seem to take perverse pleasure in her temper.

From across the room she could hear their mutual friends cracking up.

It felt good to burn instead of wilt beneath the gloom that had threatened her sometimes lately. No one could understand that better than Lucas. It made her happy to be treated like she wasn't fragile.

She figured it was best to get even. Except instead of firing off a double middle-finger salute, she flashed him a wicked grin.

"Uh-oh. No. She's not about to attack me. She's smiling. Now I'm scared." He rubbed his chest and damn if he didn't mirror her expression. At least with a hint of a tilt to his lips that only made him infinitely more attractive.

That was when she took her destroyed dress and began to walk it up her thighs, then her midriff, and finally over her head. She dropped it to the bathroom floor, leaving her in only her matching candy-apple red, strapless bra and lacy panties. It was freeing, to have the ability to tease a man while completely guaranteed that he would not hurt her.

"Son of a bitch!" he barked.

Still, he didn't look away.

"No. No, sorry. Everything's fine. Great. I mean, there's no need to rush over here or anything," Lucas rambled, something she'd never heard before or thought possible.

Could he actually be flustered? By her?

What would their friends find if they barged in soon?

Probably nothing.

The thought launched a zing of disappointment through her gut. So she spun, giving Lucas a perfect view of her backside. She reached behind herself, unclasping her bra and letting it join her ruined dress on the ground.

"E!" he hissed.

When she peeked over her shoulder, he had his hand smothering the mouthpiece.

So she decided to complete her revenge. If he could rile her, she could do the same to him. At least she hoped she could.

Ellie popped her thumbs through the skimpy waistband of her skimpier panties. She walked them down the curve of her hips then wiggled until she was able to step out of them.

"Holy shit," he groaned. This time when she glanced back at him, his hand was rearranging the growing bulge in his jeans. He could have looked away at any time-turned around or even simply closed his eyes.

But he didn't.

With a wink, she headed for his tub, out of his line of sight, ending her demonstration.

"Huh?" he said, obviously trying to catch up to the conversation he was having with the Men in Blue. "Sorry. I just...I got distracted for a minute. No, get your minds out of the gutter. She's not even in here. She went to take a bath. The hike tore her up some. Both of us."

And just like that, the results of her teasing evaporated.

He was all business again, reminded of how she'd been a victim.

Damn it.

On the side of the tub, a bottle caught her attention. It was one she knew well. Jambrea had given her the same thing for her birthday. It was a mix of lavender and other oils, designed for relaxation, mixed with a splash of bubble bath. Somehow, the thought of Lucas surrounded by suds had her chuckling.

She unscrewed the top and put a capful of the lovely mixture into the tub. Considering how monstrous the soaker was, compared to hers, she went ahead and added a second dollop.

Breathing deeply, she prepared herself then dipped a foot in. Lucas's patch job had worked wonders, but the sting in the areas he hadn't treated was enough to make her groan.

"You okay?" Lucas shouted from the other room. His conversation was nothing more than a comforting rumble when she was this close to the rush of water.

"Yeah," she lied. "Just felt good."

"Tell me if you need anything," he instructed.

Somehow she figured that didn't include a make-out session or an orgasm to help her relax before bed.

Easing herself into the water slowly, Ellie bit her lip to keep from hissing at each additional sting that resulted from submerging her dings beneath the waves. She didn't waste any time in pressing the button to activate the jets.

It took a while, but eventually she was up to her collarbones in blissfully steamy, pretty-smelling heat. It began to seep into her bones. For a while there, she thought she'd never be warm again.

Now that she was, she just lay there, boneless, as the rush of water massaged her all over.

And then the tablet near her head binged. After a minute it binged again. And again.

A smile curved her lips upward. She put her money on Izzy, the least patient of her friends. Not wanting to keep them in suspense-worried about her-any longer than necessary, Ellie grabbed the device and unlocked the screen.

Funny, Lucas had the same case she did.

Even the same color.

She'd picked it because it matched her eyes. Why had he? Was it his favorite color?

Or maybe it had been the only one left in the store when he needed one.

Ellie had spent lots of quality time in the tub, reading or surfing the net. It was one of the things that calmed her when she had a bad night. Could he have that in common with her too?

Sure enough, a little box with Izzy's name held a stream of messages.

Paging Ms. Ellie...

Yo, Ellie.

Answer me!

Are you okay?

Ellllliiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee Then the rest of her friends' names appeared in italics, with a note that they'd joined the conversation.

Lacey: Calm down, Iz. Maybe she went to bed instead.

Lily: Anyone want to take odds on where she'll be sleeping tonight?

Okay, that was enough of that. What if Lucas saw their messages?

Then again, so what if he did? Ellie had wondered the same thing, though she assumed they had different views on the best solution to that problem.

Lucas: Hey, ladies, I'm here. And fine. Mostly. My dress is toast, though.

Izzy: Unless Lucas has really taken up cross-dressing, which I might like to see, I'm going to assume this is you, Ellie?

Lucas: Ha-ha, yes. He told me not to sign in to my accounts.

Shari: NO! Not the dress! It was spectacular on you.

Lucas: Win some, lose some.

Jambrea: Is it true? There's extra money in the bag? Loads more? I can't believe it!

Lucas: I'm sure I don't get to keep it. You know, without people shooting at me and trying to abduct me and shit. Who knows if I even really won the $50K. I'm not holding my breath.

Izzy: Are you okay, Ellie? Really?

Lucas: Yeah. I will be. Kind of shaken up, but it hasn't really sunk in yet, you know? It still feels like a bad dream. If it weren't for Lucas... Mostly I just want to veg out, grab something to eat and then sleep for a year. My feet are killing me.

Lily: You definitely deserve a woman-of-the-year award for walking so damn far in those fuck-me heels.

Shari: Holy shit! Ellie, didn't you call your brother and let him know you're okay?

Lucas: No, Lucas is on the secure line with the guys. I have no way of contacting Ryan. Can you let him know, somehow that is cop-approved? If someone is looking for me, he could be in trouble too.

Why hadn't she thought of that before?

Shari: I don't think that's a problem. I'm kind of at his and Ben's place. We got the call and something seemed like it was up before I'd made it very far, so I turned around and came back. Thought he might be climbing the walls until he heard something. For the record, he was.

Lucas: Thank you for being there for him. I didn't mean to scare him.

Izzy: Not like you did this on purpose, babe! Ryan will chill out now that he knows you're safe.

Lily: And especially if he takes advantage of having both Ben and Shari at his disposal.

Shari: Hey now! He's right here. Watch your typing.

Lucas: Tell him I love him, and I'll call him as soon as I'm able, okay?

Shari: He says he loves you too. And that you should listen to Lucas and not give him a hard time.

Lacey: Oh, I think you should give him a hard time all right.

Lucas: Hey! My brother can see this. Gross.

Still, she laughed.

Jambrea: Ryan and Ben should give Shari a double-hard time! I highly recommend it.

Lacey: I second that. Mason and Tyler have made me a two-scoop girl for life.

Shari: OMG. Zip it.

Their antics did exactly as they intended-erased her worry. They'd gotten good at rescuing her from slumps or terror in the past year or so.

Lucas: I love you all and miss you already. Sorry I screwed up girls' night out.

Lily: I'll spank you next time I see you. Or, better yet, let Jeremy have a turn.

Ellie knew the notorious Domme was only teasing.

Lacey: We won't keep you. You need to chill out and rest. I'm so glad you're all right.

Lucas: Thanks. Hey, Jambi or Lacey...

Jambrea: Yes?

Lacey: What can I do?

Lucas: What are some resources for amputee education? Lucas had to stop and adjust his prosthesis a few times. I feel like I should know more. Where can I go to get up to speed?