Rhys by Adrienne Bell Page A

now, there was no one that she trusted more.
    And she did trust him.
    So much that she wondered maybe if there was another way. Maybe slipping away to downtown San Jose alone wasn’t the only answer. Maybe she’d stand a better chance with a little help.
    All her fears rushed to the surface at the thought. She wouldn’t just be putting him in danger. She’d be dangling a billion dollar carrot in front of his face. And while Tessa might be tempted to trust Rhys to help her destroy the contents of her storage locker, she wasn’t so quick to trust the people he worked with.
    Tessa had seen how much Boyd had been offered by some of the foreign interests for a working prototype of her project when she’d broken into his email. The bids had soared into the billions. That was a hell of a temptation, even for those who had dedicated their lives to helping others.
    And Tessa was pretty sure those fancy suits Carter Macmillan favored didn’t come cheap.
    That was unfair, she thought as she turned the water off. She didn’t have to trust the man, but she didn’t have to fall into the trap of demonizing him either.
    That kind of black and white thinking didn’t do anyone any good.
    What she needed was another kind of solution.
    She reached outside the shower for a towel and started drying her body off.
    Rhys had proven that he was the only one from Macmillan Security that trusted her. Maybe it was time to see how far that trust went.
    They could get in the car together. She would give him the directions as they went. Then he wouldn’t have the chance to alert anyone about where they were going until it was already too late.
    He could stay in the car as a lookout while she destroyed everything inside the unit. That way he wouldn’t technically know anything else about Project Exodus. He wouldn’t be putting himself at any more risk than he already was.
    And she might actually have a snowball’s chance of surviving this hell.
    Which was more than she’d allowed herself to dream yesterday.
    For good reason , Tessa reminded herself. This wasn’t going to be over the moment she set fire to everything in that storage unit. Boyd was never going to give up on her, not with everything he had on the line. She was still going to be on the run for the rest of her life.
    However long or short that might be.
    But hiding out another day in this fool’s paradise with Rhys wasn’t going to change anything. It was time to take a risk. It was time to act.
    Tessa dressed as quickly as she could, trying to outpace her fears and doubts. She hurried down the hallway, fully expecting to find Rhys in the kitchen, just like he had been every morning, but he wasn’t there.
    He must have stepped out for a second to talk on the phone. The office had probably called with their daily update.
    Or then again, maybe not.
    Tessa saw his phone sitting on the countertop, right next to his key ring.
    Tessa started as his phone suddenly buzzed loudly. She glanced behind her, but Rhys didn’t appear. He must have run to the bathroom or something.
    Well, this was awkward.
    Tessa clasped her hands in front of her as she slid toward the phone. She knew it was none of her business, but she just couldn’t resist sneaking a peek at the illuminated screen.
    Her regret was immediate. Bile rose up in her throat as her stomach tightened, as though she’d taken a fist right in the center of her belly.
    No. The thought repeated over and over in her head as she stared down at the phone. It couldn’t be true. But the name was there, clear as day, displayed on the screen.
    Dylan Murtry.
    Tessa’s mind turned over and over again, trying to think of a reason, any reason, that Rhys might have Dylan as a contact in his phone. Any reason that wouldn’t turn everything she’d believed about Rhys Vaughn into a lie.
    She couldn’t think of a single one.
    Tessa picked up Rhys’ phone and opened his call log. All the proof she needed of his deception was there. Dylan had