She sighs heavily and settles a hand on her lower back, kneading it without thinking. I brush her hand away and place one of mine on her front and the other on her back, rubbing her in the way I know she likes best, using my stronger fingers to dig into the tense muscles just above her butt.
"I wasn't going to leave," she admits. "I just wanted to get your attention. Grayson said he required an emergency before he would call you. I created an emergency. To be honest, I'm way too exhausted these days to be climbing those damn stairs by myself, up or down."
I chuckle, relief easing the last of my anger. Taran is an intelligent woman, but she's also driven. I have no doubt if she'd decided she needed out of the building she would've found a way.
"What happened that you couldn't wait for
