A sliver of sunlight peeked through the lacy curtains of her bedroom window. Morning had come all too quickly. Lena drew the comforter under her chin and sighed. She felt warm and safe wrapped in a cocoon of soft down. Slowly she allowed her drowsy thoughts to veer toward the activities of the coming day. Lena suddenly became aware of a presence in her bedroom. It was the subtle intake of breath that caused her to turn from the pillow.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Gage’s gently spoken words fell over her like a lover’s caress. "You’re going to snooze the day away if you don’t get up."

Gage had insisted on staying the night on her couch. Lena admitted to herself that she had never slept better because of it.

Lena reluctantly opened her eyes. Gage was a blur of color before she reached over and snatched her glasses off the side table. He was lounging in the reading chair by her bed. His stocking feet were propped up on the ottoman, his arms folded over his flat torso. His dark hair was mussed and his dress shirt was rumpled and unbuttoned to his waist. Gage made a delectable picture.

"What time is it?" Her voice was husky from sleep.

"It’s just after 9:00 a.m.," Gage said complaisantly. He tilted his head to the side and gazed thoughtfully at Lena. "Did you sleep well?"

Lena leaned up on one arm, keeping the comforter close to her chest. The blanket at least provided her with some modest covering in such an intimate situation. After all, she had only worn a skimpy tank shirt and panties to bed.

"Yes, considering," she said. Lena brushed a hand through her hair. "I’m surprised you’re still here. I would imagine you have business to attend to this morning."

"Nothing I can’t handle from my cell phone and your computer," Gage said with satisfaction. He set his feet to the ground and slid to the edge of the chair. "While you were sleeping, I made some phone calls. I also arranged a meeting with Matt tonight."

Lena bolted upright in the bed. "You spoke with Matt this morning?" she asked hurriedly. "Did he explain why you couldn’t reach him yesterday afternoon?"

Gage smiled humorously. "As I had expected, he and Elise had gone off together for the day." Gage stood and began to stroll about the room.

Lena thought he looked much too comfortable in her bedroom. He stopped to look at a photograph of Lynda taken at her birthday party the year before. Noticing the vase of exotic flowers on her dresser, he sniffed at the blooms before moving on to the window.

"Matt told me he’s following a lead on Dempster," Gage continued. He turned and pinned Lena with his eyes. "John Adams’ people have been extremely thorough in their investigation. They picked up an e-mail trail on the Internet last night. Dempster has apparently been corresponding with his contact through a series of coded messages on various web-sites. Matt tells me our people should have him tracked down no later than tomorrow."

"I can’t believe it," Lena said excitedly. She sat up and drew her knees up beneath the covers. "How could Dempster have been that careless?"