“Within minutes, according to this site.” He closed the browser and angled his body toward the others.
“That’s not all.” Gus’s tone had dropped, gone dark. “Like the clothes, the mug was from the police barracks.”
“What the ever-loving fuck?” Kinley halted in her tracks, her body turning rigid. Through the anger that had her trembling, there was fear. And that fear made acid roil in his gut.
“As much as you hate getting benched, I agree with the call to keep you off duty.”
A growl of frustration tore from Kinley, and she opened her mouth to speak before Gus cut her off. “It’s not safe. Whoever is doing this can get to you. Might be a person we know.”
“And with that, I’ll add that my supervisor was the only other person who knew we were going to the apartment today. Lora Bryce urged me to come into the office alone while Kinley got her things together. Doesn’t sit right. If someone leaked that information, it’s possible the intruder was lying in wait.”
“No.” Kinley shook her head. “We heard him before we even stepped foot in the apartment. He wasn’t exactly concealing his location.” She dragged her fingers through her hair and puffed out a breath.
“Maybe he thought he had more time.” His brother’s jaw was tight, his posture stiff. Gus looked like Easton felt. Cases were hard enough when you didn’t know the victim, but when it was the woman consuming your every thought, shit got more real.
“Or he expected you to rush inside when you heard the commotion and take you out.” He tried to keep his voice neutral and failed miserably.
“Then why’d he run?” Kinley stopped her pacing and spun toward him.
“Wasn’t expecting me to be with you. Or we have it wrong and he was looking for something in your apartment, not someone.” Damn, she was easy on the eyes. Even fired up and on edge, she knocked the wind right out of him.
“There’s nothing I have. Work stays at work. I never bring files home for that very reason.” Finally, she slumped in the empty chair.
“Someone paid this guy to do whatever he was doing, then was nervous enough to silence him.” He gripped the arms of his chair, digging his fingers into the spongy upholstery.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Sasha poked her head in. “Lunch is ready.” Gus got to his feet and stalked toward her. He palmed the back of her neck, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. A pang of envy ricocheted through him. What would it be like to be the man Kinley came home to at night? The one who could kiss her with reverence just because?
Gus glanced over his shoulder. “Let’s eat. Maybe by the time we’re done, we’ll have an ID on the intruder.” He didn’t wait for a reply before following Sasha out the door.
He leaned toward Kinley and held out his hand. She placed her palm in his, studying the way their fingers linked.
“You okay?” he murmured when she didn’t change the focus of her gaze.
She glanced up, eyes wide. “I … ah, I’m not used to this family-meal thing.”
A warm glow spread through him. He was pleased as hell that tough-as-nails Kinley would admit to being nervous about sitting down with his family. She knew everyone, but she’d lived alone for some time now. Liked doing things on her own.
“I usually eat dinner standing at my kitchen counter,” she said, confirming his thoughts.
“I get it, but even if you didn’t know any of them, they’d go out of their way to make you comfortable because you’re important to me.”
A pretty flush washed over Kinley’s cheeks, and she absently touched her throat with her free hand. He stood, drawing her up with him. His intention had been to distract her mind from lunch, but he meant it. She was important. And now with her looking up at him with her rich maple eyes, he was the one whose attention was diverted.
The shrill ring of his phone shattered the intimate moment. He dug the device out of his pocket. Shit. He knew Bryce would be up his ass any second for not showing up at the office. Honestly, he was surprised it had taken her so long.
“Agent Adair.” The frustration was audible in his tone, and Kinley bristled. “I gave you an order to report in.”
Blurting out that he suspected she’d leaked their whereabouts wouldn’t get him far. “And I listened to my intuition and went downtown first. I want to know what kind of criminal would make such a racket during a B&E.”
“It’s not your concern, Agent. You’re needed in the office. You’ve been personally requested to provide intel on a trafficking case for another team, which I would’ve told you about if you came in this morning.” The tapping of fingernails was broadcast over the line. A sign of his superior’s displeasure.
“Whose request?” A block of ice hardened in his gut and spread, frosting his veins with panic. “And what about the task force for the Kingston Town Killer?
“My orders come from the top, and the trafficking case has been flagged as urgent. Senator Shaw’s daughter ran away from home last week, and there’s reason to believe she’s being groomed. I received an email from Agent Lena Nilsson. She leads a group of five field agents in this building. She’s been with the bureau for years and has an exceptional track record for these kinds of cases.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met Agent Nilsson. There are half a dozen intelligence agents in our office alone. One of them will have to take the assignment.” Thoughts and scenarios were flying through his head. “I have to go,” he said abruptly and hung up the phone before Bryce could place another demand on him.
“Easton, what happened? Where are you going?” Kinley was right on his heels as he stalked out of the room and down the hall.