Some people think flowers and chocolate are romantic. For me, the way he calls me “baby” and stands there beside Ryker, ready to kill him, is about as romantic as it gets in my book.
As for the coffee, I’ll laugh about this little ploy to get to me later, but right now, I simply join both men and greedily accept the cup. “I need this like I need my next breath.” I sip the cold coffee and greet Ryker.
“I’m surprised to see you here, chill and drinking Starbucks,” he says. “I thought you were hiding out.”
“I am, but the boss wanted to see me.”
His brows dip. “He called you in?”
“He did. Almost as if he wants me dead, right?” I laugh, short and choppy. “I better go get lost before I get dead.”
His eyes sharpen and he smirks. “Yes. Get lost before you get dead.”
Luke’s eyes sharpen and he says, “We’d better go. We have a plane waiting.” He opens the door. I walk past Ryker and exit the building with Luke on my heels. His vehicle is right up front again and we both walk toward it. Once we’re inside, Luke says nothing. He starts the car, backs us up, and drives. The minute we’re out of the driveway, I rotate to realize that Agent Murphy is already in his car and backing up. A moment later, a tall man, wearing a baseball hat backward, skateboards into the center of the driveway and starts doing stunts. Adam, I think. Master of Disguise. Thank God for him.
I face forward again and hold on tightly as Luke cuts right and punches the accelerator, a harsh reality crashing into me. We’re on the run again, and allies are now enemies. Nothing is as it seems.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Luke
I drive in circles though neighborhoods and on major highways until I know we’re clear of trouble.
That turns out to be ten miles later when I cut the car into a busy McDonald’s parking lot at almost eight in the morning. “Tell me what happened back there,” I say.
“Aside from being fairly certain everyone in that building today was dirty, including my boss?” Ana says. “I found this.” She snakes something from her pocket and holds up what appears to be a fishhook.
“What the hell is that?”
“That insurance I told you he keeps,” she says. “Darius is telling me where to find it. I know he’s telling me because I’m about the only person who would understand what this means.”
“He had a hook up his ass, dragging him to hell?”
“He liked to fish, though he was horrible at it. He’d go on detox trips, the detox being from his job.”
“Where?”
“He had three spots, so I can’t be sure which one he’s indicating. The idea of insurance is not to make it easy to find for anyone but him. Just that it’s possible for me if I’m using my brain. There’s his hunting lodge, which is basically a broken-down deserted cabin he stumbled on during some manhunt years back. It’s up in the mountains near the Wyoming border. Then there is Cherry Creek Reservoir and Clear Creek Canyon, which aren’t that far apart but nowhere near the cabin. We can’t split up, either. I’m the only one who will know what to look for when I see it.”
“What’s the most likely spot?”
“The cabin. It’s the only place he went that didn’t have a real lodge. It was just his lonesome spot, but it’s also a couple of hours away. The other two are closer. We should go to them first, just to get them out of the way.”
“It’s a plan. The rest of our team needs to watch your boss and his disciples.” I call Blake, let him know the plan, arrange a vehicle change to an SUV for the mountain drive, and then set my Google Maps for a Best Buy. “I need a damn computer,” I explain, showing Ana our destination. “Blake and our guys can hack the hell out of a problem, but I’ll feel better if I’m doing something to help. We need to find a place to grab supplies before we head up the mountain, too.”
“And I need a coat,” she says. “But I’ll drive so you can hack.”
“I’ll drive for now,” I say and that’s what I do. I drive right on up to the McDonald’s drive-thru.
Once we’re in line, our order placed, Ana glances over at me. “Mike always acted like he resented the attention and respect my stepfather got from the agency. If he’s a part of this, whatever it is, Kurt wasn’t. Not willingly.” She twirls the fishhook almost absent-mindedly. “I’m a common denominator in all of this,” she surmises. “I connect the dots between every person involved.”
“So does Kurt, Ana.”
“Okay true,” she agrees, “but the Mike/Kurt dynamic isn’t just jealousy. There’s something more there.” She frowns. “What if it was about jealousy? What if Mike wanted to get rid of him, so he set him up in some way?”