Chapter 31
Late the next afternoon, Spence took a Lyft from the Helena airport to the Blackhawk Security compound. He got out at the gate, added a generous tip for the driver on the app, then pressed the buzzer and hoped someone would let him in.
Devlin trotted up to the gate and opened the pedestrian entrance. “Didn’t know you were coming back already, Flynn,” he said.
“The threat to Zoe was neutralized,” Spence said. “So here I am.”
Dev narrowed his eyes at Spence. “You killed the guy?”
“No,” Spence said, stepping through the gate and making sure it was secured behind him. “He ran off a cliff.”
“Sounds like a good story,” Dev said.
Spence sighed. “Actually, it’s a sad story. I’m going to put my stuff in my room and go talk to Mel. Let her debrief me. I’m sure she’ll fill you in.”
“Yeah. We meet every day to discuss current cases.”
“See you later, Smith.”
“You will,” Dev said behind him.
After dumping his bags, Spence brushed his fingers down his thighs. Checked to make sure his hair was neat. That he hadn’t spilled anything on his shirt. Finally, when he couldn’t find any more excuses for delaying, he walked to the office building and knocked on Mel’s door.
“It’s open,” she called.
Spence opened it and walked in. Shut the door behind him. Mel looked up from her computer, and her eyes widened. “Spence. What are you doing back here?”
“The case is over,” he said. “Davies is dead and Zoe is safe. So I came back.”
Mel leaned back in her chair as she studied him, and Spence wanted to shuffle his feet. Shove his hands into his pockets. Fidget with something. Anything to distract himself from Mel’s too-knowing gaze.
“Have a seat and tell me what happened,” Mel finally said.
He threw himself into one of the chairs on the other side of her desk and began reciting everything that had happened after he arrived in Seattle. He focused on Davies, on the charms, on everything but his and Zoe’s private interactions. No way was he sharing his personal business with his boss.
Finally, when he’d finished, Mel leaned back in her chair. “So what the hell are you doing here, Spence?”
He frowned. “Where else would I be? The job is over. Davies is dead. Zoe’s no longer in danger.”
“So you just left her there. Alone.”
He scowled at his boss. “Of course I did. The job was done.” He leaned closer to her. “Did you talk to Zoe?”
“Not yet, although I will. I talk to all our clients after their jobs are over. To check whether they were satisfied with our services.”
Spence felt the red creeping up the back of his neck. “I’m pretty sure Zoe was satisfied.”
Mel kept her gaze on him as she leaned back in her chair. “I figured you’d take your week of personal leave in Seattle,” she said.
People had said that Mel could read minds, and maybe she could. How else would she know what he and Zoe had done? “Why would I stay in Seattle?” he finally asked. But he knew he sounded… weak. Flailing.
Mel crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought you’d developed feelings for Zoe.”
What the hell? How could she suspect that? Unless Zoe had said something. But he was pretty sure she wouldn’t have cried to her sister about him. “First of all, that’s none of your business. Secondly, what if I have? You’re my employer. My boss. You’re not in charge of my personal life.”
Mel studied him for a long time, and he struggled to keep from squirming in his seat. Finally she said, “You’re right. Your personal life is none of my business. But I heard what happened when you first met Zoe in Seattle.”
He was going to kill Nico. Slowly. “We had some differences of opinion,” he said stiffly. “That’s all it was.”