Matt eased back. He wasn’t saying anything.
She kept looking between the two of us, and she must’ve mistaken our silence as believing her, because she started breathing easier. She spoke calmer, and a laugh hitched in her throat. She pressed a hand there. “You guys scared me. Where did you come from? How did you…” Her voice trailed off.
She was thinking.
We were surprised it washermeeting her sister.
We knew Quinn was here.
She looked at the elevator panel. Matt had been the one who pushed the floor number.
If she didn’t say another word, Matt would’ve led her right up to the room.
She swallowed, and her voice got suddenly quieter. “You bugged her phone.”
I took note that it wasn’t a question.
“How long?” Her voice was hoarse now.
I didn’t say a word, but damn it, this wasn’t good.
And then, even quieter, her head lowered, she said, “I won’t tell her. I’m not here to help her. Honest to God, I’m not.”
I ground out, “I don’t like you anymore.”
Her head lifted. Her face was pinched in. “I am not what you’re thinking. I swear it. There are things you both don’t know about, reasons… just… things you don’t know. It’s why I’m here. Ihaveto be here. I have to play nice for my sister right now. Just right now, and then—” She cut herself off, swallowing. She looked in pain, her eyes closing slowly. “Please let me walk in there alone. Please let me see this through. You can wait for me. I’ll ride back with you guys to the house. I’ll tell you everything she says.” Her eyes got big. “Wait! Look.” She dug into her purse and pulled out a recorder. “I was going to use this tonight on her. I’ll play it for you in the car.”
Matt and I shared a look.
Should we? But then the elevator suddenly stopped. The doors opened, and it wasn’t the right floor, but Fitz and Scott were both there. Both were glaring. Both stepped inside. The doors closed again, and yeah.
We were in trouble.
TWENTY-NINE
Kash
“They’re there right now?”
Scott was giving me the latest report on Team Batt. It wasn’t good.
He sounded frustrated. “I’m sorry. This is not professional of me, but Bailey and Matt are insane. They’re out of control. We have no idea how they got their hands on it, but they got Quinn’s phone and Bailey hacked it. Somehow that led them to this hotel, and we’re sitting there, assuming they’re doing the same thing they did at Octavo—letting loose in an establishment you don’t own—until Quinn’s sister swoops in. Matt takes off after her. Bailey darts after them, stops, and Matt yells at her. She jumps in the elevator with them and up they zoom. We’re currently holed up in a hallway below where Quinn’s sister was going to meet Quinn, and Bailey and Matt are huddling over some listening device. Every time we step close, they move away. We can’t force them anywhere, but they’re not letting us get close enough to overhear. I repeat,” he said, extremely frustrated, “Bailey and her brother are out of control.” He took a breath. “What’s next? Getting arrested so we can protect them inside jail? I would not be surprisedif somehow Quinn gets word what they did and sends patrol units to the Chesapeake.”
I needed a minute to process all of that.
Processing done. I’d be shooting Matt in the ass at some point in the future.
“I’m coming back. Again.”
Josh whirled back to me. He’d been stretching. “What?”
Scott got quiet on his end.
“I’ll return with Drake. The rest will stay”—I was half speaking to Josh now—“and will take the meet with Harden, because he finally reached out.”
Josh cursed, shaking his head. “He’s going to be pissed you aren’t there.”
“Tough.”