Spencer lifted his beer. “Can’t be called in for questioning if no one knows where we are.”
Turning, Scotty watched the waitress come over, a smile on his lips. Gage ordered a burger. The other guys passed. He got back something that smelled burnt and looked like shoe leather between two buns. He buried it in ketchup, took a bite, and asked, “What about that storage unit Nick told us about?”
Spencer shook his head. “Bust. Found his bugout bag, but it only had the same shit any of us would have. Unused burner phone, clothes, and some cash.”
Gage nodded. “Better keep your bags close. I got a bad feeling about this one.”
Spencer nodded. “Same damn feeling started for me when that last mission came up. Something in this more than stinks.”
Scotty took a pull on his beer. “Yeah, well, let’s make sure the stink doesn’t stick to us. Gage, keep working on that publishing company. Right now, that’s our best shot at finding Natalie. There’s got to be a reason she’s disappeared, and I want to know what it is.”
Gage nodded. “What about you two?”
Glancing at the waitress, Scotty said, “I’m going to try to get her number.” Gage stared at him, waiting for the man to get serious. Finally, Scotty pulled out Natalie’s photo. “I’m also going to see if Natalie ever came in here. After that, I’ll canvass the area, see if I can pick up any kind of lead.”
Suddenly, the photo shoot wasn’t looking so bad. Gage glanced at Spencer. “You?”
Spencer finished his beer. “I’m going to see if we can find out where our damn fearless leader has gone to ground.”
Now Gage was totally happy to head back to the studio. If Kyle didn’t want to be found, he wasn’t going to be found. Gage was just hoping the wrong person didn’t find Kyle first. For now, he had to go back and pose some more.
3
“Hello, Mother.” Anna forced her voice to stay even and calm as she answered the phone.Breathe in, breathe out.
“You are not a child anymore. You know that I prefer to be called Eloise. Oh, well, it hardly matters since we are not in public. How are you, dear?”
“I’m fine…Eloise. I’m also at work. Is there something you need?”
In East Coast social circles, Eloise Middleton was a queen. Or had been, anyway. As a society wife, her standing depended on how important and influential her husband was—and when Charles Middleton had beenCongressmanMiddleton, she’d wielded quite a lot of power, indeed. She hadn’t been at all happy when that power took a hit after her husband was caught having an affair with his secretary. Eloise had scored points for standing by her man, but that positive PR hadn’t been enough to salvage the election. Thankfully, Charles had had strong enough connections by then—favors to be paid back—that he’d landed in the corporate world on both feet. Financially, their family had remained more than comfortable. But the top-tier position Eloise had held had been lost forever, and she hadnotbeen happy.
Anna had adored her father despite his flaws and mourned him deeply when he died after an automobile accident. According to the police reports, it had been an unfortunate collision with a drunk driver. Nevertheless, some tabloids had speculated that it wasn’t beyond Eloise to have orchestrated payback for her husband’s affair. While Anna didn’t want to imagine her mother had been involved, the death had put what had been a chilled relationship between mother and daughter into the freezer. They stayed in contact in a perfunctory way, but Mother—Eloise—never called in the middle of the workday unless it was important.
Anna dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling loose a few strands from the ponytail. “Eloise?”
“I just called to tell you that your sister Susan is pregnant.”
“I know. I got the Facebook notification, along with about five thousand other people. And…so…?” Anna began to pace.
“This is something to celebrate. The shower is next month. You’ll get an invitation, but I need you to arrange the cake and entertainment. But, more importantly, if she can find a man and get pregnant, surely you can, too. You are far prettier than she is, even if you are unnaturally tall.”
Ouch.Anna forced a smile. “Mother…Eloise, I can’t get to New York next month.”
“Of course you can. If you won’t tell your boss, put him on the phone and I will explain the situation.” That was Eloise all over, assuming that the rest of the world was simply waiting to cater to her every whim. Anna needed her mother trying to order around her crotchety boss about as much as she needed a poke in the side with a stick.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll handle it.” She clicked off and started back to the studio. There wasn’t a ton of time left for lunch, but that was fine—she’d just grab yogurt from the fridge.
As she neared the elevator, its doors opened and Coran Williams stepped out.
He was dressed in his usual: jeans with an open-neck, button-front white shirt. His loafers were Italian and had to have cost what Anna earned in a month, but they still technically counted as casual wear for Coran. This was more of a hobby business for him than anything else—he didn’t dress up to come in.
She often wondered why he kept the publishing company going. Coran had recently celebrated his seventy-sixth birthday—an age when many men would choose to retire. But he often said that the work kept him young. Maybe it kept himfeelingyoung, but his appearance told a different story. Bald, with liver spots and a prominent nose, he looked more like Montgomery Burns fromTheSimpsonsthan a trendy, hip guy. But he had presence.
He flashed her his usual tight smile. “How’s the shoot going?”
She nodded. “Surprisingly well. We only wanted someone who could look the part; I didn’t expect to land an actual Navy SEAL.”
He lifted a hand. A gold ring glinted on his little finger. “Long as it’s working. Is Marcella happy?”