Page 21 of Reclaiming Chaos
Chapter 10
“Of course. They’ve been keeping an eye on the place.” Gwen opened her door, and I followed suit. She met me in front of the SUV as the women approached. “Status report.”
“Ms. Tate refused to sleep until the fed showed up. There have been two more inquiries at the hospital for people asking for updates on Melony Michaels. The phone calls have been traced, and we’ve hacked into security and have eyes on the floor where Melony was staying. If anyone goes looking for her, we’ll know it.”
“Where did the calls originate?” I asked.
The woman raised her brow and waited for Gwen to nod before answering my question. It was easy to see whose operation this was. I felt at the same time, helpless and relieved knowing that Gwen had my—our backs.
“One came from a downtown computer coffee shop, and the other came from FT Development’s general switchboard.”
I scratched the stubble on my chin. The call didn’t mean that the shooter sent to kill me was from FT, but how in the hell would they have known to check in on Melony if someone wasn’t inside that information loop with eyes on us?
“We sent agents to the coffee shop, but the cameras had been down for months, so we’re checking the surrounding feeds to see if we can get faces and identities on anyone inside the café at the time of the call.”
“That’s efficient,” I said with a nod.
“Give me your keys,” Gwen said, holding out her hand.
I handed her the car keys. “Where are you taking it?”
“All government cars areLoJacked. They’re traceable. So, we’re going to scan yours for bugs, and then we’ll park it someplace public and keep eyes on it.”
“And how do you expect us to get around?” I was uncomfortable with the idea of being without an escape vehicle.
The brunette that had come from around the house pulled a pair of keys out of her pocket and tossed them. “You’ll be driving this.”
“Get his bags and get that SUV out of here. The longer it stays, the more danger they’re in.”
“Copy that,” the brunette said, going to the back seat. She pulled out my luggage, and I went to the passenger side and grabbed the guns I’d had locked in the glove compartment. There was a fight coming. I could feel it on the wind.
Gwen showed me inside the house and straight into the kitchen, where Carlee was standing at the counter. She turned with two cups of coffee in her hand and held them out. “Black for you.” She handed the cup to Gwen. “And cream and sugar for you,” she said, handing me a cup.
Her tired eyes were rimmed in red. as though she was barely staying awake. The need to take care of her filled my chest. She’d done so much and yet all I’d done is try to arrest her. A knowing passed between us. The game had officially changed and I’d just caught up. My gaze softened as it held hers. “Hi.”
She smiled beneath her tiredness. “Hi.”
“Okay, well now that you two got that important talk out of the way, let’s get back to the business at hand.
I took a sip and let the warmth rekindle my need to stay alert.
Carlee took a seat at the table and wrapped her hands around her cup of coffee, taking small sips as she watched us.
“I’ve got to make rounds and check in. You guys are safe here tonight.”
Carlee nodded. “I know. Thank you again for your help. You, Melony, and I will turn out to be great friends.”
Gwen chuckled as she turned to leave. “You might be wrong about that. Not many people like me.”
“Yes, well.” Carlee blushed. “I guess we’ll see.”
Gwen left, and I took another sip of my coffee.
“Have you always had the gift of knowing, when you were growing up?”
“Yeah. Ever since I can remember. My parents hated it. They couldn’t ever surprise me.”
“Must have been hard for you.”
