CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
River
WE’RE FINALLY MAKING progress. I report back to Director Syed and make the arrangements for us to see Colin Bennet the next day. Then I spend a sleepless night wondering if Jude’s snuck in to be with Freya.
I’m quite possibly losing control of my team. I debate the merits of dragging him back to his own room, but I’ve already done my nighttime routine and getting up again will only make it harder to sleep. Insomnia is the one thing in my life I can’t control but I try my hardest to do so anyway.
I’ll leave Jude alone. Freya could do with the company after I forced her out of her own damn home. A small part of me recognizes that my actions may have been a tad extreme but most of me stands by the decision.
Freya is maddening. And stunning, and strong and delicate despite the tough front she puts on. I feel better knowing she’s here. We have the best security system in the states. I’m yet to figure out who ran her off the road, but no one is getting in here. And Freya isn’t getting out.
I flip my pillow over to get the cold side and stare up at the ceiling. I keep my room dark to help me sleep. The less I have to distract me the better, but my mind refuses to turn off. I should stop thinking about her but somehow, I don’t see that happening.
I still can’t quite believe Jude managed to swipe the key to her room off me earlier. It’s on me, I’m the one who taught him that move but I was too caught up thinking about a frustrating little red head to notice what he was doing.
I groan. I need to focus. Freya may be a distraction, but she’s held up her end of the deal. We finally have a lead.
I close my eyes and run through the details of the case in my mind. Eventually, sleep claims me.
I wake up in the morning feeling minutely more rested than I did before I went to bed. It’s only five am so I grab myself a black coffee and a breakfast bar and plan out our visit to Colin Bennet. The others join me just after seven and I brief them around the kitchen island while they eat.
“I want to talk to him,” Freya says after I announce Eli and I will be the ones to make the first approach.
I nod. “And you will, but I want to get a read on him before seeing how he reacts to you.”
Freya turns her glass of orange juice around in circles on the island. “Are you arresting him?”
“Unfortunately, we can’t. Unless he says something incriminating, we don’t have enough evidence for it to stick.”
Freya looks up at me. “I can connect him to my father.”
Eli scoffs as he stacks up the empty plates. “You’re an unreliable witness at best and unless you actually saw the two of them partaking in criminal activities, we’ve nothing to charge him on. You should know thatDetective.”
Freya matches his glare, only softening when Jude places a hand on the small of her back. “We’ll catch him out,” Jude says. “People make mistakes under pressure and having the FBI turn up on your doorstep is known to have that effect.”
“He’s right,” I say. “We know what we’re doing.” Freya still looks a little tousled from bed and I find myself wanting to tease her. “We caught you, didn’t we?”
Her mouth rounds and my lip twitches as I suppress the urge to grin.
“Oz, I need you here on comms,” I say, “the rest of you, go get ready. We leave in half an hour.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
River
WE PULL INTO a small parking lot, gravel crunching under the tires. I did my research this morning, so I know the layout of the place. The renovated old house has two exits, one round the back and the main entrance.
A shiny plastic sign stating ‘Happy Vets for Happy Pets’ greets us as we head towards the front door.
“Wow, this place is like a walking daytime advert,” Eli says. “Can we arrest someone for being corny?”
“Was that a joke, Eli?” Freya asks. “I didn’t realize you had it in you.”
He shoots her a snarky look and Freya smirks.
“I’m leading a team of children.” I sigh.
Jude’s head bobs up from his phone. “Hey, what did I do?”
