“That’s not what’s happening.”
“No? I don’t believe you.” She pushed out a breath.“Hank is going to answer to me.”
Adrian took a step toward the door. “I’ll be back infifteen with food and that coffee.”
At the last second before the door clicked shut, hecould have sworn he heard the word, “Coward,” spoken in a lowvoice.
From her, or from himself?
She’d said she was hangry, so what was the big dealin cutting out and leaving her to it? She wanted to be independent,she could protect herself. He wouldn’t be long.
Fifteen minutes, in fact.
He juggled the bag and drink carrier with hugecoffees for both of them, and got the door open. He half expectedher to be cleared out and gone. Instead, she was looking out thewindow. Phone to her ear. Laughing.
Years. Stress. Pain. It all bled from her face inthat few seconds she smiled wide and shared a moment of humor withthe person she was on the phone with.
Adrian stared.
She shifted around, and he saw the gun in her otherhand. She let the curtain fall back into place, and he set the fooddown on the desk. The knot that had collected around his hearteased.
“Okay.” Megan moved to her computer. She hit a buttonon the phone and said, “You’re on speaker. Adrian is back.”
“Pull up a new browser tab and type this in.” Thevoice was young. Female, low-toned. Rich. The woman rattled off aseries of numbers and letters. Backslash, pound, asterisk. Enter.This had to have been the contact she’d mentioned to her DoubleDown teammates—the one who might be able to get them answers.
Megan said, “Done.”
“Enter all the information on that page.”
“Where?” Megan stared at the screen. “It just lookslike a bunch of pictures of someone’s vacation.”
“Click between margaritas and whale watching.”
“Okay, but…” Megan paused. “Oh. I see.”
Adrian wandered over and looked at the screen. Awindow had popped up.
“Type everything in there. All the factors you have,and all the variables. I’ll run the numbers and let you know what Icome up with.”
“And if the blackmailer gets ahold of thiswebsite?”
“He can try,” the woman said.
“How about trying to predict where he might hitnext?” Megan asked. “After the think tank collapsed, we need to getahead of him.”
“Without a pattern, there’s no way to predict wherethis guy might target next,” the woman said. “At least not withoutme figuring out the common underlying link first.”
Adrian said, “Some of the information you’re going toneed is top secret covert black-opsstuff.”
“Okay.” Like that was no big deal.
“O-kay.”
“Like I said,” the woman continued. “I’ll let youknow what I come up with.”
It seemed there was no doubt in her mind that she’dcome up with something. The only question was what thatsomething would be.
Megan said, “Thank you so much.”
“No worries. My boyfriend went AWOL a few weeks ago.I’ve got the servers running overtime searching for him. Until Iget a hit, I’ve got time.”
Megan glanced up at Adrian, an “Eek” look on her face. He grinned, then handed overher coffee. She mouthed, Thank you. And then,Sorry.
He shook his head, then leaned down. Waited until sherealized what he was doing. Adrian touched his lips to herforehead. She was warm, but not hot enough it could be a fever.
When he leaned back, he smiled. Shook his headagain.
“Me-gan… Did I lose you?” the woman asked.
“Tunnel,” Megan said, immediately.
She chuckled. “I know you’re sitting in a hotel room.The restaurant next door has better waffles than you’ll getdownstairs.”
“Bye, Remy.” Megan hung up the phone, chucklingagain. She took a sip of coffee. “Wow, that’s good stuff.” Shelooked up at him. “I’m sorry I snapped.”
“I forgive you.”
“I don’t need looking after.”
“Mm-hmm.” He tore into the bag of food and pulled outa burrito. Bit into it.
“Not going to say anything else?”
He shook his head, then pointed to his full mouth ashe chewed. Swallowed. Quickly took another bite.
Megan rolled her eyes. “That smells good. Where’smine?”
Chapter11
She slung her bag over her good shoulder just asAdrian stepped out of the bathroom. His clothes were clean, hishair wet. He’d shaved.
She might like a little beard growth, but she couldappreciate a clean-cut man.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.” It wasn’t like theywere going to stay here. Not after the phone call she’d justgotten.
“So you waited until I was in the shower to packup?”
She made a face at that ridiculous idea. “If I did, Itook too long since I’m still here.” Hopefully he’d get thesarcasm. She’d taken another pill, but it had yet to kick in.
“Am I invited to go with you?”
“Only if you put your shoes on.” Okay, thatmight have been too much sarcasm. Especially considering theway he glanced at her out the corner of his eye and moved to hissuitcase. “I can’t see that hanging around a crime scene with barefeet would be a good idea.”
He straightened. “Crimescene?”
“Yeah. Hank called,” she said. “The two shooters fromdowntown were found dead in their vehicle a few hours ago. Weshould go check it out.”
“That’s where you were going?”
“That’s where we’re going.” She’d agreed tostay, hadn’t she? Even though he’d basically admitted he was thereto take care of her. As if she needed a nurse. Or a babysitter. Shedidn’t want to find out later that Steve and Hank had made anarrangement for Adrian to stick with her for exactly those reasons.But if it happened, she wasn’t exactly going to be surprised.
Though, she’d probably act surprised. Pretendshe’d had no idea. Get mad at the injustice of it all. That wouldbe satisfying. Especially if people were safe, and Zimmerman was injail. If they had also exposed the blackmailer in this scenario,that would make things even better. All wrapped up, back tonormal.
Not this weird limbo she was living in now, wherethere wasn’t even time to find a laundry place and wash theirclothes.
“If you say so.” He sat on the bed to put his shoeson.
Megan cocked her hip. “What is that supposed tomean?”
He looked up. “Why are we fighting? Were you
