He chuckled. “You’re easy to please. Towels and washcloths are under the sink. I’ll leave you to get settled. Come find me in the kitchen when you’re ready.”
Brent backtracked to the kitchen and peered into his refrigerator. He wasn’t sure how Rowan was feeling at the moment, but she needed to eat soon. Rowan hadn’t eaten anything. Couldn’t continue if she was to keep functioning. She had to be strong for Alexa and that meant taking care of herself.
He wasn’t a world-class chef like one of his operatives, but Brent loved to grill. He pulled out two steaks and two baking potatoes, then went back to look in the vegetable crisper. Salad in a bag. Perfect. Yeah, his foodie operatives would turn up their noses at his pre-packaged salad. Brent liked the convenience and eating any salad balanced out the occasional soft drink in his mind. Besides, he didn’t feel guilty if he had to pitch a bag of salad in the trash because of a string of late nights or out-of-the-country operations.
He left the salad in the refrigerator and prepped the steaks. Leaving them to marinate, he unlocked his French doors and approached his grill. His grill was a work of art. Once he turned on the grill, Brent returned to the kitchen.
His doorbell rang. Brent frowned until he glanced at the security monitor and saw Zane Murphy. Why had Z driven all the way out here?
Brent unlocked the door. “Zane, what are you doing here?”
“You live in the boonies.” Zane scowled as he zipped past Brent into the living room. “You should move closer to work. Save a lot of wear and tear on your ride.”
“Yeah, yeah. Micah tells me the same thing and he lives as far from work as I do. I like it here. The area is quiet and the neighbors don’t bother me.”
“What neighbors?” Zane countered. “This place is surrounded by trees and has a long driveway. You can’t even see the house from the road.”
That was the point. Brent didn’t want neighbors knowing his schedule and he didn’t like crowded areas.
Zane reached into the pocket at the back of his wheelchair. “I brought you a new laptop. Carstairs tried to access the files on your old one. This computer has my latest security program.”
“Isn’t that program still in development?”
“Finalized the program yesterday.”
“Excellent. Can’t wait to see how fast our clients snap up this program. Do you have a few minutes, Zane?”
“Sure. Claire is off on another wedding photo shoot. She won’t be home until later.”
“Come back to the kitchen. You want a steak? I’m manning the grill as soon as it heats.”
Zane moaned in appreciation. “Your steaks are legendary. I’ll pick up dinner for Claire on the way home.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll fix her a steak and potato as well. Take them to her with my thanks for letting you stay late several times in the last few weeks.”
“Not necessary, but I’ll take them just the same. How can I help?” Zane asked as he followed Brent. He set the new laptop on the kitchen counter.
“Have your laptop with you?”
A snort. “Of course I do.”
Brent grinned. “There have been a few developments in Rowan’s case.”
Zane straightened in his chair. “What developments?”
“Carlos Salazar admitted accepting a commission to kill Rowan.”
“Who put a price on her head?”
“Guy who calls himself Invisible Man.”
A huff of laughter was Zane’s response to that moniker. “Motive?”
“He thought he’d collect easy cash. Also, Rowan’s sister stopped by Coffee House yesterday and left a flash drive with one file on it for safe keeping. The contents are in code.”
“Ah. You put Adam on that, didn’t you?”
Brent nodded as he returned to the fridge and grabbed two more steaks and potatoes. “You should have seen the difference in Adam’s attitude.”
“Having a purpose will do that.”
Brent studied his friend. Zane ought to know. After he’d been paralyzed on a SEAL mission, Zane fought to reclaim his life and find a purpose himself. “Today, Cal went with us to the Maxwell place. Rowan needed the Maxwells’ clothes for the funeral director. The house had been ransacked.”
“They were after the flash drive?”
“That’s my take on it.”
“If that flash drive is their objective, the file must be something worth killing for.”
Brent wanted to push Adam to work faster. All he’d do is frustrate his operative and slow the work. Much as he hated to wait, Brent trusted Adam. Nobody was better at cracking codes than Adam Walker.
There were other avenues to explore, ones Zane could help him with. “I need a list of Jay Maxwell’s associates, employees, rivals, and enemies. I want to know who had reason to want this man dead.”
“What about his wife?” Zane dropped his voice. “The first people cops look at are spouses. There’s a reason for that scrutiny.”
Footsteps heralded Rowan’s approach.
He and Zane turned toward the threshold.
Rowan pulled up short. “Hello,” she said to Zane. “I’m Rowan Scott.”
He rolled forward and extended his hand. “Zane Murphy. Maddox has bragged about your coffee for almost a year now. I’m glad to put a face with the name.”
“Zane brought me a new laptop,” Brent said. “He’s also staying for dinner. I hope you’re hungry, babe.”
Rowan wrinkled her nose.
“You should be.” He seasoned Zane and Claire’s steaks, scrubbed the potatoes in the sink, and wrapped them in foil. “You have to eat to stay strong.”
“I don’t think I can.”
“Try.” Zane reached out and clasped her hand for a moment. “You can’t afford to become ill, sugar. Eat for your niece if you won’t do it for yourself or Brent.”
She studied him. “You sound like you know something about the effects of stress on the body.”
The tech guru chuckled. “Unfortunately. Comes with the territory in the military and black ops.”
Brent grabbed the foil-wrapped potatoes. “I need to put these on the grill. Z, care to try and beat me at a game of dueling computers?”
His friend rolled his eyes. “Making me work for my
